Three years ago, September 11, 2001 Where were you?

[patt]

it happend when i was in math class but i found out about it duing my TAG class (teacher Advisor Group)

 

[George Wallace]

I was at Tim Hortons in Casselman, ON., buying a large Double Double and Apple Fritter when someone asked if we had heard the news.  In our three hour drive from Pet we had only listened to a Rock station on the Staff car radio.  When I got out to the parking lot I told my buddy to turn on the radio and it was on all stations.  We listened to events unfold all morning.  People were pulled over on the side of the 417 to make phone calls and listen to their radios.  I called back to the OPs WO to see if our task had been cancelled and if we should return, but we continued to visit every Town Hall and Municipal Office between the 401 and Ottawa River in Eastern Ontario for the next few days doing Land Clearances for an upcoming Exercise.  Did we ever turn heads where ever we went.  We had High School kids in Hawksbury asking us in the Burger King if we were at war.  To watch everything replayed over again on the news later in the day was unforgettable.

GW

 

[winchable]

I was sitting in the office at school, when some guy came in wearing a WW1 era army helmet (Don't ask, he was a tool) saying
"Did you guys hear the news? The US got bombed, It's like WW3."
Thinking him an ass, I got bored of sitting at the office waiting for whatever it was I was waiting for, decided to cut math and get some sleep at home, before I was about to have my nap I flicked on CNN, Shot up on the couch and said (seriously)
"Jesus tapdancing christ, he really wasn't kidding."
I spent the rest of the day about 2 feet from the TV just watching.

I'll admit after a while I just couldn't watch it anymore and to sort of de-fuck my brain I shut off the TV.

 

[devil39]

Came back from a run and was informed while stretching out outside Bn HQ.   Watched the second tower get hit (or come down, or both I can't recall) while at home for a shower.   Deployed before noon with the IRU coy to the airport to assist in processing diverted aircraft.

Most of us figured our operational future employment would undoubtedly be affected.    

 

[Lance Wiebe]

I was a fairly recent civvy.  I went outside to take a break from repairing an LCGT and I was told that the US had been attacked, and was at war.  I didn't believe a word of it, but when I went in to the canteen for a coffee, I heard all about the real scoop. 

I think I was in shock when I watched the replays on TV, and we saw the second tower hit while a reporter was talking about the first hit. 

My immediate thoughts were "I wonder who did it", quickly followed by, "I hope they let me back in when we go to war against the b**tards that did this".

 

[Cpl. Williamson]

I Was In Math Class When We Heard Many A Jet Fly Overhead Then The Teacher Broke the News

But it Hits Home Closer From my Dad He Was 10km Away And Watched it Happen Live

 

[1feral1]

Where was I?

Well firstly that Tuesday, the 11th was the evening here, so at about 2245 a flash on The 9 Network News on the TV came accross with the news that a commuter plane had crashed into the WTC. I just thought a turbo prop and thought of the Empire Stare Bldg, as back in the 40's a B25 had chrashed into it. I decided to catch the latest on the cable.

So I then went into the lounge room and flicked on the other TV as its hooked up to cable. I turned on to BBC, Fox, CNNI and Sky, and bounced around them all.

By this time I had my GF sitting on the lounge too, when suddenly during an interview on a roof top (CNNI I believe) LIVE to my disbelief a jet came in from behind and hit the second tower.

I knew then that this was not an accident, but a terrorist act. So there we sat and again watched LIVE as the two towers clapsed. Then came the Pentagon, and the jet that crashed into the field.

We knew that the casualties would be high, and only hoped that as many people would escape the bldgs ASAP.

It was a late night for us, and I stayed up all night, reported for duty at the Regt, and continiously all of there stayed glued to the TV in the Mess and listened to the radio for the whole day. 

Anyways after that and whats gone on since is history. The 11th was a day I'll never forget, and I remember the next night as I sat in our outdoor spa, looking up at the Southern Cross in the night sky above, I knew things would never be the same again.

Never forget. Never forgive.


Wes

 

[JBP]

I had just got to work, and since I worked in a sports bar/restaurant, I always turned on the big screen TV to CNN in the morning to catch the news while I was flippin' the first few pizzas out and doing my prep work (was a pizza cook/line cook). Of course, like everyone else, when the first one hit I thought it was some tragic, horrifying accident. Couldn't figure out for the life of me how a professional airline pilot managed that!

I worked with a guy from California whose mom lived right there, in an apartment building downtown NY where it happened. He was FREAKING out even when the first plane hit, then, when I seen the second plane hit. My exact words were, "Holly fucking shit!", then I told him. He frantically tried calling his mother, but couldn't get through because all the phone lines were down. Like the rest of you all, didn't feel as if it was real. After a few minutes, I realized I just completed my application to the Reg Force as a Infantry soldier, but had put it on "hold" a week earlier while I was making my final decision. I thought to myself, whoever fixed that job up is gonna GET IT hardcore from the US Military. I figured that day someone or some country was gonna get obliterated. Well, they did. 2 of'em! I felt absolutely horrible for the people who died there, I mean, I'm no fan of the United States of America as I've made apparrent in previous posts. But my god. That was horrible. At that point, I would have marched off to war with then right then and there. Just wasn't my time. Really hit me too when the California dude I worked with started crying because he thought his mother was dead...

My other thought, being sort of the asshole I can be sometimes, was, "Well, I guess the American's will realize they're not invincible afterall...". I'm just really, really sorry it had to be shown to them in such a fashion. They even shutdown the CN Tower in Toronto in fear of an attack. A lot of people from where I live (Niagara Region) went to help out. Also sent a lot of money too, I donated $20.00, at that point I didn't make much money. I didn't pray for the Americans that night, I prayed for the poor sunofabitch's who were gonna be on the recieving end of the United States Military. And whoever did it (Didn't know at that point), deserved it!

Also made me happy to be in Canada, again.

 

[Gunnerlove]

I was in bed listening to my alarm clock radio and trying to figure out how to justify skipping out on the gym before work. My first thought was that another glorified bus driver had screwed up big time. When the second plane hit the other tower I knew something bad was going on. 

Interesting thing was that I went to the control tower to see a friend that night or the next day to steal a cup of coffee and they have a big screen that shows all air traffic for north america and there was next to nothing in the air. A bunch of military aircraft and a dozen or so chartered aircraft flying in the states. When I asked why there were civilian aircraft flying in the states I got the response "F***ed if I know" from the shift supervisor.

Guess now we know.

 

[Scott]

I was home from Alberta visiting my parents. I had gone to Antigonish to see my girlfriend, who was starting her fourth year of a BScN, and was driving back to Mom and Dad's when I heard the news. I thought at first that it was just a small plane. When I got home I flicked on CNN in time to see Aaron Brown yap for about five minutes before the first building came down. I sat in shock for the rest of the day.

Sept 12 I was scheduled to work a shift at 3 Stn of the Halifax Fire Dept. I arrived early and sought out the Captain telling him that if they just wanted to be by themselves for the day that I would understand. The Capt said that they had a bunch of relief supplies to run to the centres that had taken stranded passengers. That's what I did for about 10 hours. I was still in shock. My company called me to say that they may be mobilizing firefighters to NYC with our specialized water-jet cutting equipment, they wanted me to drive there from NS to liaise with FDNY and FEMA officials as the air routes from AB were closed and it would only take me two days to drive it....I puked. I was so overcome at the thought of having to go "there" where so many had lost their lives so swiftly..and so many of my own, firefighters.

9 months later at the Maritime Fire Chiefs Conference (I was again on vacation and invited to attend by my old Chief) I met a Lt from FDNY who talked about that day. He was in one of the buildings when it came down and he ran...and ran, he told me that his mind was telling him to slow down and assess the situation but his legs would not allow it. He ran towards his Engine but there were already a bunch of guys hiding under it so he went to another one. What did he do? Crawled under the nearest piece of iron and cried. The guys under his assigned Engine, they died, he lived, now he feels guilty about it......That man is one of the strongest individuals I have ever met.

Enough, I'll start ranting soon.....

 

[Shec]

I was in my office in Ottawa (technically Hull but so what).  The largest federal public service union was on strike and I had just navigated my way through the picket line (I'm excluded) and was booting up my computer when a colleague rushed into my office and told me that a plane had just crashed into the WTC.    I surfed onto CNN just as the second plane hit and like everyone else was just rivetted to the coverage. .

Shortly thereafter I went downstairs to grab a coffee and noticed that the noisy and densely populated picket line in front of the building had vanished.    Later that morning we all got an e-mail from the Deputy Minister asking all to stay calm and do their duty as in these uncertain and troubled times it was even more essential to conduct the Nation's  business with the highest standards of the professionalism.  I am happy to say that Canada's civil servants, often maligned and criticised, rose to the occasion.  No more strike, no more snivelling, no more whining.  It was the first time in my 15 years of civil service that I had seen such unity of purpose and resolve,  and that is something all can be proud of.

 

[I_am_John_Galt]

I woke up to the radio announcer saying that "a plane has crashed into the World Trade Centre" (I am on the West Coast) and it didn't really register as I went straight into the shower.  I was in the shower when it hit me: "Did he just say a plane crashed INTO the WTC?"  Turned-on CNN and saw the rest of the ugly mess (g/f was crying for over an hour) ... it really was surreal.

A related thing that I thought kinda weird/freaky: went back to visit family and friends in T.O. that Christmas and a buddy oif mine's brother was back from NYC, too.  He told us that even THEN he hadn't seen video of the crashes, only the smoke at the actual time of the attacks: apparently the local cable was on relay from the dishes on the WTC tower and it hadn't been re-established (obviously a low priority) at his home or work ...

 

[Korus]

Tuesday morning, It was the second week of my first year of Uni. I got up, my parents had the TV on downstairs. I don't recall if I saw the second plane hit live, or if it was immediatley after, but it was sureal. Ate breakfast, and left a bit later than usual and as a result got stuck in the heavier traffic that always comes when I leave a 5 min late. Listend to the news on the radio all the way there, and walked to class, and told my buddy. He got his pilot's liscence through Cadets, and didn't beleive what I was telling him, thought I was just pulling his leg...

Got home in the early afternoon, and stayed glued to CNN.

 

[Acorn]

Got home from work (I was in a different time zone). As usual turned on the TV to BBC. At first I thought it was one of those "reality documentary" things (remember the nuke Atlanta one from a few years back?)

Called a friend/colleague (non-CDN with whom I worked closely) - "****, you won't believe it if I say it. Just turn your TV to BBC" and hung up.

Acorn

 

[Northern Touch]

Grade 11 Entrepreneurship class.  Someone called my teacher to tell him and he turned around to us and said "The pentagons been hit".  I just remember sitting there thinking "hit by what?", but no one really knew until kids form other classes with Tv's began telling us inbetween classes what really happened.

 

[sgt_mandal]

I was at home sick, I turned on the TV and all i saw on everychannel was the twin towers on fire. I didn't realize what I was watching for about 10 minutes. I thought it was some kind of joke.

 

[hiv]

I was in the recruiting centre in Toronto, signing my paper work to join the Reg Force.

The captain came in and told us that there had been terrorist strikes on the World Trade Center. There was a general sense of shock and I wasn't quite sure what I made of it. It wasn't until we broke for lunch and I went to a nearby mall that I realised the gravity of the situation; all the stores had radios and TVs going with huge crowds gathered around. Kind of a solemn moment in retrospect...

 

[Sheerin]

When the first plane hit I was in my first year chemistry lecture, I don't remember what we were talking about.
After the lecture finished I went back to my res room and hung out with my new friends, anyway, there was this stain on the carpet just outside one of our doors, and we joked around that it looked like a blood stain.  So we put down body outline using tape with a message saying that someone had died their during the wee hours of Sept. 11/2001.  Of course you should remember that at this point we hadn't heard yet.  Internet hadn't been hooked up in our rooms and no one had tv.
I only found out during my ANTH 100 lecture, the prof, Joe So, started his lecture with "Thank you all for coming, especially with the horrific events that have taken place in New York and Washington."  I had no idea what he was talking about.  I turned to the girl that was sitting next to me, and she told me.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Here is my response from a few months ago and a link to it so others can refer.
http://army.ca/forums/threads/16904.0.html

I was at work that day when I heard on the radio that a plane had hit the WTC. I went into the common room and turned on the TV. By the time the second plane hit there was myself,my partner and about 30 inmates in the room. Now any of you who have visited a jail know that its a noisy place but,just like time stood still, you could here a pin drop that day. I remember later slumping into my chair and telling my partner that we had just witnessed the start of WW111.
BRUCE

 

[ghazise]

I was, like the majority of my unit (15th MEU SOC) drunk and enjoying our last night of liberty in Darwin Australia.  Shore Patrol recalled all service members back to ship.  No one could imagined that terrorists flew planes into the twin towers but days later we saw the footage. Before long we were off the coast of Pakistan with the Carrier Battle Group, one night the ships company gathered on the signals deck and we watched about a dozen cruise missiles being launched from other ships into Afghanistan.  Soon after we conducted operations into Pakistan (Pasni, Jakobabad, Jalalabad), and Afghanistan (Camp Rhino, Kandahar). 

Never before had I felt such an urgency, sense of purpose in life, we knew what had to do.  Semper Fi