Oscraps

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

clarabear

clarabear

always chatty at the O!!
So...I thought it would be nice with today being the 10th anniversary of 9-11 to reflect on where we were and what we were feeling.

*Disclaimer*
This is a feel good site. This is not a place to talk about your political views or status on the war. Thanks.

So...I'll start. My husband and I had our wedding in Tahoe on September 8. On September 10 we went to my grandma's house before heading to the coast for our honeymoon. On the 11th in the morning we kept hearing the phone ring early in the morning and so Derek and I were laying in bed chit chatting about silliness when my grandma finally came in to wake us up letting us know we had been attacked. At that time 3 of the 4 planes had already crashed. The plane in PA had not yet hit.

By the time we were woken up my aunt had been contacted who lived in DC but we were waiting to get ahold of my cousin who lived in NYC. Apparently he lived about 6 blocks from the towers. The lines were so clogged it was hard to get through. He watched the second tower get hit from his roof.

After that we began frantically trying to get ahold of Derek's command. We were on leave from Italy so we had no idea what to do. It ended up they just needed us to check in. Our friend Dave was trying to come to our wedding reception and was staying with a friend at the special forces compound. They weren't letting anyone onto the compound so he was just stuck in this barracks room for a few days. My poor in-laws got stuck in Reno from the wedding. My FIL bought a cane because that was the closest thing to a weapon he could carry.

I couldn't watch tv. It got me too upset. We had plans for a wedding reception the next weekend and I was so upset because there were no flags to be bought anywhere so I wasn't able to have one at the reception. I was patriotic before that day but after that my patriotism was rock solid.

I remember being so proud of my country and how everyone pulled together and were of one mind. God Bless America.
 
sue.falstaff

sue.falstaff

O'chOir extraOrdinaire
I was at work ... it was around lunch time here in the UK when the 1st plane hit the first tower. I was sitting in my car [during my lunch break] listening to the radio and they said a small light aircraft had accidentally hit one of the Twin Towers ... it wasn't until work finished at 5pm and I went home, put the TV on and sat there ... totally transfixed / mesmerised ... I just couldn't believe what I was seeing.

My heart goes out to EVERYONE that was affected, whether directly or indirectly. You are all in my thoughts today.

:hug:
 
LaurieW

LaurieW

lOve the O!
I was at work in a preschool with no televisions- well - only one in a separate part of the building that had no outside reception, until the teachers went out and bought rabbit ears- my first viewings were on the fuzzy tv during my lunch break. We continued our day and caught bits and pieces from parents bringing in or picking up children, from bus drivers. I lived and worked in upstate NY then- 6.5 hours from the city. My boss was 2 hours away at a meeting. I was one of the coordinators and fielded questions from staff who wanted to leave asap, but were not allowed to. I think not being able to see it over and over all day long shielded me from some of the horror, although the bit that I did watch caused me to realize that the world I had known had changed forever that day. I remember for weeks while looking out my kitchen window washing dishes my mind chanted Osama bin Laden and I wondered how one could have so much hatred. Then I would try to shake that and focus on where I was and what I could do in that moment. I was a paper scrapper then, and my focus for weeks was on the events of September. I remember printing out the dictionary definitions of terror, evil, horror (still have them, have not used them) because I now truly understood them, they were not just definitions. So many memories- my husband worked on a farm and was in his bosses house when the tower collapsed. We did not know until later that day that his cousin worked in the second tower on one of the 70's floors. She thankfully made it out alive,however her co-workers did not. I cannot imagine waking up one day and having all my co-workers gone. Unfathomable.
 
faerywings

faerywings

The Loopy-O
CHEERY O
What a day. It was one of the first days that scott was in KDG. I was walking to the bus stop with him and Caitlyn. I'll never forget the beautiful blue sky. I was upset with Scott. I had a 9:00 appt for my cat Scarlet and I had her locked in the bedroom since she likes to hide when she sees the carrier and he let her out. I was going to be late for the attp and he was not happy going to school, and i got him on the bus in turmoil.

As soon as I get home, i try to find my cat- and the phone rings. My friend across the street asks if I am busy and very huffily, I say yeah- tryin gto get the darn cat to the vet. when she tells me a plane hit the WTC I was shocked, but still focused on the cat. I turn on the tv and see the next plane hit. She says that her aunts husband is there. (he got out safely, but was never the same and they divorced a few years later).

I get to the vet and hear that the Pentgon was hit. As soon as I got back home I frantically tried calling Gary who works on the NJ side of the hudson, he had been watching it on a TV on a job site and headed home. I called my mom- who wanted to go shopping that day and I told her to stay home. I talk to my dad who is a volunteer firefighter- who wanted to go into the city. I told him STAY Home!!!

My BFF called me- both of us love NYC- and we were on the phone as the towers fell, both of us sobbing and in shock.

I didn't know what to do about scott- so many parents were calling me to see if they should pick the kids up from school early, gary definitely wanted to. But I thought it would be even harder on them.

My BIL's best friend was there, shaking, taking photos, not knowing what else to do. One of Gary's best friends was in the Reserves, he headed right over to help. He was assigned a day later to Fresh Kills to look for body parts. he has never been the same since.

Gary and I were glued to the tv, all day, just lost. trying to make sense of it all. we still can't.
 
whatnext

whatnext

Well-Known Member
i was in a genealogy archive in an area of my city between a big skyscraper that is part of one university and another university that does work for the Defense Department. when the news came that one of the planes was heading for PA, both universities were evacuated, because they thought the Software Institute was a target. instead, the passengers on the plane brought it down at Shanksville. my son clled me from university after the first tower collapsed. "just like 'Independence Day'" he said. yeah. only this was for real. the enormity of what was happening wasn't sinking in. because it was on TV. just like Independence Day.

i don't think i'll ever get over this as long as i live. 9.11 is something NEVER to be forgotten. i have two friends whose daughters were at school in NYC that day. one at NYU, the other at The new School. they saw it happen, one from her dorm room.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
hondachicc

hondachicc

Well-Known Member
September 11th....NEVER FORGET

Just thought it would nice to have a place here to today to come and share today as we remember on this 10th anniversary of the one of the most horrible things to ever take place on US soil.

I can't help but be teary today and have that shiver up my spine as I think about EXACTLY what I was doing and being glued to my television set trying to understand why this had happened.

Please share any rememberance pages you would like to or just your thoughts if you like.... (link us up to your pages too, even if they are old pages)

I made this one in honor of the 10 year mark of this date.
https://ozone.oscraps.com/gallery/s...46&cpage=2&title=we-will-never-forget&cat=all
We_Will_Never_Forget.jpg
 
hondachicc

hondachicc

Well-Known Member
I had just quit work earlier that year....and was usually out doing things but that day I was at home...I had the television on in the bedroom and happened to pass by the door and glanced in and saw....I sat down on my bed and was just horrified at the "accident" that had happened....I was just glued to it and then right there in front of my eyes was another plane crashing into the other building....I knew then it was not an accident..and my heart raced....I think I started crying and didn't really stop for the next 24 hours and on and off for days. I felt sick...I just could not stop thinking what else was going to happen...
 
petey111

petey111

Well-Known Member
I was at school. It hadn't started yet and I caught a glimpse of the crash on t.v. I stopped to tell one of the other teachers and we watched the second plane hit. While the students worked we watched t.v. At some point, the principal came in and told all the teachers to turn off the t.v.'s and go back to a "normal" school day. I didn't call Matt and I regret that. He was sleeping because of his 2 p.m. - 10 p.m. shift and got woken up with a phone call. The deputy on the other end said they were all going in early because of the events. Matt didn't have a clue what he was talking about. I remember after school, the gas station by our house was insane. I filled up too, because everyone else was. I bought a paper; I think I bought a flag. CNN stayed on for days. I still have the coverage on VHS, the papers, the magazines, the plastic flag pins I made in the days following....anything to remember the day our lifetime changed.
 
CookingMyLife

CookingMyLife

Well-Known Member
I was at work in the Maryland Senate, and saw the first plane story blipped on news updates on my email. Then shortly afterwards, a coworker stood up to shout that her husband at one of the intel agencies said there were more planes coming to DC. We all went to one of the Committee offices and watched the towers fall. One by one we left to go home and I was so glad my husband of 3 months was still home. He had been scheduled to fly somewhere that day. I just sobbed in his arms at what had happened and old memories of coups and evacuations I had been through in previous years. I thought that kind of fear was over...

In October we decided to visit NYC to help support the struggling tourist economy and could not get over how much we were thanked by everyone. It made me almost weep to be thanked. But on almost every street and corner there were still the "have you seen" posters and the fire stations with the photos of the deceased and that hit me almost more than the enormity of the loss of the people in the towers.
 
Terra

Terra

Well-Known Member
I was actually on the phone when it happened... With someone I didn't particularly care for... and he interrupted our conversation which was irritating... and then he told me... I hung up without saying good-bye and turned on the television and watched it happen... I was in Knoxville, Iowa.... My best friend had just enlisted in the Marines a few days earlier... I called him and told him we would be going to war.
 
frani_54

frani_54

Well-Known Member
I was home getting ready for work when my husband called and told me to turn on the TV. I sat there transfixed on the visuals and audio I was seeing unbelievable! Still today watching the specials about the event is bring me to tears. God Bless America and I will never forget....
 
taxed4ever

taxed4ever

Administrator Crazy about the "O"
CHEERY O
I was at home, waiting for Heather's physio therapist to arrive. We were living in Regina Saskatchewan at the time. I had the television on and could not belive what I was seeing!! At first I thought it must be some horrible joke, but then we watched as the second plane hit and I knew the world would never be the same again. Today my heart goes out to all of our American friends who have been affected by this terrible tragedy. You are all like wonderful neighbors in a world that is becoming increasingly smaller all of the time! Take care my friends!
 
Bush Girl

Bush Girl

Well-Known Member
I was in Starbucks when a friend burst in (it was lunchtime here) and blurted it out to everyone in the cafe. She said that there were more planes unaccounted for that may be on their way over to the UK. My friend & I decided we'd feel safer cocooned in our own houses, so we rushed home with our 10 mth old babies and hid, glued to the TV.

The following day I found out my best friend's older brother had died. He had 3 small kids.

https://ozone.oscraps.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=234746&title=september-11-recalled&cat=all

Sept-11-Recalled-web.jpg
 
sue.falstaff

sue.falstaff

O'chOir extraOrdinaire
There are some truly amazing tribute pages in the gallery today and some have been showcased on the GSO Blog too. Both Selena (aka Bush Girl) & Linda (aka hondachicc) had their pages featured and rightly so ... both have amazingly powerful & heartfelt journaling ... thanks for having the courage to share them with us girls!
 
5angels

5angels

Well-Known Member
I didn't think that 2001 could get any worse than it already was, my family was living in Japan at the time. My darling dad had just passed away and I was pregnant with our fourth child. I was already struggling emotionally, then that phone call came telling us to get up and turn on the television ... we just sat there numb, not wanting to believe what we were seeing. Before 9/11 our biggest worries were trivial issues like the exchange rate, or the weather but now it is terrorists - when and where will they strike next?
 
annaaspnes

annaaspnes

annaaspnes
Designer
Bush Girl said:
I was in Starbucks when a friend burst in (it was lunchtime here) and blurted it out to everyone in the cafe. She said that there were more planes unaccounted for that may be on their way over to the UK. My friend & I decided we'd feel safer cocooned in our own houses, so we rushed home with our 10 mth old babies and hid, glued to the TV.

The following day I found out my best friend's older brother had died. He had 3 small kids.

https://ozone.oscraps.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=234746&title=september-11-recalled&cat=all

Sept-11-Recalled-web.jpg
Click to expand...

WOW. Great layout.
 
annaaspnes

annaaspnes

annaaspnes
Designer
I was in my office overlooking Dulles International Airport and looking for hotels in New York for the upcoming weekend. Needless to say we cancelled our weekend away.
 
cellomom

cellomom

...loves her some "O"
Wow...just wow!! I just watched the incredible special on the FDNY on CBS tonight. It was incredible! I don't know if any of you saw it, but there were two French brothers who were making a documentary about how a probation firefighter (newbie) was going from a boy to a man...they had been following him for two months before 9-11 and they were there on that day. They followed the First responders all the way to the lobby of the North tower. It actually had footage for the South tower falling from inside the north tower. It was amazing!! To actually see it knowing what we know from the inside...I just couldn't believe what I was seeing! And that particular firehouse (no.1) did not lose one of their firefighters. By seconds!!!

On that day 10 years ago, I was pregnant with my Lillian. My in-laws lived with us, and my mil, who wasn't working at the time, would get up with the kids and feed them breakfast while I slept in (pregnancy made me sleep!! eeek!!) Now, we have a very strict rule in our house and have had for the 15 years I've homeschooled and that's NO TV until everyone is done with their work, which usually means around 4pm. I awoke that morning to the TV on...I vaguely remember a phone call and then the TV, but I can't be sure! (I was pregnant, remember!!) I started storming out with my robe on, ready to beat the child that turned the TV on early in the morning!! And my mil told me what had happened...the first tower had been hit. Not minutes later, we watched the second plane hit.

Mr Gorgeous called again!! (he had called to tell my mil to turn the tv on!) Here's what he was going through...
He worked in the tallest building in downtown Houston at that time (this kind of freaks me out to type this!!), and he had a friend that worked on the top floor who actually worked on the IT part of the trading floor for that oil and gas company that they worked for. His friend, Ken, called him after the news had broken, so Donnie met him up there...they turned all the tvs up on that floor onto the news and they all saw the second plane hit. Right at that time, a Southwest plane had just passed their building (its route was always next to downtown), and they all watched the plane turn around and head back toward them!!! They were out of there!!!!! We now know (and they knew pretty quickly) that all of the planes were grounded so it was just going back to the airport which was just south of town. But it had them seriously unnerved!! Donnie actually called his riding buddy, who told him that she didn't think she was going to go home, and he said, "Yes you are!!!" and they left!! I could not WAIT to see his big brown eyes right in front of me!! We, like all of America, sat and watched and listened to the news all day long!!

Later that week (might have even been that day), Cora went into the music room with a tape recorder and recorded a bunch of original songs as a response to all of the craziness. There was one which I helped her make into a praise song for church. It was about our country and God...it was sooooo sweet...a true tribute from a 7yo!!

We definitely are completely changed from this experience/tragedy! But the unity, which is the opposite of what the terrorists wanted, is such a powerful thing! Patriot Day for me today was truly a day of remembrance!!!
 
sue.falstaff

sue.falstaff

O'chOir extraOrdinaire
cellomom said:
Wow...just wow!! I just watched the incredible special on the FDNY on CBS tonight. It was incredible! I don't know if any of you saw it, but there were two French brothers who were making a documentary about how a probation firefighter (newbie) was going from a boy to a man...they had been following him for two months before 9-11 and they were there on that day.
Click to expand...

Oh I know which one you mean Sally ... NatGeo channel here in the UK showed it last night too. I watched it with tears rolling down my face [again!]
 
clarabear

clarabear

always chatty at the O!!
I need to see if they have that online somewhere. If anyone has the name of it...that would be great. It sounds perfect for Ethan.
 
sue.falstaff

sue.falstaff

O'chOir extraOrdinaire
It was called "9/11: Ten Years Later" ... it's a documentary by two French film-makers called Gedeon Naudet and Jules Naudet. Here's a link http://natgeotv.com/uk/911-ten-years-later

Clara, how old is Ethan? The reason I ask is that it's pretty harrowing in parts, especially when they're filming from the lobby of one of the towers ... it's not so much what you see, but what you hear that's distressing.
 
clarabear

clarabear

always chatty at the O!!
He's 9...I'll have to watch it first then. I just really want to find a good documentary on 9-11 so that he can learn more about it.
 
petey111

petey111

Well-Known Member
Is that the one where you hear the bodies falling so loudly? Just brings me to tears even thinking about it.

Clara, we have this book in our library and it was helpful last week:
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-September-11th-Answering-Questions/dp/0670035823

Schlessigner Media does pretty good videos for kids and they have one on Sept. 11th too. I'm sure with your homeschooling, you can order the video. http://www.libraryvideo.com/product.asp?sku=V5001

And lastly - The Children's book listings for Sept. 11th on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref...ptember+11th&ie=UTF8&qid=1315870367&rnid=1000
 
sue.falstaff

sue.falstaff

O'chOir extraOrdinaire
clarabear said:
He's 9...I'll have to watch it first then. I just really want to find a good documentary on 9-11 so that he can learn more about it.
Click to expand...

IMHO, I don't think this would be the right programme for a 9yr old to watch. The reading materials suggested by Sara are probably a better option.

petey111 said:
Is that the one where you hear the bodies falling so loudly? Just brings me to tears even thinking about it.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately yes, this is the one. Nobody ever actually says anything about the noises being heard ... there's just a certain look between the firefighter on scene, and that makes it all the more chilling.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top