Where were you on 9/11?

I was on early playground duty before school started, when the first plane hit. A parent burst into the playground as the children were going in, shouting something about a plane crash.
By break we’d all heard and went to the staff room to see details on screen. We tried to keep it from the children, especially the younger ones, but by the next day, even they were full of it.

I was at home with a kidney infection, lying on the sofa watching neighbours - I think - anyway suddenly the screen changed to show a plane flying into one of the twin towers, initially I thought what a horrible airline accident, but as I watched another plane flew into the other tower. Then my stomach fell. My husband rang from work and told me to call relatives in NYC, they were all ok but shocked and very upset.
Just kept watching the news in disbelief.

I was teaching at a secondary school. I remember having to reassure many of the children as they were petrified World War III was about to start.

I was at home must've been my day off, first I knew was when my teenage son got off the school bus & came running in & then I knew something had happened but never could I have guessed what.

I was at a friend’s house when we heard the news and we put the television on. Her daughter was in New York on her honeymoon and we knew they had lunch booked in the tower. Of course there was no communication so we had a very anxious time until she rang. They were on their way there and saw it happen.

Talking to my brother, his career was in NYC. He had TV on in his office and told that there was a plane accident in NYC. A bit later, still talking, he said "oh no, it wasn't an accident, I must leave."

A work colleague at the school I was at had given me a lift into our local town as we were both going into the supermarket. Next door was a Curry's outlet which in the old days had row upon row of TV sets in the window. Every screen was on and showing the attacks. We watched in silent horror. I put my arm around my friend as she was in floods of tears. She was an American.

I was in a Coronary Care unit getting ready to assist in putting in a Pacemaker, while I was speaking to the Patient, (on this occasion the areas wasn't busy so he had on the TV on) The TV News went to the shot of the Towers, we called everyone over, then all stood there watching when the plane hit the second tower. It was unbelievable.
Our Registrar then legged it to the phone to ring his parents as his brother worked in one of the Towers as a CNN Camera man. Luckily his parents had the night before spoken to his brother who told them he was off to Florida for a few days filming.
I will never forget that day.

It’s surprising today how a lot of youngsters aren’t aware of that tragedy.

I’d been writing a report, I decided to go home and focus without the noise in our busy office. I put the car radio on, thinking I’d listen to the Archers, then thought I must be too late and was listening to a play. I gradually realised I was listening to news reports.
I put the tv on at home and was still watching when my daughter’s year 11 and 12 pupils at high school came in. They said staff at school had told them to go straight home and put the tv on because something significant was happening. We watched together, joined later by their dad. I felt we were witnessing the start of ww3. In many ways, we were

I was up at 5am to finish that reportb

I was at work in a famous local Spa when one of the therapists came to tell me a plane had crashed into one of the twin towers.
When I got home my sensitive son was glued to the TV. I had to turn it off as it was too horrific to see those poor people jumping out of windows.

My DH was in the US on a plane which did not take off but sat for hours on the runway. All his US colleagues were told to stay exactly where they were and not move.

I was in my office at the uni when a colleague came in and told me a plane had just crashed into the WTB. We watched the live feed on CBS as another crashed in. People were wandering around the Uni talking in hushed tones. I had not long returned from a year working in the USA. I was glad I was not there when it happened.

I worked in a residential home then. I came out of a meeting and thought the staff were all watching a film. I was just about to question this when someone told me it was happening in real life, so unbelievable at the time and even now.
I won't forget either amidst all the tragedy there were incidents of great courage and compassion.

My son and his friend were standing in the living room watching it on the tv; I can still picture them.None of us could comprehend what was happening.

I was visiting my mother. She never had her tv on during the day, but something made me ask if I could put it on. I saw the pictures on tv and really thought I was watching a film - not the news!

We too were in Florida and very puzzled to find all the toll gates open (free) it was only when we went into a supermarket that we learnt what had happened, was a scary few days as everywhere you went there was talk of way plus all planes were grounded for a few days so we had no idea when we were getting home

Meant talk if war

DH and I were just moving from an apartment in the US to a house. We heard the news on the car radio and DH set about phoning his office in NY to tell them all to go home or do whatever was safest for them, we were in California so could not help. Arrived at the house and the removal men set up. a TV and we all sat and watched.

I was at work in Houston at the time. We all ended up glued to a small 13 inch TV watching what was happening. We were scared to death because we had no idea if other cities were targets.

I still to this day remember the feeling I had when you realize there was not a single plane flying over the country at all. It is hard to explain. A stillness and quiet came over the entire country. A giant 330+ million people pause before we all came together as a unit.

I took my kids to the WTC site a few years back so they know what happened. If you are in New York, please consider putting it on your agenda. It is worth seeing.

I was at school on playground duty. The Head pushed the school television into the staff room and when I went in everyone was standing around in shock.

Someone had the staff room TV on and called us to come and see.
My husband, also a teacher, had the TV on for his Sixth formers to watch it in the lesson. When the bell rang they left in silence to go to their next lesson. The next class came in and carried on watching. Nobody spoke a word.

It happened 3 days before DD2 18th birthday . I had been in work all day with no means of hearing about it. I called in our local florist on the way home to order flowers for daughter’s birthday and he told me what had happened. She saw it live on tv with her dad and grandparents as she was home waiting to go to Uni.

We watched rolling news all afternoon and it was so shocking. DD1 who was 26 was working in London ( we lived in Wales at the time) and said later her company lost several staff who had been seconded to NY from London.

I remember thinking the people on the impact floors would have known nothing but seeing people jumping so they wouldn’t burn was horrendous. Terrible terrible event

I’ve since been to the memorial site and museum. So moving

I was headteacher of a school in London. Once we had grasped what was going on we started to receive calls from parents who wanted to collect their children and have them at home. So throughout the morning the school emptied in a way I had never experienced before or after and then I sent the staff home. I walked across London to my railway station. A surreal walk with only armed police and armed services around and people like me trying to get home.

I was working in an NHS unit. We all crowded into the patients' lounge. Appalled. Mouths agape. Silent. Until one non-English doctor said, "Good, they deserved it". I think I remember that more than the atrocity itself.