I was sitting on a hillside in the wasatch mountains bowhunting for elk.  I had my cell phone in my backpack set on vibrate.  it started vibrating and I ignored it.  Then it started again.  I ignored it.  Then it started again and I started to get irriated.  Even vibrating those things are pretty loud and I don't need any help scaring elk.

After about the fifth cycle I finally dug it out and answered it.  It was my wife almost crying trying to explain what was going on.  I didn't totally believe her but when she said the planes were all grounded I knew it was true.  I looked overhead and there wasn't a plane in the sky.  Being at 10,000 feet I could see a long long ways and there weren't any planes.  I climbed that hill so fast I think I almost killed myself and drove home so fast over the bad roads I cracked my jeep frame.  Like the rest of you guys,  I'll never ever forget that.  

My alarm went off at 5am, turned the TV on the first tower was burning, a minute later the second tower got hit. Did'nt seem real!

I got up to take my children to school and heard the WTC attack on the radio.  AFter I dropped my children off to school, went to the gasoline station filled my tank, and to the bank to get money.  While I was out, the radio announced that the both towers had collapsed. $HIT! Went home and toke inventory of my hardware and ammo supply.

Was at work, my first day of starting day shift. I actually found out from here since I have this site up all day at work [:)]

I was on my way to a supplier in Canada.  I get across the boarder and all hell breaks loose.  One of the Canadians wives works at the Airport in Windsor and they are receiving aircraft.  Everyone was in bad shape.  It took me 8 hours to get back to the US.

I slept late that morning.got out of bed around 11:00. After I got my bearing I made a phone call to the company that handles my 401K in Boston, Mass. I told the lady what I wanted and she told my that the transaction would go thur as soon as the stock market re-opened.I was puzzled and asked her why the markets was closed and  she told me that to planes had hit the WTC and the Pentagon.
I set down on the couch in shock still holding the phone.The woman told me she was on her way to work and heard about the attacks from the radio.
I turned on to Fox News and set in disbelief for several hours.

My brother woke me up at 4:00 a.m. telling me that four airplanes was hijacked and something about the WTC being hit again.  All, I could say at that time.  "WTC again!?!"

Here in Australia it was a Tuesday evening, I had just got in from working late, as our Unit was preparing to deploy to the tropics for an Exerise. I just got back today!

I was watching the TV on the Nine Network, when a quick blerb cam over that an airplane had crashed into the WTC, so I called my wife, and we switched on the FoxTel (Aussie cable tv), and watched live on CNN or FoxNews (I dont remember) the 2nd jet hit. Live! Fuck! We were so shocked and like millions of others in disbelief. It did not look real, but it was.

We also watched Live, both buildings colapse. My heart sank as I knew I had just watched thousands od souls perish. Live! We all hoped that many would have survived, but they did not.

For the past few wks whilst in the field, we had to rely on SW radio. VOA, BBC, Radio Australia, etc, for the news, which we got quite regularly. At least we had some contact with the outside world.

Its good to be home. Just had a pizza and a spa. I managed to catch the last sortie out of the SWBTA on a C130J. A bewt aircraft! I had the last seat too, or I'd still be up there, sweating and being bitten by any six and eight legged creatures that exists up there.

Our country has committed 1000 troops for this new War. So our SAS will be in, as other SF and support units. We already have about 250 ADF pers attached on exchange with US and UK forces, and they will deploy with them as required.

For the rest of that 11-12 Sep night I stayed up going from SkyNews to BBC to CNNI to FoxNews and back.

So thats how it was for me.
1feral1
Sydney

We had just started work that morning, we were laying up a block foundation for a garage addition. The homeowner comes running out and says that the wtc had been hit by a jet. I thought about turning the radio on in the truck but i didn't. then he comes out again and says another one hit the other building. i didn't really believe him but i went and turned the radio on and they were saying that the pentagon had been hit. When i heard the pentagon had been hit i was shocked, i couldn't believe it. i thought they would have had the pentagon ready to be defended by all kinds of weapons. I was glued to the radio for the rest of the day. But i hadn't seen any of the coverage on tv yet so when i got home i watched fox news for the rest of the evening.
-bricklayer

I was in a NYPD sector car parked in front of 26 Federal Plaza (a few blocks away from the WTC) from 12 midnight - till 6:30AM 9/11/01. I left work early and went to Penn Station to catch the Long Island Rail Road Home. Little did I know that the majority of the faces I saw at Penn Station that morning would be involved in the WTC attack, and are now dead/missing.

I get off the commuter train hop in my car and turn on the radio not really paying attention to what was playing..."Funny, there sure are ALOT of commercials this morning. Where's the music?" I stop by my local Barber Shop to get a haircut and he has a TV going. That's when I see the second plane hit. Those commercials on the radio were news reports of the first plane hitting the WTC. My first thought was OH, My God! followed by Oh SHIT! I WAS JUST THERE!!!! Something inside me keeps telling me thank GOD I left work early that morning or else who knows what may have happened?

Now I know that the entire day tour in Manhattan South was responding forthwith to the scene as well as every other emergency service personnel that heard it come over their radios, so I knew it was being taken care of. I never thought the towers would come down, and when the first one started to fall I immediately started crying...OH MY GOD I know all my buddies on the day tour are there right now! That's when I rushed home showered, packed a bag with several days worth of clothes and my AR15 (OK. Maybe a bit paranoid but I wasn't taking any chances, those planes crashing wasn't an accident). I drove to my girlfriends house hugged her and kissed her and told her I was driving back to my Precinct in Manhattan. She begged me not to go but I rushed back in there as fast as my car would let me go. The actual devestation was surreal. Like being in a war movie except this was real life with real dead people. The dust, smoke and debris in the air made respirators a neccessity. Your eyes had to be flushed every couple of minutes. Everyone was trying to find survivors.

Firemen and cops came in from EVERYWHERE to help. Never in my life was I more proud to be one of NY's Finest. We all worked to the point of exhaustion and kept on going. That's where the idea for my signature came from...[size=6]"All Gave Some, Some Gave All"[/size=6]

I pray for all the families involved in this horrible incident. GOD bless us all.....

I was traveling on business to Ontario, CA having flown in the night before from Reagan National Airport.  I had just poured my first cup of coffee and was trying to wake up when I turned on the TV and happened upon ABC and Peter Jennings doing a show-and-tell of  the fire in the first tower.  I immediately called my wife and told her to quickly turn on the TV.  As she was doing so, I saw the second plane hit.  I can’t describe how stunned I was…I just can’t.  I remember yelling…but not exactly what I said…except it wasn’t fit for prime time.
As we watched and talked, we both quickly concluded we were under a serious and coordinated attack, so I told her to just quickly review the plans we used in the last war before I retired from the Navy, watch her six and take extra care for herself and the grandkids (They live with us.).
I then called my office in Crystal City, just about a mile from the Pentagon, told them what was happening and to get somebody to get the big TV from the AV center and turn it on.  As they did so, they told me that they heard and felt the plane hit the Pentagon.  Then they saw see the smoke from our 12th floor offices.
We went ahead with our meeting that day at the local Navy offices but the meetings scheduled for the next few days were cancelled and those of us from out of town spent the rest of the week desperately trying to get home.  I finally got a seat on a United commuter from Ontario to LAX and then on a 747 to Washington Dulles.  The only way I was able to scrounge a seat was by going directly to the Ontario airport and buying the seat from the ticket agent at the counter.  Really easy that Thursday afternoon since the airport was virtually closed down.  There were more cops there than passengers.
The flight to Dulles left LAX a couple of hours late…after boarding then deplaning…then watching the FBI and LAPD (They were all over the place!) grab and cuff two suspected terrorists that had been on the damn plane!  Then they searched the plane with the puppies and ground crew…and finally let us back onboard.  Really scary stuff.  The flight attendants were crying.  I asked the FBI guys if those two were really terrorists and they said that they wouldn’t have arrested them if they didn’t have enough evidence…at which point I thanked them for saving our lives.  The flight attendants later told me that the couple tried to breach the security system and got caught.
Yes, they did look like they were of Middle Eastern descent.
Crappy week…
We’re coming for you Osama…
[devil][rocket]

Out walking the dog around the block.  One of the neighbors that I go to church with told me.  It didn't seem real.  Almost still doesn't.  Here in NJ, I know dozens of people who were right there in Manhattan, several who were in the WTC earlier that day.  There's still unclaimed cars in some of the commuter train parking lots.

At work, finishing a shift of overtime, asleep (hey, it's the Fire Dept.). Heard the tv in the next room blaring and a bunch of guys yelling, not the usual early morning behaviour around the fire house.

Staggered into the next room to see what was happening. Saw a bunch of confused guys staring at the tv. Stared in disbelief at the tv as the first tower collapsed.

Called home immediately to talk to the wife and kids. They knew about it before me.

I still can't believe it.

I was in North Georgia visiting wife's family... we just got out of church and were having Chinese for lunch... TV in the restauraunt was already on CNN when they announced the Strike Back!

I seriously contemplated driving around Atlanta via Athens back to Augusta... Nahh... we just drove through really fast!

M.

Turned on Fox about 5:35 and they then switched to the first WTC building.  Early reports indicated a two engine plane hit the building.  At the time I was thinking a small two engine plane and someone either lost control or it was a heart attack.

Continued watching and the other "two engine" plane showed up.  Broad definition over what a two engine plane can be interpreted as.

When I Heard the roar of a Jet engine that sounded a little too close & looked up & saw the first plane slam into the building.I was standing on the corner of Peck Slip & FDR Drive in NYC.

Standing in my arms room...the best place too be.........

During a Service Rifle Match in NC.

Oh I forgot to mention, when I first saw the fire at the WTC, this event reminded of the movie Towering Inferno with Steve McQueen. But you know, this $hit wasn't a movie, it was the real McCoy. I don't know why those talking heads on the TV news don't compare the WTC attack to this movie, typical BS they always asked in the past, "is this life imitating art, or art imitating life" nonsense?