“Where were you?”
That’s the question I’ve been asking a lot of folks around this area. It’s something I don’t think many can forget no matter how many years have passed by.
I remember I was leaving my geometry class in 9th grade and headed to Coach Jernigan’s history class when I first heard the news in the school hallway: America had been attacked.
It was surreal to me. The rest of the school day was spent watching news coverage, talking about what was going on and worrying about loved ones.
My father works on Eglin Air Force Base so he was in lock down the moment the plane hit the first World Trade Center tower. I was so worried about him and what would happen in the coming hours.
To escape the pain, I watched Pollyanna, which if you don’t know is one of the happiest movies in the world starring Haley Mills.
That night, my father made it home safe and my family went to church. I remember seeing the sanctuary full with everyone hugging each other, crying and praying. We all wanted to know how something like this could happen.
It’s strange to think that it’s been 10 years since that day. So much has happened to me yet I never will forget the moment I heard the news.
Neither will anyone else.
I’ve spoken with people from all walks of life and they each have their own Sept. 11, 2001 tale.
One woman was on her treadmill when Good Morning America was disrupted, a man I spoke with was overseas when he caught sight of the images at a TV store. Another says she still cries when she thinks about that day.
Do you remember? How could you not.
Welcome to the Real World 
Angel, I never respond to these “Where Were You?” things, because I think it’s a vain form of self-aggrandizement. I know where I was, and I will never forget it. But I will also always remember where I wasn’t, and that makes me humble.
When I think about contributing to such a discussion, I find that I would like to share “my story”, but then I don’t because who cares? But since this is your blog, and it’s just between strangers, I’ll join in.
I was in the Navy, living in San Diego. It was a three day weekend, which I had spent in San Francisco, with my best friend since fourth grade. I went up there to watch the San Francisco Grand Prix, a bicycle race (yes, I talked to Lance Armstrong!). I flew home, and my wife picked me up just before midnight on 10 September, 2001.
The next morning I had to go to work early to be a part of a Navy Chief Petty Officer indoctrination event. Navy CPO indoctrination is a big deal, and very secretive. As I was driving to work, just after 6 AM, I was parking in my usual place at Naval Air Station North Island, and Carl Kassel from NPR announced that a plane had just crashed into one of the Twin Towers. I thought that was very curious, but when I went into my building, I saw the news and everyone standing around the TVs. It was very surreal.