What were you doing on 9/11?

[NW Admin]

What were you doing on 9/11, the day the two towers were destroyed, and how did that effect you?

I remember clear as day what went on that morning. I had slept in and woke up to a beautful sun shiny day. I remember feeling great when I woke up and pleased to see that it was so nice outside.

My grandmother was living with me at the time. When I came out she was sitting on the couch watching the news. She had this strange look of awe on her face. I immediately asked her what was wrong. She said "Watch the news." So I sat on the couch and watched as they played over and over again... the image of a plane flying into the first tower. I couldn't believe it. I was shocked. I was disgusted. I was angry. I just sat there with my hand over my mouth, uttering "Oh my god. Oh my god." I watched as camera men scrambled to cover what was taking place. People were right there, up close, you could see the dust and debris flying/floating in the air. I can see the plane hitting the building, still so vivid in my mind as if it happened yesterday.

All I could think of was the poor people inside the building and plane. The horror that must have been. As I thought about that... something else was happening. I hear someone saying "Is that another plane???" and then sure enough... a second plane flies into the World Trade Center. A SECOND PLANE?? How does this happen?? Is this really happening??? I felt helpless. Panicked. I wondered if that was it? Were there more planes? What's next? Are we under attack?? What's happening here in Ohio? Do I need to prepare for something bad??

Then reports of the 3rd plane crashing into the Pentagon came in. And even a fourth plane crashing in a field. I was scared. I didn't know how far this was going to go. Was it going to stop or was this the beginning of a full scale war on US soil? I didn't know what was going on.

Then shortly after, the cell phones stopped working. No one could get through. The lines were all so flooded that no one could get through to anyone.

I have a very good friend who moved to Ohio from New York for college. He has family there in New York whom I have visited and stayed with before. I was concerned for them and everyone else in New York. I later learned that my friend's family was stuck on a bridge when that happened. Traffic in New York came to a complete halt. No one could move. No one could get anywhere. It was complete chaos.

We watched the tv... our only source to the events across the US. People were dying. The US was in a state of panic. Everything was immediately locked down. Rescue workers were becoming ill with airborn contaminants. The stock exchange went down. Billions of dollars were lost. Families were left without their loved ones and soon faced financial burden. And the list goes on. Everyone around the world felt this.

That was the beginning of "The War on Terrorism" and many more horror stories to follow.

This changed my ways of thinking in many aspects. I am now suspicious of many foreign people. I try to stay positive and remember that not all foreigners are bad, but it's hard not to wonder if you are looking at a bad guy or not. I feel like I need to be prepared in the event of war or any other major catastrophe. I feel like I need to keep food, water, fuel, and other supplies stored in my basement at all times. I feel like I need to be armed with weapons to protect those supplies in the event of an emergency. I have NEVER felt like that until 9/11.

[avorrgorrus]

I was thrown off, my class and I watched it go down in the library at the school.