9/11 Memories

[scottsdad]

It is probably the defining "You knew where you were" moment of the century. So I thought I would start a thread where people could post just that, as we approach the 20th anniversary. Not stuff on the subsequent war (the Afghan thread covers that well enough). 

For me, I had just started my PhD. I was supposed to start in October 2001 but started a month early as I was a bit bored and my summer job finished early. I was at my desk working away. There were six of us sharing an office, though one girl was away at the synchrotron in Chicago at the time. The first thing I noticed was that the internet really slowed down. It was the same for everyone. This was in the days before high speed broadband and wi-fi (didn't exist then). The university had the best internet around and it was just tremendously slow. 

A lecturer popped his head in our office door and said that a plane had accidentally hit the World Trade Centre. I'll be honest, I knew the name of the building but not really knew much about it. The lecturer said he had a wee TV in his lab and the news was covering it. We all went along to see what was happening and there it was, a tower smoking away. 

My supervisor came in and watched as the second plane hit. That, for me, was the defining moment. It was no accident. But we had a problem - my second supervisor was visiting his girlfriend in Manhattan. 

Ian had a Japanese-American girlfriend, and his mum didn't know about her as she always wanted him to settle down with a nice Jewish girl. My supervisor tried phoning Ian but didn't get through. We were just watching the news, seeing people jumping out of the building (which they stopped showing soon afterwards). After an hour or so of trying and failing to get in touch with Ian, my supervisor took the plunge and phoned his mum. Must have been a shock for her, finding out that not only was her son not in Scotland but was at the centre of the news, and with a secret girlfriend.

The news just got worse and we really had no idea what was going on. Initial estimates of deaths for the WTC were about 30,000. This was revised downwards in the days that followed. Other planes were crashing and all the TV stations were covering just this thing. 

Eventually Ian answered the phone. He had slept through the entire thing and wondered why he had so many missed calls. Then the real bad news - his mum now knew about his girlfriend. It was a bit of light relief for us on a horrendous day. 

Air travel from the States was closed. Ian and the girl in Chicago were stranded in the US for about 3 weeks afterwards. 

[Rugster]

2 minutes ago, scottsdad said:

It is probably the defining "You knew where you were" moment of the century. So I thought I would start a thread where people could post just that, as we approach the 20th anniversary. Not stuff on the subsequent war (the Afghan thread covers that well enough). 

For me, I had just started my PhD. I was supposed to start in October 2001 but started a month early as I was a bit bored and my summer job finished early. I was at my desk working away. There were six of us sharing an office, though one girl was away at the synchrotron in Chicago at the time. The first thing I noticed was that the internet really slowed down. It was the same for everyone. This was in the days before high speed broadband and wi-fi (didn't exist then). The university had the best internet around and it was just tremendously slow. 

A lecturer popped his head in our office door and said that a plane had accidentally hit the World Trade Centre. I'll be honest, I knew the name of the building but not really knew much about it. The lecturer said he had a wee TV in his lab and the news was covering it. We all went along to see what was happening and there it was, a tower smoking away. 

My supervisor came in and watched as the second plane hit. That, for me, was the defining moment. It was no accident. But we had a problem - my second supervisor was visiting his girlfriend in Manhattan. 

Ian had a Japanese-American girlfriend, and his mum didn't know about her as she always wanted him to settle down with a nice Jewish girl. My supervisor tried phoning Ian but didn't get through. We were just watching the news, seeing people jumping out of the building (which they stopped showing soon afterwards). After an hour or so of trying and failing to get in touch with Ian, my supervisor took the plunge and phoned his mum. Must have been a shock for her, finding out that not only was her son not in Scotland but was at the centre of the news, and with a secret girlfriend.

The news just got worse and we really had no idea what was going on. Initial estimates of deaths for the WTC were about 30,000. This was revised downwards in the days that followed. Other planes were crashing and all the TV stations were covering just this thing. 

Eventually Ian answered the phone. He had slept through the entire thing and wondered why he had so many missed calls. Then the real bad news - his mum now knew about his girlfriend. It was a bit of light relief for us on a horrendous day. 

Air travel from the States was closed. Ian and the girl in Chicago were stranded in the US for about 3 weeks afterwards. 

Can’t believe you’ve  got a phd. You’ve never once mentioned it on here!

[Sergeant Wilson]

[thistledo]

I was still in school, remember another teacher came into the class and left with our teacher. Was odd the way it happened, so speculation mounted and then she returned to dramatically announce a plane crashed into the world trade centre in New York. 

Any learning seemed to stop, everyone piled round TV's that could get terrestrial channels. No one had smart phones or anything. 

I had football training later, loads of people didn't turn up. 

[Sergeant Wilson]

I was working for Her Majesty's Government...in her call centre, which got a bit busy. I had to take over a few calls that got a bit emotional from people looking for news of relatives in the buildings.

[101]

f**k all, although my dad was working away and told my mum to turn the TV on as the news of some mad Suadis flying into a skyscraper hadn't reached us in Lerwick yet.

 

[anotherchance]

Happened on the Tuesday before the Saturday I left home for uni.

It came on in the background after Neighbours finished, wasn't really paying attention and assumed it was a light aircraft that made an arse of it.

Evidently not.

[Tight minge]

I was in a meeting in Birmingham when someone put their head around the door to say a plane had flown into the twin towers. Everyone just shrugged and we got on with the meeting. 

Straight after the meeting I was driving down to London for a defence exhibition at the docklands then meant to be flying home from London city airport. It was only in the car, listening to the radio,did I realise the extent of things. 

The exhibition was obviously cancelled for security reasons and I drove to our HQ in East Sussex instead and had a decent evening getting pissed with no work the next day.

The company put a blanket no fly on everyone and I had to kick my heels another day before being allowed to fly home from Bristol.

We had UK staff stuck in the US for weeks after.

Being involved in the defence industry at the time, the next few years were very interesting. 

 

 

[Michael W]

I was in first year at High School. Knew absolutely nothing of it until after school when I was told. Thought little of it since the key piece of information (the towers have fallen down) was not shared and I just assumed someone had crashed a cesena or similar. Then I switched on the news and realised what had really happened. 

[Melanius Mullarkey]

I was in a school speaking to a bunch of primary kids who were showing me how to spell when someone whispered the news in my ear. 

[welshbairn]

26 minutes ago, Sergeant Wilson said:

I was working for Her Majesty's Government...in her call centre, which got a bit busy. I had to take over a few calls that got a bit emotional from people looking for news of relatives in the buildings.

I hope your unique bereavement therapy method was appreciated.

[The Minertaur]

5 minutes ago, Michael W said:

I was in first year at High School. Knew absolutely nothing of it until after school when I was told. Thought little of it since the key piece of information (the towers have fallen down) was not shared and I just assumed someone had crashed a cesena or similar. Then I switched on the news and realised what had really happened. 

First year of High School for me as well.  I remember coming home and my Mum sitting in silence just staring at Sky News (or whatever channel she had on).   I watched for about 2 minutes and then went to play Playstation.

Kind of glad that I was young and didn't really appreciate the magnitude of what happened.  I visited the 9/11 museum in New York a couple of years ago and it's the most depressing place.  A must visit though.

[hk blues]

1 minute ago, welshbairn said:

I hope your unique bereavement therapy method was appreciated.

Can just imagine it -

Sarge - "Information is a bit unclear at the moment, best to assume your husband is deid and you might get a nice wee surprise later.  Cheerybye now."

[Sergeant Wilson]

8 minutes ago, Melanius Mullarkey said:

I was in a school speaking to a bunch of primary kids until the janitor chased me. 

FTFY

[Gaz]

I was working in Burger King at the time. I had been in since 8am. I had my break about 11am and came back to work. From about 1pm folk started coming in and asking if we'd heard of what was happening in the USA. At that time there was a lot of confusion and people were telling us that the White House and the Statue of Liberty had been bombed. Then as it went on people started telling us what had happened. I got my second break at the back of two and went over the street to Dixons and gathered round the TVs in the window with loads of other folk just watching what had happened. The town got quieter and quieter and so I was asked if I wanted to go home once I got back my break at about 2:45. Went home and just sat transfixed watching it on the telly. Very much my generation's "Kennedy Moment".

[DukDukGoose]

I was in school. Didn't see any video or photos, just some people talking about it. Nothing changed at all. Day went on as usual.

Folk were calling it "the twin towers". I assumed Wembley had been hit.

[coprolite]

Was in the kitchen of my shared flat watching the TUC conference on telly, in my pants, drinking tea and smoking. Had to go to work (posers bar kitchen) that evening and although everyone was talking about it it wasn’t obviously a game changer at that point. It was more “did you see it, it looked like a film”.

[mozam76]

I worked in New Register House in Edinburgh, which is the home of Scotland's birth records etc. It's a public building where people go to research their family tree. As such, it's quite the tourist attraction, especially Americans. 

One of the waiting rooms had a TV in it and it was put on and, as the gravity of the situation became clear, the room filled up with Americans of all ages watching in various degrees of horror. Younger folk in tears, older folk a bit more stoic. 

[Hillonearth]

As I was coming back from lunch, my work phone was ringing - it was a mate telling me a plane had crashed into one of them. I'd been in New York the previous year and had toyed with the idea of doing one of those light plane/helicopter trips round Manhattan, so I subconsciously thought it was an accident involving some wee Cessna job and didn't think much of it.

Same guy phoned me back 15 minutes later and said another one had crashed into the other tower.

"See when you say "plane" - do you mean wee light planes?"

"No, airliners..."

I told the rest of my section and we downed tools for the afternoon and sat round a radio somebody had in.

Weirdest thing is that when I recall it, I remember it as being in the morning our time rather than lunchtime - probably just seen the timings written down so many times that I've convinced myself that's when it happened our time.

Found out after the fact that a colleague of a mate of mine who was working in the embassy in DC at the time had actually seen the plane crash into the Pentagon while driving into work that morning.

 

Edited September 1, 2021 by Hillonearth

[D Angelo Barksdale]

In the FBI New York field office ignoring phone calls.