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Original poster

Where were you for 9/11

359 replies

Chickenkeev · 12/08/2023 09:33

I was in France, i hadn't a clue what was happening. Didn't fully have the language, it was like a film. Watching a doc now, bringing it all back.

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Malbecfan · 12/08/2023 12:36

I had just gone back to work after having DD2 and worked the morning, then picked up both DDs from nursery. DD1 was napping upstairs, I was bf DD2 watching Neighbours then everything just cut to news. I remember phoning DH at work to tell him as there were no TVs or radios there. The next day, I was really scared dropping the DDs at nursery again but the lovely lady in the baby room said that they did regular drills etc.

Sure enough, a couple of weeks later, I got a call at work from DH (which my stupid bloody school refused at first to pass onto me) asking me to collect the DDs from his office rather than nursery as the nursery had been evacuated due to a bomb scare. It turned out that someone had left a sports bag in the sports centre by mistake but as everyone was so jittery, they didn't want to take any chances. The nursery was close to the sports hall so they evacuated to a nearby halls of residence and contacted parents from there. DH really stepped up, improvising lunch for DD2 who was just weaning and keeping DD1 happy, but he couldn't take them home because the car seats were in my car and he'd biked in.

Original poster
Chickenkeev · 12/08/2023 12:44

CherryMojito · 12/08/2023 12:08

I had just moved abroad to teach at an international school. I had an after school club that day along with another teacher, and the headteacher came to tell us. His son had seen the news at home after school and had phoned him. I went straight back to my flat at watched it all unfold on BBC World and CNN.

I was in Central Europe but had almost gone to Nigeria or Iran with the VSO. I remember being really glad that I had turned VSO down and was somewhere that felt safer.

We had American embassy children at our school and we were asked to take down our school sign to keep the American children safe. They clearly expected more attacks. It was all very strange to live through.

It was mad the way the whole world changed overnight. We were going about our days, oblivious, and the next day, there were men with guns everywhere. It was beyond comprehension. I can't imagine what it would have been like in the States.

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itsamedicalmystery · 12/08/2023 12:53

Chickenkeev · 12/08/2023 10:50

Isn't it horrible that so many of us have a story about a relative getting caught up in an 'event' like this? Like, it's not even surprising now. It's so sad.

The London bombers did a trial run a few weeks before and my mum is stood next to one of them in the CCTV footage we once watched on a documentary. We had no idea before then. Thankfully she wasn't in London on the actual day.

HaveYouHeardOfARoadAtlas · 12/08/2023 12:54

In the shower. Dh came running in the bathroom and told me to come downstairs. I remember standing in the living room in a towel dripping water.

then had to leave to go and have a smear test. I was telling the nurse about it and she hadn’t heard anything. Think it was only one plane at that point but the second must have hit while I was at the drs.

Original poster
Chickenkeev · 12/08/2023 12:54

itsamedicalmystery · 12/08/2023 12:53

The London bombers did a trial run a few weeks before and my mum is stood next to one of them in the CCTV footage we once watched on a documentary. We had no idea before then. Thankfully she wasn't in London on the actual day.

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Jesus christ! That's heart stopping. (And i don't know you!)

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Limer · 12/08/2023 13:00

I was at work, gradually over the course of the afternoon we heard about everything as it was happening. We only had one computer linked to the internet and the BBC News website was completely overloaded, so we got some news from an alternative site called Ananova.

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 12/08/2023 13:03

At work in a call centre, everyone basically abandoned the phone lines to gather round the TVs in the break areas and stare in shock a what was happening.

iamnottoofatiamjusttooshort · 12/08/2023 13:05

I was at work - in an operating theatre

Scrubbed and assisting saving someone's life

We had to ask our colleagues to lock the door and go away as it was so distracting

I remember someone saying " do you not understand what's happening "

It was so upsetting knowing the tragedy and having to wait for the details

cptartapp · 12/08/2023 13:11

On honeymoon in the Maldives. Watched it unfold in the beach bar. Completely surreal.

Original poster
Chickenkeev · 12/08/2023 13:12

I'm very much touching wood here, but aren't we lucky that our younger kids haven't lived through anything like this? Although, maybe i'm just immune to stuff now. My daughter won't watch the news, i was stuck into it when i was her age. I'm not sure what's better, being v young and seeing all that misery, or being v young and ignoring it all.

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Smartstuffed · 12/08/2023 13:13

On the radio driving across Exmoor with my then husband. At that point I believe we just knew it was 'a plane' because I remember seeing in my mind a small Cessna type craft rather than an airliner. We watched the full horror of it all unfold when we got in.

MadisonAvenue · 12/08/2023 13:15

I’d just taken our oldest son to school, he was in his first full week of reception and was only there in the afternoon. Our one year old was having his nap and at that time I’d usually go online and on this occasion started chatting to a friend in Australia.
We were chatting normally when she said that the TV had been interrupted by a news report about a plane crashing into the WTC. I assumed it was a light aircraft and said so, but I remember so clearly she just typed “put on your TV”. I certainly didn’t expect to see news on BBC1, which was the first channel I saw, and shortly afterwards the second plane hit.

Not long afterwards I had to do the school run and as we walked home past a TV shop in town you could see coverage on the TVs in the window and it looked incredibly smoky, didn’t know at the time that it was the debris from the first tower falling. I put the TV on when we got home and within minutes the second tower collapsed.

springtome · 12/08/2023 13:17

I was at work I wouldn't have known anything till home time (pre-smart phones) but had a colleague who was known to skive a bit saw it on the news online and came round and told us all.

greengrassed · 12/08/2023 13:21

Italy on holiday on a campsite. We were in the campsite bar and it was on the tv news.

inigomontoyahwillcox · 12/08/2023 13:23

Working in London for a U.S. company whose main datacentre was on Center Street in New York (a few blocks away for the WTC) which ended up being used as a muster and rest point for the emergency services.

I was in the phone to one of the network specialists in the NY office when it happened - he just said something had happened mid conversation and told me he'd call me back (understandably he didn't). Didn't think too much about it until we turned the big telly on in the office a little while later, and saw the second plane hit. I can remember the first indication of what was unfolding was that the BBC ticker (anyone remember that?) on the bottom of my screen said that a plane had flown into the WTC - I just assumed it was a light aircraft.

dikwad · 12/08/2023 13:24

Sat on my mums settee doing my travel and tourism coursework, listening to Outkast 'Miss Jackson' on MTV when my dad came in to put the news on after hearing it on the radio!

Moonflower12 · 12/08/2023 13:34

I was at work in a nursery. We were completely in a bubble-no tv, no internet. Not even the radio.

I went outside and the dustbin men told me. The first plane had hit.

I went back in and we dug out the portable TV we kept for events. ( Royal weddings etc) which we set up in the office and watched with increasing horror.

I went home at 2 and the nursery nurses came down in shifts to watch it on my big tv. ( I lived 2 minutes from the nursery). We just sat in horror.

The July bombings I was at the same nursery and we knew nothing till the parents came at lunchtime to collect their children. I remember trying to ring my sister who was working at whatever TfL was then. I ( obviously) couldn't get through. That was horrible. Fortunately she was fine. Just very busy.

notimagain · 12/08/2023 13:36

CeeceeBloomingdale · 12/08/2023 09:38

At work in the airline industry, I still get emotional talking about it, that time will never leave me.

Know what you mean...I was down route, middle of a trip, long way from home.

First got wind of it from a taxi-driver whose first language definitely wasn't English so all a bit 🤔

Shortly thereafter walked into one of the local bars often frequented by crews....TV was on, everybody was fixated on the screens and you could have heard a pin drop....

The rest of the trip wasn't a bag of laughs.

Original poster
Chickenkeev · 12/08/2023 13:39

notimagain · 12/08/2023 13:36

Know what you mean...I was down route, middle of a trip, long way from home.

First got wind of it from a taxi-driver whose first language definitely wasn't English so all a bit 🤔

Shortly thereafter walked into one of the local bars often frequented by crews....TV was on, everybody was fixated on the screens and you could have heard a pin drop....

The rest of the trip wasn't a bag of laughs.

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It's so long ago, but I never feel comfortable on a plane now. I was fine before but i hate it now.

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MumofSpud · 12/08/2023 13:46

In class - Teaching (adults) in Ireland - I got a text from a colleague - 'no air travel in USA' and thought it was a weird joke
September 11th was Tuesday - we were supposed to be flying out to the US to get married on the Saturday!
Then I got a text from my then fiancé giving more info
I said to my students that I was going turn on the news on the radio (it was nearly 2pm our time) as something as had happened in America
We sat in shock as we listened - stunned silence
Then my manager rolled in the TV and we watched the rolling coverage

That week people kept asking about our cancelled plans but all I could think of was my uncle who lived in NY and worked near the WTC was fine - a cancelled / postponed holiday is nothing in the scheme of things!

We ended up going 3 weeks later when flights started up again - we made our wills before we left Sad

We had originally planned to go standby and then bought our tickets on a credit card - this had the effect of us being 'listed' on security lists and every flight we went on we had extra security searches - one internal flight we were pulled off, searched again and then the marshalls(?) brought us back on telling the passengers that we were ok (but we weren't allowed to sit next to each other!)

During one search the security person asked her colleague 'what are we looking for' and her colleague replied ' I don't know but you'll know when you find it!'
That was a bit embarrassing as I had packed for our wedding AND honeymoon

The first Vegas hotel we went to 'NY NY' there was a pianist singing 'Font let the sun go down on me' in the bar with everybody singing - v emotional.

I also recently watched a documentary about it - it still doesn't seem real and there is always new footage that I haven't seen before.

Original poster
Chickenkeev · 12/08/2023 13:52

MumofSpud · 12/08/2023 13:46

In class - Teaching (adults) in Ireland - I got a text from a colleague - 'no air travel in USA' and thought it was a weird joke
September 11th was Tuesday - we were supposed to be flying out to the US to get married on the Saturday!
Then I got a text from my then fiancé giving more info
I said to my students that I was going turn on the news on the radio (it was nearly 2pm our time) as something as had happened in America
We sat in shock as we listened - stunned silence
Then my manager rolled in the TV and we watched the rolling coverage

That week people kept asking about our cancelled plans but all I could think of was my uncle who lived in NY and worked near the WTC was fine - a cancelled / postponed holiday is nothing in the scheme of things!

We ended up going 3 weeks later when flights started up again - we made our wills before we left Sad

We had originally planned to go standby and then bought our tickets on a credit card - this had the effect of us being 'listed' on security lists and every flight we went on we had extra security searches - one internal flight we were pulled off, searched again and then the marshalls(?) brought us back on telling the passengers that we were ok (but we weren't allowed to sit next to each other!)

During one search the security person asked her colleague 'what are we looking for' and her colleague replied ' I don't know but you'll know when you find it!'
That was a bit embarrassing as I had packed for our wedding AND honeymoon

The first Vegas hotel we went to 'NY NY' there was a pianist singing 'Font let the sun go down on me' in the bar with everybody singing - v emotional.

I also recently watched a documentary about it - it still doesn't seem real and there is always new footage that I haven't seen before.

That's quite shocking! It's hard to believe it was like that at all.

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LovelyJubbly12345 · 12/08/2023 13:59

I had been out shopping, buying holiday clothes for our upcoming trip to the USA! My children were 4 and 2. We got home, I popped the TV on for them and stared in amazement at what I saw unfolding on the screen.

We were due to go to Florida in 2 weeks, and do all the theme parks - I assumed the trip would be cancelled, but it wasn't. I was worried about our safety, but in reality, I think it was probably one of the safest times to travel, as security everywhere was ramped right up. Orlando airport was crawling with Cops with big guns. In our hotel one night we were watching the news, and a plot to bomb Disney had been uncovered. Literally, we had just been there!

The theme parks all had a different vibe - there was a lot of camaraderie between the Americans and the Brits. Sea World did a special show with the music "Proud to be an American", and it made most of the audience cry.

DownNative · 12/08/2023 13:59

Chickenkeev · 12/08/2023 11:48

I can't think of a non wanky way to say it, but i really admire you for that. I doff my cap to you.

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Thanks, but no need as it wasn't bravery or anything like that.

I doff my cap to the vast majority of the Security Forces who served with distinction and did their best to protect the people.

Sgt Michael Willets, for example, threw himself on a PIRA bomb to save officers and civilians at Springfield Road RUC Station. He died and a crowd of inhumane Republicans clapped and jeered as his body was brought out to be taken away.

My father had a personal protection weapon and saved us from the PIRA chasing our car.

These people put themselves in harms way against Republican and Loyalist terrorists.

People like me were simply living life just like anywhere else.

whumpthereitis · 12/08/2023 14:05

I found a link a while ago to a thread on a forum, detailing 9/11 as it happened. It’s an interesting read @Chickenkeev

https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/this-is-terrible-thread-orginally-posted-9-11-2001.1994/

Original poster
Chickenkeev · 12/08/2023 14:08

DownNative · 12/08/2023 13:59

Thanks, but no need as it wasn't bravery or anything like that.

I doff my cap to the vast majority of the Security Forces who served with distinction and did their best to protect the people.

Sgt Michael Willets, for example, threw himself on a PIRA bomb to save officers and civilians at Springfield Road RUC Station. He died and a crowd of inhumane Republicans clapped and jeered as his body was brought out to be taken away.

My father had a personal protection weapon and saved us from the PIRA chasing our car.

These people put themselves in harms way against Republican and Loyalist terrorists.

People like me were simply living life just like anywhere else.

Show quote history

But, you weren't. We didn't live with that (down south). I get you totally, but i felt it was another world iyswim.

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