I was in my freshman year of high school. There were some rumors that something had happened for a few hours, until they made an official announcement on the PA system at about noon while I was in social studies class. We watched the news channel for the rest of the period. We didn't get out early, but we didn't really do anything for the rest of the day in any of our classes.

It was weird, huh?

Yeah, a little. I dunno. It never really had much of an impact on me.


(terrible pun not intended.)

I was in fourth grade, had no idea what was going on.

WELL aren't YOU a youngun?

Yep, I'm only 18. x3

I was in 7th grade if I can recall correctly, in science class at the moment I heard over the intercom that it happened.

A lot of people were in school! It's funny to think that was 9 years ago. I was...16!

Yeah, it's weird remembering back on that. "Wow... it was that long ago, I was that young?"

Asleep.

I really should have been asleep! I never wake up that early anymore.

On TV?

That's still so weird for me to think of you in church.

I was in US History in college when they canceled classes for that day and sent everyone home. We lived next to an airport, it was weird not to hear planes in the sky.

Oh yeah, the canceled flights...

And I agree, it's weird to think how much has changed, and how much I have changed since then.

but I love you!

I LOVE YOU TOO

*flips over igloo*

You live near an airport too?

True enough. :)

I was driving to work, and flipped on NPR. I thought they were talking about the attempted bombing from a few years prior, at first... My dad worked in NYC at the time, but happened not to be in the city that day.

All these people with their "I was in school" stories are making me feel ooooold :(

Back in my day we didn't have schools!!

I was doing school work, watching the TV as it all unfolded, and playing King of the Fighter 95(I know! So weird.)

Oh yeah, you were home schooled, right?

Yup. Dad's in the army so he rushed home and said, "TURN ON THE TV!" and we all watched it as it was hit and then fell down.

I was asleep, but my sister woke me up and she and I and my parents sat together and watched the second plane hit, and everything after on the news.

Sad morning! :/

i was at a college dining hall, someone told us that a bomb had gone off in the world trade center and we were watching it on TV. at the time i was kind of psyched because classes were cancelled for the rest of the day

THAT MAKES YOU A BAD PERSON, YOU KNOW

i know! but, it was hard to understand the scope of it at the time. in retrospect i would have rather gone to class that day and had the twin towers stay up

also i still associate the "mink car" album with 9/11 i don't know if you have that connection! but the two things happened in the same week.

Ah I didn't know who TMBG was back then! And I knew it came out in 2001, but I didn't know it was that week!

I think i was sleeping and rather ill. When i heard the news that " Someone flew a play into a building in new york" I thought so jack ass in a Cessna plowed a building annoying those inside so i did not care much. When i found out what really happened i was rather shocked and despondent.

That would be a lot better if a plane just kinda bumped the building from the ground. :[

I'm guessing you're in the western area of North America?

Yeah, I was in Portland, Oregon at the time.

At first I was like WAIT A SEC THAT HAPPENED IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON VOLN IS A TIME TRAVELER and then I was like oh wait time zones.

:B

CORRECT SIR

I was in highschool, don't remember what year, walking to class, I remember walking to class gazing down into the library pit, everyone was oddly huddled next to a TV, I thought it strange, but didn't want to be late so I kept on going and made it to my class room, the TV was on, I saw the one burning tower, and the confusion as no one knew what was happening.. Then the Teacher turned off the TV for a test. After the quiz was over when the TV was turned back on, both towers were ablaze, and they replayed the 2nd airplane striking, then one mighty tower fell followed not to long by the other, and that's when everyone knew it wasn't just a random accident.

On a side note.. it was also my brothers birthday

Meh, that sucks! I have a friend who has the same birthday as Hitler.

hey that's an AWESOME birthday to have though

7th grade, my second year of middle school (the worst 3 years of my life). We had finished 1st period (For me, English (Reading)), and had started 2nd period (For me, Home Ec). For some reason my "something's wrong/something bad is happening" senses were kicking in that morning. I couldn't focus on what was being talked about in class, and I kept looking at the clocks on the ovens...I know now, strangely, I was looking at the clocks the same time the towers were hit. D:

2nd period ended, and by 3rd period we were informed that the Twin Towers were "attacked". They didn't specify how, possibly to save us from horrible visuals. I visualized a helicopter shooting at them...I don't know either.

People remained mostly quiet until around 7th or 8th period, when my English (Writing) teacher told us that the towers were "level". The teachers and staff all had to choose their vocabulary wisely to make us feel safer or something.

When I got home I finally saw everything on TV. My parents also left work early that day. =/

I didn't wanna go to school the next day but my dad forced me to. The school was practically empty.

I've had that kind of sense of foreboding for no discernible reason before too. It was when I was riding my bike to a friend's house at night, and I was listening to music. I thought to myself, "I can just imagine something happening right now to ruin this song for me," and about a minute later someone came up behind me and pushed me off my bike.

i was asleep and sick.
my brother kicked down my door and turned on the tv.

Man, what a wake up call!

5th grade I think in social studies when my teacher turned it on the tv. I wasnt really paying attention or I didnt know what it was until I got home and my parents told me.

You are also a youngun.

22? D:

I was in 10th grade! I think your math might be off cuz I'm 25 :B

in 3rd grade
we just did our work
no one has never heard that tragic until the next day

I remember being in class, we knew about it until the next day.

I was in class, talking about some things that happened in 1973 (debate class) when we heard that some planes crashed on USA and we turned on the TV :P

You were in church on a Tuesday? I guess it was acatholic school with daily opening prayer?

I was in 8th grade science class. We spent all day with teachers who didn't know if they were supposed to tell us or hide it and then we were sent home early... so that we could sit at home alone being scared bc all that was on TV was replays.

I was asleep, then woken up by my family who had said my uncle called about it. We watched TV coverage of it for a few hours (including watching the North Tower fall), and then I was told to go to school and not think about it. Yeah, that wasn't going to happen.

I was working at Blockbuster Video in New Jersey.

Less than 20 miles away from GroundZero~

I was chatting and some one tolde me "look at the news"

Sitting in the front room of my old house, playing FF8, aunt comes running in and tells me to turn off the game...complain for a bit since she normally did that for stupid reasons so I just paused it, unhooked the back cord, and just sat back down with my eyes on the TV as the second plane crashed into the second tower.

Sat there nearly all day, just stunned.

I was 7 years old and I was at school. When my mom and I got back home, she turned on the TV and this note about the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and the plane that crashed on Pennsylvania I was like "mom, what happened?" since then, I'm afraid of planes and I dream from time to time I dream planes crashing on buildings, on houses or everywhere.

was at school, uh i believe i was in the graphic design class (first period of course) sitting in the back, middle row.

i think i was reading manga X3;

It was my Junior year of High School. I went to a private Catholic school. I was in my theology class, we were watching some video (on VHS to boot), when a student came in. After a bit a lot of whispers were goin around. The student, who I'll call Dav, said she saw or heard people crying. I forgot what happened for the next bit, but it soon wound up with me and several other students trying to switch the tv from the VCR to over the air input. We soon had the news on, and say that the first tower had been struck. We watched for a bit, until our teacher forced us to turn it off. Then the principle came on the intercom system, told the school what was going on, but to go on with our classes and turn the tvs off. If I had thought about it at the time, I'd have snuck out my pocket radio and turned it on, to listen to what was going on. I then remember a lil later, going to this anti-sex (again, catholic school, so it was abstinence only) thing that they had been doing all week long, and the guy goin "Heh, what a day, huh? Anyway, don't have sex kiddos until yer married." Of course, no matter how much the school tried to keep us on course, whenever any of us would have access to a computer, we immediately looked up the news. I remember the moment I first saw the name Osama Bin Laden. I told the guy next to me "Oh, this must be the guy they think did it."

On slightly off topic, I remember the Channel One news for September 12th. They had a lil montage, and played Creed's "With Arms Wide Open." For those who don't know the song, there's a line that goes "And tears of joy, ran down my face" (for its about a guy learning he's a father). Channel One news just barely edited out that line. The music kept playing but the lead singer wasnt heard for that line. It was a depressing time, but I couldn't help but slightly chuckle at Channel One News' choice of music (Creed was sorta popular back then), and their barely edit of the song.

Was at school, our school actually let out early for the day (way back in jr high, i was in 8th grade i think).

I was getting ready for school in sixth grade and I finished my cereal. I was watching the weather in my parent's room until it showed on T.V. of a repeat of what happened. School was delayed, and then I went to class and watched the news again until lunch. Then I did the rest of my class work or something like that, and I think we were also dismissed early.

It was a good day for me, even though I didn't really understand the severity of what was going on. I felt bad because I knew a lot of things went on in the trade towers, even though it hadn't crossed my mind just how many families had suffered that day. I also remember days after everyone started putting up their flags in their cars and homes.

I was 8 years old, in 3rd grade when it happened. Around 6am, my brother woke everyone up in the house, to come to our TV room... and there it was on the news...

I was house sitting for a co worker who she and her two kids and husband were on vacation ( IN NEW YORK!) i was up early taking care of there pack of dogs (6 in total) Listening to Howerd Stern on my walkman... Heard it from him first... Ran into the house and looked on the Itinerary.. My Co worker and her family were scheduled to be at the Towers sight seeing........ I called her mom ( who lived in NY) and of course couldn't get through...

I spent hours trying, kept looking around the house at the family pictures and pictures of all of us at the vet clinic hanging on the walls.. I was freaking out

around Noon, I finally got a call from NY.. They were ok.. They had been on there way to the Statue of Liberty instead, and had been to the Towers the day before.


i drove to my house to see how my family was doing.. the roads were empty. Felt sooooo decollate were as just the day before, i had been so happy because i was hired on full time at my current company and given a raise and promotion. It all seemed so meaningless the day after.

I wasn't numb,,, emotionally i dont know were i was at that point. Felt like the air around me was gone to tell you the truth.

I ended up staying at that house for MUCH longer than had been scheduled. My co worker was to terrified to put her children on a plain. so they decided to drive back at the end of there stay.

I was pretty young fifth grade i believe; i remember that 2nd graders at the time had to draw the towers falling for some ridonkulous reason or another and we got to see everything happen on the tele. It was a pretty awesome day for me haha.

Junior year of high school. I was in home room when the principal came over the PA system and said that we were under attack and that a plane had hit the World Trade Center tower (and maybe the Pentagon at the time). When the first tower fell, I had just finished eating lunch and was in the library watching the news.

I was in a class on base in Dam Neck, VA for the Mk38 or M242 Bushmaster machine gun. We were in the middle of dissembling the receiver assembly when some sailor came barging in the class saying that, "New York is under attack" then ran off. So we turned on the TV in the room and found a news channel and say the first tower on fire. Shortly after we saw live the second plan hit. At that point there was no doubt it was an attack. So we all were instructed to contact our respective commands to see if we needed to report back. I was told that me and the three other people from my ship, should continue in the class but to leave our phones on in case we got the recall order to get underway.

We watched as news and pictures came in of the Pentagon getting hit, and of a car bomb that went off at the Capitol building, which turned out to be false. Then we saw both building collapse and after that, they finished what they could of class. Though you can imagine that it was near impossible for us to focus.

I went home and then got the call to report to the ship, packed up a bag since I had no idea if we were going to be getting underway and when we might be returning. Got to the ship and I remembered one of the eeriest things was looking up and not seeing jet trails since they were all grounded. There was always jet trails. When I got on the ship we, and every other ship on base, was prepping to get underway. At the time I think there was like 4 or 5 planes still not accounted for in the Virginia airspace, and there was concern that one might still be used to make a run on one of the carriers or other ships. But we ended up not getting underway and were on lock down weighting for the order to stand down. That didn't come for three days.

Before that, Norfolk Naval Base was a base open to the public, after 9/11 it has been restricted to military and government personnel without escort or a special pass ever since.

I was at college (Pratt Institute, Brooklyn NY). It was my morning off so I was over-sleeping when my sister called, frantically asking if I was okay. I asked why and she told me the towers were gone, but I was groggy and irritated about the call and replied it was too early to be messing with me.

Then the line died.

I never had a TV, but I had a radio, clicked it on, and took in the news. Dazed, I called my friend in one of the higher dorms with a view, and she was all YES THEY'RE GONE.

Finally, I put my clothes on and walked outside to stare at the giant column of smoke shadowing the campus from across the Hudson River.

The smoke tower didn't disappear till two weeks later. Phones& internet didn't work on campus till at least a month later. I wrote letters to family assuring I was OK, and avoided any route to the city that took me near Ground Zero. I couldn't stand it.

I was in church music class.

Stupid private schools.

I was late to school that morning, so I had just walked up the stairs when someone said the Statue of Liberty fell over.

And then my eighth-grade-self was angry when I heard my soccer game was cancelled. I'm glad I'm not the same person I used to be!

I was putting up party decorations for my parent's 25th Anniversary. I watched the news after getting a text message and saw the second plane hit live on TV.

I was in form 2 back then. I didn't know what happened until the day after... I was kept busy all day and got straight to bed after school.

I was in college, having breakfast with my friends, when my lifedrawing instructor came raging through the room screaming "It's World War Three!!"

New Yorker here. I was in a bit of a panic as my mom was having my little sister at the same time.

The news we got was fire bombers came through and was randomly dropping bombs.
Didnt believe that the towers were gone.

My friend snuck his sidekick in the school and thats the only way anyone in the school found out what happened.

Smelled burning bodies for days.

Woke up to my sister telling me her friend called saying an asteroid crashed into the side of the washington monument.

a+++

I was working as a cashier at Kmart, and had to go into work at 9 (Pacific time.) The first few customers in the store weren't aware of the events back east, but people were increasingly sad and angry as the day wore on. Out of the window I caught a glimpse of what I thought was an airplane diving toward the ground; Upon turning to look, I saw it was only a seagull. I remember one customer distinctly. He was a burly, tall man with wet eyes who silently bought two flags and a box of Kleenex.

Was my freshman year of high school in a private school not too far from NYC.

The teacher of that class was the dead of students. He didn't show up to class so we thought something was weird and were goofing around. Then a few students were called to the principles office, including my friend sitting next to me. Their families were calling for them because they had a relative who worked in the WTC. They were being sent home to be with their families. My friend's father worked in the WTC and died in the attack.

Our teacher finally came in to tell us what had happened, they refused to let us turn on the TV to be sensitive to the students whose relatives were probably dead. The smoke was visible all the way from where my HS was in Mineola, NY. If you stood on the roof of my school you used to be able to see the WTC, but obviously not after that day.

Strangely enough, we were not allowed to watch TV and the rest of us actually had to undergo a normal school day. Teachers had a hard time teaching us but tried to stick to their lessons.

The rest of the day was with me glued to the TV, not sure what to think and hoping more survivors were found. The strangest thing I remember from that day though, was how quiet it was if you went outside. You couldn't hear any planes at all. It was actually VERY noticeable just how much quieter it is without planes passing overhead. When they were allowed to fly again the days after, myself and a few others remember being scared to hear planes for a bit.

---

In a strange note, as important as I think it is to grieve the loss of people who died on 9/11, there are times I wish it would just be left to history now. Just like Pearl Harbor, it'll always be remembered. But 9/11 is used as a political tool much too often and our modern media can be pretty insensitive on the subject. Oh well.

horrible typo... "Dean" of students.

I was getting ready top go to wait for the bus for middle school. I'm loaded down with viola, backpack, and lunchbox, ready to step out the door with the tv on GMA as usual and my mother says something like, "Oh my god" or something and somehow I end up sitting there with her, watching. I saw the second plane hit, and being the stupid child I was, I was thinking about how everyone else was seeing this seven seconds before. The reporter was yelling and running, the people in the studio were floored, I almost missed my bus.
The kids on the bus didn't believe me. Most had to go out to wait earlier than me and missed the early reports. At school was worse, the administartion wouldn't say anything, they even put an announcement telling the teachers to not mention anything but some kids may be leaving early. So the vacuum filled with rumours and lies, the Compaq Center was hit (a big building in Houston where a lot of kids' parents worked) the Astrodome, White House, anything big enough.

RANDOM LATE ANSWER.

I was in 6th grade. Notable moments:

* Looked at the clock in my room the exact moment the first tower was hit... No sense of foreboding. :V
* At school, the teachers were all freaked out, but they wouldn't tell us what was going on, which was stupid because it just made rumors spread quicker. They walked us all to the cafeteria. Me and my friends joked that someone had blown up the Pentagon.
* My mother came in crying because my father worked in the Pentagon and she didn't know if he was okay.
*Got home and found out he was okay, watched the news in my parents room with neighborhood friends.

This was around the time we were all getting into the Evangelion manga, so we knew shit was about to get real.

I WAS WATCHING DRAGONBALL Z!

i was in 8th grade and iwas watching the news in a rocking chair. :B

I was in the army. The entire base went from a lazy anthill to an aggressive hornets nest in just one day. And typical me I had guard duty that day and had to check even the flies who were flying in and out of the base. Me and live ammo = bad idea, you have no idea how many bizarre thoughts that started to swirl around in my head after 12 hours of constant standing in a little booth. NO BOOTY CALL AT ALL!

I think I still can disassemble and reassemble a G3A5 2 minutes. That is if I haven't turned completely butterfingers. Can I disassemble your battle rifle?