Where were you during 9/11? What has changed in 20 years?

I had started a new job the night before as a janitor at a middle school. Having worked until 3 a.m. I was surprised to be awoken at 10 am CST by the sound my roommates watching the aftermath of the events that had happened just hours earlier on the morning of Sept 11, 2001. I remember watching the news everyday for 2 weeks after that.

I was at home - my wife was dropping my daughter off at pre-school, and my wife's ex-husband called at about 8:50 and told me to tell my wife that he was fine.  I did not know what was happening at the time, so I thought he was having a good touchy-feely moment, so I told him hey, we're all good.  He then told me what happened and I flipped on the TV.  I saw the second plane come in and hit, and asked him what security told them to do.  He said to stay put, that they were safe.  I told him to get out now and take his staff.  He got out just as the building collapsed across the street.  

National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, MD . . . and the Pentagon.

I was on PCS leave from Ft Hood heading towards "Relaxin'" Jackson. I had just sat down to read the paper and my aunt called me and told me to turn on the TV.  I asked her what channel and she replied "It doesn't matter."

I worked for Lockheed Martin at the Submarine School...I was out 11 years.. but my son was on leave. Fireman Apprentice on thr USS Detroit. I fielded a Robo call that was sent to all military on leave an immediate recall from leave then a call from his Chief. I spent you phone tree in my son back home...the we drove all the around NYC to Naval Weps Station Earle to get him heloed to his ship on patrol outside New York harbor. Then they were off to Bahrain.... of course I had worked that morning and We were ordered off of Subase NLON.....  then it was locked down after the Pentagon got hit...

I was on the firing range durning basic training when this happened. We all thought that the platoon SGT was messing with us tring to get us to perform better on the range then when we got back to the barrarks the Platoon LT explained to us what happened.

Attending, and instructing, SOF Medical Sustainment Refresher Training on Ft Bragg, NC at the time... We were doing hands on practicals and everything stopped as 2 TV's were wheeled in... We initially thought it was a movie for dealing with urban MasCas until the second plane hit... All training was accelerated and everyone pushed to home bases as soon as possible (no flights)... Still seems so surreal just thinking about it...

After 5 years of Regular Army in the Signal Corps, I reenlisted into the Iowa Air National Guard as a medic.  I was still waiting for my tech school orders, but I had a civilian job.  I worked a midday shift at Qwest Communications and woke up after the attack but before the Towers fell.  I turned on the TV to catch the news just in time to see the South Tower fall.  My first thought as I watched the footage was this was Bin Laden, because I was familiar with his previous work.  I knew at some point in the future we would be going to war, I just didn't realize it would be in Iraq.

I was working at INSCOM HQ at the time (Fort Belvoir).  I was in the post office (Off post) and waiting in a fairly long line.  Shortly after I got there, someone from the back came out and told their coworkers that a plane had crashed into one of the WTC towers.  The news was fuzzy at the time and they thought it was a single-engine prop plane.  A little while later, I was still in line and the same person came out and said a second plane had hit the other tower. 

At that point, I knew it was a terrorist attack and I immediately proceeded to get to the Willard Hotel, which is right next to the White House.  My wife worked there at the time and she took public transportation so I wanted to get her out of D.C.  As I was driving the long way around to avoid traffic, I passed the Pentagon as it was hit.  It was the loudest explosion I have ever heard before and since.  I pulled over and called into work via a pay phone (Yes, we used pay phones back then) but the office was already aware.

I wasn't able to get to the Pentagon or to D.C. since everything was spiraling out of control so I called the office again and asked if they needed me to come in.  They didn't so I spent the rest of the day (I worked a mid shift) freaking out over the TV news... like pretty much everyone else.

On the 12th of September, I went to a gas station on my way to work to but some coffee.  While I was in line to pay, a woman approached me and asked "Are we going to get them?"  I told her yes.  We were going to get them.  And we did.

My Father was an E-9 scheduled to have a briefing at the Pentagon that morning but the meeting was pushed back.  I was in Springfield Maryland right outside of DC were my father was stationed at Coast Guard Head quarters.  I woke up to the sounds of ambulances and the phone ringing my aunt asked if I heard from my father.  The cell phones were down in the DC area all day.  Transportation was difficult everyone was trying to reach there loved ones.  This day is remembered in the civilian sector in regards to the twin towers but I have always focused on the remembrance of those lost at the Pentagon.  Some of my friends lost there mother and father at the Pentagon.  I am thankful that my father's meeting was delayed.  This event was one of many reasons I enlisted.