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Where Were You When 9/11 Happened?


Mark L

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I was working on refurbing a condo that I was going to sell. The only thing in the place was a television hooked up to the cable feed. I had the television on and heard the news bulletin when the first one hit. I called the maintenance guy for the complex to come over and see what just happened. He and I were watching a live feed when the second one hit and it became pretty obvious of what was happening.

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Just here at home. My wife woke me up, saying something I could make no sense of, about a plane crashing into the Pentagon, and an attack on the World Trade Center...my brain couldn't take it in, I thought she had to be mistaken somehow and, still half asleep, went to go see what the tv had to say.

 

There was Peter Jennings, ok, something's up that's for sure - however he didn't seem particularly upset - and pictured behind him, one of the World Trade Center buildings with huge clouds of billowing smoke issuing from it. I felt confused, trying to glean from what Jennings was saying exactly what's going on while such unthinkable scenes loomed behind him - I didn't realize for a good bit that the other Tower was simply GONE....and then the remaining Tower on screen collapsed and Jennings said something like "and there it goes, now...this Tower is collapsing" and again, he sounded downcast but so oddly matter-of-fact. The strange disconnect, as I perceived it, between his manner and the actual real-time horror I observed, added to the unreality of the thing. I simply couldn't process what was going on as it was going on. Like being told someone you know and love has died and your mind simply refuses to take it in at first, it has to be repeated, "explained", before it starts to sink in.

 

I don't really know how the memory of war and destruction works in the minds and emotions of Europeans. But to me at least, here in the States, the idea of an actual attack on the very ground of our nation, simply seems more like the stuff of science fiction than something that could actually happen. We are experts in denial, that's for sure. We did of course experience one of the very most bloody and destructive wars in human history right here on our soil, and except for the occasional history hobbyist, the horrors of the Civil War seem largely sponged out of our national consciousness.

 

The innocence of the privileged I suppose.

 

nat whilk ii

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I was at home, reading the daily e-mail onslaught and listening to Morning Edition on the radio when the program was interrupted by a the newscaster saying that they'd just received word that an airplane had crashed into the Twin Towers. I had just retired from the FAA a year ago and I knew how unlikely that would be. It was half an hour later when the whole story about a terrorist attack came along, and by then the plane crashed into the Pentagon.

 

I had a session booked that day, and of course it had to be postponed because you couldn't get across any of the bridges in and out of Washington - the city had essentially been shut down. I don't remember if I did anything useful that day. I was mostly listening to the radio to try to find out what the heck was going to happen next. Fortunately, the physical destruction was over pretty quickly. The mess, physical, emotional, and political, still remains.

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I was scheduled to fly out of Newark to Honolulu on the Continental non stop flight that left at 9:00 am. on Sept.11.

 

Two weeks before 9/11, I changed the departure date to Oct 9th so we could celebrate my nephews birthday on Oct 12th.

 

When we flew out of Newark in Oct., the flight was a little more than 1/2 full, when we landed in Honolulu some airport personnel remarked that was the fullest flight landing in Honolulu since 9/11.

 

It was kinda conforting to see people in uniform walking around with Bloodhounds on leashes sniffing peoples carry -on bags.

Turns out the were with the Dept. Of Agriculture and were sniffing for contraband fruit.

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Hangin' with Zak Claxton.

 

 

This is absolutely true.

 

Mike and I both arrived to work pretty early most days (avoiding the brunt of the LA commute hell). I believe that he and I both had the same circumstances: we'd left for work without watching any news. I turned on NPR as usual on my way in and there were reports of a plane having crashed in NYC, but everything was pretty sketchy.

 

By the time I arrived at work, the talk of a terrorist attack was just starting. I remember going in, dropping my briefcase off at my desk, and then walking back to the cafeteria room where there was a TV on. Mike and I were there watching just when the second plane hit.

 

Horrific day. We didn't work, obviously, and called people who hadn't come in yet and told them not to bother. But a few of us who were already there just stayed there, watching TV and talking. We'd been very busy planning for the 2001 AES show in New York, and suddenly everything changed. We ended up staying for a good portion of the day, talking about what had happened with our friends/co-workers, and finally leaving sometime that afternoon.

 

The other thing I did while at the office on that incredibly weird day was post on SSS quite a lot. You can still go back to the MusicPlayer forums and read the archive of that date. I don't want to see it, but it's there.

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This is absolutely true.


Mike and I both arrived to work pretty early most days (avoiding the brunt of the LA commute hell). I believe that he and I both had the same circumstances: we'd left for work without watching any news. I turned on NPR as usual on my way in and there were reports of a plane having crashed in NYC, but everything was pretty sketchy.


 

 

I remember almost the entire company was hanging out in the cafeteria with the TV. It was a beautiful, sunny LA day. When I went to lunch that day, it seemed colorless.

 

Mike McRoberts

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I woke for an early shift. Turned on CNN and... saw the first tower go. WTF? Then watched what I thought was a re-play of that first hit. Then, right along with the commentator, realized... it was happening again. I woke my wife and we watch silently.

 

I drove into work stunned. The bosses showed up and called off work. I went to a bar with the wife and had a beer. After one it didn't feel right and we left not sure what to do or where to go... and we just sat stunned all day long.

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I just turned the TV on to watch the news and drink my morning coffee. The CNN anchor was discussing a plane that crashed into the WTC. I called my brother to find out what was going on because he worked about 3 blocks over. He had no idea a plane crashed. He told me he would be right back. 30 seconds later, he gets back on the phone with an urgent calmness stating that another plane just crashed into the other WTC and he was ordered to evacuate. I looked at the TV and watched in slo-mo as this other plane came crashing in. Crazy...

 

At that point, I knew something was completely wrong and jumped into my car to get to my wifes school. For some reason, that seemed like the best place to go. The crazy thing is that as I get there, theres an Police Officer stationed outside the school but he has no idea whats going on. I tell him and he gets on his walkie-talkie.

 

I go straight to the Principles office, tell him whats going on and hes like, what do we do? I don`t know what took over but I just told him he had to lock down the school: no one in, no one out. I think he knew what he had to do but he just got paralyzed, it was understandably shocking to hear this the first time and honestly, its the reason why I never got on GWs case for waiting 7 minutes. I think the brain needs time to wrap its head around stuff like this and then you need a calm mind to decide whats best.

 

I then ran upstairs to my wifes classroom and you could see the WTC from her window. I warned her that what I was going to tell her was crazy and not to show any shock but I told her what happened and then to look out the window. She turned around and could not believe it. She had a classroom of 24 six year olds so it was important to act normal.

 

I went back downstairs and for the rest of the day I directed traffic for parents picking up their kids.

 

Somewhere around 10:30a, I called my mother up to see what was going on because there was no access to any TVs. My mother told me that one of the towers fell. I had to ask her about 3x to repeat herself. I simply could not believe that was possible.

 

My wife and I drove him later that day and 9 miles away from ground zero we were picking up papers from the towers in the middle of the street and you could clearly see the smoke rising in the sky 9 miles away.

 

For the rest of the day we sat in front of TV, hardly eating or speaking. We lit a candle in the evening and since then, that candle has been lit.

 

It was a day I`ll never forget, as cliche as that sounds.

 

A month later, I finally went into the city to return some shoes that I had purchased over the summer. The strange thing:I was planning on returning those shoes on 9-11 and I would have had to past the WTC on my way there. Something just told me to go another day.

 

Amazingly enough, I knew a lot of people that worked in that area and no one perished.

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In an engineering lab listening to the first reports on radio. Five minutes later there was a TV brought into the lobby of the building that everyone gathered around for the next hour and a half.Spellbinding and horrific beyong imagining at the time...

 

 

Yep, I remember being glued to the TV. And then the second plane hit. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I'll never forget it

 

Couldn't wait to get back to England. I was scared

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LA, in bed...my wife called to me and told me quick, turn on the TV a 'plane hit the WTC. I was watching when the 2nd one hit.

 

I was working on a non-Union show out of the UK called S Club 7 in Hollywood. I called in to see if call was cancelled as on the news they were urging people to just stay home from what I recall as everything was being shut down.

 

We were filming by Long Beach harbor that day. We were there all week as I recall.

 

So I was told that call was indeed holding. I went off at the guy, asking why...what was so friggen important about their stupid little scab show that we should all be put basically in a situation that had a potential for danger? The harbor was being shut down. We were along the side of it, but right there. Nobody knew at the time if there were going to be more attacks in other cities. My wife thought it was nuts and I called some of my crew and they all thought it was stupid to go in.

 

I drove in to work in a super pissed off mood listening to the radio reports. I got there and raised more hell, basically stopped production getting started for the day. So they called the head honcho scab bastard producer in England and he told them to offer that anyone who wanted to, could go home no hard feelings and it would not affect them getting called back.

 

I ended up staying. I think a few people baled.

 

All day we saw Coast Guard guys in inflatables and other small fast craft with .30 cal machine guns mounted, cruising around through the ships and boats looking for whatever. We were all wondering if one or more containers could have a dirty bomb on it.

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All day we saw Coast Guard guys in inflatables and other small fast craft with .30 cal machine guns mounted, cruising around through the ships and boats looking for whatever. We were all wondering if one or more containers could have a dirty bomb on it.

 

 

A few days after Veterans Day 2001, a cupla guys in BDU's from the NJ National Guard at Fort Dix showed up at my job and asked me if I was interested in being involved in 'Homeland Security'.

 

The NJNMJC had been reactivated, they had provided HazMat, Chaplain Services, and small craft Boat Patrol (PATRON-10) on Sept.12 and futher augmented, from 9/12 and after, regular Navy/Coast Guard in troop transport and Interdicting OPS in NJ Harbors and around the Nuke Power Plants.

 

 

I had some 'special skills' that they deemed impo'tant at the time...

Seems like I was an expert at validating Phony/questionable documents...i.e. Drivers Licenses, Birth Certificates etc.

 

Next thing I know I was in front of a Boarding review in the Rear Admirals office raising my hand and Volunteering for a one year enlistment...,.

 

Stopped at a Burger King on the way home from Fort Dix NJ and called my wife and said, (between bites of my Whopper Jr. combo)

You won't {censored}ING believe what I just did!

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For good reason.The truly horrific part of this tragedy is that it soon became evident the possibility/probability that it was a designed/engineered event for multiple motivations on the part of and benefitting the Govt.

 

 

And you continued to bang on those bongos like a chimpanzee? (per your Avatar) WTF?

 

Did you take any action...beside whisper amongst your friends, and later maybe espouse some half-baked, hackneyed, conspiracy theories over wine or whatever?

Did you take ANY course of action one way or another?

 

Please tell me you did SOMETHING...

Your credibility is hanging by a thread here...

 

I'm willing to believe you did Jack-{censored} like so many others who talk about 9/11 because they sat around doing nothing with their thumbs up their ass and NOW are making a issue of it.

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For good reason.The truly horrific part of this tragedy is that it soon became evident the possibility/probability

 

 

Way to take a stand, it's only been 9 years. How about the JFK assassination and the moon landing, any decisions on those yet ?

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got off the road 850 mile road overnight got home, slept, went back to work graveyard, went to post office picked up my mail, slept hour at home in front of the tv. the 1st live feed of 9/11 musta woke me up then watched the {censored} unfold. i made sure i had full magazines until i passed out about 5pm...we/were/at war i figured. i went back to work that night about 10pm. i used to work at a home for messed up kids back then. they might have appreciated my presence. i'm adrift now. lol :cry::lol:

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I dont need to decide the fate of either/any of those events, they are history not influenced by me. I know what I know, I certainly dont need to take a stand on anything that I'm not being paid to resolve. Unlike so many seeking and getting public office, I cannot be bought or led to believe what the truth is about anything by anyone for any reason at any time. A very unuseful trait for
a politician
, but a very useful trait for
a musician
...

 

:wave:

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