9/11/2001. How did it change you?

Thavoice

Thavoice

Well-known member
I can unequivocally say I would not be doing what I do now if it wasn't for that day.

I was off work that day, and glued to the Tv like so many

Never forget.
 
 
Was a junior in college at the University of Toledo. Still remember the morning like it was yesterday. Woke up due to of all things a fire alarm going off. Lived in Parks Towers on campus, a 700 student residence hall with 14 floors. Was just after 9:30 am so at this point both towers had been hit. I went outside and stood there til we were allowed to go back in. Went back to my dorm room and turned on the TV to get ready for class as on Tuesday's that semester I had a Poly Sci class that met at 10:15 am. Began watching what was on ABC and began to quickly realize I was not going to class that day. I was an RA in the building. Our Hall Director called an immediate staff meeting and informed us that for the rest of the day we were to be on call and would have various building duties to supervise the goings on in and around the building during the day. Building and campus went on lock down. Parents who were picking up their kids could not access the campus and had to meet them on the side of the road to pick them up. Anyone coming into the building had to present school ID or was turned away. Spent much of the day with co-workers speculating on what exactly what / was going down. By the evening things had calmed down. Campus / building went off lock down. Wednesday classes were cancelled. Thursday morning I got up and went to my Poly Sci class that was cancelled on Tuesday. Professor got up in front of us and said "if you aren't up for class today I get it, go on home and be with your friends and family. If you want to stay we can talk about what happened but today is not gonna be a lecture about Western European Democracies". With that pretty much everyone stayed and we spent the next hour or so discussing what happened as a class.

Next few weeks / months.......SOCIAL CHANGE was very noticeable. Campus was always pretty friendly but now it was like something had happened to ignite uber friendliness. Suddenly the things in life that irritated you as a student / person on 9/10/01 didn't seem to matter anymore. I noticed while driving around Toledo that drivers went out of their way to be polite drivers. It was really odd but certainly understandable looking back it now.

One word stands out more than the others looking back and that is the word "Tragedy". That one word was used over and over again in describing the event you were talking about whether at work, in class or just hanging out.

Over the months things returned to "normal". College routines resumed, talk of other things crept into conversations and well life went on.

Even though I was nowhere near the events in Manhattan, DC or PA and no one I know was directly impacted by the event I still have this unshakable feeling about that day and the days after. Not like anything PTSD related obviously but its difficult sometimes to remember what life was like on September 10th, 2001. Surely one could argue some innocence was lost that day.
 
I will never forget that day. Went to MGM Casino the night before and was on a heater. Woke up to the second plane hitting the towers. It was then and there that everyone knew this was intentional. Watching the towers fall was surreal. Like a nightmare. Brother at YSU and they thought their campus would get hit (Towers, Pentagon....and YSU?). Lots of confusion and disbelief. Eerie feeling with no planes in the sky afterwards. It changed my path as well.
 
I'd say the Oklahoma City bombing affected me more, because our first son was about six months old and was at the babysitter's house. We had TV's in my office, and when I heard about the daycare at the federal building I couldn't wait to leave and pick up my little boy.

9-11? Probably made me feel a little less insulated as a citizen within the safety of the U.S. I certainly felt the change in dynamic almost immediately and continuing until this day.
 
I was working at a company near Hopkins Airport in Cleveland. Remember walking on the shop floor and a lady telling me that she heard on the radio that a plane crashed in the WTC. So a few of us went into the conference room and turned on the TV, wasn't too much longer until the 2nd plane hit. Watched TV the rest of the day until leaving around 4pm. Air traffic was shut down around the country. I can remember driving by the airport and there were planes lined up all over the property. It was also a crystal-clear day and I remember thinking it was weird to not see jet contrails in the sky. Got home and immediately filled up both vehicles with gas, as people were in a panic. Finally, my wife was pregnant with our twin boys and she was worried about "what kind of world" are we bring them into. Had a chance to visit the Flight 93 Memorial in Pennsylvania over the summer and it's pretty sobering. Pretty interesting how emotional it was for me, yet to my twins it was more of an educational type of visit.
 
At home that day, but rarely watch daytime TV. Was talking to a family friend on the phone, and she told me to turn on my TV. Saw the first tower on fire, and heard that a ‘small’ airplane had hit it. My friend was asking what the heck kind of pilot would accidently fly into that tower on such a clear day, just as the second plane hit. Right then, I said to her, “This is no accident.” She immediately hung up to call her brother, who lived in SoHo. My brother, on the other hand, had been working for the government (as a Booz Allen Hamilton employee) for 3 years at WTC 7, but I wasn’t worried because he had just moved, that summer of 2001, from Manhattan back to work in the DC area.

Was standing about 3 ft. from the TV, intently watching the events unfold, but it wasn’t until a reporter announced that the Pentagon had been hit that I said aloud, “What the Hell is going on?!?!” (To no one, lol) In stunned disbelief, I grabbed the phone to call my brother because he had just moved to Arlington, only a few short miles from the Pentagon (where he had also previously worked). In addition, I wanted to call my other brother who also lived in the DC area and worked for EDS at the time (incidentally, he’s now working at FEMA’s headquarters in DC). Plus, another (now-retired) brother in the Navy, at the moment of the terrorists’ attacks, was in Jacksonville teaching a class of bored sailors about terrorism response tactics! Wanted to know if he knew anything about how the military was responding.

Of course, none of my calls would go through, as phone lines all over the world were overwhelmed. Couldn’t even get through to my parents, who were local. Somehow, my better-half’s phone call was able to get through to me, though. What to say?

Immediately following the second collapse (again, “WTF?!”), thankfully, my mom showed up at my door to tell me that she had heard from my brothers and that they were all okay. The one in Arlington decided to bike over to the Pentagon (because traffic was at a stand-still) and actually saw the immediate devastation and Romney et al. in rescue mode. By coincidence, he had worked at the Pentagon previously and had just been working at WTC 7 (which later collapsed), so it really hit home for him.

Anyways, I hurried to the school to get my first-grader, then, congregated with the rest of the family at my parents’ house. Just as I walk in their door, I hear my dad barking at the TV, “To Hell with this! Obliterate Afghanistan from the planet … and, let’s nuke the out of Pakistan, while we’re at it.” Already, seems my old man somehow knows where Osama bin Laden is, but of course, it takes our country’s leaders ten long years to find him, lol.

Felt like I was watching a movie as I saw government employees fleeing the Capitol building (which I had just visited that summer) and heard that our president was aboard Air Force One, flying to a secure, underground bunker in Nebraska. Surreal feeling when the official order came in to immediately land all planes in flight across the U.S. And then, there was the crash of Flight 93. Glued to the TV the rest of the night, I was most struck by the desperate individuals holding up photos of their missing loved ones for the camera, pleading for help in finding them. Later, I was more so relieved to learn that one of my sister’s friends had escaped WTC 2 right before it collapsed (he worked for Morgan Stanley).

And, in the days that followed, found it moving how Romanian newspaper editor, Cornel Nistorescu, said of his soon-to-be-famous editorial, “An Ode to America,” that “It is all about the American Spirit and how freedom cannot be crushed.”

www.snopes.com

An Ode to America

Romanian newspaperman Cornel Nistorescu penned a popular pro-America editorial immediately after the 9/11 attacks.
www.snopes.com www.snopes.com
 
I had had reservations at the Marriott World Trade Center for 9/15-9/18. Here is the email confirming my lunch reservation at Windows on the World, at the top of 1 WTC ...........always wonder if the person who sent it made it out safely.


-----Original Message-----
From: Windows on the World [mailto:reservation@windowsontheworld.com]
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2001 8:38 PM
To:
Subject: Re: Windows On The World Reservation

Dear Mr. ,

Your reservations have been made for Monday September 17th at 12:00PM for a party of five(5). Jackets are required for gentlemen and there are no jeans, sneakers, or shorts permitted. Children are not permitted. We would appreciate a call back two days prior to re-confirm at 212-524-7011.

Thank you for choosing WIndows On The World
Reservations
 
THAT would be innerving.

Happened while I was on the road to work. Didn't know until I got to the Math Bdlg. Asked what's up, was told a plane had hit World Trade. I was thinking small, Cessna or something. Made a joke about King Kong then got the full story. First thought, they're coming down (Engineer in me). Students still came to class. I proposed we all stay 15 min, to not give terrorists the benefit of changing our routine. We stayed together that long. Don't remember another thing about that day.
 
eastisbest said:
THAT would be innerving.

Happened while I was on the road to work. Didn't know until I got to the Math Bdlg. Asked what's up, was told a plane had hit World Trade. I was thinking small, Cessna or something. Made a joke about King Kong then got the full story. First thought, they're coming down (Engineer in me). Students still came to class. I proposed we all stay 15 min, to not give terrorists the benefit of changing our routine. We stayed together that long. Don't remember another thing about that day.
Click to expand...

I knew it! You were a college professor or instructor! You communicate in a way that's very similar to a college professor whom I know very well, lol. (y)
 
I can’t say it changed me, but I was only 13 and really didn’t comprehend the impact of everything. It didn’t help they didn’t tell us at all what happened. I found out at the very end of the day from another student. All he told me was “some planes crashed in Pittsburgh and New York”, didn’t think much of it until I got home and every channel was covering it.
 
FootballFan1795 said:
At home that day, but rarely watch daytime TV. Was talking to a family friend on the phone, and she told me to turn on my TV. Saw the first tower on fire, and heard that a ‘small’ airplane had hit it. My friend was asking what the heck kind of pilot would accidently fly into that tower on such a clear day, just as the second plane hit. Right then, I said to her, “This is no accident.” She immediately hung up to call her brother, who lived in SoHo. My brother, on the other hand, had been working for the government (as a Booz Allen Hamilton employee) for 3 years at WTC 7, but I wasn’t worried because he had just moved, that summer of 2001, from Manhattan back to work in the DC area.

Was standing about 3 ft. from the TV, intently watching the events unfold, but it wasn’t until a reporter announced that the Pentagon had been hit that I said aloud, “What the Hell is going on?!?!” (To no one, lol) In stunned disbelief, I grabbed the phone to call my brother because he had just moved to Arlington, only a few short miles from the Pentagon (where he had also previously worked). In addition, I wanted to call my other brother who also lived in the DC area and worked for EDS at the time (incidentally, he’s now working at FEMA’s headquarters in DC). Plus, another (now-retired) brother in the Navy, at the moment of the terrorists’ attacks, was in Jacksonville teaching a class of bored sailors about terrorism response tactics! Wanted to know if he knew anything about how the military was responding.

Of course, none of my calls would go through, as phone lines all over the world were overwhelmed. Couldn’t even get through to my parents, who were local. Somehow, my better-half’s phone call was able to get through to me, though. What to say?

Immediately following the second collapse (again, “WTF?!”), thankfully, my mom showed up at my door to tell me that she had heard from my brothers and that they were all okay. The one in Arlington decided to bike over to the Pentagon (because traffic was at a stand-still) and actually saw the immediate devastation and Romney et al. in rescue mode. By coincidence, he had worked at the Pentagon previously and had just been working at WTC 7 (which later collapsed), so it really hit home for him.

Anyways, I hurried to the school to get my first-grader, then, congregated with the rest of the family at my parents’ house. Just as I walk in their door, I hear my dad barking at the TV, “To Hell with this! Obliterate Afghanistan from the planet … and, let’s nuke the out of Pakistan, while we’re at it.” Already, seems my old man somehow knows where Osama bin Laden is, but of course, it takes our country’s leaders ten long years to find him, lol.

Felt like I was watching a movie as I saw government employees fleeing the Capitol building (which I had just visited that summer) and heard that our president was aboard Air Force One, flying to a secure, underground bunker in Nebraska. Surreal feeling when the official order came in to immediately land all planes in flight across the U.S. And then, there was the crash of Flight 93. Glued to the TV the rest of the night, I was most struck by the desperate individuals holding up photos of their missing loved ones for the camera, pleading for help in finding them. Later, I was more so relieved to learn that one of my sister’s friends had escaped WTC 2 right before it collapsed (he worked for Morgan Stanley).

And, in the days that followed, found it moving how Romanian newspaper editor, Cornel Nistorescu, said of his soon-to-be-famous editorial, “An Ode to America,” that “It is all about the American Spirit and how freedom cannot be crushed.”

www.snopes.com

An Ode to America

Romanian newspaperman Cornel Nistorescu penned a popular pro-America editorial immediately after the 9/11 attacks.
www.snopes.com www.snopes.com
Click to expand...

Two things from your post that resonate.

1). Phone lines were jammed so we communicated on AOL IM.

2). Everyone I know, even people that did not have a racist bone in their body, wanted to blow up the Middle East.

3). That editorial is great (ok three things).
 
I wouldn't say it changed me, but I did wonder at the time if any of the people I had dealt with during my posting in Pakistan were involved in any way.
 
Not much but it certainly made Americans about 50% more paranoid about being attacked. I still hear people in medium to small towns talk about being worried about a terrorist attack. Yes, I’m sure the Taliban are targeting your local Walmart, Cheryl.
 
Crusaders said:
Not much but it certainly made Americans about 50% more paranoid about being attacked. I still hear people in medium to small towns talk about being worried about a terrorist attack. Yes, I’m sure the Taliban are targeting your local Walmart, Cheryl.
Click to expand...

Agreed. While it brought out the best in many Americians for at least a short time, it also seemed to bring out the aszhole in others.
 
Crusaders said:
Not much but it certainly made Americans about 50% more paranoid about being attacked. I still hear people in medium to small towns talk about being worried about a terrorist attack. Yes, I’m sure the Taliban are targeting your local Walmart, Cheryl.
Click to expand...

One of my wife's best friends from college grew up in Fort Loramie and I remember my wife showing me a Facebook post her friend was sharing about a woman in hijab taking pictures of the mall in Lima from the outside and how everyone suspected it was to plot a terrorist attack. Granted there were no actual pictures of this happening or any reliable alibi.

Anyways, since 9/11 I've made an effort to learn more about Arab-American and Muslim-American culture and all of the people I've gotten to know over the years of these backgrounds have been very nice and friendly, especially the Muslim family who were my landlords for 4 years at one point.
 
Crusaders said:
Not much but it certainly made Americans about 50% more paranoid about being attacked. I still hear people in medium to small towns talk about being worried about a terrorist attack. Yes, I’m sure the Taliban are targeting your local Walmart, Cheryl.
Click to expand...
Concur.
To be afraid of a terrorist attack is just foolish.
Now someone shooting up a place, maybe a bit differeng.
 
FootballFan1795 said:
At home that day, but rarely watch daytime TV. Was talking to a family friend on the phone, and she told me to turn on my TV. Saw the first tower on fire, and heard that a ‘small’ airplane had hit it. My friend was asking what the heck kind of pilot would accidently fly into that tower on such a clear day, just as the second plane hit. Right then, I said to her, “This is no accident.” She immediately hung up to call her brother, who lived in SoHo. My brother, on the other hand, had been working for the government (as a Booz Allen Hamilton employee) for 3 years at WTC 7, but I wasn’t worried because he had just moved, that summer of 2001, from Manhattan back to work in the DC area.

Was standing about 3 ft. from the TV, intently watching the events unfold, but it wasn’t until a reporter announced that the Pentagon had been hit that I said aloud, “What the Hell is going on?!?!” (To no one, lol) In stunned disbelief, I grabbed the phone to call my brother because he had just moved to Arlington, only a few short miles from the Pentagon (where he had also previously worked). In addition, I wanted to call my other brother who also lived in the DC area and worked for EDS at the time (incidentally, he’s now working at FEMA’s headquarters in DC). Plus, another (now-retired) brother in the Navy, at the moment of the terrorists’ attacks, was in Jacksonville teaching a class of bored sailors about terrorism response tactics! Wanted to know if he knew anything about how the military was responding.

Of course, none of my calls would go through, as phone lines all over the world were overwhelmed. Couldn’t even get through to my parents, who were local. Somehow, my better-half’s phone call was able to get through to me, though. What to say?

Immediately following the second collapse (again, “WTF?!”), thankfully, my mom showed up at my door to tell me that she had heard from my brothers and that they were all okay. The one in Arlington decided to bike over to the Pentagon (because traffic was at a stand-still) and actually saw the immediate devastation and Romney et al. in rescue mode. By coincidence, he had worked at the Pentagon previously and had just been working at WTC 7 (which later collapsed), so it really hit home for him.

Anyways, I hurried to the school to get my first-grader, then, congregated with the rest of the family at my parents’ house. Just as I walk in their door, I hear my dad barking at the TV, “To Hell with this! Obliterate Afghanistan from the planet … and, let’s nuke the out of Pakistan, while we’re at it.” Already, seems my old man somehow knows where Osama bin Laden is, but of course, it takes our country’s leaders ten long years to find him, lol.

Felt like I was watching a movie as I saw government employees fleeing the Capitol building (which I had just visited that summer) and heard that our president was aboard Air Force One, flying to a secure, underground bunker in Nebraska. Surreal feeling when the official order came in to immediately land all planes in flight across the U.S. And then, there was the crash of Flight 93. Glued to the TV the rest of the night, I was most struck by the desperate individuals holding up photos of their missing loved ones for the camera, pleading for help in finding them. Later, I was more so relieved to learn that one of my sister’s friends had escaped WTC 2 right before it collapsed (he worked for Morgan Stanley).

And, in the days that followed, found it moving how Romanian newspaper editor, Cornel Nistorescu, said of his soon-to-be-famous editorial, “An Ode to America,” that “It is all about the American Spirit and how freedom cannot be crushed.”

www.snopes.com

An Ode to America

Romanian newspaperman Cornel Nistorescu penned a popular pro-America editorial immediately after the 9/11 attacks.
www.snopes.com www.snopes.com
Click to expand...
I to stayed up all night..watching kids hold up pictures of their moms and dads..looking for them. Cried a lot.
 
thavoice said:
I can unequivocally say I would not be doing what I do now if it wasn't for that day.
Click to expand...

Opposite here. A few turns in the path, difference unseen of course, may have differed for me but I've essentially proceeded along the path I chose after a first "life reboot" in '88.

thavoice said:
I was off work that day, and glued to the Tv like so many

Never forget.
Click to expand...

I was off as well, and got up late after a late night. As I sipped my first cup and turned on the TV, I watched smoke pour from the side of the first tower that had been hit, and the news anchor told me that a plane had hit the building. My first instinct was that some millionaire, now unable to make payments on his Lear jet after the dot-com. bubble burst, took his last tank of fuel before the repo man and flew it into his broker's office. The black comedy side of my brain started on a storyline as I called my wife into the room.

She was busy with the baby and didn't come in. I went to put a bagel in the toaster oven and top off my cup, and came back just in time to see a full-sized passenger jet slam the second tower. Just surreal.
 
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