Where were you when you heard about the terror attacks?

I was at home pregnant with my second and had just turned Sesame Street off and was switching over to Regis & Kelly. The first image I saw on the screen was that of the first tower on fire. I sat there with my jaw dropped, picked up the phone to call DH to tell him. He was mad at me for calling him at first becuase the night before we had a conversation about cutting back our cell phone minutes, after I told him what was going on, he got over it.
I saw the second plane hit live on tv. I remember thinking it was a replay of the first plane. Then the reality set in and I started to think about all the lives lost and all those that we know that worked in NYC.  Luckily no one we knew was lost that day but I pray for those that were.

The rest of the day was nothing but a blur, sat in front of the TV while on the phone with different family members and friends.

A day none of us will never forget and  hope to never ever repeat.

I was home alone recuperating from a knee replacement operation - my sister called from work and told me to turn on the TV, that a plane had just hit one of the towers. At that time we thought it was a freak accident, until the second plane hit and we knew we were under some terrible form of attack. Then the news of the Pentagon and the other plane in Pennsylvania. My husband came home from work early - I think my mom was out in York at my brother's house. I told my sister and her family to come over because we needed to be together at a time like this. I kept crying and thinking 'My God, how could this happen? Who could possibly hate us enough to take so many innocent lives? What kind of monster attacks unprevoked?'

My prayers today are going out to all of those who lost their lives and their family and friends, and to all of us who truly cherish freedom and understand the value of a human life.

I just posted about this on my FB. I was a SW Intern at Jefferson Hospital in downtown Philly. I was with an inmate who was admitted due to a infection from heroin use. I was holding her hand because she was crying, that her father was dying and would probably die while she was incarcerated. She was in so much pain, she paid no attention to the awful things revealing themselves on the TV. Her guards were screaming and crying as they watched tV, and I had to just attend to her and try and ignore it. It was so awful, to see. The city emptied out in fear, it was eerie and quiet. I remember thinking that day, that anything is possible, when someone hates enough.
I did not know anyone directly who was killed but I have good friends who did.

I was laying flat on my back on my sofa watching some kids show with Siehara while I was out of work on disability for my back.  I remember flipping the channels on a commercial and seeing the footage of the 1st plane hitting the tower.  Nickelodeon must have been the ONLY channel that did not get interrupted by this horrible tragedy.  I let Siehara watch her shows in the living room and I went in the bedroom to watch the news.   I am tearing up again just thinking about it.  I remember not believing what I was seeing and thinking that it was just some stunt or ploy.  Then, I saw the 2nd plane hit the tower and knew that it was for real. 

Then, it hit me that my father and step mom had left on a flight to California that morning and I was so thankful to hear that their plane had been grounded in Detroit and they were safe. Thank goodness!  They ended up in Detroit for a few days until a friend of theirs from upstate New York drove there to pick them What a horrible horrible day.

I was working in NJ at the time - we had the TV on listening to the morning news and watched everything unfold. At lunchtime we went over to the local resivoir (a high spot) and could see the smoke billowing up into the sky. It was a horrible and tragic day. My thoughts and prayers go out to all that were affected and/or lost someone in the course of the events.

I was teaching and missed almost the whole thing. My DH called me to ask if I was ok but I had not idea why. When he told me I ran to the nearest TV just in time to see the second tower fall. I will never forget that sight.  I teach at a Jesuit university and as the tower went down, I watch a group of our priests just make the sign of the cross. So sad. I did not lose anyone but we did lose an Alum who jumped to his death from the 91st floor. He thought his odds were better than burning to death.

Paul and I and my mom and her husband were getting ready to fly out of Las Vegas that morning...we turned on the tv and wow.................we had to leave our hotel the stratesphere because it was the highest building in vegas at that time, we ended up at Harrahs staying with my mom and also I just remember my motherinlaw was with us, so there was five of us there for five days until they opened the airport again......vegas was so quiet and all the signs there had p;rayers for US and all the shows were cancelled out of respect......9/11 changed our nation.......................................

I get very emotional every year on this day.

Brian and I were together for just under a year at that point, and were working together at a small ambulance company, working long hours...I want to say 6a to 10p.

We had a CD player in our ambulance and had been listening to a CD of "the eagles" that morning on our way to our normal pick up in jersey city for a patient who had routine dialysis appointments.  She lived in Jersey City - which if you don't know, is literally right across the river from the city.  It's a VERY bad section of NJ.

Every day we would go to her house there would be (excuse the term) a "crack hoe" standing on the corner talking nonsense.   That day was no different.  Except she was talking about being under attack and this that the other thing.  We were surrounded by tall tall buildings and at the time, couldn't see anything and figured it was her nonsense (remember...CD player....no radio...no news)  We entered our patients house and she was watching the news.  The first plane had already hit.

We got her out of the house....turned out of the city - which happened to be facing the towers, in time to see the second plane hit.  My father works in the city and works shift work...so I sat in the back of the ambulance trying to call home to see if he was at work or not, but of course, the cell phone  signals were jammed and I couldn't get through.

We were inline to go into the city.  Brian and I were "big fish in a small pond" if you will so all of our jobs got handed off to others in the crew and we readied ambulances and supplies to go to the city.  I found out my father was NOT at work, thank the good Lord, but friends of ours were and we later found out they died.

We sat and watched most of the events on TV, and from our "vantage point", I called my parents and he called his saying we might have to go in for rescue efforts.  I cried and said goodbye to my family just in case something were to happen.

We did NOT go into the city that day - our ambulance company was never called into service.  It was around 9p when we got to Brian's house (where I would spend the night) when we finally turned on the cartoon network - a channell that wasn't running it because I couldn't listen or see any more footage.

I am so thankful that my father was not there....that I lost no family members in the tragedy. 

I pray for all the lives that were lost...fire fighters, police, EMS, nurses, command center, innocent bystanders.

And I can't help but think how different todays weather is compared to that days.  I starkly remember how beautiful it was out that day....how that black smoke and fire struck out against such a crystal clear blue sky.

My top two songs regarding this happen to be country songs.  They each represent the exact two feelings I have:

"Where were you when the world stopped turning"
"Courtesy of the red white and blue"

Peace, love, and continued healing for all,

Pam

Pam your story made me cry. Thank God you and Brian and you Dad are safe! And you are right - it was a perfect fall day with not a cloud in the sky.

WOW Pam.. what a blessing that your lives were saved.  I don't know anyone else who was that closely affected by this.  Thank goodness.  I know that if it had come to it, you would have been right there working in the rubble doing everything you could to help.  

What a moving day and yes, it was such a beautiful day out.  I think G-d is crying today remembering it.