# What were you doing 17 years ago?



## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

The family was on vacation renting a cool cabin in northern WI. I had just came in from early morning fishing for breakfast and the TV was on. We all just sat there watching in disbelief, as the planes hit the the buildings. Nobody really said a thing which is rare for our family. We quietly packed up and went home. Not a big deal on my part but I remember like it was yesterday. 

Found out later my neighbor couple miles away lost their daughter at the Pentagon. She was a couple years ahead of me at school, but I do remember her.


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## Prepared One (Nov 5, 2014)

I was at work in the office. We had TV's on in the break rooms and some of the offices. All work just stopped. I remember standing in the conference room with some of the office girls ( Some crying ) watching in disbelief.


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## jim-henscheli (May 4, 2015)

My mom was out of town, and dad worked nights and had just fallen asleep. I was playing that spider man video game that you could get in a cereal box.
Our neighbor Julia came over and woke dad up, and me, dad and sister went over to her house because she had a tv with cable. We saw the second plane hit live.. we knew that something was very wrong indeed. My moms friend Leslie worked in the north tower, but she had the flu that week.
NEVER FORGET. NEVER FORGIVE.


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## Mad Trapper (Feb 12, 2014)

Drinking coffee watching TV before I had to go to work. News flash came on about 1st plane. Saw the 2nd hit live as it happened. The school went on shutdown so didn't have to go to work. Was a few miles away from an AF base and things were humming in and out of there. Mostly A-10s but F14-16s too. Only planes you saw for a few days.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Exactly what I am doing today and where I was doing it then. Treating patients. About 10 miles from where flight 93 went down. It actually hit closer to my house at that time. Wish I could cancel the day and go hear Trump.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.ydr.com/amp/1226256002

This was a field scheduled for strip mining coal.


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## Back Pack Hack (Sep 15, 2016)

I had the glorious job of digging a trench that day. Within a half hour, all the jobsite radios were on the same station so everyone could listen. Didn't get to see anything until I got home around 7PM.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

I went I to work and had a tv in my front lobby and finished the day in disbelief, along with my co workers/employees.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Trump will be at flight 93 today.

Large crowd expected to hear Trump speak at Flight 93 crash site | News | tribdem.com


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## rstanek (Nov 9, 2012)

I was removing carpet from an American Family Ins. office, our world changed that day.....


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## Lowtechredneck (May 7, 2018)

I was 15, and being home schooled, I didn't have to get up as early as some people. Dad woke me up that morning and the first plane had hit, but everyone thought it was an accident still. Not long after plane #2 hit he decided school work was not important that day. We sat and watched the coverage all day. My brother got sent home from work about noon, my sister not long after. My mom got to leave her job late in the afternoon. I look back now and can see that that day changed American society for ever. As a typical "90s kid", it seems like everyone went from hopeful and generally happy, to what we see today.


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## Sasquatch (Dec 12, 2014)

Was recovering from the first to two shoulder surgeries. My unemployed roommate banged on the wall and yelled "turn on the TV, a plane just hit the WTC".

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## SDF880 (Mar 28, 2013)

I flew all night on a redeye connecting to my final destination. I actually made it to my home airport and was the last one
off the plane. As I was exiting the plane I saw and heard the captain loudly talking to the F/O saying" Call dispatch and find out what the
F is going on the weather is good" I wondered what that was all about and walking thru the terminal I saw what it was about! There was a crowd of folks
looking up at a ceiling mount TV in one of the bars and out into the concourse I walked over and saw what was going on my heart sank! 

My wife's cousin was working in the Pentagon that day and thankfully he wasn't close to AA77 when it hit.

Never forget!


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## Piratesailor (Nov 9, 2012)

Watching the news as I got dressed. I remember the coverage about the 1st plane and was watching when the second plane hit. Had to go to a meeting but we didn’t actually meet; just watched tv with my clients. As we were leaving I received a call about the 1st tower collapsing. I couldn’t even picture that in my eyes.. Working downtown everyone was sent home that was in the office at the time. I had a number of staff stranded in various parts of the country so I spent the rest of the day with continuity issues as well as being in total shock (and seriously pissed).


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## MI.oldguy (Apr 18, 2013)

I was at work when the news on the radio broke thru,we broke out the old TV and watched it happen.my employees said WTF?.I said it was an act of war against the USA.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

Packing


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## ilmostrog (Nov 10, 2016)

I was in midtown Manhattan. My subway ride in from Brooklyn went under the WTC about the time the first plane hit. Roughly. I got into the office and my mom called me to tell me that a plane had hit the tower and I assumed it was a small plane. I calmed her down and went to go find some information. A couple of us gathered in a guys office with a radio but soon moved to a conference room to turn on a TV. I watched the first tower come down on TV, called my girlfriend (now my wife) and told her I was coming to get her. She said that her boss hadn’t sent them home or anything. I just repeated that I would be there in a few minutes and for her to meet me downstairs. By the time I got to her office the second tower had come down. At that point you couldn’t get off the island. All bridges and access to Manhattan was locked down until about 5 that night. What an incredible couple of days. I was telling some folks about it yesterday and tears welled up and I had a hard time finishing my story. That surprised me; to still feel some of that raw emotion 17 years later. Bringing tears to my eyes just typing this. 


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## RJAMES (Dec 23, 2016)

Same as today cutting fire wood and clipping pastures. No phone calls from Colonels and General officers like I had in 2001. Till the 2nd plane hit they all wanted a what do you think assessment after the 2nd plane no more thinking they knew- this is an attack. Couple days later got asked what I thought health threats at ground Zero would be - unfortunately with all the deaths of responders years later I was correct .


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

I was working out of my home office that day, son's were in school and Mrs S had gone to help as homeroom Mom. Watched the 2nd plane hit the tower and was glued to the tv and internet trying to find out as much as we could.
Prayed a bit, cried some and had a loaded 12 g near me most of the day.
Never Forget


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## Gunn (Jan 1, 2016)

I was living in Boise and my dad had come up to visit. We were watching the news when it happened. My dad asked "Who Would Do Such a Thing"? I said Osama Bin Laden. He said who is that? I said Ollie North has been talking about him for several years. I wasn't sure, but that was the first name that came to mind. Especially after our first experience with him.


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## MisterMills357 (Apr 15, 2015)

I was at the home of my mother and step-father, when the planes hit. I spoke out loud after about an hour of burning buildings, and I said, "Those building will not stand! They are going to fall, just look at that fire!"

My step-father said that those buildings were built to withstand a fire, and they were. But they were never built to withstand a very large aircraft, loaded with fuel, slamming into them, at full throttle.

And a little later one of them fell, and a little later the other one fell. And America has been at war ever since, and it may remain at war, from here on out. We can't just pick up and leave, because they will follow us here.


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## RedLion (Sep 23, 2015)

I was on the way to work when I first heard. Two years later I was training up at Ft. Campbell KY to deploy to Iraq with an Army Reserve unit. Also do not forget that this is the 6th anniversary of the Benghazi attack as well.


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## BookWorm (Jul 8, 2018)

I was living in Houston at the time, just about ready to walk out the door when the first plane hit. Local newscasters had a blank look on their faces, not knowing what to say. Five seconds later they cut to live feed of national news where they showed some video of it hitting. I went to work called a close friend who lived in D.C. told her about it and said she may want to stay home, they could be hitting there next. She laughed at me (strong Democrat) and said she'll be fine. Got to work as the second plane was hitting the second tower. Found a TV, watched non stop in dis belief the rest of the day. My D.C. friend called me back within an hour after the second plane hit, freaking out about the one hitting the Pentagon. 

In the days after, NOT ONCE did I hear anything about building #7 falling on it's own at 5:20 pm. It wasn't until 6 years ago someone asked me about it and I didn't know what they were talking about.


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## Steve40th (Aug 17, 2016)

I was in Pearl City, HI in my apartment. I was called by my Dad in Oregon to wake up and turn the TV on. I then realized it was not a oke. I then reported to my submarine at the time, USS Tucson SSN 770. I stayed there for four days. 
We had just got back from West Pac, still loaded out and were the surge boat. Sad day..
I was also on the Tucson when the USS Cole was hit, while we were moored in Bahrain..


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## pakrat (Nov 18, 2012)

I was sitting in my cubical at a nuke power plant, writing computer code, when a site-wide notice popped up on my screen with a live video link. Full lock down tripped about 30 seconds later and that work environment was never the same again.


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## Jammer Six (Jun 2, 2017)

On the 8th, 9th and 10th, we were on a long weekend in British Columbia, diving. We got back very early in the morning (shortly after midnight) on the 11th. So we slept in.

Mrs. Jammer had set her alarm, which in those days was a radio alarm clock, but instead of music, it was news, droning on and on. I couldn't hear it, no hearing aids in those days, but I knew it wasn't music. I was about to ask her to turn that happy shit off when she sat up and turned on the TV.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

I was at home, a week away from starting school for a whole new career. It was like watching Pearl Harbor.
We all vowed to "Never Forget". But now "they" have managed to convince a large portion of the US population
to not only forget (or they were never taught what the muslims did) but now we teach our children that islam is
a good and pure religion, and that we shouldn't judge all muslims by the actions of a few tens of thousands.
*I will remember, I will never forget, I will never forgive!*


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## Lunatic Wrench (May 13, 2018)

I was sleeping seeing I had recently gotten laid off, girlfriend now wife, pretty much drug me out of bed. I sat in front of the TV for days on end watching it, to this day I can not watch any of the documentaries.


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## Jammer Six (Jun 2, 2017)

I thought I was the only one who couldn't bear to watch a documentary about 9-11!


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## Lunatic Wrench (May 13, 2018)

Jammer Six said:


> I thought I was the only one who couldn't bear to watch a documentary about 9-11!


Nope, I will leave the room. 
The only thing I've watched was on the new memorial.


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## mc3330803 (Aug 20, 2018)

I was leaving for work when the first plane hit and the by the time I got to work the second plane hit. It was a surreal quiet time that day and many after.


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## tirednurse (Oct 2, 2013)

What I remember most is the screaming. terror and grief. and lots of tears. I was also at work. My first knowledge of what was happening came from the news reports on patient's TVs. Everyone had been watching coverage breaking about the first tower and witnessed the unbelievable sight of the second plane's impact. All I could think about was how many people were hurt in that building, then later the hopelessness of being on the other side of the country and not knowing where my brother was. My mother frantically calling trying to find out if I could find him. His apartment was 3 blocks away and his train the one under the towers. It wasn't until hours later that we found out he spilled his coffee walking out the door to leave that morning and had to go back and change. He didn't make his train. 

When the second plane hit I heard the first screams of grief and utter terror coming down the halls. We all ran to find what patient was in trouble and found it was one of our older nurses. She knew as soon as that plane hit that it was terrorist and that her family would never be the same. She had 3 boys and a husband in the military. Her baby had just enlisted the year before. 

We remember the day and even the weeks that follow of uncertainly, grief and anger that anyone would commit such an act against us. But things are no safer now. People still don't take the threat of attack seriously and instead have turned this event into a government conspiracy, or downplay the act of terror thinking it couldn't happen again. They think it is foolish to guard against those who war against our country and hate the US. They post videos across the internet criticizing TSA for being overly cautious in searching passengers boarding flights. They protest and spew hate filled speech against US customs boarder patrol for searching and detaining those entering the country that appear suspicious. To many in our country think we can not be attacked in our own country despite how easy it was 17 years ago.

Instead of making us stronger and recognizing a need to build up our military and increase security, we became weaker. Now securing our boarders and strengthening our military is a bad thing and people are angry for what Trump has tried to do to reverse the mistakes of his predecessors. I don't understand.


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## Chiefster23 (Feb 5, 2016)

I was sitting on a ship in the Mississippi river just upstream from New Orleans. We were changing crews and waiting our turn to load at the grain elevator. We had a few off-going crew from new england. They were quick to rent cars and had to drive home as all flights were cancelled. A lot of things changed that day. But now it is sad to see our country turn away from patriotism and national unity. Obama vowed to “fundamentally change America” and he sure has delivered on that promise. But not in a good way!


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## Lowtechredneck (May 7, 2018)

At that age I used to spend a lot of my days riding my bicycle around in the yard (I didn't have many friends). It was 7 days before the local radio stations played music again, so all I could hear on my radio was the news. And being about 90 miles from Houston, you could watch the CAP aircraft fly around the city for months afterward. It still seems creepy.


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## Annie (Dec 5, 2015)

Wow, everyone always remembers where they were...Started out as a lovely day, not a cloud in the sky. I was building cardboard blocks with my mom, sipping coffee and playing with the kiddies in my family daycare when I got a phone call from one of the daycare parents. She's like, "Turn on the TV"...oh, man.

... My boy and his little buddy came home from school that day and started playing 'knock the Twin Towers down' with the blocks I'd just made.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

I have already stated here in a previous post, my recollection of where and how I was informed of the events of that dreadful day. What I didn't state is that 17 years later we are enduring the consequences of trading our rights and liberties for a false sense of security, known as the Patriot Act. I have watched it unfold and am still …. pissed off and ashamed.


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## Lowtechredneck (May 7, 2018)

I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who stated that those who would trade freedom for security deserve neither. I am paraphrasing, not sure if that is verbatim.


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## A Watchman (Sep 14, 2015)

Lowtechredneck said:


> I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who stated that those who would trade freedom for security deserve neither. I am paraphrasing, not sure if that is verbatim.


"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."


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