I was one of those teachers who had just gotten to school (California). It was the anniversary of my mom’s death so until the moment the news announced what happened I was thinking of her. I didn’t think of her again until I got home. I sat in shock as the early bird students arrived not knowing. We watched the channel one broadcast and talked all day. I felt so bad that I couldn’t help the kids make sense of it all.
I lived in a suburb north of Chicago and what I remembered from that day was the beautiful, breathtaking color blue of the sky. I later found out it was the same color in Santa Fe, where I later moved. Evidently, it was the same blue in many other parts of the country, too.
I later found out that blue sky was called “Severe Clear” by weather forecasters and pilots. I’ve haven’t experienced it any more than a few times since 2001, but when I do, I call it a “9/11 day”. I feel melancholy and the feelings of sadness don’t go way til the sun goes down.
I was in California and woke up early that morning. Had just moved into a new house with my 88-year-old mother. I turned on the TV in my bedroom as the second plane went into the side of the tower. Running downstairs, I woke my mom, and we sat for the next few days in disbelief that this had happened to our country. Mom remembered Pearl Harbor and how that shook Americans. She'd survived two world wars, Vietnam and our other minor wars. She had trouble confronting a physical attack on the continent. Oceans no longer protected us. Talking with her helped me process what was happening.
I was in high school when President Kennedy was assassinated. But watching buildings fall right in the heart of New York City was inconceivable. Months later, I went to New York on business and took the subway to my old work stop, where I was employed at One Liberty Plaza. Nothing looked right. Was I turned around? Finally, I asked a policeman where One Liberty Plaza was. "You're standing there." Looking around, I realized more than just the Twin Towers were gone. That's when it hit me.
From the altitude in North Riverdale in the Bronx, I could see Flight 11 above the trees as it followed the Hudson River southwards. Seeing that the airspace over that section of the Bronx was never empty, this particular plane, traveling too fast, and too low, was unusual. By the time I’d walked across the Riverdale campus from Hackett Hall to the old Neighborhood House building, Flight 11 had impacted, killing thousands, including the husband of a childhood friend who was seated, incidentally, next to one of the terrorists, and a student I’d befriended years before.
There was a constant wail of fire trucks and other emergency vehicles heading south on the Henry Hudson Parkway. Because a large majority of our students and staff lived in NYC, we had to mobilize families in the nearby neighborhood, and in Westchester County, to take in as many souls as possible overnight. Calls into NYC stopped and it was difficult to contact parents about their children, and visa versa. Around sunset, the few adults left on campus gathered in the AV room to watch the news reports on Cable TV. We all sat there numb, disbelieving, grieving.
On every September 11th since, I first stand on the steps of Hackett Hall, and gaze westward over the trees, remembering the rocketing jet. I then walk over to the small memorial to members of the Riverdale community who were lost that day.
Thank you for sharing your innermost thoughts. 9/11 affected a vast majority of us.
Being a Baby boomer the event was a wake-up call to our country’s naivety towards travel security over the years. We still have holes in our systems but airline travel is safe. Except for those flying doors….
I taught first grade on 9/11. As I was going driving to school that morning, I had the radio on, as usual, when it was suddenly cut off. Thinking it was just a test, I turned off the radio, and soon arrived at school. When I walked into the building, the second grade teacher, whose classroom was next to mine, had her TV on. "Do you know what happened?", she asked me. She quickly told me, and we watched the TV until the kids arrived. Our principal let us know that we would still be in session; however, we would be on "lock down" for the day! Only one child in my class room went home with his mom that morning. How in God's name will I get through the day, not knowing what is going on in New York? How will I keep calm for my little ones, while inside I my stomach was churning? Thank God my students were unaware of what was going on in our country. So, it was easy to teach as "normally" as I could, trying not to let my children know that something terribly wrong was going on in our country. That was until, recess, and then at lunchtime. It was a beautiful, crystal clear day, and we were not going out to recess! Of course the children asked why we weren't going out to play. I had to make up something , to explain why. I cannot remember exactly what I told them that day, but it must have satisfied them, because we went on "as usual" for the rest of the day. On that horrible day, 3:00 pm could not have come any faster! When I finally got home, I was glued to the TV, not believing what I was seeing. The next day, teachers, like me, had to face their students, once again. This time the children knew what had happened!
Those of us who lived through 9/11 will never forget that day; those horrible images will be forever etched in our minds. Every year, like all Americans, I honor the memory of those innocents, who lost their lives that day. God bless them, and the loved ones that they left behind. May they rest in peace.
Thank you for sharing your memories. I worked in an office in Fort Wayne, Indiana. My sister and I called each other numerous times that day each time having a little more of a meltdown. Several people in my office talked about getting money from their savings accounts incase the banks closed. Next fill your car with gas because it may not be available. Then I felt I needed to share this with my mother. Along with get some groceries and bottled water. No logical reason just part of my melt down. I am a visual person and all the information was coming on the radio. At ten that morning I went on a quick break with two coworkers. There was a television in a office off the lobby. No the pentagon had not been leveled, but damaged. We saw the world trade buildings on fire. Back at work I checked with my mom, was she able to get gas? No the line was too long. Okay Mama groceries? Oh yes, some really good things. I was thinking food in a can you would eat cold. Our country was at war! OK Mama what about money? Yes she said proudly. Oh good. How much? (My fellow coworkers were going for $200, the most you could at one time.) Twenty dollars she said proudly. Oh, Mama... We filled her tank that Saturday and I took money from my account and gave it to her to keep.
The banks didn't close. All those innocent people in the buildings and planes were gone It was a long, long time before I heard a plane overhead with out looking up.
We’d just gotten back from the stable. It was past 11 PST. A day much like NYC was enjoying that day. I turned on the Telly for Mom and my child. At first I stood there thinking another disaster film but quickly realized it was not. Mom took my child into another room. I just stood there incredulous.
It took days to accept what was done. What people had done to others. Those horrific acts were the explicit truth of how hated we were by some. As more facts came out more questions simply went unanswered.
Why weren’t men paying cash with no luggage and one way tickets not queried more closely?
Why didn’t Intel take more seriously stories from pilot training schools of young men wishing only to learn how to keep a jet up not land nor take off?
Why did NORAD initially think all this was a test of some sort?
Only listening to Brahms Fourth and only conducted by Bruno Walter helped me keep my sanity those first weeks.
I remember Ari Velcher’s terrifying story of near death. Caught like many as the buildings came down and that cloud raced towards him and others, the man frantically began grabbing car door handles and one back seat door was unlocked. He said later covered head to toe in debris and ash that he threw himself on the floor of the backseat as that cloud thundered over the car he took shelter.
I remember the Fire Department Chaplain giving solace to injured and dying; himself suddenly killed by one of the countless jumpers from the burning towers.
I remember a photo of a leg. One slim leg clothed in black with an expensive looking high heeled sandal. Just lying there in the street. She’d had a pedicure. I thought she must have dressed for the balmy weather that day.
I remember reading how so many died afterwards of Cancers. I thought of the NYPD homicide detective talking about walking across the kill site, where the WTC debris was taken and his saying with every step he took, the wreckage underneath his shoes would glow green. He died of Cancer.
I remember the bride and young mother on the phone with her handsome husband right as the second plane hit. Essentially she heard him die. I cannot imagine a horror like that. She became an activist for other survivors.
I remember one husband, an appointee in Bush’s government, on the phone with his wife when her plane was hijacked. She didn’t know about the WTC.. She was asking him what could they do. Wisely he withheld from her what Intel at that point believed; that the plane she was on was headed right at our Pentagon. His first wife had died and now he knew he’d lose her too in minutes.
The inhuman cruelty and life long suffering that day caused.
Whatever the people who planned 9-11 intended, they failed to bring our nation down. They did break the break the hearts of thousands of innocent people.
Their pain lives on today. Their loved ones never came home that Tuesday. Whether they were a CEO or a prep cook, a lawyer or a janitor. They said goodbye as they had on Monday but they never came home again.
I was sadden, yesterday, not seeing former president George W. Bush at the 9/11 ceremony. His patriotic speech, at the remains of the twin towers, was just what Americans needed to hear, at the time! He showed the world, how a POTUS leads the citizens, in a time of crisis. Bush was a major part of those days, not seeing him at the ceremony, yesterday, IMO, left a gap.
I was one of those teachers who had just gotten to school (California). It was the anniversary of my mom’s death so until the moment the news announced what happened I was thinking of her. I didn’t think of her again until I got home. I sat in shock as the early bird students arrived not knowing. We watched the channel one broadcast and talked all day. I felt so bad that I couldn’t help the kids make sense of it all.
I lived in a suburb north of Chicago and what I remembered from that day was the beautiful, breathtaking color blue of the sky. I later found out it was the same color in Santa Fe, where I later moved. Evidently, it was the same blue in many other parts of the country, too.
I later found out that blue sky was called “Severe Clear” by weather forecasters and pilots. I’ve haven’t experienced it any more than a few times since 2001, but when I do, I call it a “9/11 day”. I feel melancholy and the feelings of sadness don’t go way til the sun goes down.
I was in California and woke up early that morning. Had just moved into a new house with my 88-year-old mother. I turned on the TV in my bedroom as the second plane went into the side of the tower. Running downstairs, I woke my mom, and we sat for the next few days in disbelief that this had happened to our country. Mom remembered Pearl Harbor and how that shook Americans. She'd survived two world wars, Vietnam and our other minor wars. She had trouble confronting a physical attack on the continent. Oceans no longer protected us. Talking with her helped me process what was happening.
I was in high school when President Kennedy was assassinated. But watching buildings fall right in the heart of New York City was inconceivable. Months later, I went to New York on business and took the subway to my old work stop, where I was employed at One Liberty Plaza. Nothing looked right. Was I turned around? Finally, I asked a policeman where One Liberty Plaza was. "You're standing there." Looking around, I realized more than just the Twin Towers were gone. That's when it hit me.
From the altitude in North Riverdale in the Bronx, I could see Flight 11 above the trees as it followed the Hudson River southwards. Seeing that the airspace over that section of the Bronx was never empty, this particular plane, traveling too fast, and too low, was unusual. By the time I’d walked across the Riverdale campus from Hackett Hall to the old Neighborhood House building, Flight 11 had impacted, killing thousands, including the husband of a childhood friend who was seated, incidentally, next to one of the terrorists, and a student I’d befriended years before.
There was a constant wail of fire trucks and other emergency vehicles heading south on the Henry Hudson Parkway. Because a large majority of our students and staff lived in NYC, we had to mobilize families in the nearby neighborhood, and in Westchester County, to take in as many souls as possible overnight. Calls into NYC stopped and it was difficult to contact parents about their children, and visa versa. Around sunset, the few adults left on campus gathered in the AV room to watch the news reports on Cable TV. We all sat there numb, disbelieving, grieving.
On every September 11th since, I first stand on the steps of Hackett Hall, and gaze westward over the trees, remembering the rocketing jet. I then walk over to the small memorial to members of the Riverdale community who were lost that day.
I weep anew.
Thank you for sharing your innermost thoughts. 9/11 affected a vast majority of us.
Being a Baby boomer the event was a wake-up call to our country’s naivety towards travel security over the years. We still have holes in our systems but airline travel is safe. Except for those flying doors….
Again, thank you.
I taught first grade on 9/11. As I was going driving to school that morning, I had the radio on, as usual, when it was suddenly cut off. Thinking it was just a test, I turned off the radio, and soon arrived at school. When I walked into the building, the second grade teacher, whose classroom was next to mine, had her TV on. "Do you know what happened?", she asked me. She quickly told me, and we watched the TV until the kids arrived. Our principal let us know that we would still be in session; however, we would be on "lock down" for the day! Only one child in my class room went home with his mom that morning. How in God's name will I get through the day, not knowing what is going on in New York? How will I keep calm for my little ones, while inside I my stomach was churning? Thank God my students were unaware of what was going on in our country. So, it was easy to teach as "normally" as I could, trying not to let my children know that something terribly wrong was going on in our country. That was until, recess, and then at lunchtime. It was a beautiful, crystal clear day, and we were not going out to recess! Of course the children asked why we weren't going out to play. I had to make up something , to explain why. I cannot remember exactly what I told them that day, but it must have satisfied them, because we went on "as usual" for the rest of the day. On that horrible day, 3:00 pm could not have come any faster! When I finally got home, I was glued to the TV, not believing what I was seeing. The next day, teachers, like me, had to face their students, once again. This time the children knew what had happened!
Those of us who lived through 9/11 will never forget that day; those horrible images will be forever etched in our minds. Every year, like all Americans, I honor the memory of those innocents, who lost their lives that day. God bless them, and the loved ones that they left behind. May they rest in peace.
Brava! Outstanding piece. It brought tears to my eyes with the memory of that day.
Thank you for sharing your memories. I worked in an office in Fort Wayne, Indiana. My sister and I called each other numerous times that day each time having a little more of a meltdown. Several people in my office talked about getting money from their savings accounts incase the banks closed. Next fill your car with gas because it may not be available. Then I felt I needed to share this with my mother. Along with get some groceries and bottled water. No logical reason just part of my melt down. I am a visual person and all the information was coming on the radio. At ten that morning I went on a quick break with two coworkers. There was a television in a office off the lobby. No the pentagon had not been leveled, but damaged. We saw the world trade buildings on fire. Back at work I checked with my mom, was she able to get gas? No the line was too long. Okay Mama groceries? Oh yes, some really good things. I was thinking food in a can you would eat cold. Our country was at war! OK Mama what about money? Yes she said proudly. Oh good. How much? (My fellow coworkers were going for $200, the most you could at one time.) Twenty dollars she said proudly. Oh, Mama... We filled her tank that Saturday and I took money from my account and gave it to her to keep.
The banks didn't close. All those innocent people in the buildings and planes were gone It was a long, long time before I heard a plane overhead with out looking up.
We’d just gotten back from the stable. It was past 11 PST. A day much like NYC was enjoying that day. I turned on the Telly for Mom and my child. At first I stood there thinking another disaster film but quickly realized it was not. Mom took my child into another room. I just stood there incredulous.
It took days to accept what was done. What people had done to others. Those horrific acts were the explicit truth of how hated we were by some. As more facts came out more questions simply went unanswered.
Why weren’t men paying cash with no luggage and one way tickets not queried more closely?
Why didn’t Intel take more seriously stories from pilot training schools of young men wishing only to learn how to keep a jet up not land nor take off?
Why did NORAD initially think all this was a test of some sort?
Only listening to Brahms Fourth and only conducted by Bruno Walter helped me keep my sanity those first weeks.
I remember Ari Velcher’s terrifying story of near death. Caught like many as the buildings came down and that cloud raced towards him and others, the man frantically began grabbing car door handles and one back seat door was unlocked. He said later covered head to toe in debris and ash that he threw himself on the floor of the backseat as that cloud thundered over the car he took shelter.
I remember the Fire Department Chaplain giving solace to injured and dying; himself suddenly killed by one of the countless jumpers from the burning towers.
I remember a photo of a leg. One slim leg clothed in black with an expensive looking high heeled sandal. Just lying there in the street. She’d had a pedicure. I thought she must have dressed for the balmy weather that day.
I remember reading how so many died afterwards of Cancers. I thought of the NYPD homicide detective talking about walking across the kill site, where the WTC debris was taken and his saying with every step he took, the wreckage underneath his shoes would glow green. He died of Cancer.
I remember the bride and young mother on the phone with her handsome husband right as the second plane hit. Essentially she heard him die. I cannot imagine a horror like that. She became an activist for other survivors.
I remember one husband, an appointee in Bush’s government, on the phone with his wife when her plane was hijacked. She didn’t know about the WTC.. She was asking him what could they do. Wisely he withheld from her what Intel at that point believed; that the plane she was on was headed right at our Pentagon. His first wife had died and now he knew he’d lose her too in minutes.
The inhuman cruelty and life long suffering that day caused.
Whatever the people who planned 9-11 intended, they failed to bring our nation down. They did break the break the hearts of thousands of innocent people.
Their pain lives on today. Their loved ones never came home that Tuesday. Whether they were a CEO or a prep cook, a lawyer or a janitor. They said goodbye as they had on Monday but they never came home again.
I was sadden, yesterday, not seeing former president George W. Bush at the 9/11 ceremony. His patriotic speech, at the remains of the twin towers, was just what Americans needed to hear, at the time! He showed the world, how a POTUS leads the citizens, in a time of crisis. Bush was a major part of those days, not seeing him at the ceremony, yesterday, IMO, left a gap.
Thank you Sasha for sharing the personal experience. It was definitely a life altering moment for Americans and others who were watching it.