Where were you

jasmineh7777

Nates, I think our generation has a really interesting political/social perspective right now.
For example, the Presidents of my generation have been- Bush, Bush, Clinton, Clinton, Bush, Bush.

ricksang

I was on my home from a volunteer vet job. I was going to be a vet. I was shocked. I could not believe that people could hate Americans so much. I was a pretty firm liberal back then. That day changed my way of thinking.

NatesGirl16

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_were-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:289ef20c-b8d9-4cc2-86b3-929e21441332Post:d494eae8-e208-4acf-87c5-7fbb82721e5b">Re: Where were you</a>:
[QUOTE]Nates, I think our generation has a really interesting political/social perspective right now. For example, the Presidents of my generation have been- Bush, Bush, Clinton, Clinton, Bush, Bush.
Posted by jasmineh7777[/QUOTE]

And the differences in ideology and sociopolitical practices, as well.  Although, I guess a lot of people feel that way about their own generations.  But people in our age range really did live through many world-shaping events.

cupcakesfrosting

It didn't really change my life, other than friends and family going overseas. I hate it. A lot of my closest friends are still over there, and I'm so angry about it. I don't think we should have gone there in the first place.

I was getting ready for school (8th grade), and all of a sudden my Mom is screaming my name. I ran into her room, looked at the TV, and burst into tears. I was on a trip to New York the week before, and we should have been there still, but my Grandmother got sick, so we cut the trip short and went home. All I kept thinking was, "what if I was there?"

katiewhompus

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_were-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:289ef20c-b8d9-4cc2-86b3-929e21441332Post:d76c1cb1-90c5-441f-abf5-79765144896e">Re: Where were you</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: Where were you : And the differences in ideology and sociopolitical practices, as well.  Although, I guess a lot of people feel that way about their own generations.  But people in our age range really did live through many world-shaping events.
Posted by NatesGirl16[/QUOTE]

Especially if you add in all the medical/technological advances. It's hard to believe that so much has happened. When I talk to the high schoolers about not having a cell phone until college, or about how you went to the library to print things because not only did your home not have a computer, but your school didn't either.
 There was no powerpoint, blackberries, you hand wrote 20 page essays for school and had to look through encyclopedias for information.

When mom was growing up people still died regularly from diseases like the flu, tuberculosis, and I think small pox too.

JadziaDax

I was in my dorm room at college sleeping thru a class. I was up the night before talking with one of my close friends. He ran into my room, turned on the TV and said "we're under attack". I told him to leave me alone since I thought he was just trying to scare me to get me out of bed (I had a problem waking up for class).
It was scary since I wasn't able to reach my parents, grandmother or friends on the telephone. I was only living an hour away- I was in the Bronx and my parents were in Brooklyn- but it was scary not to be able to get in touch with everyone.

For about 2 years after, I was petrified to take the train. I was always anticipating another terrorist attack and would sometimes get panic attacks and have to exit the train and wait for another one. Passing the WTC stop on the train was also difficult since the station was closed down and it was a constant reminder. I think it took most people a while to start feeling even just a little bit safe traveling in the city.

playtntsbpg30

I was in 11th grade at Vo-tech, we just heard it on the radio as class was letting out, we a boarded the bus to go back to the high school and during the bus ride I confided in a friend that I understood what happened however I didn't have the slightest idea what the heck the towers were. He was in a Criminal Law class, so he was cool about explaining it to me. When we got back to the school they announced to keep the TVs off and go on with the school day as nothing happened.  I had Chem, and the teacher I had must have had family in NY, he was freaking out. There was a side room he kept going into, to call family. He had us watch CSI/but switch back to a news channel, he even had a student keep eye for any others coming by the classroom so we could switch the channel.

I didn't really get what happened at first and then once I got home and was able to watch more then clips of the news, I think it sunk in a bit more. I was terrified at that point. All I could think of was they were going to send my brother (in the AF) overseas. Along with all my other family members who are in the military. I was asking tons of questions and then I also had to explain a lot to my mother as she didn't understand even the slightest of what was going on. My brother was in Montana at the time and he called and was telling us that 3 mile island was under watch because of being attacked and Philly and all these other places that were possible targets around us. That got me even more scared and in the loop of what was going on.

They canceled the following high-school football game and had a special tribute night.  Then everything just started to go about as normal except not being able to say certain things, or ask. There was to be NO talk about it in school (this is a public high school in the city). If we had the tvs on in class and there was any broadcast about it, we were to change it. 

By Christmas it was just not forgotten but pretty much back to normal for the most part. But for me I don't think anything is back to normal.

I feel the only affected part by this was emotionally and the learning experience in a tragic way. I remember it like yesterday.

HobokensFury

I was in chem lab and someone told me to look out the window because the WTC was on fire.  Little did we know what was happening.  Over the next few hours I watched it happen right in front of my face.  I think being there that day was an experience unlike any I'll ever have again.

amylydia23

It was my freshman year of high school and I was in C period science.  My teacher told me to go get a tv and I asked him why and he told me just to do it.  While I was in the hall way my sister ran up to me and gave me a huge hug practically in tears and told me dad didn't go into the city today (we lived about an hour out of the city).  I had no idea what was going on until she started explaining.  I knew a lot of people who lost someone close to them.  I still have a hard time thinking about it.

It changed my life in that I would have never met my husband.  He would have never felt the need to join the Army and fight for this country if it wasn't for that day. 

amylydia23

I will also never forget my cousin's experience.  He went to school with the children of the pilot of one of the planes.  He said he will never get the sound out of his head of the grils screaming in the hallway when they were told.  It still gives me the chills.

I also just learned that my neighbor from back home worked in the WTC and was late to work that day because their daughter was sick and everyone had slept in from being up so late the night before.  He saw everything unravel in front of him while stuck in traffic.

sucrets4

I feel old, too.

It was my 2nd year teaching (middle school on Long Island...about an hour east of NY) and the 2nd week of school.  I was walking around on a free period and dropped something off in the office when I noticed the secretaries were talking quietly and I wondered what was up.

I went back to my office and a few minutes later a coworker came in and told me what happened.

From then on, the rest of the day was spent not know what the hell was going on.  We had to read a suuuuper general announcement to our 6th period classes "planes have hit 2 very large buildings in the city..." and there was something about everything being closed.

My heart broke as a 6th grade boy said to me "is my dad coming home tonight?"

All the teachers spent their free periods helping out the office because parents were coming up in droves to pick up their kids.  I stayed late to help make sure all the kids got home ok.

zippityb

It was my freshman year of college (you middle and high schoolers are making me feel old), and my roommate's mom called us to tell us about the first plane, and that if things went down that we were to go to the president of the university's house. (Her dad and the president were golf buddies, he came and helped us move in to the dorms, I thought he went to say hello to everyone, but, no, my roommate was just special) I had an 8:30 class that morning, so I went, and after I got out, we got word that classes were cancelled the rest of the day. I remember going back to the room and watching the news and crying.

We were afraid that something might happen in San Antonio because of the Airforce Base.

pickle915

I had  just turned 18 a couple of months before and was supposed to ship off to bootcamp on Sept 24th.  My dad woke me up and turned my TV on just before the second plane hit.  My mom calls me crying asking if I was still going to go to bootcamp.  I remember being scared but this was more of a reason for me to serve our country.  I never deployed during my enlistment but I did various other training exercises and operations helping other Marines get deployment ready.  9/11 definitely changed what would have been my experience in the military otherwise.

sweetviolet

I lived in So. Maine at the time and was driving to a meeting in So. NH that morning when it happened. We still had our meeting because we had people from all over New England and upstate New York already on the their way, but spent most of our time was spent watching the news and getting updates from home and from our home offices. My colleagues kept coming in with updates of bomb threats in various parts of upstate New York and western Massachussetts, and that downtown Portland was in a lockdown first (there was a crazy person waving a gun around in the middle of Monument Square, which was directly between my then-husband's office building and parking garage), then all non-essential personnel who worked in Portland were sent home for the rest of the day by the city because of the potential threat of an attack (Portland is an international port, with lots of oil tankers and such sailing in and out of the harbor on a daily basis). I also remember my boss being super pissed at our team (I worked in tech support for the mortgage department of a regional bank at the time) for not being responsible enough to stay at work for the rest of that day, despite the city-wide evacuation, because "what if some loan officer had called and needed help with an application they were taking with a customer?" (riiiiight....like there were a lot of people applying for mortgages in New England that day).

The day was very surreal, and it seemed like things in our part of the country went crazy that day.

On a positive note, though, our family was blessed that day by the arrival of my nephew, who was born at 8pm that night. So, while I won't ever forget the horrible things that occurred that day (and no disrespect whatsoever to anyone who lost loved ones or who was directly impacted by the attacks), I usually remember today as my nephew's birthday first, and September 11th second.

aprovencher21

I was in CHamber Singers and one teacher came rushing in that planes had been hijacked and something about the world trade towers.  We didn't catch the rest of what she said but turned on the TVs in the room and we watched as the second plane hit the towers.  I was 17.

I was terrified.  2 of my aunts and one of my uncles worked in the towers.  I was in a panic.  My baby sister was on a field trip with school there and one of the stops was at the trade towers.  I went to a boarding school so plenty of kids had parents or immediate family either at the Pentagon, or at the towers.  It was a nightmare.  I ran to my room to use my cell phone (we weren't allowed to have them) and started trying to call people.  Cell lines were blocked/busy, etc.  I couldn't get a hold of my parents or any family.  My little brother was on campus so I was able to run over to the middle school and get him.  It took hours before we new anything.

I was very lucky.  My sister was at Radio City Music hall.  Both of my aunts didn't go into the office that day and my uncle was on the first floor when it happened so he immediately went outside.

1/5 of my class lost someone in the attacks.  About 1/3 of the school was related to someone directly harmed or killed.  My school did studies on all effected because they had to call in counselors and other forms of assistance.  It really changed how I viewed the world forever.  I always felt safe and the concept of terrorism wasn't quite real.  After 9/11 all of that changed.

aprovencher21

Oh I was a senior in high school.  My parents managed to get over to my boarding school in PA that night and took me home to NJ.  Philly was on lock down....between the Naval ship yard there, the cops everywhere, the fighter jets always screaming over head and the helicopters patrolling it felt like something from a movie.  Just scarier.

Jelenny

I actually was at the SAE frat house with my boyfriend at the time.  I would crash there since he had a huge room and only one roommate.  His roomie was known for doing drugs and he came in saying we were bombed...and we were like "think you need to layoff and get some sleep."

He would not give it up and we heard other commontion in the hall so we weren't sure if it was the school, or what that "got bombed."  Well we ran into one of the other rooms and yep on TV there it was.  I was an Resident Assistant (don't worry I was the cool one my girls will tell ya so!) so I booked it to the dorms. 

It was a rough day...some had family that was traveling, others had family in the area - thankfully NO ONE on my floor was directly impacted, but it took a while to figure that out because they did shut down cell service for a bit so communication was not happening.

I don't think any of us will ever forget....

ConKFA319

I'm a late poster as usual, but I had to respond.

I can't believe it's been 9 years.

I was a senior in high school, in second period - painting. Around the middle of class, an announcement came over the PA that a plane had hit the first tower. At first everyone was thinking it was a terrible accident, and a tragedy, but when the second PA announcement came at the end of the period, the gravity of the event began to sink in.

We were all told to go to the gym - upperclassmen in the main gym, freshmen in the auxiliary gym - where there were TVs set up. Our principal came on and briefly informed us of what had happened. Then he fell silent mid-sentence and told us with a blank, stunned face that the first tower had fallen. My ex-boyfriend was sitting in the next set of bleachers, and he let out a scream that will stay with me forever. Both of his parents worked in the WTC - one in the North Tower, one in the South Tower. I hadn't spoken to him in almost 3 years but I couldn't help feeling like I should go over and hold him, and tell him everything would be ok. But I didn't. Because I couldn't make that promise.To this day I still regret not going over to him. (His parents were ok - if I remember correctly it was election day somewhere and the traffic in the Tunnel was outrageous that day. They were stuck in traffic, thank God).

We were on lockdown for the remainder of the day. CNN was on every TV in the school. Half the school left, despite the lockdown situation. Everyone was numb. I had to leave a few classes, as did several other students, because we just couldn't stand to watch the replays of the towers falling. All those people dying in front of us on a continuous loop.

The one thing I will remember the most about the days after 9/11 was the outpouring of good will in the NYC-Metropolitan area. Collections were taken up immediately to help fund the search efforts. Police officers and firefighters from states as far away as Virginia volunteered their own time to help look for survivors. Within hours, a makeshift memorial was set up at a scenic outlook that faced the city, complete with flowers, poems, drawings, and photos. People would go up there and re-light candles that other people had left, that because of rain or wind had gone out. A few people removed drawings and poems that were left on notebook paper and brought them back laminated. Complete strangers hugged and cried with one another. It was incredible. 

To answer the ETA, the world as I saw it definitely changed that day. The world that I knew prior to 9/11 was in a bubble. All the bad stuff that had gone before - Pearl Harbor, for instance - well, yeah, it happened, but it can't happen now - after the attacks, that ignorance was gone. In many ways, my childhood and that of so many of my friends ended that day. One of my best friends decided that day to join the Army. He joined right out of high school and has been deployed 3 times since. That day the world suddenly seemed like a threat. The United States that I lived in, the land of impenetrable security with the world's strongest military force, had a chink in its armor. And someone found it. It was inconceivable, mind-blowing, and absolutely life changing.

9/11 taught me many things. And I haven't forgotten them. Never will.