I was in my office in Middletown, NJ. On clear days, we could see the towers from the parking garage and one side of the building. It was a clear day. My office didn't have windows. One of my staff members called me and told me to bring up CNN online. Others had gathered in meetings rooms where there were TVs. It was horrible, but I had to stop watching to be on a conference call. Another co-worker went out to the parking garage. She came down, poked her head into my office and said: "they are all gone, both towers, all gone". The call ended. We could smell the smoke for weeks. There are several memorials throughout the county, one section of a beam is in my town, there is another major memorial at Mount Mitchell Overlook, and another in Middletown.

I'm a world away in Illinois. I was getting ready to go bowl on the weekly league while watching Today when the screen went black. I switched to ABC and it was off too. When Today came back Katy and Matt were visibly shaken and reported a terrible accident with a plane in NYC. By the time I left the second plane had hit. I knew something horrible had happened but had no idea how bad it would be.

I was in a meeting when the office secretary came in and told us to come to the main lobby in order to watch the TV. I left shortly after but by the time I arrived at the guard gate, the second tower had been hit. That's when we know that our country was under attack.

A brother, returning from Europe, was grounded in Canada as was a nephew flying in to NYC from the west coast. Both ended up renting vehicles to drive to their homes near NYC. My other nephew worked at a Manhattan location of NYU but lived in Brooklyn. He had to walk home over the bridge.

Another brother, a Vietnam veteran, began having severe symptoms of PTSD for the first time in his life during this tragic time. He's the one we worry about the most.

On that bright and beautiful blue-sky day I was pushing my four-year-old granddaughter in her rope and plank swing that hangs from our dogwood tree. She had spent the previous night with me and we were having all the fun we could before my daughter arrived to pick her up. When we came inside, the death and destruction that we watched on the television turned that beautiful day into a nightmare.

I was in California getting ready for work. I had just come home after a red eye flight from MIchigan. My daughter was planning her wedding and we spent the weekend dress shopping. I had used Spirit Airlines which always had delays. It had been a busy weekend, I was both excited and exhausted. GMA was on the tv and I caught a glimps of the camera on the building as I walked by. I didn’t know what was happening, but I could tell by the panic in Charlie’s voice that it was serious. I called my husband into the room and together we watched in disbelief.

I later found out that the terrorists had used the same Spirit flight schedule / route as I had to prepare for their plans.

I was here, at the Kitchen Table, when someone (Ruthie G. I believe,) posted about it. It did not seem real, but it didn't take long to realize it was.

I was teaching science in a 7th grade classroom, and someone came to the door and whispered to me what had happened. I turned on the tv in the classroom, and we watched a little and I explained to the kids what was happening. ( I personally thought it would be the start of WWlll, in reference to pearl harbor and WWll, but I kept that to myself). Then the principal came around and said to turn off the tvs because parents were calling saying they were coming to get their kids and did not want them watching it. It was all handled poorly.

I was also in a science classroom when Kennedy was shot, but I was in 5th grade and did not know what "assassinate" meant. The teacher calmly explained to us all and then we went on with class.

I was jogging my route at Garden Of The Gods. A runner I'd never met, just seen on several occasions came up to me, looked up @ the sky and said "No planes". Then asked if I'd had a TV or radio on before I left the house. I said, "no. Then she explained.

I was eating breakfast in a hotel in Indiana on a road trip to Chicago to start college. We spent the entire rest of the trip with the radio on. I was 18 so I couldn't really grasp the enormity. I remember being puzzled why everyone freaked out about the towers collapsing as I naively assumed everyone would be out by then.

It was a mess once we got there as no one could fly in and a lot of the international students missed their first week.

I have never cried over 9/11. It's the strangest thing because I cry over everything, like other people's pets passing on and people being nice to each other. I think the scope of the tragedy is just too much for my emotional side to process. It's just sad and numb instead.

I was sitting in an elementary school classroom, reading a book about a pet goat, along with the schoolchildren. Someone came in and told me what had happened, but I felt it was important to calmly sit there and finish reading the book with the class, especially since at first it seemed that the goat was the bad guy in the story -- always getting in trouble for eating things -- but in the end (I hope I'm not ruining it) the goat ended up being the hero! I'm proud of myself for finishing the book, since it had some pretty big words. Someone might think that I should have got up and done something about what had happened, but really what could I have done? It not like I was the President of the United States or anything.

I was in Phoenix getting ready for work when hubby said, "Get in here, they are saying on TV a small aircraft hit the World Trade Center!" We were looking at the image and hubby said, "I've been on that building, no way was that a SMALL plane..." Moments later we watched the 2nd jet hit live. We both looked at each other and said, "Terrorists!"

I went to work, saw both towers fall on a grainy little TV, relaying the info to the whole office. Totally in shock. When a receptionist heard on the radio that there was an ALL STOP announcement, she asked what it was. My blood ran cold, hubby was in aviation and I knew the seriousness of that. All planes to
land within 2 hours or get shot out of the sky. Very serious day. All airports shut down for 3 days with just fighter planes flying over Phoenix. They knew where to hurt us.

I live far away on the western side of PA. My work shift was starting late that morning because someone else had a childcare problem and had traded some hours with me. I was on the interstate going to work, listening to NPR Morning Edition, as I always did. They broke into the middle of a story to begin reporting. Of course, initially, it was only the WTC. My mother always talked about remembering where she was and what she was doing when JFK was shot. I guess 9/11 will be that way for me.

I got up late that day to a bunch of messages on my answering machine. I turned on the TV just to see the second plane hit. My son in law called and we were terrorized in thinking the third plane would crash over us . Instead, it was in Shanksville ...brought down by those brave passengers. I watched TV night and days after...just in shock.

I was home and just happened to have the TV on. I couldn't believe it was happening.

DH and I were on vacation in Nova Scotia. Stopped at a tourist attraction gift shop. Upon entering the door, the woman working there asked if we were Americans, then nodded toward the radio sitting up on a shelf, and said "listen". At that time the broadcast was saying that a plane that seemed to be involved in the attack had crashed near Pittsburgh. We are from "near Pittsburgh" so we of course asked what it was all about. The shop keeper was very sympathetic toward us Americans.

Another thing I remember that weather-wise it was the most beautiful fall day imaginable... crystal clear with deep blue skies.

I was getting ready for bible study, doing my hair. Had to call my SIL. My brother is a pilot for United. That was his route that got hijacked. She had no idea why I wanted to know WHERE IS MY BROTHER, and HOW DO YOU KNOW.

I was teaching 6th grade in a suburb of Washington DC. School was dismissed early, but many parents picked up their kids early. Even before the Pentagon was struck, there was concern for safety in DC. Most staff and students had family members who worked in DC. It was a very anxious time. Families rushed to reunite at home. I was able to call family in NY on my cell phone. Luckily all were safe. My brother, a construction engineer who often had projects to oversee in NY, was not on a job. Many of his pals at the Port Authority lost their lives in collapse of the Towers which was hard for him. The next day he dispatched construction equipment to look for victims. He worked many days in the smoke filled air. Several years later, a tiny cancer on a kidney was discovered incidentally when he was having gastro issues. Lucky guy to find the cancer soon enough. I feel that the cancer was a result of breathing the noxious air.

On this day, I remember all those who died and suffered, but three people in particular. My friend who lost her husband at the Pentagon. He was there for a meeting. He left two teenage sons. My high school classmate who died in the collapse of the Towers. My friend's BIL who left 2 young children died in the Towers. His wife could not get out of bed for a year. All the survivors have moved ahead with their lives, but it has not been easy and some days are worse than others.

I was at work in a Government building. We had TVs in the hallway corners at that time. Someone came in and was talking about a building in NYC being hit by a plane so several of went out to watch. It was clear to some of us it looked like a terrorist attack, and then we saw the second plane fly into the second tower. Shocking and horrifying. We soon were evacuated and sent home, and of course found out the Pentagon had been hit and it was feared other buildings around the US might be targeted.

I went by my DD’s house before I went home, and we sat and cried while we watched the events being replayed.

Like Phyllis, I had just come to the Kitchen Table, and Ruthie G. posted that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. I immediately turned on the TV, and watched in horror as the second plane hit. What a horrible day for America.

I was in a jury duty pool, judge came to the room very shaken and advised us to go. I called hubs right away as he still worked in d/town Houston. Everybody seems so glum today, rainy weather doesn’t help.

Same as Phyllis, and Wanda: Came to the KT and read Ruthie G's post.

In actuality I was slated to show up for jury duty that morning, and was supposed to arrive at 9:00 A.M. Just as I parked I heard some brief confused mention of a plane hitting a building in NYC, and walked to the courthouse picturing a small sightseeing plane clipping a building with its wing.

The jury pool was 25 people, I was one of 12 randomly selected from that pool, and then the attorneys for each side got to ask questions and select 3 jurors to be dismissed from the panel. One of the questions that was asked was "Is there anything on your mind that might prevent you from paying attention to the case here today?" Which I thought was a strange question. The entire panel replied in the negative. Presumably based on some of my answers to their other questions, I was dismissed from the panel, and I left the courthouse and walked to my office.

I arrived there to find no one working, and everyone gathered around a computer trying to get the streaming news site or around an old TV, trying to fashion a good-enough antenna out of a coat hanger.

Husband was on a business trip and called me to tell me to turn the TV on. Just after I did, the second tower was hit. I couldn't process what I was watching and thought maybe I had inadvertently put it on a movie channel instead of the news and was watching some sort of disaster movie. So I changed the channel and, of course, same broadcast everywhere. It was surreal and devastating, especially when the extent of the attacks and the resulting loss of life became apparent. And the aftermath with people putting up all these "missing person" flyers everywhere, hoping against hope their loved one was still alive, just heartbreaking.

I had a 9am meeting I was getting ready for. I remember around 850am they turned on the TV and said a private plane crashed into the towers. We started our meeting but by 905am people came in and told us the other tower was hit.

Although I didn’t live in New York, the company I worked for had a small offfice in the towers. We lost everyone that day. Very heartbreaking.

I was in bed following neck surgery and DH came and said to turn on TV and we saw them hit the second tower. I will never forget!...these are the men and women who made the real sacrifice!

I had just dropped my kids off at school and I was on my way to my new job at a local University - it was my 2nd day.

I arrived and everyone was huddled around a tiny little B&W tv. I watched with these "strangers" for as long as I could. Before long I had a horrible migraine coming on, as all of the memories of the OKC Bombing came rushing back to me. I couldn't watch. I went to my desk and tried to work. We had students coming in right & left. My office was also the reception area for the counseling center.

They cancelled classes for the rest of the day, and closed the offices. I rushed to my kids' schools to bring them home. All I wanted to do was close out world and protect my babies.

I was having a cup of coffee with DH before leaving for work when the news of the "small" plane hit, but it wasn't long until it was obvious that it was actually a large commercial plane. We thought it was probably terrorism. I delayed heading to work and continued to watch and saw the second plane hit. DH was in the shower and all I remember is that one second I was on the couch in the den and the next I was throwing open the shower door telling him about the second plane and that it was definitely terrorism. He had patients and had to go to the offices but I stayed home glued to the TV as the news came in of the other planes and the towers fell. At some point in the afternoon, I saw my elderly neighbors sitting outside and went over to sit with them a while, not wanting to be alone.

DH was on midnight shift at the time. The kids had gone to school. We were getting ready to go out for breakfast when my best friend called and told us to turn on the tv.

I was in high school. I don't remember what class it was when the turned the news on. I remember my next class was Latin, and the teacher,who was a total jerk anyway,turned it off and expected us to concentrate like nothing was going on.

We never have the TV on in the morning, because we've always gotten up as late as possible to still have time to get ready to go to work. That morning, however, I wasn't feeling well, so I called in sick. Hubs also called in so he could stay home and take care of me. The phone rang and I answered it to hear my Hubs' youngest brother saying, "I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm ok." I thought, "what an odd thing to say," but what I said to him was, "Glad to hear it." He said, "Don't you know what happened?" and I replied that, no, we were still in bed because I was sick. So, he told me. He (career Army with very high security clearance) was in a meeting at the Pentagon. When the plane hit it, he was thrown across the room he was in, and got pretty banged up and bruised, but luckily didn't have any serious injuries. Hubs then turned on the TV in the bedroom.

For my parent's generation, it was Pearl Harbor. For decades for my generation, it was JFK being shot. Then 9/11. I just hope there will not be something else horrific for my grandchildren to remember..

I had the opportunity to sleep in that day and go to the office late and so was doing so. I turned on my bedroom TV about 9:00 while dressing, while everything was well in progress.

I think my kids (all now in their 30s) would say that the extreme events in their lives they'd reflect on would be the US's ham-fisted handling of its conduct in the world post-9/11 and the 2016 election and its aftermath. Sorry, it is what it is. So we're still in Iraq and Afghanistan 17 years after 9/11, longer than WW 1 and 2 combined? Maybe we've misread the situations and done the wrong things?

i was outside hanging clothes... such a beautiful day! i remember thinking that as i was hanging the laundry, "what a gorgeous sky this morning".

my girlfriend called me. she knew i rarely had the TV on and said, "go put the TV on. i was horrified like everyone else. my kids where in school and i just wanted to go get them and bring them home. they did get out early, 1/2 day.

if anyone has not been to the 911 Memorial & Museum along with the Memorial Fountains, please but that on your travel list. Its something everyone should experience. Sad beyond belief, but we felt we were honoring all those who perished. Just running your hands over their names at the fountains brings you to tears. You are encouraged to touch their names, I am welling up as i type.

I had just retired and moved to NJ. Sleeping a little later than usual, my phone rang. My now DIL's mother called and said, "Doesn't your son in law work at the World Trade Center?" I asked why and she said to turn on the TV. With our hearts pounding we turned on the TV to see a plane flying into the WTC. We thought it was a replay but we learned it was the second plane hitting the WTC in real time.. Our daughter was at work, but her inlaws called us in panic and then came over.

When we tried to reach Ken, we knew he had reached his office in 1 Financial because his answering machine was off. We were unable to reach him by cell as all cell service was down we were worried because he always walked through the WTC to get to his office as we would drop off mail as he went through.

It was a nail biter until we finally heard from him after 1PM - he was able to borrow a cell phone which was out of NYC - and managed to walk quite a distance to get a ride across to NJ and then take NJ transit back home. We picked him up from the train station and saw all the passengers getting off looking shell shocked.

Ken told us announcements were being made to stay in the office, but looking out of the window he saw things that convinced him to get out of there, but would never completely tell us what he saw. I assume it was pretty awful.. Since he had been through the earlier bombing of the WTC, he knew he could never work in NYC again.

I worked from home then and an employee called and said turn on the TV. I think I sat at that desk for the next two weeks crying. Finally, I had to turn if off.