I live in the UK, at the time at was school. On the walk hime from school a couple of ‘troublesome’ kids I used to know mentioned something about an attack on America. Me and my friend went that day, must have been around 4pm our time so 11am your time, trying to debunk this, and we said that if something bug had happened - we’d have known about it.
I got home, my mother raced to the front door, and asked ‘Have you heard?’ her face extremely pained. She then told me. If I’m honest, I was so young I hadn’t even heard of the twin towers, bin laden etc. I jsut couldn’t believe it. Out of shock I felt my legs go weak. My mother had picked my younger brother and sister and cousin up from school and she had made sure to turn off all of the tvs in the house although she had a radio on in the kitchin. I went up to my room where I spent the rest of the day watching thoseawful pictures. I can remember seeing that shot ofn the plan hitting the tower for the first time - I was simply godsmacked. My dad who came home later obviously saw how disturbed I was by it all and comforted me later.
In my own little life here in the UK - I can safely say without any doubt that that day changed my forever. I had never been interested in politics or foreign affairs - I was just a happy teenager. From that day on - I have been, and I have ALWAYS been on your side. The W.O.T is my number one concern. I am proud that we are standing with you in this struggle.
Just one story that could be replicated a million times over for all I know.
May god bless the victims and comfort their families. I can’t imagine how painful it must be to this day.
And also, may god bless our brave military, Americas and our own who bravely fight this enemy every day.
I was late for work. That morning, I was working in the Time-Life Building, in midtown at 50th and 6th. My train got into Grand Central Station around 8:50 and it was a fifteen minute walk to my office.
When I got to 48th and 6th, I heard a low-flying plane. It was an odd sound. Planes don’t fly low over Manhattan. I looked up, saw nothing, and looked around at my fellow pedestrians. No one else seemed to have noticed anything odd.
I passed by the News Corp building, home to Fox News and checked the time on the outside clock. A couple minutes past nine.
I made it to the office around 9:05. And soon started hearing the news. The Time-Life Building was considered a possible target so everyone was encouraged to go home. No trains were running. Crowds of stunned people were in the streets, walking to their apartments or to the bridges out of the City.
I stayed until I was sure that everyone had a place to go before I left. Other bosses hightailed it out without a look back. That gave me something to be angry about besides the Towers. I guess that was the start of my feeling that we were at war, and we’d damn better be strong.
I called my wife and told her I was walking north. I figured I’d walk out of the City and get some place she could drive and pick me up.
So I walked from 50th into Harlem at 125th Street—just as the trains began running again.
The next morning, the New York Times banner headline was “An Act of War”. (My, how attitudes have changed!)
How about you guys?