My sisters from Arkansas were visiting. I work from home, so was home at the time with my head "in the weeds". One of my sisters called from the other room to come see the TV - "The world's gone crazy!"

Indeed it had.

Four Flights, Eight pilots. Twenty-five flight attendants.
Remember their courage.

American Airlines Flight 11
Captain: John Ogonowski
First Officer: Thomas McGuinness
Flight Attendants: Barbara Arestegui, Jeffrey Collman, Sara Low, Karen Martin, Kathleen Nicosia, Betty Ong, Jean Roger, Dianne Snyder, Madeline "Amy" Sweeney

United Airlines Flight 175
Captain: Victor Saracini
First Officer: Michael Horrocks
Flight Attendants: Robert Fangman, Amy Jarret, Amy King, Kathryn Laborie, Alfred Marchand, Michael Tarrou, Alicia Titus

American Airlines Flight 77
Captain: Charles Burlingame
First Officer: David Charlebois
Flight Attendants: Michele Heidenberger, Jennifer Lewis, Kenneth Lewis, Renee May

United Airlines Flight 93
Captain: Jason Dahl
First Officer: LeRoy Homer Jr.
Flight Attendants: Lorraine Bay, Sandra Bradshaw, Wanda Green, CeeCee Lyles, Deborah Welsh
May we never forget

Sadly, MANY have!

My son was in the second grade at the time, and I had the privilege of driving him to school every morning. I'd drop him off before 8, and when he exited the truck, I'd flip the radio to the Bay Area's one and only conservative station.

When I pulled over to let him out, I noticed the faculty was gathered at the base of the school's flag pole and they were all holding hands and praying. (It was a Christin school.) I wondered what that was all about, but within seconds, and I heard on the radio what had happened.

I was incredibly angry! I still am! But, the way so many Americans reacted pissed me even more! It's like they were more concerned with not offending Muslims than punishing the killers who planned and financed the attack.

Then it became decision time: Should we rebuild the trade center buildings or create an everlasting monument to the Muslims who attacked us. It was in Blue New York, so we now have the monument to the people who attacked us.

I tend to go watch something FDNY related around the anniversary. I particularly like this one:



Also lots of good recordings of the radio traffic from that day out there such as this one:

I was a Freshman in college, I liked to have all my classes done by noon. So I had 7:30 classes we had an old TV that had no sleep timer so it was still on from when we fella asleep. The fist plane had just struck and I woke my roommate and we watched as the 2nd plane hit.
I knew it was bad and that we likely weren’t done. I was a few hours from home and not far from Wright Patterson Airforce Base. I jumped in the car went and got a bunch of fox that would last awhile and I filled my car up with gas.
All my buddies still laugh about that.
Classes were cancelled and we all were requested at the chapel for service. I remember it was beautiful.
I then started thinking about my Dad who worked for AT&T in New Jersey and knew that on occasion he had to go to NYC for work.
Dad and step mom were both at work and I did not know their work number and could not get ahold of either but finally did later that night.

Man years later I was attending some extended training at the FBI academy in Quantico on the anniversary of 9/11 and the course was being taught by Dr. Sebastian Gorka.
On that day we watched a presentation that tracked all the flight paths from the fateful flights and played all the cockpit audio from each flight, along with calls home and messages left by folks that were on those flights.

I’ve seen a lot, heard a lot, and been right in the middle of a lot over my 20+ years in Law Enforcement. But that presentation really got to me.

And today so many go on like nothing happened and the current state of NY and NYC just kill me.

I was a senior in HS, and was overseas so we were 6 hours ahead and it was almost 5pm local time before I found out about it. I remember sitting up with my dad and just being appalled at the loss of life (at that point we had know idea of the numbers, just that over 50,000 worked in the Trade Center, plus the Pentagon). My grandparents lived just outside of Johnstown, PA and Flight 93 went down less than 15 miles from their house, so that shook us up pretty good, too. Communication and information didn't flow quite so quickly back then, so we didn't have a lot of details or a good way to get ahold of anyone right away.

I remember the next day on the way to school everybody on the subway was silent, and everybody had a paper with a huge color photo of the plane hitting the towers on the front page. We got a lot of support and sympathy from the Czech people over the next few weeks.

I was at the office, we had the TV on in the break room. My boss was there and we stood there in shock and watched the first plane crash into the building. My first thought was, this was a terrible accident. Then the second plane crash, the pentagon crash, and the PA crash... the truth was made clear. I hope we never forget, but sadly it looks like some have.

I was a college freshman and in a Chemistry class when the first attack occurred. While sitting with a friend afterwards, one of her friends came up to her in tears and was blubbering about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. Both of us thought she was nuts and could not figure out what she was talking about.

I went back to my dorm and got the TV on just to see the second plane hit. The way the cameras caught the second plane I thought it was in trouble…my roommate and I couldn’t believe what we were watching. As more reports came in about more planes being in trouble, the Pentagon being hit, the plane crash in Pennsylvania…glued to the TV and just sad and furious.

I did not know anyone personally that lost their lives in the attacks that day, but the loss of my fellow Americans struck a profound nerve.

My daughter was born Sept 1, 2001 in Bridgeport, CT and was immediately transferred to the NICU at Yale New Haven children’s hospital. There were some touch and go times in those first few days but there was light at the end of the tunnel by the 11th. We were on our way to the hospital, had just run through a DD drive through and my wife and I were enjoying one of the first non-stressful day over the last last week. Our 7 year anniversary was the day before.

We had just made the turn from route 34 onto the Merritt Parkway around Derby/Ansonia and were listening to Dee Snider’s morning radio show (Twisted Sister frontman) when the first plane hit. By the time we made the hospital the 2nd plane had hit and we knew it was an attack. I was scheduled to fly into Northern VA with my business partners on 9/11 but cancelled due to my daughter’s birth. They flew past tower 1 before tower 2 was hit and over the pentagon after it was hit. They had to rent a Uhaul to make it back to CT.

In the hospital, I was glued to a TV and relaying information to all the nurses in our NICU. By chance a former colleague who lived the next neighborhood over from us was also in the NICU with their daughter. The rumors in the hospital were that mass casualties were working there way up the Metro North trail line. The hospital was in lockdown and they were towing all the cars parked in the street. There were rumors that hospitals were being attacked as well. Our friend had parked in the street so I volunteered to move her car into a garage and was most likely going to be locked out of the hospital. There were hundreds of beds staged inside and outside of the hospital that unfortunately would never be needed. I moved the car and managed to talk my way back through security and stayed glued to the TV.

I grew up less than 60 miles from NYC and had spent a ton of time in the towers. My dad worked in tower 1 for 8 years with two offices located on the floors the first plane hit while I was growing. Fortunately, he was based midtown and actually in Boston when the attacks occurred. We lost many friends and colleagues at various firms that day. The changed New York skyline used to piss me off and still does. Years later I was based out of 40 Wall living in the Nashville area and spent quite a bit of time in and around ground zero. It took over a decade before I worked up the nerve to visit the memorial site. To this day an incredible amount of anger creeps into me as I fly into or see the NYC skyline. I am horrified by the elected mayor and the behavior of the NY Governor and the short memory of the voters in that shithole of a state.

Was doing property development in NY in 2001. Had a meeting with a contractor at a job site on 34th St just off 7th Ave at 6:30AM on 9/11/01. Meeting finished at about 7:15 and I headed out to the Long Island office. Got there a little after 8AM. Watched the news in the office for a while and then we closed the office at about 11. Shock was the word of the day. I think anger didn't surface until Wednesday.

On 9/12/2001, I was scheduled for a deposition in a meeting room at the Millenium Hilton across the street from the World Trade Center concourse. It was cancelled.

No way to get off Long Island for a few days since NYC closed all borders and the ferry to Bridgeport was a zoo. Sold the house and moved the following year.

Had a few properties to check in lower Manhattan once access was allowed a few days later. Had to show ID at checkpoints to get down there. FBI agent that let me through the last one asked that I be sure to check the roofs and if there were any airplane or body parts to let him know. I found it odd that the FBI was working checkpoints or maybe he was just there because their lower Manhattan office was kaput.

As a High school sophomore on the far east end, I didn't remember or notice there being a lockdown. My father made his career in Bio-med he drive a truck load of medical equipment down to the primary receiving hospital. He described that hospital in details I'm not interested in conveying here.

I was driving to work and heard of the first plane hitting the towers on the radio. In my mind I thought of a Cessna and an inexperienced pilot accidently flying into the towers. When I arrived at work, I set up a small TV in my bosses' office and we saw the second impact - then realizing it was no accident.

Thank you for bringing this back to the forefront Para. Never Forget.

I worked in the tallest building in Pittsburgh, the USX Tower. I was in my office when a coworker stopped in and told me a plane hit the World Trade Center. My first thought was a light plane, an accident. That thought was quickly dispelled. I went to the cafeteria where a TV was tuned to the news. Early video showed the aircraft hitting the towers.
Senior management convened a meeting to develop a plan. We prepared to go home and provide support remotely. Building security recommended staying in place. The SVP I reported to complied with the request then disappeared. We didn't wait long and decided to exit the building. Security stopped the elevators so we exited via the stairs, 39 floors. To the credit of everyone, people were calm and orderly, helping those that were experiencing difficulty. On our walk down the stairs, another coworker stated that a plane crashed in Somerset. I was a recent transplant to Pittsburgh and I took the comment to mean Somerset NJ. Buses were full so I took as many people as my truck could safely accommodate and gave them a lift home.
My wife was working from home so we were both safe. We watched the events unfold and I learned the plane went down in Somerset County PA, about 90 miles from my house. My wife had staff that had traveled to the west coast and worked through the day to develop travel plans. I was responsible for planning and implementation of the data network so my team was working through the day to ensure our network was fully functional. I worked for a bank with many partners directly affected by the World Trade Center, it was a busy few weeks working to maintain connectivity.
We took a break and walked our dog. Weatherwise, it was a beautiful day. Emotionally it was anything but. It was eerily quiet; no planes, no people outside, no traffic.
We have visited the Flight 93 memorial several times, it is a sacred place. We cannot forget the lives that were lost nor the enemies that attacked us.

My wife & I were on an Areoflot fliight from Moscow to OHare. I remember looking out the window as we passed over Greenland. The plane made a left turn and the pilot said "All American airports are closed we will be landing in Montreal". The plane was not allowed to go to the terminal and we were met by a Montreal swat team. Knowing nothing we were bused to the terminal and saw what had happened on TV.

One of my most vivid memories of that time was hearing the Battle Hymn of the Republic being sung in St. Pauls Cathedral in London.
I knew then the US was in for a long fight.

My daughter’s photos from her birthday trip 2 and 1/2 years ago. She wasn’t born yet and I had yet to even meet my wife when it happened. Now my daughter lives less than 2 miles up the W. Broadway.

I was working as a civilian on an Air Force base, in Civil Engineering. One of the guys in the office had a small TV in his cubicle, and announced that a plane had hit the WTC. My first thought was that someone sightseeing in a small private plane had gotten too close and the updrafts / turbulence around the buildings had caused the crash. Then just a little while later, the 2nd plane hit. Huh? That was weird. Then when the Pentagon was hit, SHTF. The military within our building activated the Emergency Notification and told everyone to look for suspicious packages. We had to lower and close all window blinds. The landline phone system was shut down, except for official calls. Cell phone usage was also limited. Base internet access and usage was severely limited. We were told that no one could leave, and most of the military personnel left for base perimeter and flightline defense. All doors were locked except for the front, which now had an ARMED guard. They brought us MREs to eat for lunch. So we sat around the small TV and watched the news and events as they happened.

Around 5 PM they said that we could leave the base in stages. I think that I left around 6 PM. Jersey barriers were set up to create a serpentine route through the gate. As I was leaving I passed by a Humvee with a M-60 gunner. The belt was visible in the feed chute and his finger was close to the trigger. What was so bad, was as former military myself, was the realization that the USAF didn't "play with guns" as much as other services, and that a lot of these troops now guarding the gates were augmentees for the base Security Forces. Because of this, I was hoping that nobody had an AD.

Before I left, I was told to report the next morning. I left my house at 4 AM and didn't get on the base until after 6 AM. Normally it was a 20 minute commute. Through 3 access gates, every vehicle was searched thoroughly, causing massive delays. I found out later that Security Forces had confiscated a lot of firearms over the rest of that week. Normally, these weapons would be confiscated and the owner would have to go to the local federal court for disposition, any charges, and such. Because of what was going on, individuals were given a hand receipt and told to pick up their weapon at the end of the day, and told "DON"T BRING IT BACK".

Because of the vehicle inspections, we were put on staggered shifts. Regardless of shift, we had to expect at least a 2 hour delay getting on base through one of the gates. Oh what fun going through a gate and having at least 2 automatic weapons trained on you. We endured that for at least through the end of the calendar year.

My kids were in elementary school at the time, and my wife was a substitute teacher. We and the schools just tried to act like everything was normal as much as we could.

Lost a family friend in the South Tower. 27 years old. His brother worked in the North Tower and made it out.

Never Forget.

I was on the Long Island Railroad heading into NYC for a job interview when the first plane struck.

Information was spotty and it was assumed a little single engine plane hit the building.

Once we arrived at Penn Station, it was obvious a major attack had occurred.
I did go to my interview and wound up getting hired.

On the way home there was no train service, and along with thousands of other people, I walked over the 59th st bridge into Long Island City, in Queens.

You could see the smoke rising from the remains of the towers.
What struck me was how quiet it was. No one was talking, no cars moving, no aircraft flying, just silence.
The subways were running in Queens, and I eventually made it back home.

Once I started at the new job a week later, Penn Station was filled with notes asking, "Have you seen ...?". Those notes stayed up for months.