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

I was brushing my teeth after doing morning physical fitness training and changing for work. My mother in law called to me saying, Sam, how or why would a airplane run into a building? I was thinking it was a little Cessna or something, she told me to come in the living room and I actually watched number two hit. So I was in Clarksville, TN about to report to Fort Campbell for work, I tried but never made it that day, the gates were locked down to us all.

I was at home on leave and in fact I had just signed out at mid-night the night before. I was on a Drill Sergeant assignment at the time so once I woke up and saw what was on TV (took me a few minutes to get myself mentally in gear) and then finally realized what was going on I just kept wondering when the phone was going to ring and I was going to get called in off of leave....but the call never came. After that going back to work as a Drill Sergeant and dealing with trainees changed dramatically and went to a totally new level of seriousness.

I did 8 year s in the Corps, and had been out since 15DEC97.  I was working for the US Postal Service as a window clerk when 9/11 happened.  We were one of the busiest Post Offices in a 3 state region, and I just remember as the day went on, how fewer and fewer people came in. by 2 or 3 in the afternoon, it was a ghost town.. and this was Heartland, Lincoln, NE.... 
 found out later that night that Pres. Bush had flown in to Omaha (SAC HQ, of the old "Looking Glass" era...)
 The recruiter's office passed on my offer to help, as I was already about a 250 pound fat 31 year old guy... bummer huh

I was a junior in high school.  I was in French class and the teacher turned on the TV after an announcement over the intercom.  It was one month before my 17th birthday.  Once I turned 17, I joined the Army (USAR at that time) and never looked back. 

I was a PFC at my first duty station. Fort Stewart, GA.   I had just got off duty the night before.

I was at Camp LeJeune in North Carolina. I was in physical therapy for my ankle. The landing leg from a water buffalo collapsed and crushed my inner ankle. 

I was my eight grade history class when the attacks happened. They put the entire school on lockdown.

Camp Humphreys, Korea<br>

I was at Camp Casey, Korea when the towers were attacked.  Soon after that I was in Iraq attached to 24th TRANS CO out of Fort Riley, KS serving as a PLL/TAMMS clerk.

I was on PCS leave from Fort Lewis to Fort Carson. I was stuck in the middle so I missed a bunch of the stuff that some of the old timers had to go through. I remember waking up and turning the TV on and only half way paying attention to what the news was saying. I then started to make a pot of coffee thinking that the TV was talking about some move that somebody had made. I soon realized that it was real and I sat down and watched it for about thirty minutes before I woke my wife up and told her what was happening. At first she did not believe it either. By the time I got to Fort Carson most of the dust had settled and the post had a new way of doing things.