Where Were You On September 11, 2001

[Henry]

A while back, maybe 2005, we had a Fairfax Historical Society Meeting where the question was asked, "Where were you on September 11, 2001?"

On this Seventh Anniversary of that tragic incident, thought you might want to look back yourself and see if you remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news of that terrible tragedy.

Larry Parsons wrote up the minutes of that meeting and I have them on my Fairfax Historical Society Web Site.  A number of those people responding are no longer with us, including Larry Parsons, but if you are interested in reading what each had to say about what they thought and where they were when they heard the unbelievable news, click on the following link:

http://www.vtgrandpa.com/fhs/where.html

[Loctavious]

I worked at the airport back then.  I'd just entered the breakroom at one of the long-standing airlines and saw everyone with this grim look on their face.  I looked down at the TV to see the 1st plane hit in replay.  Total pandomium broke out after we all watching and the second hit.  My wife was actually on a plane in Philly taxing on the runway when it happened.  It was grounded and through all the chaos there she was able to bond with 4 other Vermonters trying to get home and somehow found the last vehicle to rent out of Philly - a U-haul truck.  It took them 13 hours to get home. 
that was the last day of my job, it was discontinued that day and never brought back ( skycap).  My wife, who worked for the airline, lost her job 2 years later - the airline never really fully recovered ( did any of them though really).  As with so many Americans, and people of the world for that matter, it changed my life forever.  The psychological effect was pretty intense for a while after that.  I'm emotional as i write this and probably will always be when remembering that day and all those lives lost.

[Mike Raburn]

I was on a job where our company was constructing a Railroad Depot at the International Airport.
Some of our subcontractors kept their people home that day, never really understood that, so it was just a handful of us there at the site.

With the flights grounded it was eerily quite.

When the Korean Airline 747 sent out its high jack signal they scrambled 2 or 3 F-15s from Elmendorf AFB.
That base is clear on the other side of town but we with them having full military power cranked up, we heard them and saw them blast out of there to intercept the 747. That plane was eventually sat down in Canada but the towns name escapes now.

[Henry]

Some interesting notes regarding where people were on September 11, 2001 - I plan to add them to Larry Parsons notes.  Below is one I received from Tom Ferrick:

"I was building multiple ball fields and tennis courts in Hull Massachusetts (Nantasket Beech). It was a major route for planes going into Logan Airport. There was about a hundred workers on that school renovation project. Just finishing my morning coffee. I had a strange feeling as I saw activity in the sky slow down considerably. This was a place were at any time you would see 5-10 planes flying low in the sky at any given moment. As I looked around I was not the only one that had this feeling. So I called my wife (Peggy) if she new anything. She was watching the news. At that time they didn't say it was terrorist. They were looking at it as an accident. As she was on the phone with me she saw the second plane hit. It was like she went into shock. We stayed on the phone until cell phones got shut down. I had a large radio in my truck and put the news on. Before I new it half the construction crews were around my truck listening to the news. I have never seen that many people so quite in my life and so tuned into what was on the radio. I remember seeing some big construction guys shedding a tear or two. After that the management made the call to send everyone home. I am not sure but I presume there were relatives of some of the workers effected by it. Seeing how the planes came out of Boston. That's my story. Not much. I don't think I will ever forget that day. Just like your generation will never forget the day of JFK. Regards, Tom Feerick"

[NorthFairfaxBoy]

I was at work....(as were most I am assuming..) anyway.  The phones started ringing all over the office.  It was spouses and family members calling.  Myself and a few others left on a break to go to a nearby home. We arrived just as the 1st tower collapsed.  When we returned to work, the managers (both are Canadian) were very hesitant to let anyone go home.  They were worried about work not getting done??!??!!?

[Kathleen]

I was working at a Travel Agency on Williston Road.  All of a sudden everything got extremely quiet.  You could have heard a pin drop out in the middle of Williston Road -- not a sound, not a car moving on the road.  Then it happened -- they cancelled all flights and our phones wouldn't stop ringing with people turning to us to try and get them home.  We actually had people angry and threatening us unless we got them home.  I know it was probably just a knee-jerk reaction to a bad situation, but lets get a little perspective here ... they were safe!

I was layed off from my job two weeks later (everyone panicked and started cancelling their vacations they had already booked for the holidays and even winter break).  I was unemployed for two years.  But coincidently I was finally hired by the Department of Homeland Security in Customs.  How's that for irony!

[katrinaantonovich]

Teaching a class full of children (just like the Alan Jackson song lyrics about sept 11th)

[Stand Alone Defense]

I was in boot camp and I thought it was all a sick joke to scare us until they let us watch TV.  It was the begining of a very rough 5 years that's for sure.

[dearon]

I was at a seminar at the Holiday Inn.  All cell phones are required to be off.  You can imagine the pandemonium when the class went on break.  The T.V.'s in the hall were reporting the news showing the Pentagon had just been hit; I believe the president was in Florida when told and on his way to a safe place, I don't remember exactly where.  I was terrified and left the area immediately as most of the people that had gone that day. Looking back I think the reaction was so fearful because we didn't see the story unfold, it was being told the whole story all at once that was so overwhelming.
 I called my office and for the safety of everyone had them go home.  We had a contact post office in our building and the govenment was closing major post offices and federal building. I decided even though we were a small town it was not worth the risk to stay open.
It was one of the most terrifying days of my life.  I watch the new coverage on CNN as they retold the story. The emergency workers and people that were trapped and those that died, initially were thought to be much higher.  My oldest son lived in Hyde Park New York less than an hour from N. Y. city. There was great fear in the sourrounding areas as well as New York City. 
I still remember one of the passenger's statements as she called her husband, saying the people that had taken over the plane had red bandannas.  I don't know why the media never focused on the significance of that and what it means??  Does anyone have any idea?

[tfence]

¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸ ...¸.¤\
\ 9/11 AMERICA \
.\¸.¤*¨¨*¤ .¸¸.¸.¤*
..\
☻/
/▌
/ \ NEVER FORGET!!!

[7F30]

Driving past the Mitchell house on my way to work.

[CLach]

Working at General Dynamics (they work government contracts) in Needham, MA.... went to the cafe for a coffee and saw the news coverage of the 1st plane, sat down to watch and saw the 2nd plane hit live on TV...many concerned at work, some... new people in the Towers and at the Pentagon as well....not many dry faces there that day. The entire cafe was full, people just staring at the TVs for hrs....not alot of work got done that day....Never Forget, good topic....a friend of mine was one of the ones running down streets that day getting away from the smoke and debris...he was ok but he has an interesting story...god bless all

[tfence]

✰✰✰✰✰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ If You're Proud To Be An American Wave
✰✰✰✰✰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ This Flag In Honor Of The Fallen Men
✰✰✰✰✰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ And Women Who Served Our Country
✰✰✰✰✰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ For those who have served in the past
☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ and For those who are serving now
☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ And For Those Who Are Still Fighting
☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ THANK YOU AMERICAN HEROES.PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR GREAT NATION UNDER GOD THIS ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11

[MikeF9]

I was sitting at the dining room table finishing breakfast or the Free Press. The TV was on. I was watching the KTLA Morning News out of Los Angeles. Anchor Emmitt Miller announced,"We have some breaking news. This is a live picture of apparently a fire at the World Trade Center." Sure enough, there was Tower One with black smoke pouring out.
I switched to a New York station, who were reporting that a plane had hit the building. I then switched to WCAX to see if they were covering it. Bryant Gumbel was on the phone with a woman who had seen the plane hit. I telephoned Margie at work and told her. She said she was surprised the plane hadn't hit the Trade Center before now.
Suddenly there was an explosion on the screen, and the woman started screaming that a second plane hit Tower 2.

If you ever see footage of CBS's coverage of that day, the first live shot of the Pentagon gives me chills. All Bryant Gumbel says is, "Oh my God.....Oh my God.....Oh my God.....Oh my god...( then composes himself and says)..The heart of our nation's defense has been attacked."

After the second tower collapses, there is an ariel shot from a helecopter of the harbor. In the fore ground is the Statue of Liberty. Blue water, blue sky, but a huge cloud has enveloped the lower part of Manhatten. You see no buildings. Only haze and smoke.

[Cat]

We lived in Georgia, VT at the time...we were actually in the middle of plans to move to Hyde Park,NY which is about 1.5 hrs from NYC.  I was a stay at home mom back then & at home with our youngest daughter, our oldest daughter was at school & my husband was at work. I could not stop watching the TV...it was unbelievable.

We did end up moving to Hyde Park, NY in early spring 2002 about 6 months after 9/11 happened & we lived there for 5 yrs. We have visited New York City several times & each time we visited the World trade center site. I was born & lived in Beacon, NY (about 1 hr from NYC) until I was 6 yrs old.   I am a New Yorker.