What were you doing 5 yrs ago today??

[lawrocket 3]

I was asleep. It was a couple of months after the Bar exam, and I had spent every day since that point on resumes and cover letters, tailoring each resume and cover letter for the advertsied job. I had time. Since I was jobless, I was crashing at my mom's house, too, and helping her out with my brothers.

My mom woke me up with a shaking voice and tears, "Wake up. We're under attack." This was after the second plane hit. She related watching it on the news and seeing - live - the second plane hit the second tower. As it was burning she told me that it looked like slow motion, and once she saw it she knew what was going to happen.

She was already numbed by the time the first tower collapsed. For me, that was when the anguish really hit me.

I called my friends in downtown LA to tell them to get the fuck outta there. Only one answered - the others had left already.

I then called my friend Sarah - whose father was a pilot who flew 767's into Los Angeles - she didn't know what was going on. That night, she called me back to let me know he was fine, but bitter at beng grounded. Typical pilot.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[livendive 8]

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I was in 11th grade english class. We had a phone in the classroom and it rang and the teacher picked it up.

"Hello?"
....
"Ok Thanks..."
(Hangs up)

Announces to the class "A plane hit the world trade center"

I was in 11 grade in a computer science class when the PA announced that the Challenger had exploded. The teacher of that class had been in running for McAuliffe's slot until the very end (2nd runner-up or some such thing). He stopped talking, put his head down on his desk, and wept. School was dismissed a short time later and I went home and turned on CNN. That was my first experience with watching breaking news of a significant story on TV. Odd the way things seem to have changed since then, at least for me. Watching CNN all day 5 years ago seemed like a normal response.

Blues,
Dave

"I AM A PROFESSIONAL EXTREME ATHLETE!"
(drink Mountain Dew)

[BillyVance 34]

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I was in 11 grade in a computer science class when the PA announced that the Challenger had exploded. The teacher of that class had been in running for McAuliffe's slot until the very end (2nd runner-up or some such thing). He stopped talking, put his head down on his desk, and wept. School was dismissed a short time later and I went home and turned on CNN. That was my first experience with watching breaking news of a significant story on TV. Odd the way things seem to have changed since then, at least for me. Watching CNN all day 5 years ago seemed like a normal response.

Blues,
Dave

I was in drafting class at the technical center while a senior in high school when a classmate heard on his walkman radio that Challenger had blown up. 10 minutes later all the students were assembled in the main hall where the superintendent made the announcement and we were bused back to our respective high schools and then picked up by parents or bused home. It hit us hard in Huntsville, home to Marshall Space Flight Center and the Space And Rocket Museum. A new middle school was named Challenger a few years after. There is also a Grissom High School, White Middle School and Chaffee Elementary School, all named after the three astronauts who perished in the cockpit fire on the launch pad.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

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[Hambone 0]

I remember I was coming out of my last class at Furman, walking out the door and I over heard someone say that a plane had hit the WTC, and I imediately thought they meant a little cessna. I went to my hall and watched the rest of it unfold in front of my eyes with a group of people. It was the most sureal day. Terrifying, the world seemed much smaller that day. Wow...I went to visit it a month or two ago. Its extrememly moving. It is indeed hard to believe that it was 5 years ago.

Yeah...You need to grow up. -Skymama

[morningdove831 0]

I was backing out of the driveway, headed to work, when I heard about the first plane. I was listening to a Christian station, and the dj's were praying for those affected. Mid-prayer, a dj said, "Oh my, I don't believe it ... a second plane has hit the other tower. This was no accident." I sped to work where we had tv's and we spent the whole day at my office glued to the tv. I saw the towers collapse on live tv and most of us were silent all day long. I'll never, ever forget.

One who looks for a friend without faults will have none. -- Hasidic Saying

[stayhigh 2]

I was at Practice shooting range dozing off while, soilders were shooting hundreds of round, it was during basic training, so we didn't have any access of TV or newspaper, but some of my friend who were coming back from hospital were saying Twin Tower went down. Nobody believed him, until our company CO, came to us and confirmed it. We still didn't believe the guy until we talked to family member and saw the pics in the mail. One of the saddest day in U.S. history.

Bernie Sanders for President 2016

[steveorino 7]

I was in a class at SNU working on my Masters. Someone came in and told us a plane hit the WTC. It was 9:00 our time -- about an hour after the fact. We went to watch it all on a TV in another classroom. We got their in time to see the second tower fall on live TV. It was all surreal. Not much accomplished that day -- the professor sent everyone home.

steveOrino

[4201 0]

I was sleeping. My mom woke me up, telling me that a plane had hit one of the twin towers. I figured some ass hole in a cessna hit the building. Turned on cnn just in time to see an airliner hit the other tower.

[SpeedRacer 1]

weird how so many people thought it was a Cessna and I thought it was a Piper Cub.

Speed Racer
--------------------------------------------------

[Programmer 0]

I was taking a week long computer class in Tampa. I don't remember what building we were in, but it was right next to the Buc's practice field. The course was being taught by a company that had recently moved to Tampa from New York where their offices had been in the World Trade Center. The class took a break, and someone in the break room said a plane had just hit the WTC. Several of us went into the room just in time to see a live shot of the second plane hitting the second tower. I remember that someone said, "I wonder if he got lost", and I said, "That sky's perfectly clear, that was no accident."
There were so many people from New York in our building that it was almost like being in Manhatten. Our teacher had a brother who worked for a fire dept. in New Jersey and she was able to reach her family and determine that he had gone over to Manhatten with his fire company. She didn't find out until the next day that he was OK. He got there after the buildings had collapsed. When the scope of the attack became clear, the instructor took the whole class to lunch and asked if we wanted to continue the class or just go home. There was a very definite feeling around the table that we shouldn't let some terrorist make us stop, so we decided to keep the class going. The spirit of the New Yorkers in the building was inspiring.

[GogglesnTeeth 6]

I was fast asleep when the first tower was hit. Shortly there after my phone rang. It was a girl that I had gone out with once, and she was screaming (in her serious Japanese accent) "we're at war, we're at war!' into the phone! Not a fun way to wake up. Luckily, I was off work that day and the next, so I didn't have to deal with the 'newspeople' for a couple days.

Goggles and Teeth

"You fall like a greased safe!!!"

[Lastchance 0]

I was at work and listening to the radio when I heard about the first plane and thought to myself that a small plane had accidentally hit the tower. Then I heard about the second plane and realized that this was no accedent. I called my wife to tell her what was going on. Then Heard of the third plane hitting the Pentagon. I'm sitting here with goosebumps just remembering all this. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the surviving family and friend of all those lost.

I may be getting old but I got to see all the cool bands.

[ntrprnr 0]

This is what I posted to a mailing list to which I belonged the next day.

I was on a commercial flight.

FROM: Peter Shankman
DATE: Wed 12:56
SUBJ: [wwwac] I'm fine, was on the runway at Newark

Hi, all...

First off, my prayers are with everyone in the country, and around the
world today, affected by this tragedy.

I want to thank the WWWAC list - You served as my, and the rest of United
Flight 425, from Newark to Colorado's link to the outside world for about
20 minutes.

I boarded that flight at Newark at 7:40 in the morning. There were 14
flights ahead of us for takeoff, according to the pilot. I nodded off.

The pilot came back on when we were fourth for takeoff, telling us that
something was wrong with the World Trade Center, and we'd be waiting on the
runway for a few minutes.

I pulled out my Visor and wireless modem, and instantly checked my email.
As I was, the pilot announced that a plane accidentally flew into the World
Trade Center. Everyone looked to their left out of the plane, and sure
enough, there was smoke coming off the horizon.

That's when I got the first few emails from the list, talking about it.
Within 2 more minutes, I'd found out about the Pentagon as well.

I became the link to the outside world for the next 15 minutes, with the
flight attendants and passengers waiting for the 30 second email checks. I
read them off as I got them.

The pilot came back on and said we were returning to the gate. We all sat
down. In all the time I've been flying, that moment was the scariest time
of my life. We barreled back to the gate faster than I've ever seen it
before. Something in my mind just told me to get off the plane and turn in
my ticket. At that point, the airport was still open.

We got outside of the gate, and that's when it hit me - I was looking at
the skyline, and one of the towers was NOT THERE. That was the first time I
realized the magnitude of what happened.

We waited at the outside of the terminal for about 3 hours - I wound up
finding about 5 people, all of whom didn't know each other, but sort of
came together as a group. My visor was overloaded at that point, and I
couldn't get a signal. But my Motorola Timeport 2 way pager was still on,
and I was able to send messages to my parents, finding out that they were
both ok.

Finally, we found a bus that was able to take us to another terminal, where
we waited... A guy in a van came by, and took me and my five new friends to
the Marriott, still on airport property.

We hung out in their bar for about five hours, it was around 6pm by this
time. Somehow, I managed to get a room at the hotel, and I grabbed my new
friends, and we went and washed our faces for the first time in about 12 hours.

We went downstairs afterwards, and sat on the lawn, on the grass. It was
surreal - the smell of the grass, a beautiful sunset, and in the
background, smoke, soot, dust, and a hole where the world trade center used
to be. Truly, truly surreal.

We went back upstairs, and just fell asleep. Totally exhausted. Left the
television on, and six people, none of whom had ever met before, 2 of whom
spoke Japanese and very little English, all fell asleep on a king size bed,
all holding each other.

Woke up early this morning, and no cars were going in or out of Newark. We
gathered our suitcases, and started walking. We walked out of the hotel,
and out of the airport. We walked on the roads, on the ramps, until we got
onto Route 9 North. A poultry truck stopped for us, and told us he could
get us to right outside of downtown Newark. We thanked him, and climbed
into the back of the truck. Once we got to downtown Newark, we walked a few
more miles to the PATH train, which was running to 33rd St. We got on the
train, and got to Penn Station.

I walked out of Penn Station, looked up 8th avenue, looked down 8th avenue,
and started crying, as I started walking home to my apartment on 43rd St.

If I can help anyone in any way, please let me know - whatever I can do.

Stay safe, God Bless... We WILL get through this horrible act of senseless
violence and terrorism, and we will be stronger from it.


Good luck to all,

-Peter Shankman

_______________
"Why'd you track away at 7,000 feet?"
"Even in freefall, I have commitment issues."

[guppie01 0]

WOW, Thanks for sharing Peter!

xoxoxo g

"Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?"
Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU
OMG, is she okay?

[2fat2fly 0]

Liz and I were on I 26 heading to Kiawah for vacation. I thought the same thing about the cessna and remember telling Liz-I hope that this doesn't hurt our business.

I am not the man. But the man knows my name...and he's worried

[normiss 798]

damn Peter!
Thanks for that...man does that bring it back...

[OmegaShield 0]

I just got in my truck and I was driving to my job on campus. At first I thought the radio station was down because it was silent. A few seconds later, the DJ came back on sounding distraught and saying it was a tragedy. Only he didn't say what happened. I hauled ass to work and as I was pulling in I heard that a second plane hit the WTC. I was shocked, two planes hit the WTC by accident? No way.

Walking into my office, everyone was surrounding one of the computers. For the next few hours me and a friend combed the internet for any information. I went to school at the Prescott campus of Embry-Riddle and planes were always flying over head. It was creepy walking to class with very few people on campus and nothing but silence in the air. Classes still continued.

[fireflytx 0]

I was in bed and was waken by my answering machine from my friend tom yelling "White man, we are under attack" a bit crude of a statement, but Tom tried to put it light I guess since I haven't even turned on the TV yet. I turned it on just in time to watch the second tower get hit. I lived only an hour from the city, where I used to go party every weekend and perform at Rocky Horror in the Village. I was wondering if all my friends were ok. One of my fellow performers was a in the NYFD. Everyone I know ended up being ok. Some stuck in subways for a while but none were hurt.

"Well behaved women rarely make history"

[FlyingJ 0]

I was at work in Manhattan. Co-worker's mom called to say something had happened so we turned on a TV. A bunch of friends in a dance company were all supposed to be there by 9am for a dress rehearsal on the WTC plaza for a performance that evening and I spent the next two hours trying to get in contact with them. Thankfully they were as unreliable as ever and at 9am were only halfway there. Spent another hour walking around the neighborhood trying to find my roommate's girlfriend who was also walking around the neighborhood looking for me and then we started the 140 block walk home.

One of the most amazing experiences of my life. People helping people all over the place. People getting off busses so that older people who were walking could get on. By the time I got uptown where I lived there were people covered in dust and all cut up getting off busses and out of cars. A sureal experience to say the least. We spent 9 hours in line the next day to give blood.

The most eerie thing was the lack of airplane traffic as I lived in the flight path to LaGuardia. Seeing the fighter jets above was pretty sureal too.

Killing threads since 2004.

[bob.dino 1]

I spent the day shuttling between my desk and the trading floor fixing a production problem. Something to do with Funding the overnight balances, and it had to be fixed before 3pm. The trading floor is massive and the walls are lined with flat-screen televisions. Very surreal to be working away at a computer when all of a sudden a room the size of a football field goes absolutely silent. People holding phones, frozen in time as the first tower collapses. When the second goes, I briefly think it's just a replay of the first. Going back to my desk in a different building, my colleagues refuse to believe that the towers have fallen. Every news site is overloaded, and without televisions or radios we have to rely on runners to and from the trading floor for information.

Later that afternoon, scenes of quiet madness as London has to take over and run the NY books. As far as I know, we were the only major FX desk to keep making prices through chaos of that day.

That evening, myself and a couple of colleagues went and got very drunk in about three hours of hard drinking. It seemed the only way to get some sleep.