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20th Anniversary of 9/11 - Where Were You?

I lived in California and was still asleep when it happened. A friend called , awakening me, to tell me about the ongoing attacks in NYC.

I was like what? A plane crashed into a building?

The normally bustling bus ride into work was eerily quiet. The people at the bus stop and on the bus were quiet and giving each other awkward glances, as if looking for clarification as to whether we should be going into work at all.

The rest of the day is a blur, I don't remember. Only the frantic phone call about being under attack and the spooky bus ride.

The odd thing about the anniversary of 9/11 is that my wife and daughter have spent the past few weeks planning a trip into NYC. Up to this morning as they were riding Amtrak into New York City today they were unaware of the anniversary until I mentioned it a few minutes ago.

It was like we've been keeping it brushed aside.

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I was delivering the mail to a bar at the time, and everybody (the cook and his wife, the barkeeper, and a customer) was fixated on the TV, which was unusual at that time of day - usually, they were getting ready for the day. Evidently, just one of the crashes had taken place, and we were just about to witness the other. It was hard to pull myself out of there, and hard to finish work that day - everyone was asking if I had "heard what happened", and I was wondering if more had happened elsewhere.

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I was at home with my 2 yr old, watching one of her favorite TV show together — I cannot recall now which one it was — Sesame St? Teletubbies?, Big Comfy Couch? Maybe Caillou? The program was interrupted with emergency newscast — it was minutes after the first passenger jet was crashed into the first tower. They kept showing the same horrific image of the smoking tower, then video of the sight, saying we don’t know what happened, we don’t know what happened, we’re trying to find out…. I was glued, my daughter asked what was wrong and I gave her some nonchalant answer and set her up to play something else, saying “whatever it was” show wasn’t coming back on.

I could feel myself entering EMERGENCY mode, emotions on hold, keeping up positive chatter with my daughter and trying to do normal things, then there was a gasp of horror from the newscasters and the 2nd plane hit. And the Pentagon strike, and the crashing of the 4th flight in Pennsylvania were reported ….

The rest of the day is a blur, I got in touch with hubby who was away on a business trip in Japan. All flights had been grounded … and then for days as precaution (in case any other flight was/is/going to be highjacked) … and he couldn’t come home even if everyone understood and would cut the trip short. I was about 3 mo. pregnant with our 2nd baby…. It was a really tough time until he was able to get home.

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I was living in chicago, working in elk grove village, which is on the west side of o’hare. everyone was in the break room at the lab I was working in when I got there, tv on, and it was just moments after the second plane hit. I think no one was getting much work done that day, so we ended up leaving early. I caught a ride with another youngish guy, and I remember him being just so ready for vengeance, and being surprised at my hesitancy to join him in that. I remember saying ‘could we at least figure out who’s responsible before we start dropping bombs?’ but he wasn’t convinced. he was…not the most nuanced thinker.

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TomatoNut95
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I was six when it happened so I really don't recall watching the actual incident on TV.

My younger cousin's birthday is on 9/11.

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I read an article about high school kids globally who were born after the 9/11 event and their understanding in some cases were vague and in most cases they felt like the adults didn't want to talk about it and they felt it should be taught in class as history.

When I was in high school in the late 1970s I didn't know anything about the Vietnam war, didn't know who the winners were or any of the history at all. It was recent history and in my opinion probably should have been discussed but it never was.

So maybe the same thing is going on with people who didn't directly experience it at all?

I don't think I've ever had a discussion about it with my teenager, come to think of it.



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