Where were YOU on 9/11?

When news of JFK's assasination was broadcast on 22 Nov 1963, I was ironing a shirt in preparation for classes as a student at Long Beach State. It's ironic, but, on 11 Sep 2001, I was again ironing a shirt, this time before delivering a lecture on California wines at the University of Florida, when the news came in that a plane had crashed into the WTC. Not exctly deja vu all over again, but close. In 1963, two days after Kennedy's death, I sang folk songs, smoked a joint, and lit candles of remembrance with friends along the shore of the Alamitos Bay. Two days after 9-11 found me drinking pints of Guinness in an Irish pub in Tampa, and singing "God Bless America" with friends serving at nearby MacDill AFB.

Posted By: GatorsFan | September 07 2006 at 06:13 AM

I had been laid off my job in July, 2001. I had just gotten up to log-on to my laptop to begin my usual search and couldn't, not understanding why. After about a hour, I finally got connectivity and saw the headlines about the World Trade Center towers. It didn't seem real, like this was some kind of practical joke.
I turned on the TV just to make sure this was real, and the first image I saw was the smoke and fire and replay of one of the planes crashing into one of the towers. I immediately tried without success to call my brother, who lives in lower Manhattan along with my parents and grandparents. I then called my sister in Ohio. She said she couldn't reach my family yet. About a half-hour later, my best friend called to find out if I had heard from my family. My sister called a few minutes later to tell me she reached my grandfather. He was in his late 90's and didn't know what had happened. She told him to turn on the TV. My brother finally called and said everyone in the family was OK. I spent the rest of the day glued to the TV, still in disbelief this happened. It was like a bad disaster film, only it was real.

Posted By: family in OH & NYC (an alias) | September 07 2006 at 07:00 AM

I was in Galvenston Texas after traveling from Moab Utah to be with my mother at the Medical Center there. I flew in the weekend prior to 9/11, long trip but a good thing because I would not have been able to get there if I waited. I called my mother at the hospital the morning of 9/11 to check in and she told me what she was watching on TV. I thought she was delirious from the morphine drip so I turned on the TV to see what she was talking about. I became glued to the TV watching all of this take place and in total shock and disbelief. Later that day we got the news my mother had pancreatic cancer. She died four days later. It was as if she was one of those victims of 9/11. It was too much to handle. This event changed my life in many ways I will never forget what happened that day. My mother, as I am, would have been appalled at what has happened to the United States since 9/11.

Posted By: topogjo | September 07 2006 at 08:01 AM

I was getting for work and to make the drive from Oakland to San Francisco...I had the tv on and when the second plane hit I was in shock...and that continued all day- I did not want to come to work but my former boss said to come in- I think as he did not have family he wanted to be surrounded by us...I remember calling a company in S. California and they always answered the phone saying *It's a great Day*...I told them it was not a great day and to check the news...I decided to start a family in the coming years so if one of us should have an accident a piece of us would be left behind thru our children....and to echo the sentiment of other posters here...American's should be ashamed of our involvement in Iraq and wonder who is buying the garbage out of Bush's mouth?...

Posted By: tomba | September 07 2006 at 09:43 AM