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Blog: Where Were You That September Morning?
September 11, 2009
September 11, 2001. It’s been eight years today. We’ll all ask each other today, “where were you”. So here’s my story.
Life, at least when that morning began, seemed good. I’ve always been a work at home dad, so I was home with my two girls. The youngest was almost four months old, and the oldest was approaching her fourth birthday. It was a normal morning. The little one was asleep, “fat and happy” as we used to say, after a morning bottle. The oldest was in the living room just a few feet from my office watching PBS Kids on the TV as I worked on a project for a client.
Then this arrived in my inbox:
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 08:52am– World trade center damaged; unconfirmed reports say a plane has
crashed into tower. Details to come.
I got up, walked to the living room and flipped the TV to CNN. They were talking about how a pilot could make such an error, hitting such a large building. They were speculating that it was just a small plane. But then as the TV news helicopters zoomed their cameras in closer, the anchors were beginning to notice what I had already thought….those holes the tower were to big to have been a small plane.
I called my wife at work in Atmore. She had seen the breaking news email, and had tried to visit the CNN website to see the story. If you remember trying to use the internet that morning, it was near impossible to get a news website to load; they were all overloaded. She was unable to see the pictures. I was describing what I saw on the TV to her.
I managed to grab a picture from CNN via my web server and then download and email it to her. We were speculating about how it could happen when the second one hit.
I remember saying “wait, hold on, wait…”. I told her what I just watched on the TV. The second plane had hit the other tower. We quickly decided that we were at war as the anchors on TV speculated again that perhaps there was a problem with some navigational system, causing jetliners on a beautiful, clear morning in New York to fly into some of the tallest structures in the world.
Another breaking news email arrived:
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:21am– Second plane crashes into World Trade Center.
She and I began to speculate ourselves that we were at war. What would we do? What should we do? What about the kids? It was not panic, understand, but just that protective momma and daddy instinct, I suppose. Prayer. That was a good idea. Maybe go to the bank and get out a little cash. That seemed like a good idea. How would you prep for a war on American soil? We were not sure.
I continued to relay information about what I was seeing on TV to my wife at work, who, in turn, would relay the information to her coworkers. They had a TV, but no cable service or antenna. They ended up fashioning a homemade antenna to see a fuzzy picture.
Meanwhile, the breaking news emails kept arriving…
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:32am– Sources tell CNN one of two planes that crashed into World Trade
Center was an American Airlines 767.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:42am– President Bush calls plane crashes at World Trade Center a
terrorist act.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:45am– Significant fire at the Pentagon. Details to come.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:46am– White House evactuated. Details to come.
The Pentagon on fire? The White House evacuated? Notice that in CNN’s email they were in such a hurry that they misspelled “evacuated”. One sentence at a time, the situation became more grave.
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 09:55am– CNN confirms a plane hit the Pentagon
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 10:03am– One of World Trade Center towers collapses; fire forces
evacuation of State Department
Subject: CNN Breaking News
From: BreakingNews@CNN.COM
Date: Tue, 11 Sep 2001 10:30am– Second World Trade Center tower collapses in Manhattan
Over and over, we watched those towers collapse on TV, and we watched our Pentagon burn.
Our almost four year old asked a lot of questions. “Were people hurt? Did they need a Band-aid?” The magnitude of the event was lost on a four year old. Looking back at those first few hours, I think the magnitude of the event was lost on all of us.
Like many Americans, I sat glued to the TV that day, continuing to watch the video of the towers falling. Our almost four year old asked if another building fell down or if it was the same one. It was time to change the channel on the TV.
You might remember that many of the entertainment TV stations ran network news feeds. Others just simply ran screens about the day’s events. There was no USA network, no ESPN, no MTV. But on PBS, we found children’s programming at a time it was not normally on. For a little while, sitting in the living room floor holding my kids, the world stopped turning that September day, as we watched Big Bird and the Cookie Monster.
Country artist Alan Jackson later wrote a song “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning?”.
Some of those lyrics:
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cryDid you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don’t know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left belowBut I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love
Where where you when the world stopped turning that September day? Your comments are welcome below.
Comments
21 Responses to “Blog: Where Were You That September Morning?”
At home with my youngest son, he was 9 months old! Between Barney and the Wiggles, switching channels and saw 1st plane fly into the tower! I began to pray, prayed most of the day, I believed we were going to see attacks across the country! Still praying, our country is not safe, we have a weak stance and administration -Obama goes around the world apologizing for America! Sad!
North Korea and other enemies getting millions in our tax dollars! God help us!
I REMEMBER THAT DAY……I HAD NOT LONG BEEN HOME FROM WORK….I WORKED GRAVEYARDS…..I WAS DRINKING ME COFFEE AND WATCHING T.V. WHEN THE PROGRAM I WAS WATCHING WAS INTERUPTED….LIKE EVERYONE ELSE, I TOO THOUGHT IT TOO..TO BE A ACCIDENT…THEN I SAW THE THE OTHER PLANE HIT THE OTHER TOWER…I ACTUALLY DROPPED MY COFFEE AND SAT ON THE FLOOR…..WHEN I REALIZED THAT THIS WAS DONE DELIBERATLY I STARTED CRYING UNCONTROLLABLY….IT INSTANTLY HITTING ME OF THE LIVES OF SO MANY PEOPLE WHO DIED AND ARE DYING…..WHEN I HEARD ABOUT THE PENTAGON AND THE HEROIC ACT OF THE PASSENGERS OF THE OTHER PLANE..I COULD NOT STOP CRYING AT WHAT THIS ALL MEANT……IT WILL BE A DAY I NEVER FORGET……
I was coming home from work when i heard the news on WXBM that something was going on with our airplanes and there was a building on fire in New York but my feeling was for sure something stupid was going on .
REGARDING:
“Our almost four year old asked a lot of questions. “Were people hurt? Did they need a Band-aid?” ”
I remember the Red Cross got a huge number of donations of blood, maybe more than ever before or since but it wasnt needed. They weren’t hurt just dead. Thousands of people dead, killed by a man they never met and a way of life they could never understand and which I hope we never do.
I was watching ER on TNT when they cut to people running from the falling debris. I thought it was a strange part of the show until I realized it was not ER but was reality.
I went over to get my father and we went up to Century to think on what a terrible thing had just happened. As I passed the Courthouse I saw the flag was still flying at full-staff. I turned around, walked inside and choked out that they needed to change it to half-mast. They rushed to do it.
Same thing with Century City Hall. By the time we got to the post office, it was already at half-staff.
We went into Burger King, watched the word around us looking the same but knowing it was different.
I got up and went to work that morning as usual. When I walked in, Judy, one of my coworkers, said, “OMG, what’s going on? Have you heard anything new?” I asked what she meant because I hadn’t seen anything yet. She told me that a plane had hit the WTC and there was no idea how many were killed. I remember standing there staring at her as if she had lost her mind. What? How could this be true?
We brought a small tv in and set it up so we could watch the news. I remember thinking that “we’re under attack and life as we know it will never be the same again.” We sat and cried and watched the breaking news all day. I was managing a restaurant then and we had no customers all day long. I called the schools to find out what they were doing and was told that all schools were locked down until further notice. We just sat there, looking at the tv, crying, occasionally going to the restroom to vomit, each of us lost in our own thoughts and fears, wondering if we were now at war and fearing that it was true, scared for our military loved ones and our families, worrying over our kids being at school and us being unable to be with them and scared that we were going to die and never see our children again, panicking over the thought that our country and our lives would be torn apart, fearing for our safety and most of all……wondering who was responsible for this heinous act and WHY?????
I remember thinking, to borrow a line from an old I think Don Henley or Glenn Fry song, this is the end of the innocence.
I was in the first grade at Bratt Elementary in Ms.Rollin’s class. I amy not of understood it then but I do now. *tear*
wow i remember this very much. i wasin high school junior year at northview (go chiefs) and i was in shop class and my friend jeff came out and said kevin a plane hit the world trader center. at that time i didnt know what the wtc was and he explained it to me. then watching the news live, we saw the other plane it. it was horrifying. wow i wont ever forget it
I was in San Diego Ca to support our military by evaluation their military training. My phone rang at 5:30 and the voice on the other end ask “are you watching CNN, turn on your TV.” I was still asleep but I turned on the TV and saw the picture of the planes at the World Trade Center. When we went to work we were all sent back to our room and told to await additional information. I went to my room which took about 4 hours to get to from where we were and was told to stay on base because I would not be able to get back on if I left. 5 days later I was able to leave the base and catch a flight back to Pensacola. I was never so glad to see the runway in Pensacola or hear the pilot say we are making our final approach into Pensacola.
I was at home, on maternity leave, with my three month old son. My Dad (retired Navy) called me to ask if I had the news on, which I didn’t. He told me to turn it on because a plane had hit one of the Twin Towers. My initial thought was the same as most newscasters, ‘How could a plane hit such a large building?’. As I was talking to my Dad and trying to relay to him what CNN was saying the second plane hit and my heart skipped a beat. I told me Dad and he knew that it was no accident. As I was talking to him the plane struck the Pentagon, where one of my brother-in-laws worked.
I got off of the phone with my Dad and immediately called my husband who is a Reservist and works on a local base. My husband knew nothing of it because he didn’t have access to a television in his office. I got of fhe phone with him so he could go in search of a television and I called my sister-in-law. Luckily my brother-in-law had been running late that day and hadn’t made it to work when the plane struck the Pentagon. I remember sitting on the couch holding my infant son sobbing for all of the lost lives, knowing that my sense of security as an American was forever going to be altered and worried that my husband might get activated.
My heart goes out to all of the people that lost loved ones on Sept. 11, 2001 and to all of the people that have lost ones that are helping to protect our freedoms.
At work in my office at a local military base. I noticed that none of the online news sites would display and started getting quite irritated that I couldn’t find out what had been happening in the world. I mean, what could happen overnight, right?
Then we found out about the first plane so we flipped on the tv and watched the “instant replay” only to find out it wasn’t a replay, but in fact the second plane.
Then we found out about the pentagon, and I worried about friends of mine that worked there.
I’ll never forget the anxious silence and the image of the smoke of the buildings trailing off into the distance, or the interview with a husband who lost his wife in the crash, only to have to explain to thier young son who wondered when mommy was coming back that “Mommy isn’t coming home anymore champ, she’s looking over us from heaven now.”
Life has never been the same since that day.
I remember that day well, I was sitting in a class learning how to take apart, clean and put back together my m-16 at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. i had just started my basic training in the ARMY!! When some officers came in and asked to speak to anyone that had family or was from NY, then they came in and and told us what had happened. I was scared and the only thing i could think was that I was going to fight for my country and and family!! So that is what I was doing on 9-11-2001!! I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT DAY OR THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT LOST THEIR LOVED ONES AND THEIR LIVES THAT DAY!! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
You know at first when I see these stories on news sites over and over every year, I react with a sour feeling. One that thinks that we don’t need to keep reliving these heartbreaking memories of this day. But as I think more deeper, this is exactly what we americans need.
I can remember this day very plainly and will always. I was at work in Brewton and we had always ket the tv on cnn for some reason, and it came accross. It was a sad day, life that day seemed like it just stopped. We had no more customers that day, seemed like the traffic just came to a halt. I would be amazed to know exactly how many viewers were watching the TV all day on 9-11. As the news got deeper and deeper I believe every living soul expierienced an melancholy moment, even the ones who didn’t think they even had an emotional side. Then weeks to come, it just seemed like families were closer, people were more thankful for what God has allowed them to have, and life in general was just sweet. But sice the year of 2001, I sadly believe many people have lost that feeling. People nowadays seem to have forgotten that horrific day, and are back to taking life for granted. I think these stories should air every day to keep it fresh on someones mind. Just think if you were to have had a loved one lost in this tragic event how you would feel today. People be thankful for what you got, stay close to your families, tell someone you love them for you never know when or if you could have another chance to.
God bless all the victims and there families of 9-11. Thanks for this blog Mr. William.
I was a senior in high school. I was sitting in Mrs. Taylor’s Spanish class. I will never forget it. They wouldn’t let us leave the classroom to go to our next class. We stayed in the class we were in until the administration felt it was safe for us to leave. God Bless all the families this has affected.
I was standing in the bathroom of my daughter’s apartment in San Antonio, TX getting dressed for work. I was thinking about a friend who had been badly injured and was in the hospital and as my thoughts raced through my mind I thought “That was bad, but something really bad is going to happen” and at that moment a flash went through my mind of an airplane low to the ground over an open space with trees in the background. I immediately prayed, “Dear God, please don’t let there be a plane crash anywhere, so many people die”. I put the thoughts out of my mind because I didn’t want to think of anything like that happening.
I left for work and stopped on the way for a breakfast sandwich and right before my turn onto the street at my work the news came on the radio that a plane had crashed into the WTC. My first thought was, “that was no accident”. I knew there was a “no fly zone” around the WTC. I went inside to my work and everyone was talking about what had happened and then came the news of the second plane hitting the other tower. No one could work . There was a TV in our conference room and everyone stayed glued to the TV. The request went out for people to give blood and our supervisors had told us we could go home. My intention was to go to a facility and do my part and give blood, but meantime the towers fell and my thought was then that I didn’t think there was going to be much need for blood considering the devastation of all of the buildings crashing. I thought, “how many could survive that”? Not too much later the word came on the news that there would not be a need for any more donations.
I went back to my daughter’s apartment and by that time she was home. We just sat and watched the news and cried.
In the few weeks after that I was driving down the street and the Alan Jackson song, “Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?” came on the radio and I began to cry.
God Bless all of the families who lost loved ones that day, and God Bless the families who have lost loved ones in our military fighting to prevent this from happening again. God Bless our men and women who have been injured and their lives changed while fighting for our freedom. I am grateful. God Bless America!
I was substitute teaching at a local elementary school. At first everyone thought it was just a small plane and that it was an accident.
I remember well that September day of eight years ago. I was aboard the USS NASHVILLE (LPD-13) in Norfolk, Virginia. My ship was being prepared for repairs at a local shipyard and the crew was out and about taking care of business when the news broke of the World Trade Center tragedy.
I quickly went to the ship’s wardroom and turned on the television where several other officers and I stood in disbelief what we were seeing; live on the screen was the first WTC tower burning and a few minutes later tower number two was crashed into. Somewhere among the events of that morning, I went topside to the ship’s bridge wing so that I could get cellular phone service in order to call my wife, Lisa, who was in Pensacola. I needed to let her know what was going on because at that time of day she is not normally watching the news.
As we spoke on the telephone, she turned on the TV and started crying because neither of us knew just what was to become of the plane crashes which later never seemed to stop coming. Nobody knew where the next crash would occur or what else might be coming.
After my short phone call to Lisa, I saw the ships that could get out of harms way begin emergency sorting, which is getting underway from the pier and heading out to sea. But the NASHVILLE was without fuel as a preparation for going into the shipyard, and was to stay behind. The crew changed focus and scrambled to take-up a more defensive posture as a matter of protection against the unknown. Machine guns were mounted and staffed and the mood for everyone was very tense.
Later that morning, I learned that the Pentagon had been crashed into and I wondered about one of my shipmates who had recently transferred from the NASHVILLE and was stationed there. Lieutenant David Williams was on duty that morning and was killed during the Pentagon attack. He left behind a child and a pregnant wife.
Yes, the morning of September 11, 2001 is a vivid memory and when we all reflect on this day we should remember all who lost their lives that day and the families that remain behind.
On 9/11 I was in my 9th grade BST class at West Fl High School. The teacher turned the tv on and everyone stopped what they were doing and watched the reports. I will never forget that day.
I was at home that morning and as usual didn’t turn on the TV. About 10:00, got dressed and went to return some videos to Movie Gallery in Cantonment. I was listening to the radio and barely heard something about a plane hitting something. When I got the Movie Gallery I asked the clerk about it. She said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. We talke and speculated that it must have been a small plane (again). So on the way home I really didn’t think anything about it. They had said anymore on the radio about it. When I got home, I turned on the TV and witnessed the horror of it. I was in shock. I just sat there for probably 30 minutes watching. I didn’t turn the TV off the rest of the day or night. PRAY FOR THE FAMILIES OF THE TRAGEDY! AND REMEMBER “LET’S ROLL!”
I was at home,taking care of daycare children.They had just sat down to watch sesame street or something like that,and i was online chatting with another day care mother,when everything just seemed to get quiet.I looked up at the TV in my kitchen,and all i could do was watch in disbelieve.I never will forget that feeling in my stomach.Looking at the little ones in my care that day,i just prayed that the Lord would keep them safe.
I know i will never forget that day.
I was at a traffic light on my way home from a night shift. The radio DJ said a “small bi-plane” had flown into the World Trade Center. Then they went to commercials, so I pushed in the CDs. I didn’t have a TV, so I didn’t know the truth until my mom called to tell me “the whole world has gone crazy”. She told me about the planes hitting the Towers. I rushed to her house and, unfortunately, I arrived in time to see the first Tower fall.