Topic: 9/11

[JLStretton]

Just woke up from a session the night before I think about 1-2 in the afternoon and put tv on in bed.

[Azi]

can remember it like it was yesterday

sat in a R.E at high school and was just about to go for our lunch when our teacher told us what happened weirdly no one in my class thought it was a big deal was only when we saw the pictures it hit us

[deadlybuzz]

I was at a memoriam mass arranged by my school for a deceased student who had died along with her father during the summer in a car crash. The service ended at 1.30 and we didn't have to return to school as a result.

I remember getting home and my sister who had a day off of work was sitting in the living room glued to the tv and told me that 'one of the twin towers was on fire'. I didn't know what she was talking about until I saw it for myself. The second plane then hit the South Tower live on air. I didn't know what was going on.

[Houlliers goal face]

I remember being at work in Preston when I heard it on the radio. Like most people the first thing you think of is phoning someone to say turn on the news, so I called home and said to my mum, tell my dad that there's some sort of attack going on in America, get the tele on!

Fifteen mins goes by and I've been expecting the old man to ring me back, no call! So knowing my mum like I do I ring back. "have you told my dad" - "not yet, I'll go up and tell him in a minute, I'm just finishing the hoovering"

Just as she finishes talking my dad picks up the other phone and interrupts and says "is that you son? Have you seen what's going on?" - "yes, I've been trying to tell ye, but me mam had to finish the hoovering" - "typical, an earth shattering event but the house still has to be clean"

Cos of my age, seven at the time, the Heysel disaster was my first and obviously last memory of watching Liverpool in the European Cup and 9/11 will always mark my second memory of watching us in it. Always thought UEFA should have postponed all the UCL games that day.

[Red_Isle_Chap]

When it actually happened me and some close mates were at a gig in london (where we all lived at the time). We'd had a brilliant night. Got back to one of their houses and found his missus on the couch in bits. Took ages for it to sink in, we'd been drinking and had heard nothing. She looked at us when we walked in and said "it's like WW3 is starting.."

I'll never ever forget that day.

[And Could He Play]

I was in Ibiza.

[Heighwayondawing]

Kinda missing the point of the thread mate.

Not at all. I remember where I was, it happened in my city. I have very strong feelings about what happened. I have stronger feelings about how certain elements of American society have used that day and desecrated the memories of the victims and heroes who died by ushering in unjust laws and controls on everyday Americans. Trust me, if you ever have the misfortune of a fondling at the hands of a low life TSA agent, you will understand where I am coming from.

[El Campeador]

Yeah.

He has more right than most to speak his mind.

The rest of the posts are mostly about watching TV.

Like he said - his city.

[kj999]

I was working as a barman in a hotel in the Lake District, a summer job whilst at home from Uni. Had the telly on in the bar on the news channels. Folk were coming into the hotel all day after walking out on the fells. Number of times I had to explain what had happened was unbelievable, and people were flabbergasted, thought i was taking shit!!

I also remeber it particualrly well as the next day, I slipped in the kitchen and put my arm down a deep fat fryer. Lost all the skin on my lower arm and was in bandages for months. fucking agony. After returning from the hospital to the hotel i remember me and a mate throwing darts at Osama Bin Laden.

[Lady_brandybuck]

I had just finished my fencing trainning session and went to a shop and saw a friend and she was shocked, I asked what's up? she told me look at the tv, and in that moment the first tower came down. I thought it was a movie. Then when I got back home I just realized it when I saw it in every news channel. Then watched the rest of the news all day.

[rednich85]

Kinda missing the point of the thread mate.

I dont think he is.

[Golden_Child]

Didn't think that the thread was set up with political ideologies in mind really, kinda leads it down the wrong road. That's just me like.

[hide5seek]

At work. Steve Wright (radio 2)  said about a plane  hitting trade centre, my mate (a plane nut) said straight away no way was it an accidenrt. And the rest is history.

[Alan_X]

Yeah.

He has more right than most to speak his mind.

The rest of the posts are mostly about watching TV.

Like he said - his city.

Just because it's where he lives doesn't make any difference. When he puts quotation marks around 'terrorists' he's taking the piss.

[Manila Vanilla]

Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
We went there on holiday when we were living in the Philippines.

We'd just got back from dinner and I put on CNN in the hotel room.
I remember telling my wife that this was the Pearl Harbor of our generation.

Earlier that day we'd been to the Killing Fields and the Museum of Torture. It was a depressing day that showed you what man can do to man.

[NatD]

After the attack, I was glued to Sky News for 7 or 8 days afterwards - this was really the start in the UK of 24 hours news (and unfortuatenly Kay Burley's career as she just happened to be on air when it happened!).

It is amazing hearing the stories of other people and their experiences of where they were and what they were doing.

I am fascinated by 9/11 (possibly in a morbid way I don't know!) and have watched many documentaries.  The first was simplay called 9/11 and Robert De Niro introduced and commentated on the DVD; it was about a couple of Spanish brothers who just happened to be with a Fire crew on the day it happened.  Since then I've watched various, interesting documentaries about it - the falling man for one.

I don't think people should ever be allowed to forget what happened on that day.

[gray19lfc]

I was walking back from school when it all started.  I used to go straight to my mates house so we could play football.  I think we got in about 3pm, around the same time that the south tower collapsed.  As a 13 year old, I didn't really know what the WTC was or the importance of what was about to happen.

To this day, I try and watch all the documentaries that are shown at this time of year.  I just can't believe what you see happening is real life and not something from a film.

I visited the 9/11 museum in New York a couple of years back and it's really emotional looking at little things like a torn sleeve from a firefighter's jacket that were found and preserved etc.

[stevied]

At work and a mate ran in saying get on the internet, that was over loaded and couldnt get it on so 4 of us jumped in a car and went back to mine and sat glued to it, shocking day, and the jumpers i will never forget that, just saw on Ch4 on Wednesday at 9pm is the behind the scenes of the Bin Laden killing

[MichaelA]

Ah, the Ninth of November. I was at work and found out about it from RAWK. there is a thread from that day somewhere on here.

[Trump's tiny tiny hands]

I was in New Zealand at the time. Just got home from work, turn on the telly just when it was all kicking off. Stayed up all night, smoked countless cigarettes unable to break away from the incredible scenes that were unfolding before my eyes. When they said one of the flights was from Boston, I freaked. My X was in the States at the time you see. Boston to be exact. She was meant to be flying to New York that day. Took awhile for a clearer picture to unfold. Like the fact that the flight from Boston wasn't originally bound for New York. I attempted many phone calls to her before I knew, couldn't get through of course.

She ended up in New York a few days later. Said it was one of the most surreal things she has ever experienced. She was there with her Mum, a nurse, and was wondering what the smell, that was everywhere, was. Her Mum said it reminded her of the smell from the crematorium at the hospital.

[50 Pence]

I was on holiday in Kos... was flying back the next day. Went into a shop near the hotel and the owner said that America had been attacked by planes so thought he meant military fighters.

Wasn't until I got to the pub I used to go most evening that I found out the real story and couldn't believe what I was seeing

[quinny]

I was only 10 at the time, so had no idea what was going on or how important it was. I was in school when I heard, found it all quite confusing because obviously the teachers made a big deal out of it but none of us understood. I got home and my parents were glued to the TV, whenever I tried to ask questions or make conversation they would tell me to be quiet. Since I've grown up and understood more about it I've always been fascinated by it. I've got about 10 programmes set to record this week (it's 9/11 week on National Geographic I think if anybody is interested, loads of documentaries on all week). I know I'll never fully comprehend or understand the scale of the disaster, but it intrigues me to learn more about it. In some ways I wish I was older when it happened, so I could have had a better view of it at the time.

[Shan]

I was in Ibiza.

Same here, was my third summer out there working and all the bars had it on. We thought it was a movie at first, then realised what was going on.

Then watched it all unfold on CNN as that was the only English channel we had in out apartment, it was surreal.

[hoonin]

Was in work, watching with equally shocked colleagues. Initially we all thought it was a horrific accident until the 2nd tower was struck and reports emerged about the Pentagon.

Last night's ITV documentary showed people throwing themselves from the 100th floor, something we never knew about at the time.

Those clips were aired by TV channels in the immediate aftermath. I know this as, along with the shots of the planes crashing into the towers, it burnt an indelible image in my mind that I'll never forget. Horrific.

[Fontaine]

Working in a wharehouse in Dublin after leaving New York 3 days earlier.  Spent the summer there on a J1 visa and got to know one of the firemen who perished. 

RIP Mike Brennan

[Fontaine]

Was in NY just before the first anniversary with that girl and I just cant describe the atmosphere there then....

I was there for the 1st anniversary too, was in times square exactly one year on when the first plane hit.  Time square came to a stand still, and no joke, a wind blew through the place from nowhere.  Will never ever forget that scene.

[ALPH1217]

I was just outside NYC on the 11th of Sept. and I'll never forget it. Actually I was off work that day and watching tv I witnessed the second plane hitting the tower. Later in the day I drove up to an adjacent street which offered a distant but pretty clear view of the Manhattan skyline. Then the anger set in.

[RedRabbit]

Yeah.

He has more right than most to speak his mind.

The rest of the posts are mostly about watching TV.

Like he said - his city.

Sorry, but what...?? 'His city'? Are you serious?

[El Campeador]

Sorry, but what...?? 'His city'? Are you serious?

Yeah.

They're proud fucks, those New Yorkers, and that day hit them hard. I've a lot of friends there, and I have time for what they have to say. Sometimes I don't agree with what they have to say, but I respect the fact that it affected them profoundly.

I've got time for what they have to say. They've had to live through it, and with it. For many of them, it's more than a show they saw on television when they were ten.

[NatD]

I was at work and found out about it from RAWK. there is a thread from that day somewhere on here.

Would that be archived now?  Would be a fascinating read with hindsight reading that thread and what people thought was going on.  At the time there were so many other rumours going around as well.

[Agger]

Just got home from school when ma told me what had happned, and we sat down to watch the news.

Didn't realise how big it was at the time, was only 10.

[andy in warrington]

I was minding my own business in my office, when I heard a bloke in the next office take a phone call off his mate telling him a plane had flown into one of the towers. He told me, and I assumed he meant a small plane. Then he gets another call telling him another plane has done the same.
I spent the afternoon listening to the radio in work, and went home early as I couldn't really work.
I remember going the Boavista game in the evening feeling very subdued.
10 years goes very quickly.

[jarg of pickled onions]

Was in work looking forward to going to the Boavista game later that night. A mate came in and told me that a plane had hit the WTC. I assumed a Cessna or something. 10-15 mins later he came back in and told of the second plane and that they were both hijacked passenger jets. Everybody left their desks and rushed into the canteen, which had BBC News on. We all stood there open mouthed watching that footage of the second plane disappearing behind the tower (obscured by the North Tower) then exploding. The shock turned to almost panic when news of the Pentagon being hit came through. Nobody did any work or said barely a word for the rest of the day, especially after the towers fell.

At the game later on that night, nobody really wanted to be there.

[Cruiser]

Was at the bank when I heard some girl in the que talking to her mate about a plane crashing into a building. Thought no big deal of it as planes crash all the time, but it didn't occur what was actually happening until I got home and put the TV on. Was fuckin crazy.

Sounds weird but it was both horrifying and exciting at the same time.

[Mashy-rawr!nooo]

In School totally oblivious until I got home and everyone in my house was sat watching the news on TV.

[Commie Bobbie]

I remember that day like it was yesterday.

Was working at a water mill up near Dover and we first heard of reports of planes going into the WTC about a couple of hours after the initial attacks - and it was around the time that word was getting about the re-taking of Flight 93 over the Pittsburgh area and the first thought I had was one of complete bewilderment and not being able to comprehend the magnitude of what was occurring at the time.

The train home was truly surreal - and I remember that the weather that day was as hideous as the news was coming out of the East Coast of the
U.S at the time.

Horrendous and something that just cannot be forgotten for what happened afterwards.

Thinking back then, I don't think anyone would have predicted that the following decade would have gone the way that it has done.

[Stevie-A]

Working in my office at Liverpool Hope, when a friend came in and told me about it. This was the first time I used the internet as the primary info source. Simply astonishing events.

[jambutty]

More emotions than I care to divulge come over me when I discuss this subject, but I will say that for me, other than my personal loss, the most graphic symbol of this abomination was the thousands and thousands of posters plastered all over Downtown and the Village with pictures of missing loved ones, which begged anyone that might have seen a dazed survivor to call.

All echoed silently, flickering under candlelight into the city night.

[redgriffin73]

Was at work when a former colleague rang to say what was happening, we all legged it around the corner to where there was a TV shop and stood outside with loads of shoppers watching it all happen through the window. After work just spent the whole night watching it on a loop on TV. Think I've got some copies of papers from the following day still somewhere.

[saintslfc13]

I was in 7th grade, getting woken up by my mother who told me what happened. I just remember being shocked really, thought it was an accident, then plane number 2 comes through and I knew it wasn't. I couldn't help but think how could this be allowed to happen. I mean one plane sure, it could very well have been an accident but two was too big of a coincidence. I honestly think, no matter what you feel really happened that day, the loss of life is just staggering and it should put everything into perspective that you really never know when it could be your time.