[specialk4b]

It's been said, no one will forget where he or she was when they heard of the tragedy of 9/11.

In the spirit of remembering, where were you and what were you doing when you heard the news?

[hhousl]

You are right - I'll never forget that day. My sons were 3 and almost 2, and we all slept in that day. When my sister called, and asked if I had seen the news, my first thought was, "Did it snow last night?" Silly me, a first early snow in September was the most newsworthy thing I could come up with. She and I were still on the phone when we watched the first tower fall, live, and that, I think, is when it truly sunk in for me that this was not some interesting bad news story. I began to realize this day, these events, would change me forever.

Later that morning, I went to a grocery store to pick up some photos, and back at the photo lab, one of the developing machines began to sound an alarm, you know, like, "photos finished, please turn off fan," type of alarm. Still, everyone standing nearby froze, and we all looked at each other, and we could all tell that we were thinking the same thing. Everyone was jumpy and nervous that day. What will I tell my children when their history teachers assign them to ask me about it? I will tell them that the sight of an American flag brought me to tears for months, and that today, five years later, just writing this post has me weeping into my keyboard. God Bless and Protect America.

Heather H.
Smithfield, Ut

[robyncre]

I was sitting on my couch holding my new baby girl who was about 6 weeks old. I was on maternity leave from work and totally unlike me had not turned the TV on yet. My Dad who was living in Singapore at the time called me and told me to turn on the news. He had just turned on CNN and at first neither one of us actually thought that what we were seeing was real. It was like a sick joke or a filming of a movie. I remember the shock and the news reporters...looking so out of sorts, at a loss for words. Then the following news of all of the devestation.

What is odd to me is that sitting there I knew something had happened that would change our lives forever. I just in those first moments didn't at all see the depth of it.

I walked outside my house today, we have our flag flying. I looked down the street expecting more flags...I did not see one. I hope that our nation is not forgetting the raw emotion how we felt assaulted and scared and angry.

I can't believe it has been 5 years.

Robyn

[jenn2004]

What a sad day it was

My husband was away on business, my neighbor had called me and told me, I turned the Television on right away and was like WOW! What??? I couldn't believe my eyes! I called my husband, he was on his way back home.......Thank goodness!! My son was safe with me!! I called all of my friends and family members and told them how much I loved them! I was so glued to the TV for days.........

My heart goes out to everyone who has suffered through this tragedy!

I will never forget when Alan Jackson came out with the song "Remember When" I listened to that song so many times..........it still brings tears when I hear it!

[specialk4b]

I had a 9:00 meeting at work. Totally unlike me, I was early for the meeting, arriving at 8:45. Only one other person was there. We sat in that empty meeting room until 9:15 and gave up on anyone showing up - I was annoyed that everyone blew off the meeting.

We went to the college office where one of the secretaries told us what happened. At first I thought it was some hoax web site she was showing us, but it was CNN. It was totally surreal.

I was scheduled to teach that day so I cancelled class, but went there and talked to several of my students. Truly a day I will never forget.

[spitzlvr]

I was 7 months pregnant, and had a doc appt that day. I tried calling my DH to see if I should still go - I couldn't reach him for the longest time. I finally got thru, and told him what was happening.

I went to the doc while my hubby was at my home packing his "go to war" kit. While he was packing (before I left) he got the call that they were....I forget the term - but in line to be called.

This was the visit my pre-eclampsia went out of control. I had hospital classes (for the birth) that night, they were cancelled because they were expecting wounded. They never came.

We lost so many good people. Firefighters my brothers went to school with. My father's friend's son. Neighbors. Friends.

It still feels like yesterday.

On Sunday the 9th I was looking at the towers as we crossed the GW bridge (I had a baby shower) and I commented to my DH how beautiful they looked - like a movie. I even joked that this was the point the volcano popped up or the aliens came and destroyed the city. I can't believe I thought that.

Now I cross the bridge and see the hole.

[jasonsmom]

I think Alan Jackson's song really strikes me because of the lines "Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day? Teaching a class full of innocent children. Driving down some cold interstate" I was teaching kindergarten and we had just finished circle time when one of my paras got the news from the office. The teacher next door had just moved from Manhattan and was hysterical. She ended up leaving and I joined her class with mine. I remember driving up the highway before work that morning and thinking what a beautiful day it was, the sky was so blue. Who could have imagined what lay ahead?

Paula

[CoatAnnHat]

I was at work teaching preschool. I was outside on the playground and one child had to go to the bathroom. I brought her inside, and the other teacher had the tv on and it was showing the first tower on fire, a minute after I walked in I saw the second tower hit. My children were in school under lockdown so I couldnt pick them up.
That was also the day I had my home inspection for the house I was buying. I was driving down the NJ turnpike and all the overhead signs read " All bridges and tunnels into Manhattan are closed". They shut down the Island, no one was allowed in or out. I got to the house for our inspection and the owners had the tv on and we just sat and cried together. I grew up in NJ about 25 mins outside of Manhattan, my father is a retired fireman, I know there were many people I used to live around that died that day. I dont know of anyone personally, but in the school my sons went to 11 children had lost a parent.

I joined over 3000 bloggers in adding a dedication to someone on my personal blog. Please take a moment to read about and honor Tara Creamer who died 5 yrs ago today. <http://static.flickr.com/89/216454297_dbb2753c00_o.jpg>.

[Lissa]

I was at the police station reporting a stolen checkbook. I came out and saw the officers watching it on television. I knew no one in New York, but was terrified to hear the pentagon had been hit. Feelings of grief, guilt and relief mixed as we discovered Uncle Bill's side had not been hit. (He's not my biological uncle, but my Godfather...but I love him like a father.) I cancelled my classes for the day and went home to find my husband whose work had also let him home and we watched as the towers fell.

[waiting4katie]

I was changing a diaper and on the phone w/ds who's husband is stationed @ Pope. We were both watching one of those morning news shows. I can still remember the goosebumps, especially when the second plane hit and realizing it was no accident but deliberate. I remember the first thing I said to my ds was "it's bin laden". I was glued to the tv for the next couple of days. It was so emotionally crippling, all I could do is cry, pray and hug my kids. It came to a point I just had to turn the tv off and get out of the house for awhile. The news clips of people jumping...and what they were going through/thinking...their families...it was so bad...then when the buildings collapsed. Only to hear bin laden in an al jezeera (sp?) interview say they did not expect the collapse, but it was a bonus?! I never realized such evil existed. I still have not been able to watch the documentaries/movies. It crushed my heart. I hope I never see anything like that again! Although I never want to forget even though I don't like to think about it. Does that make sense? Still to this very day, the Alan Jackson song makes me tear up...also Aaron Tippin (sp?) had a song about not forgetting...I thought that was beautiful too. It makes you evaluate what is really important in life, and for me it was being with my family and having my faith.

[Trace7]

I slept in that day as I had a doctor appt and did not have to be at work until after the appt. I had fallen asleep on the couch with the TV on that morning (The Today Show, of course) after Adam left for work, and I woke up to the image of the towers burning. It was weird as I had actually just had a horribly graphic nightmare of a flight attendant getting stabbed in the throat. I had no idea why the towers were burning as the volume was turned down, and the first thing I did was call my Mom - then my DH, and I informed them of what was going on as I figured it out. So I must have woken up right after the second tower was hit.

I went to my doctor appt, and while I was out, United 93 crashed in PA (Tom Burnett from that flight went to my high school, and my brother knew him in college). I ended up not going to work as I worked in a possible terror target at the time (The Mall of America), and it closed for the day.

I was glued to the TV for the rest of that day, and for many days after.

[TaraL]

I was at work and my mom called me. This was right after the first tower was hit. I was back and forth on the phone with her and was on while the second plane hit and then when each tower came down. My mom was crying and I remember her saying in a frightened voice "Oh my God, our country is being attacked. It keeps happening." I never heard fear like that in my very strong mother.

Only about 5 days later we had to travel to NY ( we live in PA) for my BIL's engagement party. DH's whole family lives on Long Island. They were all fine but I remember DH trying desperately to get through to his parents and couldn't for hours on 9/11. Anyway, I remember seeing the smoke from the skyline on our way to NY. I felt my heart actually hurt as I watched it. At my BIL's engagement party I remember many seats empty due to so many of the guests being in law enforcement/emergency management. DH's cousin got a call on his cell phone during the party that his best friend was found--sadly he didn't make it. DH's cousin had so much hope that he would be ok.

I will never forget that day. Everytime I hear Sept 11th for a non-related reason I still get a chill that goes right to the bone. I don't think any of us will ever be the same. That day the US became one family and we all mourned for each other. If anything positive came out of it I do believe that we have become more patriotic and care more about each other.

[soontobethree]

I was in Hanoi, Vietnam. My Sister had gone with me to deliver the paperwork for our second adoption. She woke in the middle of the night unable to sleep and turned on CNN just in time to see the airplane hit the second tower.

Melanie

[twoinblue]

My husband and I had gotten off shift and had been in bed only a couple of hours when my sister who is a dispatcher woke us up to tell us about the plane that had hit.

We felt the frustration of the police officers and fireman who were overwhelmed and couldn't get people to cooperate and leave the area.

We watched and felt the same horror that was felt across the nation when the attack continued and the towers fell. The horror that continues whenever we think back on that day.

I have been amazed at the ability of the people of New York City to bounce back quickly after the horrible events of 9/11. They truly persevered.

[akina]

I was teaching sixth grade math. I came out of my class after 2nd period and one of the teachers told me that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. I had the next 3 periods off (lunch and prep), so I found an empty room and watched the whole thing with an elderly science teacher. He warned me that the towers were going to come down (He kept talking about melting temps. of steel and such). I actually yelled at him after the first tower came down. "Why didn't you call them and let them know!!!!!????"
My school had over 100 students whose parents worked in that area (we are about 40 minutes north of Manhatten). The principal let us know quietly that he was going to send all the students back to their homeroom after 7th period and he was going to let the homeroom teachers tell the students what had happened after they called all the students down to the office whose parents could be there. Then the students would be dismissed early. It was awful, I had to teach a period of math without telling the students what was going on. They knew I was upset, but I watched how innocent they all still were and did my best to stay composed.
Then the name calling began...
He said name after name after name of kids who could have just lost a parent and I thought I was going to be sick.
Finally he was done and all the students were alarmed. I told those sweet kids what had happened and I watched the levels of undertanding on their faces (Homeroom was mixed age 6-8). It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.

I was so wrapped up in the moment that all the kids were dismissed before I remembered my Sister-in-law who worked downtown. After three hours I got through to my mom who told me she was shook up and covered with dust, but fine.

Sorry for the typos.
-akina