I was in my freshman English class at 8:00am on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. The class was supposed to go to 9:40am...but for some reason, we were released early. We were released at 8:45am.
My English class was on the south side of campus and my dorm was to the far north. I decided that morning to walk through our student union building to get back to my room. I don't remember my reason now. Maybe it was to check my mail. Maybe it was to pick up a little breakfast. I can't remember anymore. All I remember was walking into the building and noticing the flat screen TV behind the information desk.
There were only a few people around the desk. Not enough to cause alarm or even look out of the ordinary, but again, it wasn't the people that caught my attention. It was the TV.
I noticed a burning building on the screen and it looked oddly familiar to me. I had been in NYC in the spring of 2001 on a trip with my mom and we did the touristy things: saw Broadway shows, went to the empire state building. I bought two paintings while I was there: one of Times Square and the other of the NYC skyline, featuring the World Trade Towers. Those two paintings hung in my dorm room. From what I could see on the TV, one of the World Trade Towers was on fire.
It was 8:50am and the TV station was reporting that a plane had gone into the World Trade Center; an accident. I couldn't believe it. After watching for a few minutes, I left the student center thoroughly confused.
I got back to my dorm room at 9:00am and immediately turned on the TV in my room. The hallway was quite at that time...a few stirrings behind doors, but overall...quiet. Its not surprising given the time of day.
I switch on Good Morning America and quickly see the burning building in the skyline with Charlie Gibson's narration. I can't remember who he was talking to, but what happened next I will always remember.
A second plane went into the second World Trade Tower and this was no longer an accident.
After being stunned into not know what to do...I sit down at my computer and look at my instant messenger. My mom was online for some reason. So I sent her a message and she responded, saying she was working from home that morning. I quickly asked if she had seen the news?
No. What news? she typed back.
A plane just flew into the world trade center! I typed back.
Oh that's too bad she typed.
I didn't think she was getting it.
No mom. We're being attacked.
She turned on the news and then gave me a call. She hadn't understood me. She thought a sightseeing plane or something of the like had hit accidentally. She never imagined a jet purposely went in, let alone two.
She told me my dad was traveling, out on business, and that she hadn't heard from him...which scared me. He didn't have a cell phone, so tracking him down was extremely difficult. She didn't know for sure if he was in New York or not. (Note: we did find him and he and a coworker rented a car and drove home because the airports were shutdown).
She told me to be careful but she wasn't concerned for my safety because who would attack my little college town. She was honestly grateful I didn't pick a school in a big city.
I left my door open and people starting coming in, checking on me, talking about what had happened. My suite mate had a brother and uncle who worked in the financial district of NYC and hadn't heard from them. A girl across the hall from us had a father in the Pentagon. It seemed everyone was affected by this event and I became a rock.
As I watched everything unfold in front on me, including the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, I received another phone call. My roommate's mother was calling me trying to reach her daughter. She had no luck since she was in class, so she called our room. She let me know that Stefanie's father was OK. He was known to go into New York City for work from time to time and on this day, he didn't go.
I said I would pass the message on and when I saw my roommate shortly after 9:40am coming up the staircase to our room...I told her the news. She broke down...and I became her rock. She couldn't get through to her mom until later that evening due to the volume of calls trying to cross the country, but just knowing that I had spoken to her had helped Stef.
I didn't go to my 10:30am class. I don't even remember what it was, but I knew I needed to be with my friends in my dorm. By 2:00pm, the towers had fallen, the Pentagon fire was fairly contained and the news of the plane crash in Pennsylvania had come and gone. I had a 2:10pm acting class that I left to go to...and as we all gathered in our black box theatre, my facade cracked.
At that time, I still didn't know about my dad and his location. I was trying to be strong for all my friends back in my dorm and in the theatre department...and I finally broke.
....
Over the last ten years, I've relived where I was a few times, especially as each anniversary nears. It doesn't feel like ten years. Honestly, in some instances, it feels like it was just yesterday. I remember seeing the pictures the days following the attack and those images are still fresh in my memory today.
Where were you that day? Never forget 9/11/01
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