Where were you on the Morning of 9-11?

[ems-buff 81]

As most of you well know it's has been 6 years since 9/11 and I was wondering, Does anyone remember what they were doing that day?

I myself was in school getting ready for my first class as a freshmen in High School, When my friend told me that a plane hit the World Trade Center. now I was in 9th grade so I never even heard of the World Trade Center before. So I was like uh-ok not know that it was such a important building that it was. Soon after I got in to my first class the superindentant got on the PA and made this whole speach that "we are under attack." I never saw so many teachers and students run out of the class room so fast. Myself include. So I went home so fast it seem like forever.. As I was running home I though to my self. Oh man my cuzin is going to be going down there ( he's was with the 101st pct.) sure enough I was right. Thank god he did'nt get kill. but he did get injury a bit.

Anyways the reason why I'm posting this is because, with all the drama with the war, and all this anti-bush talk. I want people to remember what they were doing that day so that THEY, US, WE as first responder MUST NEVER FORGET our brothers and sisters on 9/11.

[xfirefighter484x 234]

Was sitting in the cafeteria, 4th period, senior year of HS, when they made the announcement about the attacks. There was more to my discovery, but I shall post that at another time.

[Guest car2267]

On the USS Enterprise (cvn-65) off the coast of florida> We were supposed to return to naval base Norfolk on Sept 19th. We were out there waiting out a storm in Va. Needless to say when everythjing happened, it wasnt more than an hour before we were turned around and began to prepare for revenge...

[DOC22 1]

I was a Watershed Inspector for NYC DEP in Northers Westchester/Putnam area. I was out of the truck opening the gate to get the Reservoir elevation At Boyds Corner Reservoir in Kent. I had WHUD on the truck radio, as I got back in, I heard them talking about a plane having hit the first tower. The DJ said "It only gets worse. Now we're getting reports that a second plane hit the other tower". Then he said he didn't think it could be an accident. This is a terrorist act. I wonder if he really had an idea how true his words would really be. I spent

the rest of the day in the office with the radio on, making temporary signs closing all Reservoirs to public access. They remained closed for quite a while after. That day will stay with me forever. On a side note it was my anniversary with DEP. I started 09/11/1978.

[Guest]

on grasslands road, in front of BOCES, going to WCC for a 9 o'clock class, is when i heard about the 1st plane attack on Z100. when the second plane hit i was in the lobby of the AAB building on the campus watching it on the TV. i can describe even more, but who wants to read all that.

they're still such vivid memories, every detail, every feeling, every person i spoke to at the school.

i know old men and women who can still remember every detail about what they were doing when Pearl Harbor was attacked, but cannot remember what they ate for breakfast that day. i guess there's just somethings you'll never forget no matter what.

[xfirefighter484x 234]

Scarier yet still, I had gone on a trip to Australia in Summer 2001. My return flight was from LAX to Newark.

I arrived home on August 11, 2001. My visa in my passport is from the same day (Australia is in the next day from the International Date Line, so i left on the 11th in Australia, and arrived home "the same day", wben thought almost 24 hours later)!

That is also the last time I have flown on a commercial airline. I can not even imagine what airports and airlines must be like thesae days!

[Guest]

I was at work, My co worker told me that a plane hit the towers i was like yea ok whatever ya say dude then he comes back mins later says another plane hit, again im like yea whatever, he kept updating me , we had a radio on but i didnt pay much attn to anything, it all sonk in when i got home and watch tv a bit finally realising wth happened

[RWC130 594]

September 11, 2001

I was at home sleeping, just got off working an overnight.

About 9:15 am my nextel started going crazy with calls from friends watching it on TV.

I went to the Firehouse shortly after watching the Towers come down live on TV.

About an hour or so later the phone rang at the Firehouse and it was 60-Control.

Westchester FD's are being requested to report to the Fire Training Center to be

deployed to New York City.

I am very proud to be a part of a group of Peekskill Firefighters both Career and Volunteer

who boarded Engine 131 and off to NYC we went that afternoon on September 11th.

We were staged for several hours at E81/L46 in the Bronx with numerous other Westchester FD's.

I felt so helpless that whole day.

Later that night we were sent to Yonkers Raceway parking lot.

I remember waking up the next morning having slept in my bunker pants and using my

turnout coat as a pillow kinda feeling like "this sucks, sleeping on pavement in my gear"

but then reality hit me HARD how many lives were lost the night before and I had some nerve

to complain about sleeping in gear on cold pavement. Suddenly that cold pavement didn't matter.

In the days and weeks to follow I did make it down to Ground Zero a few times.

Anyway......

IT'S SOMETHING I WILL NEVER FORGET!

GOD BLESS!

RIP FF Sam Oitice, FDNY Ladder 4

Peekskill FD E134

[JBE 328]

I was sitting at the back Alarm Receipt Dispatcher position in the FDNY Manhattan/Citywide dispatchers office. The Supervisor had just sent the two radio (Manhattan and Citywide) operators out to get breakfast. Another dispatcher had asked me if I wanted to take over the radio(and anyone who knows me knows how much I enjoyed working the radio). He had just finished his training as a radio dispatcher, so I less than politely told him to take the radio and pay his dues. I'm cranky in the morning, what can I say. I had taken the call for that gas leak on Church and Lispenard Streets(the one you see in the French brothers video). I had my feet up and I was drinking ice water out of a washed out spaghetti sauce jar(a practice I continue to uphold to this day). Engine 6 came over the air screaming, "Engine 6 to Manhattan, transmit a second alarm, we just had a plane hit the Trade Center!!!" My feet dropped, and I said out loud "Bull droppings, somebody is fornicating with us". Then, the voice alarm, which is an intercom system between us and the firehouses started beeping from the Ten House. Box 8087, the alarm box from 2 WTC started coming in, and then the phone lines lit up. You guys know the rest.

I don't talk about it too much these days, because many of you have heard my side of the story from the tapes that IMHO, were improperly released to the public last year. Most of the time, when I am pressed, I will simply tell people of one of the calls I took prior to the first collapse. We have a script that we follow when taking calls, as per Dispatchers Directive 96-01. Fire Department, Dispatcher number, what's the address of the fire?? Then you ask cross streets, the nature of the problem, where in the building if in a building, and then phone number of the caller and that the FD is responding. I barely got the words "Fire Department" out of my mouth when the lady said, "Never mind" when I asked her what she meant, her reply was, "He just jumped". I replied, "OK", hung up, and went to the next call. Usually, anyone with curiosity is satisfied right there.

I can remember saying later on like Dante in Clerks, "I'm not even supposed to be here today!!!" Not entirely true, as I swapped out with someone. I worked her day tour and she was supposed to work my night tour that night. I was once told that I said to someone, "I kept telling these people help was coming, and it never got to them." I remember wanting to reach through the phone and throttle some moron who wanted me to send firemen to his Battery Park City apartment to check up on his dog, or driving up to Pathmark on 125th and Lex and seeing Verplanck sitting on the corner next to 35 Engine's quarters. Or Manhattan looking like a ghost town the following morning as I headed home to the Bronx.

Time does heal, the scars remain, and they run deep. I am thankful for many things in my life that came out of that day. Being able to say my cousin survived, or that my brother had not been working that day, and for the friends that either survived the collapses or were somewhere else that morning. I am thankful for the friends I made in the months following, thankful that I had the opportunity to know the friends I lost. Thankful that I failed the firefighter physical the year before, because I could have been among the 343. Most of all, I am thankful for having my family, that supported me and loved me before, during, and after.

About three years ago, I was one of eight recipients of the Chief O'Brien award for my efforts that day. It's one of the highest awards given out to civilian members of the FDNY. The only positive to come out of that award was the look of pride on the faces of my mother and brother when I walked on stage to receive it. To me, it wasn't worth the paper it was printed on. It felt pretty hollow, and bittersweet. There weren't too many, if any happy endings to come from that day, and it didn't feel right to be honored for something so tragic. I'd rather be honored for efforts that were more rewarding. I hope that makes sense. I still have the award, it's framed, in a large manilla envelope and it is stashed in my closet. I doubt it will ever see the light of day again. It's not something I am particularly proud of. I take more pride in the work I did a few months later for the fire at St. John the Divine, or countless other incidents in the years since.

PS, I was recently interviewed by the National Geographic Channel for a special on dispatchers from that morning. It should be airing in November. This took a lot for me to do, as I have been pretty reluctant to speak to the media about it. Most recently, telling a producer from AC 360 to pack sand, and to leave me and my family alone. I'm interested in seeing how this special turns out, as I have always been a casual reader of the magazine and I watch a lot of the specials they put on about other subjects.

Finally, as I have asked in the years since, take a moment today to remember those we lost. Not at 846, or 1029, just anytime during the day. Give your spouse a kiss, hold your kids tight. Life is too short for the petty bull droppings of drama and what not. Maybe do a little research on someone who died that day, be it an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald, or someone on one of those planes, to one of the MOS who responded and didn't come home. If you knew someone who was lost, honor them and what they sacrificed. Live your life as you would, but never, EVER forget.

Soapbox 10-8, 10-9 in the Quarters of the Cavalier Rock Box.

[x242Steve 1]

Being that I was a junior at Boston University and had no classes till 10 or 11 that morning, I was fast asleep in my dorm room at 0846. My mom called and told me to turn on the TV, that a plane had struck one of the Towers... I immediately woke up my room-mate Doug and we turned on the TV only to see the second tower get struck. Seemingly within minutes a convoy of black Suburbans and Crown Vics went racing past our window heading down Storrow Drive to Logan Airport, while soon after on the other side of the building the flow of people evacuating the Prudential Tower and John Hancock buildings became evident. I'm not sure exactly what time I found out about Chris Mello, the first Rye resident that I heard about having perished that day, but thats when the reality really set in.

The phrase "Never Forget" is tossed around a lot, and for good reason. Much like our parents and grandparents remember where they were when they heard about JFK, it will not be possible for us to forget that Tuesday morning when the whole world changed.

[firemoose827 324]

I, like many people, was at work. I used to work for a Fire Suppression System company and tuesday morning was my Hydrotesting day. I had the radio on listening to The Edge and was filling out a report on the testing I was doing when I heard about the first plane. I ran in and told the other guy who was making a stainless steel hood at the time, and he kinda just looked at me and smiled. So I ran to his radio and turned it up, he just sat with his jaw on the floor.

I remember trying to call home to my wife and the phone line not working, than by chance I called my mother and got through, she told me about the news footage and seeing a crushed fire truck...I swallowed hard and just remember saying, "Oh god mom, all of those firefighters who just died..." My mom was crying and I told her I was going home to find out if we were going to send some help down.

I remember telling my brother on the phone I was going to head down and I could hear his voice shaking when he told me to be carefull. Due to the fact that Hundreds of firefighters from all over the nation were showing up they cancelled our statewide mutual aid response and I didnt go...I sat in front of the TV for the rest of the day watching...unsure of what to do.

[irishfire2491 24]

HOME SLEEPING SICK FROM SCHOOL WITH AN EAR INFECTION AN THEN AT THE DOCTOR OFFICE.

[Guest alsfirefighter]

Just as the same 6 years ago, I worked a night tour. ONly difference is today I have to go to training and then I went home. I was in bed sleeping when a friend from 60 control woke me up after the first tower was hit and was on the phone with her when the second one struck. I remember saying "this is a terrorist attack" I have to go. About 45 minutes later or so I was there working with St. Vincent's Hospital and Medics with a group of co-workers.

I'll never forget the faces I saw that day, what I felt, the smells and the anger.

[MoFire390 118]

I was getting ready to start my english class at highschool when a friend of mine came running in and told my teacher that a plane has hit one of the WTC buildings. My teacher at the time turned on the radio and just as she turned it on the second plane hit the tower. the school got on the PA and said that they would be evacuating the school because they felt it was the right thing to do because of the fact that a bunch of students parents worked down there. Little did I know that two friends of mine father's would never come home. By the time I got home from school the first tower had fallen and I went and met with my cousins as they were getting off the bus. while doing so I saw Peekskill PD, NYSP, WCPD all heading towards Indian Point. The first thing that came to my mind is "this is too organized, this is no accident someone ment to do this to us. But why?" A few days following my Aunt called and said that my cousin was going to go over seas. where he was going she didnt know.

[ex-commish 490]

We were returning from an MVA. As the engine was backing up one of our members came running up to the bay and said the tower was hit. We all ran to the rec room and watched in horror. A short time later we were called to the training center and than to the Bronx.

[sr71 1]

I was in the seventh grade, sitting in my science class, day dreaming. and all of a sudden the principle got on the PA in a very Scared sounding voice, he sead these exact words; "Attention Students and staff, planes have struck the world trade center and the pentagon, all students are to remain in there classes until further notice" my teacher put the tv on and we all were in shock. The kid behind me, started to cry, he yelled my father was there (wtc) and ran out of the class. to this day i will never forget the look on his face. or those images on cnn

[rfdu39 89]

In chorus I was in 8th grade at the time. When I first heard about the attacks I did not believe it until one of my teachers told me that it was true. My dad lost a lot of friends that day. NEVER FORGET THE 343

[Guest mediconpatrol]

I was in the shower when my husband told me that a radio dj just said a plane crashed into the World Trade Center....I said he is always joking, put on the TV....We turned it on in time to see the second plane hit.....At 10am I got called by the hospital asking if I can come in...I was there by 10:30am...

We staged...we planned....we watched and we waited......We got our first "white dust" covered patient at about 3:00pm......

We saw a bunch of patients, most with scratches and abrasions and "dust" covering...some dust induced respiratory problems...they were residents of Westchester who just got home as quick as possible and then came to the hospital for evaluation.....

As the night wore on we had less patients and eventually got a call saying we would not be getting any critical.......We had a trooper assigned to the ER for the next week....

The remainder of that night we waited for our Medics to come home......(ALS).....

I stayed at the hospital until 1:00pm Sept 12 and then back at 5:00 for my next shift......

Not a kind of overtime I ever want to have again......

God Bless

[SgtGumby311 0]

When the first plane hit, I was in my mother's kitchen. At that point it was thought to be an accident. I was at the County office building when the second plane hit. There were groups of office workers huddled around radio's and then word came about the Pentagon. I left, got my son from my mom's and told my wife to come home from work. We watched the carnage on Fox News and listened in horror on my scanner to the NYC citywide transmission's. Fast forward to today, working for DHS, making sure that things like things like this don't happen again. NEVER FORGET!!!!

[Monty 35]

My experience seems nothing compared to JBE, but I was on the 9th floor in a building at the corner of Broadway and Fulton - I had passed through the PATH station about 20 minutes earlier. I was actually on the phone with my Boss when there was a loud bang. I assumed that it was a manhole or transformer explosion or something. My work area faced the North out towards City Hall. A couple minutes later people came around and said the WTC was on fire. I watched for a few minutes, then called my wife at home in Orange County. I followed that at some point later calling my brother in England on his cell phone - who hadn't heard what had happened at that point - so it was making no sense to him, although after my call they heard it on the van radio.

We had TV's on the floor as it was a small trading floor with Windows that faced North, West and South. At that point there were some people panicking about terrorists - I must admit that at that time I was like, no it was a corporate jet or something. I also remember thinknig that it was going to keep FDNY busy for quite a while. Another thing I noticed was all the civilian vehicles with red lights heading to the WTC. I then tried going back to work.

Watching out the West Window, I remember seeing the fireball as the second plane hit. Our view was blocked because of the Hilton Millenium Hotel but of course we saw the replay on TV. We were being told to shelter in place, however quite a few people opted to leave at that time. By this point was work out of the question. I remember watching as the first tower started to move and people starting to scream as everyone ran from the windows. The windows held, but we were engulfed in complete darkness for minutes before the sun started to peak through the dust. One of my first thoughts was the comparison to a nuclear winter. I remember seeing stuff floating in the air, papers mostly.

After that, those of us left regrouped to a lower floor, and I remember being in the center of the building and feeling that vibrate as the second tower came down. Somewhere in this time I did spare a thought and prayers for all those lost, Emergency workers and employees, and who I might know that had perished. In the end, the only person that I knew personally that lost their life was Rayu Downey. Later I went up to the higher floors and the canteen which was used as a staging area and seeing lots of Correction Officers waiting for their orders. I remember seeing WTC 5 start on fire and watching that grow until it was fully engulfed. At this point I was wondering how I was going to get out, then I heard of the ferries and walked to South Street Seaport, through the dust and it was when I was on the ferry to Jersey City that I heard of WTC 7 falling.

I was technically still a part of the NYRRT-1 in Albany and expected to spend some time down at the WTC, but as I hadn't been active in a year I never made it down there with them. Although I did end up helping with logisitics back in Albany. I did make it to the site in the end, volunteering through work with the Red Cross.

In some ways, it's hard to believe it's been 6 years - yet those memories are as fresh as a few months ago. I'd be lying if I said it was like yesterday. My thoughts and prayers go to those that lost loved ones at the WTC and subsequently as a result of it.

Monty.

Edited September 11, 2007 by Monty

[PC_420 28]

I was Late for college and I got into class late and was the only person who knew what was happening in class. And I forget to close my pager and all the tones started going off for all the departments in Putnam County to go on stand by. I didn't even have to say anything, I got up and my professor told me to go once he heard it was a stand by for New York City. I drove up the Taconic to the Falls and called my parents just in case. I was placed on the engine crew in case we were asked to go. Luckily, kind of, we only sent an ambulance and 2 crews.

Never Forget!

Never Forgive!

Never, Ever Fear!

Fear is for the Enemy!

Fear and Bullets!

September 11, 2001.

R.I.P. Christopher Blackwell- FDNY

5-5-5-5 343

God Bless These United States.

May they never perish from the face of the Earth.

Edited September 11, 2007 by PC_420

[Danger 160]

Arlington High School, 1300 corridor, Mr C's class. We all said it was an accident, a small plane. Bell rang and walked to the next class. Walked in just in time to see the next plane hit. Spent the rest of the day watching. One of the teachers said it was "nothing" and turned off the TV and recited irrelevant lectures. How could you not watch the most important event of our lifetime? When they fell, I still had my youthful naiveté..."Everyone got out" I wasn't too stupid to know that nothing would ever be the same.

[IzzyEng4 427]

I was at home sleeping when the first plane hit and my grandmother called my house waking up my sister to let us know what happened. My sister woke me up and I headed into the living room to watch what had happened. I was originally planing to head down to NYC that day and take off from work to hang with a friend of mine who worked on Wall St. at the time. As I watch the second plane hit, I immediately knew we were under attack. My C-MED pager went off about the crashes and I called in to see if they wanted me to come in. The first tower collapsed before I left home and I rushed into New Haven to work. I was told there was a rumor that some casualties were going to come up as far as New Haven aboard trains to the local hospitals which was not confirmed and did not happen. While at work, the second tower collapsed. I worked until 11:30 pm at C-MED that night.

[Reliance 29]

I was just walking in the door of the fire station to drop off my groceries for the next days shift.

[Bababoosky 24]

I was a senior at Marist College (Poughkeepsie) and it was the first day of my Criminal Justice internship. I was sitting in the Lobby of the Dutchess County Sheriffs Office, waiting to be assigned an officer to ride with for the day. As I am sitting there, across from the como room I heard gasps and screams coming from inside. Withing seconds my face was pressed against the glass trying to get an idea of what happened. They realized that I was the new intern, and they then let me in.

As i entered the como room, I looked in horror just as the second plane struck. It was at this point we all looked at each other and knew. Not a word was uttered, none had to. We all knew that this was no accident, that this was a well orchestrated attack on our nation. Then the reports came in of another plane striking the Pentagon, and another going down in Pa.

I was finally assigned to an officer, who then drove me around Dutchess County at Mach II going from courthouse to the airport, to all other "soft targets" around Dutchess. Within an hour of getting on the road the Lt called the officer and told him to bring me back, and to go home. I called my mother who was in total disbelief and told her I was coming home. I ordered not to by both my parents. By that time my Father and Brother were already staging at the Training center, and were deployed to the Bronx to cover one of their truck companies.

It is truly a day I will never ever forget.... and neither should anyone else.

God Bless the Victims of the WTC, Pentagon, and United Flight 93 "LET'S ROLL"

[ONEEYEDMIC 68]

I was on Patrol and listening to Howard Stern. He thought that it was a joke at first until the second Plane hit. The AIR went dead for a couple of seconds. I was called in off the road from my Chief who wanted me to go to the City because of my EMS background. I remember driving with some of my other co workers on the WEST SIDE HIGHWAY. Completley shut down. No cars other than Emergency Vehicles. Like a Ghost town. Very Eerie. We staged at the Jacob Javits Center right across from the Ferry. For the next 14Hrs I was in the City. Helping with Traffic and other things. Got home, showered and worked another Day tour. This was when I was only 4 months out of the ACADEMY so I actually worked my day tours. For the next 10 days we went down to GROUND ZERO.

When I hear never forget it pisses me off. Who is ever going to FORGET THAT DAY? I won't even watch the news because I don't need to see what happened 6 years ago. The MEDIA has to keep showing it over and over again. Mention the names of all that died and move.

[Guest bibbles10504]

I remember I was just walking into Spanish class, I sort of heard something, but it was middle school, so they didn't really give us any details.

This is just a little picture I put together in remembrance , I hope you all like it.

[hawkbase 21]

I was in accunting class at Mercy College, they shut the campus down. I went directly to my station and was assigned as driver of Eng-140. We never had to go anywhere, Thank God. But were on stand-by well into the night! My brother worked in the city and was OK. My best friend and ex-chief worked on 64th floor tower 1....it was close and a harrowing wait but he made it out!!!

God bless the 343 and FF J. Giordano. WE WILL NEVER FORGET!!

[SgtGumby311 0]

Hey Hawk, what class was that?

[Jared1979 19]

I was attending Westchester Community College