The Raptor

It's been 23 years. I was riding the lifecycle at the gym, talking to my friend Julyn. We were watching the first tower burning on TV, but we really didn't know what was going on. Then we saw the plane fly into the second tower and we instantly knew it was a terrorist attack. Julyn stopped riding and said "I've got to go home and be with my kids (twin baby boys). I called Anne Marie, woke her up, and said "Turn on the TV, we're under attack." My friend, John, at the gym said "I've lived most of my life in New York and I feel violated.' I replied "I've lived my whole life, other than the Air Force, in LA and I feel violated." We must never forget.

dlq04

My wife called me from work at the court house. She said a person came in and said "Its really terrible what's happening to your country!" I turned on the tv and watched the terrible day unfold.

boltonblue

I think most of us know exactly where we were and who we were with.
I'd go so far as saying it contains more memories than almost all days with the exception of my wedding.

zeroptzero

I remember every detail of that day like it was yesterday, I can't say that about other dates or events, even my marriage, lol.

I wonder if the yearly remembrance event at ground zero in NYC will be scaled back at some point in time, after so many years ?.

S2KRAY

We were staying at a beach hotel in Lewes. When. Tried to check out no one was at the front desk.I heard a tv in another room and when I walked in the entire staff was in there watching the tv. The first plane had already struck one tower. We stayed and watched the second plane hit the other tower. We left and on the way home another plane hit the Pentagon. On our way home we passed near the Dover Air base. Air Force personnel were scrambling everywhere. Never forget that horrible day.

Matt_in_VA

I was on a United 767 bound for Denver at Dulles Airport that morning. We never got off of the ground due to a problem with the rudder. I was able to upgrade to first class (using miles), so I was in seat 3D. The technician made several trips passed me on his way to the cockpit. The person sitting across the aisle from me called his office to have them call the people that he was meeting in Denver to tell them that our flight was delayed. A few minutes later his phone rang and he said: "Is tjhat so!" Then after he hung up he said out loud (too no one in particular) "Someone just flew a plane into the World Trade Center".

The person sitting in front of me, who looked Middle Eastern (dark complexion and short dark hair got very agitated, jumped up and went into his bag in the overhead and pulled out a small book. Which I later discovered is published by the Airline Tariff Publishing Company (at Dulles Airport KIAD). It is a master list of every airline flight in the U.S.. Minutes later the Captain came on the PA and instructed us to de-plane. The person sitting to my right asked me if I was a member of the Red Carpet Club, which I was not. Bob said to me why don't you come with me as my guest.

As we entered the club Bob walked up to the woman behind the reception desk and asked "Do we know what is going on? (meaning with our flight). She just burst into tears and ran off. Her co-worker stepped over and said: " We just found out that one of the planes was ours". She said that the TV was around the corner. CNN was showing the second plane hitting the WTC.. After several minutes they evacuated the airport. And I went home.

For years I wondered about the guy in front of me and why he got so agitated. Then at Spring Fling in 2009 in Cape May, NJ I was talking with Les (screen name MD Rocket) along with a few others and somehow the subject of 9-11 came up. I mentioned that I was on United flight 1235 that never got off of the ground due to a problem with the rudder. Les yelled to his Wife Vera "Matt was on Sherry's airplane!" She came running over to me and gave me a big HUG. Her bast friend was the purser on that flight. When the FBI went over the passenger manifest they identified four people on my plane. Her friend resigned from United after learning that we were on the fifth plane.

I have raad the 9-11 report and there is no mention of a fifth plane. However, two years ago a woman that I know at the American Legion Post that I frequent mentioned 9-11. Her husband is a U.S. Marshal that works at the jail in Alexandria, VA where Musari (spelling ?) was held. He confirmed that there was a fifth plane. I have also been told that Fox did a documentary that mentioned my flight.

MsPerky

I was in my office two blocks from the US Capitol. We saw a TV report about the first plane hitting and while we tried to make sense of that heard that another plane was headed for the Capitol building. Needless to say, we did not stick around long. I did not want to take the subway, so walked home, about four miles, in not very comfortable shoes. Streets were gridlocked and cell phones did not work due to network gridlock. I was walking by the Willard Hotel at 14th and Penn when I saw my cousin from AZ coming toward me on the sidewalk. Complete surprise. He was staying there so I went up to his room and called my parents on the room phone. When he and his wife had to go shelter in place in the basement, I kept walking.

When I got on Constitution Ave to go across the Roosevelt Bridge to Rosslyn, a German film crew interviewed me about what I thought happened. I told them I was waiting for a statement from the President about a potential terrorist attack. Kept walking. I crossed the bridge and to my left smoke was billowing from the Pentagon where another plane had hit. It was surreal. From my apt I could see smoke and flames and firefighters on the roof battling the blazes for a couple of days. After that I watched for a year while repairs were made to the building. They were determined to rebuild in one year and met the goal. Quite an accomplishment and one positive outcome to a tragic event in our history.

noodels

Dad phoned me RIP ,and said watch news the horror unfolded.............. late for work..
can here jets now for the next episode, God rest their souls.

MsPerky

I just looked out and saw the large American flag hanging down from the spot where the plane hit. There are large flags hanging on many of the buildings here in Rosslyn, including our condo building.

Heyitsgary

I had just arrived at my office and someone in the parking lot said a plane hit the WTC. "Like a small plane?", -- "No, a passenger jet". Got to me desk, internet horribly slow, went to break room where we all watched the TV as events unfolded.

My sister was going to Ohio that weekend was supposed to get some Chocolate Bread from the bakery in the concourse of the WTC for my cousin. She decided to go later in the day instead of the morning since the flight was the next day.

Her friend Gerard from the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) was a chef at Windows on the World. He normally worked the morning/daytime, but had shifted his schedule to the evening for a big party that was scheduled. My sister and Gerard's decisions probably saved their lives.

A friend of mine finally talked about it after a few years (and I haven't seen him in many more now). He was in the towers, went down, back to help a friend and got out. There were other friends and co-workers he never saw again.

My cousin worked downtown and left his building at some point during the morning. I think he walked over one of the bridges to get to Queens where he was able to get picked up and eventually home.

The Park and Ride stations in Mercer County NJ and even Bucks County PA that I would pass throughout normal driving in my area had some cars just sitting in the same spot for weeks.

As a teenager, I worked at my uncle's luncheonette at the corner of Church and Vesey streets during the summer. I regularly delivered food to the WTC, all the way up to the 100+ floors. Was always special to see "Bob/Amex 2-104 " on the ticket because you'd have a view for miles. Much better than "XYX Accounting 2-24-110" 2 was the building, 24/104 was the floor. If a company had the whole floor, there was a receptionist, if not, there were dozens or more small offices on a regular floor (-110). In the movie Trading Places, Murphy and Akroyd are walking across Church near St. Pauls Cathedral into then WTC 3 or 5. In the background, you can see my uncle's place.