Memories Shared
Submitted by: Sarah Jenkins | Location: New York, NY | Date: September 11, 2001
I remember the sky was an impossible shade of blue that morning. I was walking toward the subway when the first plane hit. The silence that followed is something I will never forget.
Submitted by: Michael Chen | Location: San Francisco, CA | Connection: First Responder Family
My father was one of the many who went in when others were running out. This anniversary reminds me of the strength of the human spirit and the importance of never forgetting the faces of those who served.
Submitted by: Elena Rodriguez | Location: Shanksville, PA | Theme: Resilience
The unity we felt across the country in the days that followed was unlike anything I had ever experienced. We were all one people, sharing one giant, heavy heart. That feeling of collective resilience is what I carry with me today.
Submitted by: Mary Donaldson South Carolina Theme: Memories
I was at work and our secretary had a small TV in her office and I knew when the second plane hit it was terrorist attack! It was horrible!
submitted by: Dawn Carrington South Carolina
I was a paralegal, and my day had just started. I'd gone to get a cup of coffee in the kitchen, and someone ran in and said I had to come see this. Everyone from that office gathered in the conference room to watch a 27-inch TV. I remember horror filling my stomach to the point where I thought I was going to be sick. Watching the people trying to escape devastated me, and I stood next to my friend and cried. No one spoke or moved. We couldn't take our eyes off the screen, and I can't even tell you when we all stopped watching. I think it was a slow trickle out of the conference room where we all headed back to our desks to pretend like we were actually going to work. In reality, we spent the rest of the day in small clusters talking about why. And none of us had any answers.
submitted by: W. Ellen Silvers
A call from my Colorado friend woke us up. "Turn on the TV. Now." We watched in open-mouth-horror at the film of the first tower's collapse. Then we watced the second tower get hit by a jetliner. I will never forget the screaming as New Yorkers ran from the smoke and destruction.
Gosh, I remember that morning like it was yesterday – even though it feels like a lifetime ago. I was actually in the middle of shaving, totally zoning out, with the TV just humming away in the background. My wife, Connie, though, she was really tuned in. All of a sudden, she came rushing over to me, her face completely drained and just full of disbelief. Right then, I knew something awful had happened. She practically dragged me to the TV, needing me to see whatever it was she was seeing.
We just stood there, both of us speechless, as those horrifying images played out. The initial 'what's going on?' confusion quickly turned into this chilling realization that, wow, our country was actually under attack. It was such a profound and just gut-wrenching moment of shock and feeling totally vulnerable. The news was honestly beyond words. That whole day – the disbelief, the heartbreak, and then those following days of fear that eventually turned into a sense of unity – it’s all just permanently etched in my mind.
It's truly so important that we keep remembering and reflecting on that day and all the lives that were tragically lost.
submitted by: Frank Lastingeer
submitted by: Katrina Shealy South Carolina
The Day That Divided Life Into Before and After
September 11, 2001, started off like any other workday. I got up, got dressed, and drove to Harbison in Columbia, SC. Back then, I was still working my regular 8:30-to-5 job in the insurance world.
We hadn’t been at work long. I had just settled in with that first Diet Dr Pepper of the day when our finance manager, Kathleen, came back to our department and told us all to come to her office.
She had a small television.
We gathered around it, some of us planted on the floor. I don’t even remember exactly who was in the room that morning. What I remember is the feeling.
It was surreal.
We simply could not believe what we were seeing.
We sat there and cried as it unfolded right before our eyes. We watched the images from New York City, the crowds running through the streets, the smoke, the fear, and the devastation. We saw President George W. Bush being told what had happened, and slowly we began to understand that this wasn’t just a terrible accident or something happening far away.
Something had changed.
The rest of that day, we all wondered what would come next. How would America respond? Was this over, or was there more to come?
Air traffic, of course, was grounded. We had loved ones and fellow employees stranded across the country, and some were overseas with no idea when or how they would get home. With every news update, we braced ourselves for what we might hear next.
And then we watched the Twin Towers fall.
Even before we knew the numbers, we knew the loss of life would be devastating. We watched people running toward safety while firefighters, police officers, and other first responders were running toward danger. We saw victims that day, but we also saw heroes, ordinary people who did extraordinary things when they were needed most.
In the days that followed, we learned the names and stories of people we had never met. We grieved with families we didn’t know. We watched a nation stunned by tragedy come together in a way I had never witnessed before.
September 11 changed so much about America, but it also changed something in each of us who lived through it. We learned how quickly an ordinary morning could become a day we would remember for the rest of our lives. We learned that the things we take for granted, a normal workday, a plane arriving safely, a phone call from someone we love, are not really ordinary at all.
That morning, I drove to work thinking about the same things I thought about every other morning.
By the time I went home, the world felt different.
There was September 10, 2001.
And then there was everything that came after.
We had bought our son a car and I took it to get it tagged that day. I just drove it to work from the tag office and heard about the first tower on the news on the drive in. At first I thought it was an accident, like most people, I'm sure. Then, when I got to work and we turned the TV on, we were watching when the second plane hit. I almost threw up. My co-worker, a young man about 25 or so turned to me with huge eyes and said "This means we'll go to war, doesn't it?" All I could do was nod. We closed the shop and sent everyone home. We were all glued to the TV for hours, even days. The other thing I remember is how quiet it was. We lived in Wichita, KS at the time. Air Capital of the World. Huge Air Force Base, four aircraft plants, a big airport and several smaller ones. Cessnas, Boeings, BeechCrafts, Learjets, KC-135s, B-2 Bombers, F-18s - there was always a plane in the air, always something flying overhead. But not then. Nothing in the sky for days. It was eerie. We all knew life would never be the same.
submitted by: Cathey Rhamy
submitted by: Brenda thomas
I was a high school counselor, and I was working a routine day. Because our cable TV's were out (long story), none of us could see what was happening. Teachers and students stood in the counselors' waiting area while I relayed what my sister told me as she watched the tragedy unfold. It was surreal because there was no way we could see for ourselves, and we all felt so helpless. My thoughts were that we were in a military town, and I knew many of the students' military parents would be going to war. They knew it, too. I was frantic to talk to my son, a US Marine stationed at Twenty-Nine Palms, California. I knew without a doubt he would be leaving for war. That feeling of dread was overwhelming.
submitted by: cheryl sperandio
I was driving to work on what looked to be a beautiful summer day in Southern California. As I drove, I heard an announcement on the radio that one of the twin towers had fallen. I thought it must be a prank. By the time I arrived at work, however, I knew it wasn't a joke. We kept our radio on in the office and throughout the day we walked down to the cafeteria to see the news coverage on the television. It was difficult to concentrate that day. We were all in shock.
submitted by: cathy keaton
I keep an old folder filled with memorabilia that I pull out from time to time to reminisce. Among its contents are four newspaper clippings. Three contain articles about me, and one holds a full front page from September 11, 2001. Over my lifetime, I have lived through moments that forever marked history: the assassination of JFK, the moon landing, and the explosion of the Challenger. But 9/11 holds a distinct place in my memory.
That morning, I arrived early at our crisis and suicide hotline office to relieve our overnight volunteer and prepare for a busy day. Around 8:45 AM, our morning phone volunteers arrived, and I briefed them on the overnight calls. Suddenly, my office phone rang. It was Sally, frantically telling me to turn on the TV in the phone room because a plane had struck a building in New York City. She promised to call back once she reached our program director.
As another staff member walked in, I switched on the television. We stood there, trying to process the unbelievable image on the screen, just as the second plane struck the second tower. Though our team was professionally trained to navigate crises, nothing could have prepared us for this. After moments of stunned disbelief, tears filled the room as the horror unfolded. Then, a sudden realization hit us: the phones had gone completely silent. The nation, and the world, had fallen into collective shock.
We immediately called in additional volunteers to staff the phone lines. Meanwhile, our staff had been scheduled to attend Trident United Way’s second annual Day of Caring breakfast—an event where hundreds of volunteers were ready to go to local nonprofits to paint, organize, and landscape.
Gathered in grief and shock, the organizers asked if the event should be canceled. Instead of retreating, everyone made a remarkable choice. They chose to go out into the community and serve. That spirit of resilience established a tradition, and every year since, Trident United Way holds its annual Day of Caring on September 11 as a legacy of service.
My project that day was at the Medical University of South Carolina in downtown Charleston, where twelve nonprofit agencies were setting up informational tables and a free lunch. Very few people came out into the courtyard that morning, so we gathered to comfort one another and stay updated by phone.
We soon learned that all commercial air traffic had been grounded and that local military bases and ports, including the former Navy Base where our hotline was located, were placed under strict security. Guards were posted at every entrance for the first time in years, requiring us to coordinate security clearances and IDs for our incoming shift volunteers.
While our Charleston Hotline served the entire Tricounty area and partnered with global crisis networks, there was no formal coordination process. To assist New York City’s flooded crisis lines, temporary phone banks were set up outside the city and incoming calls were routed to centers around the country. I will never forget the emails from crisis centers in England, Ireland, Canada, and Israel offering their comfort and support.
The events of 9/11 fundamentally reshaped U.S. mental health policy. In the aftermath, suicide rates rose sharply among young adults, and individuals managing substance use disorders. Congress allocated funding to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to construct a unified national crisis network. On January 1, 2005, that initiative officially launched as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-TALK, now simplified to 988), linking 109 certified crisis centers nationwide to ensure no call for help would go unanswered.
Looking back at that newspaper from September 11, I am reminded that even in the darkest moments of national tragedy, human connection and community remain. That day redefined how we care for one another and created many heroes in our community and nation.
I was getting ready to host a play group for my young son in a suburb of Atlanta. The Today show was on in the background with Matt Lauer and Katie Couric. They were talking and then they cut to the information about the first plane. I was watching live as the second plane hit the tower - I recall the gasps of the news team and the beautiful blue sky. My husband was out of town and called me to head to the store and stock up on milk and diapers and get cash out. No one knew anything. We were all scared. I cancelled the play date and ran out. Some friends had no idea and I was the first to tell them. I remember calling my parents as they have friends in NYC. I remember being glued to the TV thinking this isn't good, watching the replays. I later found out that a High School friend worked in the tower and passed. My cousin's fraternity brother was in the tower and passed. I have watched many documentaries on the day and focus on the way all Americans came together to pray, help and donate. Thank you to the first responders!
submitted by: Suzanne Taylor
submitted by: Terry Roof South Carolina
I was at work that morning when someone mentioned that a plane had hit the Trade Center. At first, I assumed it was just a small plane and a tragic accident. But when we learned it was a commercial jet, a chilling sense of disbelief set in—it just didn't seem real.
Then came the news that a second plane had hit the other tower, and a heavy, uneasy fear took over. Nobody knew what was coming next, or where else might be targeted.
For days, we sat glued to the television, unable to look away from the unfolding horror. We watched the harrowing images of people trapped hundreds of floors up and those that chose to jump from the windows, the devastation of the flight that went down in Pennsylvania, and the heartbreaking stories of those lost. It was surreal and terrifying—a tragedy that shook us to our core and left us wondering how something like this could ever happen in America.
SUBMITTED BY: CHRIS MAIDEN
That evening, when the news brought up the thought of the many parents who never came to pick up their children from daycare and school, I completely lost all control. I had to go out in my backyard and into my shed to scream at God. My son was 3 at the time.
Every year I continue to ask God to allow me to forgive, but I am still not there yet .
It was a crazy day. It was my daughter’s 4th birthday, and we were also burying my father‑in‑law. We were at the cemetery on Long Island and you could see the ashes in the sky. My husband, a volunteer firefighter, had to leave to go into the city. All the roads were shut down, so all the family who came to the cemetery had trouble getting home. Truly a crazy day.
SUBMITTED BY: KIM CURTIS
Flags fly at half-staff in remembrance of the events of Tuesday, September 11, 2011. And rightly so. Most Americans, back then, believed that simultaneous terrorist attacks could never happen to the United States of America, but they did. I watched in horror, as did most of the nation, while the atrocities aired on national television.
The Twin Towers. The Pentagon. Shanksville, Pennsylvania. For over a decade, the coordinated acts of terror affected and altered the lives of millions of citizens. From those on the front lines to those who were inspired to go to the front lines, our nation’s citizens held the memory of that day as significant for my generation of Baby Boomers as the bombing of Pearl Harbor was for The Greatest Generation.
Where were you on 9-11? If you remember that day, then you have a story to tell. I remember that day well, and I’d like to share my story about that time.
My husband, Scott, and 10-year-old son, Will, and I were a USMC family living in the colonel’s quarters in Okinawa, Japan. Okinawa was and is a remarkable place. We were stationed there for five years, and I still consider it my second home.
On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, it had been one week since I had undergone gallbladder surgery, and I was trying to rest on the couch. It was about seven o’clock at night, but with the time difference, it was morning in New York City, and the Today Show was on television. Cameras panned the city’s beautiful skyline and captured a plane slowly circling the Twin Towers. I remember saying to Scott, “That plane is going to hit the building!”
Seconds later, Matt Louer made the same or similar comment. And then the plane hit one of the Twin Towers. We numbly watched—flames, smoke, and then the building collapsed in slow motion. Surely it was a movie stunt. It wasn’t really happening, yet we silently watched, horrified, terrified, and helpless.
A second plane hit the other tower.
Repeatedly, the television replayed the collisions. It shouldn’t have been real, but it was.
Then, the Pentagon was hit. We had friends and colleagues there—one died, and several were injured. Some friends’ children were in the child center there and the babies were corralled into cribs and pushed out and away from the building, saving them all.
The fourth plane would have hit a prime target in D.C., yet its passengers altered its course and saved countless lives by forfeiting their own; they were all heroes, sacrificing everything.
Nightmare isn’t a strong enough word to describe the day. It was hell.
Within the hour, Scott was called back to work. I think I only saw him once in three days, just to come home to shower and take back more uniforms. Our housing community was a fenced-in compound that became our fortress. Barbed wire was laid out, concrete barricades were added, the gate was locked, and two Humvees manned by Marines with machine guns guarded us. We were nestled there for three weeks before being given the go-ahead to leave the compound.
Military bases have threat condition levels: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and all clear. Alpha is the highest level. We stayed in Alpha for several months and then went to Bravo for the remainder of the next year.
During that time, the Japanese government went into its highest alert mode, closing many businesses and identifying and watching every Muslim as well as any suspected or known threat on the island. They didn’t play games. Neither did the Marines.
Typically, two Japanese gate guards were on duty at the compound for several days. We would bring dinners, coffee, and desserts to them and the Marines who guarded us. Other than MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), it was probably the only real food they got.
At the end of week three, Will and I were allowed to shop at the commissary for food and staples in preparation for a CAT 4 typhoon scheduled to hit the next day. Scott couldn’t help, so even though I wasn’t supposed to drive, Will put the items in the cart and unloaded them into our house. We didn’t see Scott until the storm was on top of us, and then immediately afterward, he went back to work because we were still in Threat Con Alpha.
Through it all, my family stateside called often. Would we be forced to leave? Would we not be allowed to go? Were we in danger? Frankly, we were more scared when North Korea fired missiles into the East China Sea or over Okinawa, and the Air Force from Kadena Air Base would scramble their jets.
During our time as a family in the Marine Corps, I’ve gone through four combat deployments, and there have always been casualties, physical, emotional, and psychological, in the short and long term. For me, 9-11 was like a combat deployment; only our family was together, and by God’s grace, we came out okay.
God bless the USA, our military troops, and their families serving worldwide.
Submitted by: Helen Aitken
I was at my desk in Long Island at the public library where I worked before I retired. My husband called and asked if I was hearing something about New York? Patrons and employees suddenly started talking about a plane crash. Then the staff turned on the TV for us to watch what was going on. It seemed surreal. It was a beautiful, clear day, and I had walked to work. When I went home for lunch that day, I couldn't help thinking how beautiful a day something so ugly as this could happen.
Submitted by: Debbie De Louise
9/11/2001. It’s hard to believe it has been 25 years. In some ways, it feels like it was yesterday.
In South Carolina, I had been taking care of my six-month-old nephew, Ryan. On 9/10/2001, we drove to the DC area to take him back to his parents, both attorneys at DOJ, which is also where my son was working.
On 9/11, we got up at the home of my sister and brother-in-law (and nephew) to head back to South Carolina. It was shortly after 8:00 a.m. when we left. As we entered a major thoroughfare, we noted an unusually large police presence, along with barricades being put up at entrance and exit ramps. We wondered why.
Within minutes, I got a call from back in SC about a plane hitting the tower in NYC. Was the pilot having a heart attack? Was he hallucinating? What was going on?
We drove past the Pentagon. More police presence. Maybe a VIP was visiting. We didn’t know what was going on. Then there was a second phone call. Another plane crashed into one of the towers in NYC.
The news kept getting worse. Obviously, we were under attack. We stopped at several exits along I-95, looking for American flags to put on the car and to hear updated reports. There was no good news.
After many hours, I heard from my sister and brother-in-law that they were okay, but I couldn’t reach my son. Not that day and not the next day either. As it turned out, he knew he was okay – but I didn’t. I was going crazy with worry.
Once we were back at home, I called my sister and asked that they leave DC and come back to South Carolina. They couldn’t. I said, “Okay, y’all can stay, but I’m coming to get Ryan."
Once flights were allowed to and from Reagan National Airport, I was on the very first flight out of Charleston to Reagan. My sister met me there and handed me Ryan and his “necessities.” I thought we’d have nothing to worry about, but the agents took his baby nail clippers. I guess they were seen as a potential weapon.
As a side note, when I boarded the plane to fly from Charleston to DC, there were very few people on the plane. I guess the flight attendant was trying to lighten the mood when he asked me to take a seat near the rear of the plane. Okay, I said, but why. He said there were so few people that he had to distribute the weight evenly. Thanks, man. So glad to be able to balance the plane.
As I look back, I am in awe of the many people who stood up to the hijackers, people who gave their lives to protect others. I am grateful to those people - Todd Beamer and others.
But I still wonder how there can be so much evil in the world.
May we never forget the heroes of 9/11, the people we lost on 9/11, the first responders of 9/11, and, while we’re at it, the 18 recently lost in Iran, and the many others who have given so much for the rest of us.
God Bless them All!
Submitted by Sherry Shealy Martschink
I was at my desk in Long Island at the public library where I worked before I retired. My husband called and asked if I was hearing something about New York? Patrons and employees suddenly started talking about a plane crash. Then the staff turned on the TV for us to watch what was going on. It seemed surreal. It was a beautiful, clear day, and I had walked to work. When I went home for lunch that day, I couldn't help thinking how beautiful a day something so ugly as this could happen.
Submitted by: Debbie De Louise