Where were you 17 years ago today?

When things happen, those that rise to the level of a world-changing event, people at the time deal with the immediate ramifications and do the best they can. It's only later that such events are forever captured in the pages of history books, and later generations marvel at how people were able to cope, to overcome. When we actually live through such an event it becomes a part of who we are. And it's why everyone remembers vividly what they were doing that fateful day.

Our world changed forever on September 11, 2001. We take mundane things like tight airport security for granted now, but it wasn't always that way. Just one example.

As most of you know I love history. I read it, study it, relish in it daily. We tend to not think of ourselves as being part of history. Well...that's because we are alive and plan to stay that way for a while longer! But 33 years from now, people will be remembering the 50th anniversary of "9/11." I plan on still being around to see it, but then there will be a 75th anniversary and at some point, it will be relegated to the pages of history.

"Remember The Alamo"
"Remember Pearl Harbor"
"Remember Nine Eleven"

So, where were you?

Sitting in Freshman level Spanish in Waco, TX.

I was in Calculus class (I think) in the micromanufacturing building. That was a crazy day.

I was in New Hampshire at a car dealer getting my car fixed right after I had put my Mom on a plane going from Manchester to Atlanta and then on to Shreveport. Scariest couple of hours of my life. Having flown from Atlanta to Manchester and back I knew the flight plan, and it goes right over NYC then to Philly and then down to Atlanta.

When she called me from the plane in Atlanta where she was grounded, I was almost hyperventilating. I tried to explain the situation, and she never could grasp it, until she got to my cousins in Suwanee, and then it hit her hard when she saw it on TV.

When I moved back to Atlanta the next month, the site was still smoking when I drove down the expressway.

Sitting in my office at Jamieson Wise & Martin - listening to Shreveport Sports Radio that actually reached past the Red River - while Tim Fletcher and Rebouche gave a blow by blow account of what was going on...

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin getting my things together. Was supposed to fly home @ 2PM. That was on a Tuesday. I finally left on a plane for Houston on Friday with plans of catching a bus home. Was able to catch a puddle jumper to Monroe that night. Never been so glad to be home.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dwayne From Minden

Sitting in my office at Jamieson Wise & Martin - listening to Shreveport Sports Radio that actually reached past the Red River - while Tim Fletcher and Rebouche gave a blow by blow account of what was going on...

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I was listening to the same broadcast. At the time my office was directly on the flight line for Barksdale. The most eerie thing ever was walking outside and seeing Air Force One about tree top level landing at the base.

I also have very vivid memories of where I was, what I was doing when the Challenger blew up in January, 1986.

As for 9/11...I was working for a small, specialty export company that refurbished older US military equipment, like the M60 Tank, M109 Self-propelled Howitzer, older Jeeps, yes ARMY JEEPS with the straight 6 and special manifolds, and sold them to US allies. Biggest customers were Egypt, Israel, Turkey (hmmm... not so sure about dem fellas anymore), New Zealand, and a few others.

I had just arrived at our office, about 7:30 AM that morning, 6 minutes after the first plane had struck. Everyone was in the break room watching the TV. Shock...that's probably the single biggest emotion at the time. Are we watching a movie? Is this really happening?

After a late work night, I was still home with all three kids wrestling in the bed with me. My Dad called and said I might want to turn on the TV...I turned it on just as the second plane hit.

In my office. A lady who worked for me came in and said her husband called to say a plane flew into the first tower. No mention of terrorism at that point. It was on a Tuesday, which happened to be the busiest day of the week for me, just like it is this year. In a few minutes, he called back to say the other tower had been hit. That's when I turned on the radio in my office and tried to get my work done thru all the news.

Had been married for a month and just started law school, saw it on the TV in the first floor of the law school building.

Heard about it on Fletcher's show right after dropping kids off to school.

I had a home office at the time, emailed in that I was taking the day off........and sat paralyzed on my couch watching the next 7 hours

It happened to be my 8 year wedding anniversary, took my wife to dinner at Outback because we didn't feel like dressing up anymore,

When GWB came on TV that night, you literally could have heard a pin drop in the restaurant.

Sitting at my desk in Monroe - trying to get updates through CNN.com on my cell phone - left office at lunch and came home and watched it unfold the rest of the day.

I was standing there in the bedroom getting ready to turn off CBS Morning show.

I was, what, 8:45 am or so? I saw the report and tape of the first plane. THEN they switched to another camera and showed crash #2.

The TV never got turned off that day.

We were homeschooled, and we went downstairs and my mom was watching TV. We never watched TV during the day.