QOTD 9/11/13

Today is a sad day for everyone, even those who did not lose anyone in the awful terrorist attacks. I can't believe that 12 years have already gone by. My question today is not wedding related.

Where were you or what were you doing when you learned of the 9/11 terrosist attack?

QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

It was my senior year of hs and we saw the smoke from my homeroom class, but no one knew what it was at first. After homeroom I had the next period off, so we all went for breakfast and in the car, we learned the news... didn't understand quite yet what was going on. When we returned back to school I called my mom (from the school payphone) and she was yelling my dad's name into the phone, praying that it was him on the other side. My dad worked 2 blocks from the towers and the moment I called, the first tower went down. I remember thinking that was it... that my dad was gone forever. I was swept up by guidance where I shared a room with 3 other students who didn't know the status of family members near the attacks.

My school received a bomb threat at that moment and as a school, we all walked down the block to our junior hs where they packed us into the gym. We didn't have cell phones at that time, and I had no idea what was going on. Thankfully a family friend came and picked me up from school... when I got home I found out that my dad was walking home. He crossed the brooklyn bridge and eventually got a ride with someone. When he got home he showed us his 'souvenir' (as he called it) from that day. A mask, and a lot of soot all over his clothing. I was never so thankful to see my dad... I think of all those who were not as lucky as I was and I can't imagine the pain and suffering that they went through that day. This day always gives me the chills... and I will truly never forget a single moment from that day.

QOTD 9/11/13

I was a sophomore in college. I was living in Brooklyn and going to school in Manhattan. On the train right before it went underground I heard on the radio that a small plane hit one of the towers(there was a lot of confusion at first) The train I take into Manhattan goes underground and then goes over the Manhattan bridge. As the train came out of the tunnel and onto the bridge I saw the second plane hit. The explosion, fire, and smoke is something that I will never forget.
Still not knowing what was going on the train went back into the tunnel. I should have got off and walked over the bridge but I was frozen in my seat. The train started making itit's way uptown stopping at various places for a while. Finally they made an announcement that the trains would be shut down as a precaution because of a terrorist attack. I came out of the subway scared and confused and waited a half hour for a pay phone to call my mom who was home from work because cellphones didn't work.
I then had to walk 44 blocks downtown to my cousins office where she and my uncle were waiting for me.
To this day I remember my fear as I walked passed the empire state building thinking what if a plane hit that building too.

QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

I was in my Senior year of H.S. and the homeroom teacher told us what happened. We were in first period. Everyone started laughing because we thought she was joking.

QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

I was a freshman in HS... I remember having the teachers make us wait in the cafeteria while they got the buses ready to bring us all home early. My parents and I went to mass when I got home to pray for everyone.. I remember the church being packed with people standing in the back. I was pretty young, so I didn't really understand what was going on at the time or the complexity of it all.

Re: QOTD 9/11/13

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Posted by ladygoodman

I was a sophomore in college. I was living in Brooklyn and going to school in Manhattan. On the train right before it went underground I heard on the radio that a small plane hit one of the towers(there was a lot of confusion at first) The train I take into Manhattan goes underground and then goes over the Manhattan bridge. As the train came out of the tunnel and onto the bridge I saw the second plane hit. The explosion, fire, and smoke is something that I will never forget.
Still not knowing what was going on the train went back into the tunnel. I should have got off and walked over the bridge but I was frozen in my seat. The train started making itit's way uptown stopping at various places for a while. Finally they made an announcement that the trains would be shut down as a precaution because of a terrorist attack. I came out of the subway scared and confused and waited a half hour for a pay phone to call my mom who was home from work because cellphones didn't work.
I then had to walk 44 blocks downtown to my cousins office where she and my uncle were waiting for me.
To this day I remember my fear as I walked passed the empire state building thinking what if a plane hit that building too.

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OMG how awful! I can't believe you saw it happen.

QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

Senior in highschool in art class. The teacher used to play the radio for us and the music was interupted by a news report of the planes hitting the towers. None of us really understood until we got home and saw what was all over the news. So sad.

Re: QOTD 9/11/13

I was at work and we where watching the tv and that is how we found out! Even though I didn't lose anyone. It was a sad day! Thought I did my uncle police station is right down the rd for it! Was so worried! But someone was watching over him he called in sick that day!

QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

Freshman in HS. They made an announcement in the morning 'if anyone's parents work near or around the World Trade Center to come down to the principal's office.' We had no idea what was going on. Finally we were told that a plane hit one of the towers. Our initial thought was that it was an accident, believe it or not. Then when the second one hit we realized what was going on.

QOTD 9/11/13

I was in 8th grade in my home economics class. We were watching it on tv and I remember immediately being worried about my dad, my uncle, and cousins who were all working in the city. It was awful watching fellow classmates who just learned they had lost one or both of their parents.

Thankfully my loved ones were OK.

QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

I wasn't living in the US at the time, so I was unaware of what had happened. I remember my dad came home early from work that day, and he was in a panic. He rushed to the tv and turned on the news. He told me there was a terrorist attack in NY. I didn't realize how bad it was until I watched the news. That was a sad day and one I will never forget.

QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

I was at work, and someone heard it on the radio. At first no one understood what was going on. Once we realized it was a terrorist attack, everyone was shocked. My office closed early and I went to the diner with 2 of my friends/co-workers. We just sat there for hours wondering how something like that could've happened.

QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

I will never forget this day..I had woken up for school late and ended up staying home, I turned on the TV to see the first plane crash and I thought who is this idiot crashing a small place into the building?! Not knowing how big the plane was. Then when the 2nd plane hit i automatically knew it wasnt a mistake...I automatically called my sister since she worked 2 blocks from WTC and no answer..now I start to panic, then every line i call has a busy signal. Eventually I was able to get in touch with her now husband and he told us my sister was somehow going to walk to his studio in the city..one hour later my sister calls me that she's covered in debris but she's OK, she wasn't able to get to Queens so she ended up going to her husband's apt and staying there until things calmed in the city which was the next day. Then I find out my good friend's (one of our groomsmen) brother was at WTC that day on his day off picking up his paycheck on the 107th floor and once there was no way of him getting down he made his last phone calls to his wife (with a 6 month old daughter) and his mom...so sad even to this day..

QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

I was a senior in H.S.. my school didn't handle this situation very well, in that we really didn't have any real information about what had happened (just told there was a situation in nyc and if any one has loved ones who worked there to go down to the main office) and they didn't let us watch anything on tv. I distinctly remember being in spanish class and my teacher trying to make a lesson plan out of this event (ex: Como se dice 'terroist')!! Luckily i had no immediate family in danger but I remember being so worried about my bus getting home in time for dinner since it's my mom's bday. It was such a strange few weeks afterwards. Like everyone was in a sad, sad haze.

QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

I was in 8th grade on my way to Social Studies when a kid in my grade went running through the hallways screaming 'they hit us, they hit us'. No one had any idea what he was talking about. My teacher then started to tear up and told us what exactly had happened. Little by little the office would call to say parents were here to pick their kids up. I went home and my brothers had the news on and you just saw the most horrible things happening. It was such a horrible sad day.

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QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

I was on my way to work on the bus listening to Z100. I heard Z100 announce what was going on but I didn't know everything. As I got off the bus and on the elevated train platform I seen a whole lot of smoke but I still didn't realize it was from the Twin Towers until I got to the end of the platform and had a full view of what was going on. I watched in despair and unfortunately I seen the 2nd plane hit the building. You think I would of turned around and what home but I continued to go to work watching the whole time. When I got off the train I couldn't believed what it looked like from City Hall. I still walked to work and the police wouldn't let me in the building since it was already evacuated since my office building is 2 blocks away. I told the officer i had to go to work i'm going to be late and get in trouble. He just looked at me and said it's OK go home. I turned and left and crossed the street where I found my boss and 2 co workers. My boss said to go home and we will contact everyone later. So we start walking and that's when you heard the big roar and seen the cloud of smoke coming meaning that the 1st tower fell and we started to run. We lost track of my boss and other coworker but me and one stayed together. He got me to the train station which the train was still running. I was able to get a call to let my family know I was OK and on my way home. The train went one stop and we had to get off and walk. I remember walking across the bridge to try and get home and all I kept thinking and feeling was guilt and asking why them. Why not me. At the end of the bridge they had buses that were running and I hopped on it and went home. When I got home I seen my Dad and lost it. My brother who was an EMT at the time was already down there helping with the rescue efforts. He had told my father that if he heard from me to tell me to meet him in a certain area that's where the ambulance was but it was too late. I was already home. Luckily we all survived. I remember detail from detail that day and still cry every year. Worst day ever.

QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

Sophomore in H.S. I was in chemistry when they made the announcement. We didn't do anything in any of our classes the rest of the day.

QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

I was a sophomore in AP Bio glass ... our teacher told us. I sat next to a girl whose father worked in one of the towers. i walked her down to the main office ... i remember seeing her mother running towards the school and taking her away. her father didn't survive ... my mom picked me up shortly after, she wanted me home.

QOTD 9/11/13 - Long Island Weddings

I was a junior in hs. They made an announcement over the loudspeaker and we all ran to the window and saw huge clouds of smoke. A few friends in another class ran up to the roof and actually saw the second tower get hit. I just remember everyone being so confused and I was grateful that my parents didn't work near there.

At lunch that day, they had the radio on for us to listen. A friend I ate with was worried about her dad who worked 2 blocks away. She called and called but phones were down. Amid this, we caught them saying on the radio that Newark was shut down. My friend said 'oh that sucks, my aunt is going to California today. She's stuck in the airport, in Jersey!'

We went home that day and as walked with my 2 best friends (1 of whom is my MOH) we saw the firehouse completely empty, doors left open. That firehouse lost 19 men. Fighter planes were flying really low and the whole thing was so surreal.

I got a call from my lunch friend that night and of course immediately asked about her dad. She said he was fine, but her aunt was on the flight that went down in PA. My heart broke for her and we didn't keep in touch, but I think about her every 9/11 and my heart breaks for her all over again.