Comment Highlights:
“I was right across the river in Hoboken working. We watched from the window as plane #2 struck. It felt like we were watching a surreal movie, especially when they started to fall. We were in a panicked shock as we watched.” -John Lauber
“In Los Angeles there is a constant hum from planes and helicopters. That night. Silence. Except the occasional military jet streaking across the sky. It was eerily silent for L.A. and everytime one of those jets did go by, I had to get up and watch more news…just in case.” -Matt Stigliano
“I visited ground zero on Oct 25th 2001. It was by far the most surreal experience of my life. The area was jammed with people, the carnage was unbelievable, signs for the missing were everywhere and it was as silent as a remote field in the country. Really, there are no words to articulate how I felt…’that’ type of emotion has no name…” -Jeff Corbett
“A day or two later, Kevin and I were on a roof, sort of in a daze, sort of doing an inspection. I said, “Do you hear that? It’s a plane.” We sat and listened to this solo plane crossing our airspace. Airspace – a new word to my everyday vocabulary.” -Vicki Moore
“As the horror unfolded throughout the day I kept thinking it couldn’t be real, how could this happen – in America?” -Jack Leblond
“Watching items fall from the sky only to be identifiied as live people jumping from the tops of those towers still haunts me to this day, and I’m glad it does, because as I said, I never want to forget- I won’t forget.” -Benn Rosales
“Now conspiracy theorists make me even sadder the way they somehow can’t accept that there is inexplicable evil that exists in the world – and that the simple, sad explanation is the real one.” -Randy
“People across the nation were scared they were next, it wasn’t just us- everyone could justify a reason as to why their city could be victimized next.” -Lani Anglin-Rosales
“Amazing how I can remember each moment of 9/11 with uncanny acuity. I just hope everyone who’s blessed to be an American will always remember.” -Antoinette Scognamiglio
“We live an hour outside of Washington, DC, a lot of parents work at the pentagon. That is when everyone started to freak out. We were not let out of school, they shut off all the computers and would only let us leave if our parents came and got us.” -Drew Fristoe
“I didn’t make it back to NYC until this last January. I had a friend that lived there and he met me at Ground Zero. It was very emotional. I was sad, and really pissed off. People were standing, staring at that hole in the ground and crying, right along with me.” -Jay Thompson
“Quite an odd feeling to be inundated with such joyous occasions and then awake to the world on fire.” -Austin Aaron
“Silence………..Everyone got up………..went home to their families.” -Missy Caulk
“I was at my first home inspection, about two months into my real estate career. My client was bored, so I pulled the television from the bedroom into the living room. I remember watching the Pentagon get hit and the planes flying into the towers – both were incomprehensible events.” -Jim Duncan
“People just wanted to get away from NY. I can’t tell you how many heart-wrenching accounts of 9/11 I heard driving people around showing homes. I had to pull over more than once because the emotions overcame my ability to navigate the car.” -Lisa Sanderson
“I think we stood in front of that tv for three hours; as the golfers came in off the course to make the ‘turn’ (between nines), none of them went back out to finish their round. They either stayed with us to watch or went directly home.” -Heather Elias
“Diane Sawyer had a camera on the first building as it was burning, and was trying her best to stay composed. As i sat there, watching with millions others, the second plane hit.” -Heather Rankin
“I recognized one guy immediately – the one on the Hawaii flight. I completely lost it at that point. Cant see the screen as i type this.” -Bob Wilson
“As a foreigner we look up to this country because of it’s safety and power and it made me realize how small and vulnerable we all are.” -Ines Hegedus-Garcia
“I stayed home with my kids that day and just cried.” -Jamie Geiger
“I called my Dad, who lived in Brooklyn & worked in building 6(?) of the trade center. OF course, I could not get through. All lines were down/busy from the flood of desperate friends and family members trying to find their loved ones.” -Mariana Wagner
“The only school day EVER where all we did all day was watch the news.” -Jason Sandquist
“I have remained a little on edge every day since it happened.” -Dan Connolly
Article originally published September 11, 2008.
