9/11 - what sticks with you the most?

[KenAdams]

I remember what I thought was them replaying footage of the attack. It was in fact the second plane hitting the second tower

The jumpers
The phone calls/messages
The additional horror after the plane hit of the tower then collapsing.

I remember a friend who worked for a media organisation texting me about it. I went onto the internet and it took me several minutes to comprehend it was happening live at that moment. Probably the first such incident/event to play out live on TV and the internet in such a way. The second plane hitting was when people realised this was no accident. I saw the first tower collapse.

The first thing that stuck with me was the images of those who jumped. Watching the horror unfold and wondering how awful conditions in the towers had to be that there was no hope left at all. And the moment the first tower came down, the collective gasp of all of us in the reception area at work.

Then, later watching the documentary by the French filmmakers, who happened to be following a NYC fire crew that day, the young fireman, who had been left at the station, how torn he was between his orders and his instincts to go and help.

Then, in the aftermath, the search dogs, who grew so desperate when finding no one alive that some of the police and firemen hid in the rubble just so the dogs could find someone.

And finally, when DH and I went to NYC Christmas 2002, the tour guide on the boat trip around the island of Manhattan thanking us all for coming back and not abandoning New York.

In the 9/11 museum, there is a glass screened area in the lower basement where videos play - relatives telling the life story of someone who died that day. People off the planes; firefighters; office workers. I only listened to about 10 and I just sat with tears pouring down my face, it really really impacted me at that second of the human cost of that day. It was very overwhelming.

It's got a very tangible atmosphere on that site, it was an unforgettable experience to go there.

Actually, LifeinaHamster, my dad's family was originally from Cork and it's something we very much identify with. Irish history us full of examples!!

I was 12 and I still remember I was in the car coming home from Morrison’s when I heard it on the radio.

I think me and my mum left all the shopping in the car and shot indoors to watch tv

It is definitely the falling man and watching people waving white flags that still break my heart

The "Oh fucking hell" that came out of my DGF mouth, He never swore so I ran in to him and he was watching the news, saying please not another war.

The pictures of the fire fighters still choke me, the physical pain you could see they were in, the haunted look on their faces. But they still ran back in to the building, when everyone was running out. Absolutely heroic and Americans should feel so proud of their emergency services. The world took their hats off to them that day.

I’m American. I was stationed at a USAF base in New York when it happened. I was on the phone to a colleague at the Pentagon when it was hit and heard the noise of the crash and him say “god, there’s smoke” before the line cut out.
We went on ThreatCon (it’s now called FPCon) Delta and the base was locked down. No one in or out. Jets were scrambled. We all huddled and watched the last plane fly towards us.....and then continue by us...the one where the passengers rebelled and it crashed in PA.
The airspace was shut down and it wasn’t until everyone except the military were grounded that they let us go home. We were all in shock. Went back at 5am next morning and worked 16hr shifts for the next month doing recovery OPs. I remember seeing the reserves and national guard troops that had been called up gathering at the different exits on the NY Thruway (I90).

I am also shocked to hear that 7 and 8 year olds were shown the news that day in school. I now have a 8 year old and would have be appalled if her school did something like that. Surely such young children don't need to see that without a parent there to attempt to explain (thinking about it, I have no idea how I would have explained it to a child at the time) and to reassure them.

I was 19, woke up late, put the radio on, Chris Moyles (I think that's who it was) was talking about what had happened. I thought that seemed very unlikely, went downstairs and put the tv on and spent pretty much all day watching in horror.

Kirsty Young delivering the journalistic performance of her life before finding out that her husband was safe.

I was 18 and it was my day off work and I was watching some rubbish like Jenny Jones on sky one. A breaking news thing started running across the bottom telling me to turn to sky news immediately, the last time that happened was when Princess Diana had died so I knew it something important. When I put the news on I couldn't process what was going on, I thought a plane had hit on accident or something, a few minutes later I watched the second plane fly into the second tower and I realised what was going on and knew things were going to change forever, dont think I turned the channel over for the rest of the night, it was absolutely unbelievable and watching people jump from windows live on tv will stay with me forever.

Seeing the first tower collapses and the plume of dust rise up, like the beginning of an atom bomb explosion. Then, as pp said, watching it moving through the streets between the buildings as though chasing people.

I was teaching 7 and 8 year olds that day and horrified that they were shown the live footage when nobody knew what they would be seeing. Of course it was covered in school over the next days but not live.

I found out as a parent had run up to school and knocked on my classroom door (shows how things have changed that it was possible) during the last lesson to ask if we'd heard what's happened. The children went home as soon as the parents came for them rather than waiting for the end of the day.

The school caretaker rigged up a TV and aerial in the hall (these were the days when you watched a video - pre-recorded from the BBC2 Schools overnight broadcasts - in class rather than live TV) and we stood around watching it for hours. I remember a couple of parents making everyone coffee in the staff room.

We were at school, watching a video of WW2 history , age 10 so primary 6/7 class . I remember the video being switched off at about half 2 or so and the news coming on . Not understanding what we were watching totally but knowing that it was bad - as my teacher was shouting at the screen and called in the rest of the staff to watch, head teacher etc .

I don’t think I fully grasped the reality though until we were at secondary and had modern studies classes, the bulk of which focused on terrorism, Iraq and American politics for first and second year . It’s still somewhat incomprehensible to be honest , that someone could commit such an act .

All the horrors PPs have mentioned - the sight of the second plane (although I didn’t watch it live, seeing the footage is still absolutely chilling). The people who felt compelled to jump.

All the paper fluttering in the wind that until a little while before had been people’s work and purpose - now so inconsequential.

Being in the City and not knowing if what had happened was the end of it or if there were more planes up there, with lots of rumours about planes heading for us.

Looking back on it is dreadful enough but remembering what it was like in the moment, not knowing if there was more horror to come was just terrifying.

Not being allowed to leave work because our bosses were a bunch of work-obsessed knobs.

Then finding out in the following weekend’s papers that someone I used to work with had died in one of the towers.

Lying to terrified, hysterical children in my primary class and telling them that the buildings had been targeted because they were very tall skyscrapers, and as we had none that were as tall, London would not be hit and so they and their parents were safe. Stated with all the fake authority I possessed
The lie worked, they calmed down and it became yet another dreadful, unbelievable thing that had happened in a land far, far away.
Parents came to school to collect a lot of children, and we did arts and crafts with those remaining. The casualties were the relationships between Muslim and non-Muslim people of all ages in our community.

Rick Rescorla, Cornish born head of security at Morgan Stanley, who got all of his people out of the Tower. He sang Cornish songs to calm the panickers & got them out. He went back to look for any stragglers & then the Tower collapsed.
He was never found.

I didn't join mumsnet until about 6 months after 9/11 but I remember kateandthegirls and often wonder about her.

I just remember the horror of walking into the antenatal unit (I was 8 months pregnant at the time) and seeing the TV's set up in the waiting room. It was surreal, like it wasn't really happening.

I didn't know anything about it when it happened until my husband returned from work and told me.
I remember being absolutely incredulous at the sight of the planes hitting the building and upset at the people jumping. The ' running man ' will stay with me forever.
God rest them all.

The images of so many people in the windows, waving, trying to call for help, and floors below an inferno, and the realisation there was no way out for them. I cannot comprehend the fear, horror and pain they endured.

@ChinookPilotsGoVertical my secondary school had four houses, all names after Cornish people of note. We had Rescorla. We did a day or two studying each one, and his story has always stuck with me. What a man.

I was working as junior dr and there was tv on for some reason (presume they had heard what was going on). The realisation as the 2nd plane hit that this was deliberate. Images of people running away from the towers covered in dust. The jumpers.
I was on call overnight and did not have a single phone call or admission the whole night. This has never happened again. The hospital was eerily quiet and I sat in silence with a consultant watching the footage well into the night.

The clear blue sky as the second plane hit. It was such a horrific disaster on such a beautiful day.

Remember was working in a shop at the time, someone said a plane has hit the WTC. I phoned my dad as didn't really understand, said 'what has happened dad?' he just said 'you don't want to know' in the saddest voice. Went home and the four of us just sat watching the news.

Decade or so later I went to NY and visited the little church where the rescue workers had slept. It was a sort of shrine and I remember seeing a wall of posters relatives had made with photos of their loved ones. It was horrific and it made it real. I was stunned.