ModelRailroadForums.com is a free Model Railroad Discussion Forum and photo gallery. We cover all scales and sizes of model railroads. Online since 2002, it's one of the oldest and largest model railroad forums on the web. Whether you're a master model railroader or just getting started, you'll find something of interest here.
Note: I know this isn't MR related, but perhaps there can be an exception
Oh yes, I remember quite well. I was off-work that day and on the sun deck having coffee when my wife screamed. I ran inside and saw her speechless, pointing to the television. There I saw the first tower with smoke pouring out; the newsman talking in disbelief and still not sure what happened. At first, I didn't understand what I was looking at and then, from the right of the screen, an object shaped like a plane quickly moved in and slammed into the other tower. I stood there in total shock, then the impact of it all began sinking in. My body became totally empty in feeling; my heart seemed to stop. My God, how could something like this happen.
Soon the skies above became totally silent from the ban on all flights, almost as if the world stood still in an offering of condolence to the tragedy of so many that perished before our eyes.
I was in 6th grade. Was only 7 days into the new school year. The radio was on before school started in the classroom, but I didn't understand any of it then. The class had gym in the morning so we never heard the rest of the radio, because it was off by time we got back to class. I assume the school decided (at least elementary) to go on with a normal day.
When I got home, I started running some of our old model trains on the kitchen table that I had setup a few days earlier. My cousin was in the other room watching TV. I went to go tell him something and he just pointed at the TV. And that's when I saw what happened.
I was a parts driver for the car dealership I work for and as I was getting my truck loaded I heard it on the radio and it wasn't until I got home that evening that I saw the planes.
As Rex said,I will never forget or forgive as well.
I still remember that day my mom woke me up telling me there was something I had to see on TV. So I came out to the living room and found out what was going on. I had the day off from some of my college classes that day anyway but I later heard they cancelled class for the rest of the day.
I was out in my train room listening to the radio & the announcer said, "if anyone is listening right now & you are close to a TV, you need to go & turn it on right now". So, I went in the house & turned on the TV. The 1st plane had already hit but not the other one. While I was standing there in front of the TV the other one hit. I was almost in tears. I knew right there that it was a terrorist attack. I spent the rest of the day watching TV. I was on my 1st retirement year & wasn't going any place.
The next day I remember that there were more photo's from the guys on the ground that were working in the city right below the twin towers.
I will never forget it & every year since I put up a sign on a post next to my driveway that says, "Where were you on 9-11-01". I also have a 3x5' foot flag waving in the breeze on the same post.
I took pics of the sign & the flag today & will post it on this thread later.
I remember it like it was yesterday. On my way to work, listening to the radio, there was a report of "a small plane" crashing into the World Trade Center. When I got to work, my boss had the TV on watching it. As several of us watched, trying to find out what had happened, the second plane hit. We knew then it was an attack. We watched as a reporter at the pentagon was reporting from inside and saw the building shake. We then watched in horror as the Twin Towers collapsed. Yes, I'll never forget that day. It's sad, but I think some have forgotten.
I was driving to work, and was ~ 5 minutes away from the office, listening to a radio news-only station. One of my favorite political commentators was due to come on, but they interrupted the show to report on what they thought was an accidental collision of a plane into one of the WTC towers. As soon as I got to my office, I tried going to cnn.com to get the full story - and the connection timed out. So I went and asked my group's secretary if she had heard anything (her PC "radio" was on). She said there was a 2nd plane that crashed into the other tower - and that's when I felt all the blood sinking from my head to my feet, and a sensation of non-reality. I saw people streaming into the conference room, where a large-screen TV was showing flames billowing out of the one tower still standing, the first one had collapsed. Then I watched in horror as the 2nd building began to crumble. The news anchorman exclaimed, "Watch this carefully folks - history is happening before our very eyes!"
Some time afterward I learned of the Pentagon attack, and that they were calling all the planes out of the skies. After that, the Lab was closed down for the rest of the day.
To me it still seems so unreal that it happened. That monday the 10th. Me and 2 buddies went into NYC to go speaker/radio shopping on canal street. on the way back we drove past the WTC to get to the west side highway. I was in the back seat of his ford probe. I just starred upwards at the tower we were next too and said to myself, "my god they just keep rising!" Now that night i was at the gf's and when I leave i take the long way, and from a bridge to my house you can see nyc's skyline crystal clear. The towers stood out like no other. At like 11am i get woken up by my mother telling me that we've been attacked and that the towers are gone. I was still kinda asleep and it took me awhile to register what she just said. It wasn't till I turned on the news that I saw what happened. I had to be at work at 12pm, it wasn't till I got there that they told me they were closing. The boss was just stunned, he apparently knew alot of people down there.
That afternoon and night it was a mess here in Northern NJ. All bridges into NYC closes, all tunnels closed. No trains into NYC. So traffic was backed up everywhere. You couldn't drive down to the hudson river waterfront at all. We did end up getting to hoboken and walk over to frank sinatra park where it was just amazing. No more towers, the empire state building blacked out in fear of another attack. People writing messages on the individual stone bricks on the ground, candles, people crying. It really was just incredible what had happened hours earlier and how nothing will be the same.
I was a consultant working in San Francisco as well as a reserve deputy sheriff. I was drinking my last cup of coffee before leaving for ameeting in the city, watching the market open on CNN. They cut away with a report of a small plane hitting the WTC. When I saw the video, I knew it wasn't a small plane. When the second plane hit, I knew we had a major attack on our hands. There were rumors flying everywhere of attacks on the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Golden Gate Bridge. My meeting was cancelled at the same time my pager strarted going off, calling in every off-duty deputy. No one knew the extent of the attacks or if there were other targets still be be attacked. Total chaos was an understatement. I spent the next four days doing everything from helping to check truck loads going across the Golden Gate Bridge to sitting out at a big dam in the middle of nowhere with an AR-15, waiting for the terrorists that were supposed to be showing up. There are very few things burned into my memory but 9/11 is one of the. God bless all the people who lost their lives that terrible day.
I remember seeing it on the morning news, and saw the plane crash into the second tower live. Quite a site to see, but I'm sure we all could have lived without it......
Honestly, it was my senior year of High School. Only a week or so in, and I was already lazy. My study hall hour, I was sleeping (never had any homework or study work anyways). My friend woke me up and told me, as the study hall supervisor had told everyone. I thought they were just trying to keep me awake. A few minutes later he told me again (and so on), by the time the supervisor came in and said "one of the trade center buildings has collapsed" I was awake... I walked into the neighboring library just as the 2nd tower fell.
The next 2 hours I had wood shop (was a student aid), they had it on the TV in the drafting lab, so I ended up eating an early lunch in my teacher's office.
What a day... Never forget it, ever, partially the reason I chose to serve.
On the morning of 9-11-01,I had been at work only a few minutes,and a fellow co-worker said something about a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. My thought,was,no way. But by days end I could not have believed it possible that there were people out there capable of such carnage. I too remember how quiet the sky was when all flights were ordered to land,and all flights were cancelled. Rex,I'm like you,when it comes to those responsible for the attacks, show those who carry out such attacks,and those who plan them,no mercy at all. I'll shall never forget either. william.
Alco, my deepest sympathy to you and your Aunt Barb's family. I was almost certain that someone here would have a direct loss due to 9/11. Let's hope your cousin is the one who gets to fire a rocket up Osama's butt.
I was headed to work that morning. I for some reason had the radio on and when I first herd it I thought it was a joke, I was thinking about the War of the Worlds being read over the radio and how people reacted and I was thinking that someone was playing a joke. However I kept listening all day and they kept talking about it. I got home and turned on the TV and finally got to see it but it was evening then and WTC 7 had collapsed as well.
I was working on the farm at that time. Since then I have been driving truck and one day I came into Jersey city I could see the area where it once stood. I think that's when it hit me most and that was just last year when I finally got to see the other buildings in that area.
On the day it happened I cried some but my reaction was like most, I wanted justice for those who died. I couldn't help recalling what was written on the bomb that the Enola Gay dropped on Japan. A present for the souls of the Indianapolis crew. I was thinking we should have just nuked Afghanistan and written something similar on the wepon sent there.
I was already at work that morning. Our day in Surgery started at 0530. Mine was 0630. I had been listening to the local NPR station, when it switched to a live broadcast from NY.
The OR Nursing Director came in and said that all elective surgeries were being canceled, and we could expect trauma cases evacuated to here from the plane crashes. We had been told to expect at least 100 that would need immediate treatment. We were later told that the alert had gone out to every major trauma center east of the Mississippi River.
For the rest of the day, we nurses spent the time watching the TV in the lounge of the disaster and rotating down to the ER to assist the surgeons with triage. We stayed on alert for almost 24hrs.
The expected casualties never arrived from the NE.
Most of the opinions in the OR for the next year until I retired, was to just locate 'em and then Nuke 'em.
What saddens me the most is that I saw people of all races and religions accross our country holding each other, helping each other, joining hands to bring us all together, and it lasted only for a short while. It would be nice if we could be like that again without such a great lose.
