Where were you when the world stopped turning?

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Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?

Were you in the yard with your wife and children
Or working on some stage in L.A.?

Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke Risin’ against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor

Or did you just sit down and cry?

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I was on my way to a hotel in Chicago to hold a career fair. Hear about the first tower on the radio and didn’t think much of it. Small plane or something. Blinked and focused on driving in the Chicago traffic.

Once at the hotel and after setting up I notice a group of people huddled around a hotel TV. It was about that time when the second tower was hit and my first time seeing the first tower.
There were reports of the other hijack aircraft coming in also.

I remember thinking “we are at war”.

My daughter finally made it through to me on my cell for a brief “you ok” call. The career fair was fairly close to the Sears Tower.

I drove my rental car home the next day in a changed world.

The following day I was on the St Croix early in the morning. It was odd there were no planes, jets or vapor trails in the blue sky.

I remember saying to myself while looking at the green hills that surround the Croix…”Don’t ever take this for granted.”

Sitting in my office (Carver County Public Works, in the County Government Center) working and listening to the radio (KTIS 98.5FM) a Christian Radio Station. I remember they morning show Hosts Chuck Knapp & Jon Engen immediately turning to Prayer.

I turned it up for others to hear the reports. Later came the reports from the County Emergency Management office.

I will never forget that day!

I was at work and heard the towers were hit so headed for home because it was around noon anyway. On the way home I stopped at a convience store for gas and everyone there was talking about the towers and I was still getting bits and pieces of information. I got home and the wife had the television on live on ABC with Peter Jennings.

I watched as the towers burned and heard the various statements from everyone that was airing anything that the reporters was saying. Then I heard the news about the pentagon being hit and the airplne that crashed in that field.

I truely wish they would find out what accurately and really happened and the persons involved to serve justice. I’m not pointing the finger at anyone I just wish they would find them and step by step what happened so we can all know, but sadly it may be impossible. A very sad day for America forsure.

I was in Fulda, MN with Bret Clark and our boss at the time for a meeting. After the meeting ended we heard about a plane hitting the World Trade Center so headed across the street to a cafe for coffee and to see what was on the TV about it and then the second one hit. I’m thinking WTF, and like Brian said “we are at war”. Then we were supposed to head to Grand Rapids for a meeting the the next morning. I don’t remember what those meetings were for but at the time I didn’t think they were very important after that and just wanted to head back to La Crosse but the boss ruled and we were on our way north listening to all the reports throughout the day, towers collapsing, Pentagon hit, one plane crashing in a field. I remember praying silently for all the victims, rescuers and family’s. AS a volunteer firefighter and EMT for 28 yrs I remember feeling bad knowing that there were probably hundreds of Firefighters and Police who had to be in those towers doing rescue and fire suppression who never had a chance as well as all the people who worked in them.

It was a very somber dinner that night at the Sawmill with fellow employees and contractors and a quick meeting the next morning so we could finally head home to be with families and try to figure out where all the events of the previous day were going to take us.

Upon returning to La Crosse I remember feeling proud to an American seeing the patriotism that was suddenly taking effect and the country pulling together in that moment of crisis.

God Bless America and the victims and families of the 9/11 attack. Never Forget.

I was at the MSP airport on the airfield when the Air Traffic Control stared calling all planes to land. I did not realize what had happened untill returing to our office and watching it all unfold on the TV.

Every plane that was in the air were landed and stranded.

The Airport Police,Local sheiff Dept’s, MN Sate Troopers and FBI cleared the terminal building. The Natioal Guard had fully armed service men and women patoling the Airport.

As badged employees we were assigned different exit doors throughout the terminal to watch and guard against anyone trying to get on the airfield.

It was surreal to watch the fighter jets fully armed,takeoff and land on their patrols.

The Airport was turned into a fully operational military base.

Working at a machine shop in Glenwood, MN standing at a bearing press.
DT

i just moved from duluth to rochester and i was heading for my first day at work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFTLKWw542g&ob=av2e

I had injured my back at work so I was off that day. I had just dropped my son then 5 off at school when the one of the DJ’s at laser 103 said a plane had just flew into one of the towers of the World Trade Center, I thought nothing of it at first because these guys liked to joke around on the air but he came right back and said it was no joke that a passenger airliner had hit the tower. You could hear the terror in his voice. I was only a couple of blocks from home so I hurried the best I could and watched as the rest of it unfolded live on t.v. the second plane, the pentagon, the crash of flight 93 and the rescue attempts being made and then the falling of both towers. I was flooded with emotion, astonshiment, sadness and then anger. I too thought that maybe some one or country had brought war to our doorsteps. My cousin and here husband lived fairly close to there by a few blocks and he was one of the Doctors there to offer medical assistance, thank god they both were ok. I will never forget that day, how could anyone.

I agree with all of you in your feelings and emotions on the day and the following days I felt the same. The following was a post I had made about 10 years ago with some minor corrections.

“For me, I was in Altoona, Iowa heading up the team as the superintendent for the general contractor that was building the new Venbury Trail Fire Station.

I had purchased my currant pick-up truck on Labor Day that I still am driving and picked it up later the afternoon of 9-11-01, however that was another story.

I was hearing the radio on the way back from the dealership as the morning was unfolding! Later for lunch a bunch of us took a rather long lunch with other site workman and getting details in bits and pieces as the rest of the day went along. On 9-12-2001, the next morning, my Masonry foreman came to work and spoke to the electrical foreman and me to hoist an American flag on to the highest location of the new building that he had brought. What a great thought!!! We made the erection and changed the location once on the exterior till it had to come down.

Don’t fret! When the American Flag came down to seal up the roof we got together and planned a place to hang it. It was never moved during the balance of construction and I refused to remove it during inspections. There was not much of an argument after they knew the story. The American Flag still hung in the same place we left it the last time I was there a couple of months ago.

If you are ever at the Altoona, Venbury Trail Fire Station, look in the bays where the trucks are stored and look up to the middle of the bays inside. Hanging from the bar joist is where the United States Flag that flew over head in Altoona, IA in memory on the months after 9-11-2001!

What Pride!, we the construction crew, had in building that fire station after 911 I have yet to see on any other project. A tribute!

God Bless The United States of America!

Denny”

I was working at an airport on that horrific day. All that worked there were on heightened security and making double checking all equipment. It was (is) a small airport but it is the only airport in the area that could handle some of the bigger planes that might be flying over or the over flow from Memphis and Little Rock since planes were being forced to land. I’m also an EMT and seeing the images and hearing the reports of the hurt people and the search and rescue missions that were in progress played havoc on me. I so wanted to go help.

Working at my current job. I will never forget my boss walking into my office…he said: “a plane just hit one of the the twin towers”. We all huddled around a tv and watched the events unfold. After the 2nd tower fell, we were told to go home and be with ( and hug and love) our families and deal with important issues………

I work for good bosses…..very good.

T

I was fishing on Lake Minnetonka listening to KQRS. At noon met another friend at the Mist for Lunch. Watched a bunch of coverage there, didn’t get much more fishing in. I remember how eerily peaceful it was on the lake. No planes flying over head, very few other boats. everything about that day was different.

Working out in Chisago county when we heard it on the radio on KQ. We took break and headed for the closest TV. Rolled up tools and called it a day. I remember it was a beautiful day out as well. Never forget.

I and my 4 office mates were all huddled around the radio after the second plane hit. We all work inside the Protected Area (fenced) of the Quad City Nuclear Station. They told us at 14:00 to leave the site unless you were essential for reactor operations. They were putting up cement vehicle blocks as I drove out. The next morning there was a hummer with a TOW missile pointed at you as you drove in. That image will never leave me.

They say a lot of people have forgotten what that day was like, but here we live with that memory everyday. Our site looks like maximum security prison now.

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I and my 4 office mates were all huddled around the radio after the second plane hit. We all work inside the Protected Area (fenced) of the Quad City Nuclear Station. They told us at 14:00 to leave the site unless you were essential for reactor operations. They were putting up cement vehicle blocks as I drove out. The next morning there was a hummer with a TOW missile pointed at you as you drove in. That image will never leave me.

They say a lot of people have forgotten what that day was like, but here we live with that memory everyday. Our site looks like maximum security prison now.

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It was pretty much the same for me working at the oil refinery. Security was pretty tight after that.