In reply to SilverFleet:
Yep, I was a college student then as well. I was away for about 10 days at a remote location for class, and had very limited access to media/news. There was a large group of students out in the field that day, and our cell phones and whatnot were all back inside, so the only people with communication to the outside world between breakfast and lunch that day were the professors.
It wasnt until after the second plane even hit that it was an emergency enough to warrant the professors stopping the exercise and calling us all back together to give us the news. We were allowed to break early to go back to the building and call our families.
My mother was an integral part of the disaster emergency team at a large multinational corporations40 story headquarters building...so they kept themselves very well informed regarding events like this. Being one of the oldest and largest companies in their industry, many places see the company as the great satan. They receive threats daily from "other" parts of the world. Because of the attacks, her morning had been busy. She still took my call though.
The first thing I asked was if she was alright. She was, but was in emergency mode, so kept the chit chat to a minimum, and gave me pertinent information only. After about 2 minutes of details, leading right up to the current situation, she stopped, and I just sat silently for a few moments taking it all in. The second question I asked was more rhetorical: "Mom, the world I come home to will be very different from the one I left, wont it?". Her answer was an eerily emotionless, affirmative "yes". She needed to let me go, and I understood that. I recognized the importance of that morning almost immediately. We had spoken for only a few minutes, but it made an impression.
I will remember those 5 minutes for the rest of my life. Very much my "JFK" moment. Like I said, I will never forget.
In reply to Joe Gearin:
I remember that too. I remember people never being more proud to be American. It was really nice to see such solidarity. It is too bad that people can't act this way every day.
I also remember the gas station up the street from my house being set on fire by stupid rednecks in response to the proprietors being from Arab countries. Nice.
And I also remember my band at the time's Albanian guitar player telling me a few times about people threatening his parents each time they when to their Mosque. They came here in the 1990's to give their kid (my old guitar player) a chance at following his dream of being a successful musician. They sold everything they had to come here and help put their kid through Berklee School of Music and live better lives. They both almost immediately lost their jobs at Logan Airport as well, even though they had been hard workers there for years.
I'm sure that things like that happened a lot all over the place.
In reply to SilverFleet:
At least this time we didn't force thousands of American citizens into prison camps because they happened to look the same as a group of people we didn't like.
Kenny_McCormic wrote:
In reply to SilverFleet:
At least this time we didn't force thousands of American citizens into prison camps because they happened to look the same as a group of people we didn't like.
I could say this in a really witty and harsh way, but instead I'll just direct you to remember the thread on the drone wars...
And for the record, I was not trying to flounder the thread. I was just noting some observations I had about that time. 
I remember, like most of us probably do, like it was yesterday. I had just 2 moths prior borrowed a e36M3 ton of money and started a tool and die/machine shop. One of the guy's wives called to tell us that a twin engined plane had hit one of the towers. We were leasing space at a small municipal airport at the time, and had lots of small plane traffic in/out. We thought 'some dummy flew his Cessna into one of the towers', only a few hours later we realized what was really going on :(
I'll never forget that day. The TV was on in our waiting room, someone stuck their head out and said 'a plane just hit the World Trade Center'. I figured it was a puddlejumper who screwed up, then saw a bunch of people standing up crowded around the TV. I walked over, got in the crowd and was just in time to see the second plane hit. I still get a little pissed off when I recall that moment.
Whenever I hear how dreadfully! AQ detainees are treated at Guantanamo, somehow it's hard for me to drum up any sympathy. berkeley 'em.
What I also remember is how the country came together in the immediate aftermath. In my lifetime I've never seen the country so united. For a short time there was no Democrat, or Republican.....no white or black or asian, or latino--- we were just Americans. It's a shame we couldn't have held onto that spirit, as it was incredibly powerful. Now we are back to our petty ways, always blaming others. There's a lesson in there somewhere.
Way beyond a plus one, I'll throw you a "Hell berkeley yeah." Sadly, that's life. On a personal scale, sometimes it takes a tragic death in the family for us to stand together at the funeral and go "What the berkeley have we been mad at each other about for the last 10 years? Whatever it was, I'm sure it was stupid."
Cracked has an interesting article up today...
http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-6-weirdest-things-weve-learned-since-911/
I swear I didn't read any of that before making my posts in this thread.
I was in 8th grade at the time. it was my 2nd period "Communications" class. We were watching a video in class that morning. As my teacher turned the tv on to put the tape in the VCR we saw the second plane hit. It hit us all like a ton of bricks. I don't think anyone said anything for the rest of the class.
What really stands out that day was my football practice in the afternoon. I was getting a ride to practice and saw the glint of a plane in the air. It wierds me out as much now as it did then to know that it was a military aircraft flying for a reason, not just a training exercise that i had come used to seeing in the area i grew up.
The other thing that was really strange at the time was the FAA ban on flights keeping all the commercial planes out of the sky. I remember going down to visit my uncle at his house in Hull, MA (across the water from Logan Airport) either later on 9/11 or a day or two later, and it was eerily silent. The sky there is constantly filled with planes, and there was nothing in the sky except seagulls.
Don49
Reader
9/11/13 3:37 p.m.
I was in boot camp when Kennedy was assassinated, scary time then. On 911 I was taking a voice lesson when my teachers wife came into the studio and said a plane had hit the WTC. Watched on TV as the second plane hit. One week later I found out that two friends were on Flight 93. That led me to working for the TSA until I retired 2 years ago. The last 6 months I worked in a Maryland fusion center processing info from many different law enforcement agencies. State fusion centers came about as a result of 911 and the lack of shared info. Without going into details, I can tell you that they are effective and there are many threats you never hear about that are stopped because of this sharing of info.
Hull MA huh?
My Mom grew up there, my Dad spent summers there, and my Grandfather used to own part of (now gone) Paragon Park. My folks actually met while working at the park. Lots of good memories from Nantasket Beach -- Saltwater taffy / arcades, and the scariest coaster I've ever been on.
There is an old military fort on the highest hill in town that was used for ages as a look-out. You'd be able to see any enemy ships coming into Boston Harbor. Now it's covered with graffiti and serves as a place for teenagers to watch the "submarine races"
Although I haven't been back in almost 20 years, I'll always have deep roots in Hull--- flawed as it may be.
yamaha
PowerDork
9/11/13 3:51 p.m.
toad9977 wrote:
What really stands out that day was my football practice in the afternoon. I was getting a ride to practice and saw the glint of a plane in the air. It wierds me out as much now as it did then to know that it was a military aircraft flying for a reason, not just a training exercise that i had come used to seeing in the area i grew up.
We had f16's from Ft. Wayne flying cap over indiana and tankers from grissom heading all over the effin place. Very very unusal occurance.
oldtin
UltraDork
9/11/13 3:57 p.m.
I was getting on a plane (still have the boarding pass).
I was 8. I still remember the day
berkeley all you guys. It's not possible that anyone was born in the 90's. If they were, they're still like...5 or something. 
I was a bartender in Denver 12 years ago. I had to work that day.....it was a Tuesday IIRC.
That entire week the bar was dead----everyone was at home crying in front of the T.V.
That weekend was incredible--- it was like St. Paddy's Day and New Year's Eve combined. Everyone needed to get out of the house and blow off some steam. It was pretty rewarding to help folks have a good time, and laugh again. It's something I won't forget.
mtn
UltimaDork
9/11/13 4:22 p.m.
mndsm wrote:
I worked at the mall at the time, selling shoes.
And so you always shall!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C0a26rekYI
