Where we were

Date Submitted: 09/07/2011
Author Info: Michael (Los Angeles - USA) 
Occupation: Other
Lived in NY on 9.11.01?: No
Knew someone who perished?: No

My wife and I had just moved from Arizona to Utah. I was at home and she was out looking for work. She called me on my cellphone and said, “Are you watching TV?” “No”, I said. “Turn it on”, she replied. “What channel?” I asked. “Just turn it on. This is on every channel.” So I turned on the TV. It was an older TV, so it took a few seconds for it to warm up. When it did, I saw the World Trade Center Towers with smoke billowing out of them. My first reaction was that this must be a trailer for some new apocalyptic Hollywood movie that was soon to be released in theatres. But then I heard Tom Brokaw talking about it and saw the little NBC “peacock” logo at the bottom right corner of the screen. It was then that I realized, “Wait a minute. This is not a trailer for a movie. This is real. Something really, really bad is going on out in New York City.” At that time I did’nt have a DVD burner as I do today, but I did have a VCR hooked up to the TV, so I stuck in a tape, hit “record” and just let it record until the tape ran out. To this day, 10 years later, I still have that videotape (although I have since burned that footage to a DVD as a backup, and I also still have that DVD as well). When I found out what had happened and that the authorities believed that our nation had been attacked by terrorists and I heard of the horrific and unbelievable loss of life that took place on that day, and how some people were literally jumping out of the buildings to their death rather than be killed in the fires, it literally sickened me to my stomach-I actually became nauseous, thinking that so many people had died for nothing-just for going to work like normal and trying to support their families like the rest of us. Later that same night (9/11) my wife asked me, “Do you think we’re going to go to war?” I said, “Judy, I don’t think you understand. We are already AT war.” Which of course we were. People from my parents’ generation always say that they remember exactly where they were and what they were doing in November 1963 when they found out that President Kennedy had been assassinated, and of course, they do remember. In like manner, everyone throughout the world in my generation will remember exactly where they were when they learned of the events of September 11, 2001. These are events that will be a part of us and how we live our lives forever. Let none of us ever forget the people who died that day and especially the heroes who, thinking nothing of their own lives or safety, ran into the towers and the wreckage trying desperately to save as many lives as they could. Our hearts remain with them and their families at all times. Also let me just say that I love New York City and its people and my hato them for their courage, resiliency, and strength in how they dealt with this appalling tragedy.

Close

Site Design & Development
Robb Bennett @ Visual23

Site Design & Logo Design
Vince Pileggi

Managed By
Ali Imran Zaidi

Originally created in 2001 by
Robb Bennett and Ali Imran Zaidi.