22 years since 911 attacks.

[Tyzuris]

It's getting closer to quarter century since 911 attacks which makes me feel kinda old + realize how much time has passed despite me feeling like it was just ''yesterday'' since I heard of planes hitting some towers in New York and hitting Pentagon + one crash landing, and me being 7 years old at the time fully understood how this was much more serious after I came home from school seeing my parents glued to the tv looking very grim. Even a seven year old me understood we're in for some bad time. And when terrorism became the big bad of fiction right after that (and me watching with my parents shows like 24 at the time) and then in 2005 Londo Metro Bombings happened, etc.. left me feeling like I was having my formative years shaped by the threat of terrorism (much like how as a millenial I've watched the gen-z feel like the big threat of their era being climate change).

So it's time for yet another annual how you guys remember the 911 attacks - thread.

 

[Captain X]

I was in my freshman year of college and had just joined AFROTC.

 

[Rocinante]

I was in 9th grade. Coincidentally just playing sick that morning and had my mom come get me from school. No one knew what was happening yet.

I got home and turned on rhe TV and saw that a tower was hit by a plane. Was watching that as the second plane hit and then everyone at once knew it was terrorists. I watched that the rest of the day and chatted with some people online on AIM/ICQ and forums for the remainder of the day

 

[Typhonis]

I was asleep at the time. I worked night shift ((3:30pm to 12 midnight.)) Dad woke me up about the attack.

 

[gral]

Was having lunch at the university, before going to my internship. Thought it was an accident until the second plane hit, and even then it took 2-3 minutes for what was happening to really sink in. Went to my internship, and when I was arriving, my brother called me to tell me the first tower had collapsed. Things got frantic as US airspace was closed(my internship was at VARIG, a Brazilian airline which would close in 2006) - a few of our flights managed to land before that, but at least two of them had to divert elsewhere.

 

[DarthOne]

I was at elementary school at the time. I vaguely remember one of the other kids bringing up what had happened with my response being something on the lines of ‘that’s impossible’.

 

[The Whispering Monk]

Getting ready for classes at university when I got the call to 'Turn on the TV.' Saw second plane hit tower. Called my Guard unit to see if they needed a body for anything.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

I was in my junior year of high school in Pflugerville, Texas attending English class when we got news of the attacks via intercom. All of us were silent.

 

[Tyzuris]

a few of our flights managed to land before that, but at least two of them had to divert elsewhere.

It was probably Gander (town in Canada with 11000 inhabitants) that had its little airport take in 38 civilian aircraft and 4 military aircraft and 6700 passengers which was for the town of Gander a huge logistical, accommodation, etc.. challenge to accommodate these people somewhere for the while they were there.

 

[Bacle]

I was in 7th grade when it happened, heard something vague about a plane crash in NYC on the radio while being taken to school, didn't think much of it.

Once at school, things got weird fast because the second plane hit just as I was getting to school, and not sure when after that we hear the Pentagon was hit.

They took us down to the library at the school at put on CNN or something on the big TV down there, and we watched till the towers collapsed.

Don't remember if they called parents to come get kids after that or if they just did an amended day, but the rest of the day was sort of a blur till I got home, and started learning the full extent of what had happened.

 

[willdelve4beer]

I was a few years into my first fulltime job in finance, a few years out of business school, and actually going in for an interview with MSDW in the towers that morning - interview to start at 9:00. Wore a three piece summer weight suit my wife picked out, but she told me to stop by the Banana Republic in the mall in the tower basement - just above the PATH and Subway stations, to get socks which actually matched the suit. I still have my receipt from the cashier at 8:46 am on 9/11 when she rang me up. As I was walking out, the police started telling people to evacuate. I figured it was another bomb scare (there was an attack on a WTC parking garage a few years earlier). Called the MSDW recruiter (got voicemail, she died in the attack), asking to reschedule and hoping she was ok, then headed into my office, down at the bottom of the island. Got up to the trading floor and every screen was showing the towers. I think I recall only the first impact having taken place at that point, and everyone asking if it was an accident - which I knew was bugnuts - I knew enough pilots to realize that missing the tower was a /lot/ simpler than hitting it, so someone had to be aiming for it. The second and third strikes were surprises to me, as was the collapse.

Oddly enough, for being in the industry, that recruiter was the only person who died at WTC that I remember speaking to directly. I had been at the rainbow room at the top of the towers twice, once for a social function, and once for an anniversary date with my wife - so I know I spoke to the waiters then, but can't say I recall any of their names. I knew more people hurt/killed in the Pentagon attack, coming from a military family and having served.

Needless to say, everything stopped in the industry. After the collapse, waited 15 minutes, then told my boss at the time that I was leaving. Made a makeshift mask with my tie and a hankerchief my wife had me tuck into my suit pocket to look classy, and walked to up meet her in mid town. Ended up taking the ferries running on the west side home to the NJ side.

Oddly enough - that was the third time I had to do that, the first two being power outages a few years prior.