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

I was assigned on an AC/RC assignment in California, had just finished my run and come inside to cool down for a sec before getting in the shower. TV was on and the wife was in shock. I didn't see the first hit except in replays, but was watching when the second one struck.

I was just getting into my homeroom class in the 10th grade...to be honest I didn't understand it then but it quickly got to me and my path was set towards the military.

I was at my full time civilian job when someone announced that a plane had hit one of the world trade center towers. Most of us thought a plane accidentally hit the tower, something innocent like that. Someone had turned on the TV in the conference room and came running out when a second plane had hit. 1's a coincidence, 2's a conspiracy went through my head as I headed for the conference room. We all sat in disbelief for the next 2 hours unable to grasp what we were seeing. That afternoon I received a "raging bull" call from my other office to assemble the "head shed". By the end of that night the unit leadership knew this was the No Sh!t, real deal as we started planning for anything and everything possible.

I was at my promotion board for SGT at Ft. Jackson. I was slightly distracted throughout the board.

I was getting a 7-11 Icy and asked the clerk, "what movie are you watching?" He replied, "this isn't a movie, it is live from NYC!" I said, " HOLY $%" and headed home. Next thing I new I was in Pre-MOBE Training at Ft. Sill on my way to OEF!!! I was looking forward to another AT trip to Germany!!!

I was 3 months away from graduating from Eastern Michigan University (SWOOP)!

I was in a hotel in Manila while on leave from Fort Gordon. I had the volume down on the TV, but I had CNN on. I saw the World Trade Center and the smoke when I initially looked at the screen, but I assumed it was old footage from the original WTC bombing. I didn't see the crawler or the planes or anything else that would have indicated it was anything different. I went a few more hours without knowing until I got a call from family asking me if I was alright. The biggest change was when I returned to the States. I went out on 8 September 2001, and got back on 22 September 2001. Going out there was almost no security at the airport, and anyone could have gone to the terminal, ticket or no. Coming back, I got off the plane from the Philippines and had to go through three checkpoints before I even got to the Customs desk. A lot changed in that week-and-a-half.

I was on Staff Duty in Alaska. I was called by a NCO asking if we had been put on Alert because of the Twin Towers. I asked him if he was joking. We were not allowed to have a TV on Staff Duty. He said no so we went and got one and turned it on. About 30 min later all hell broke loose with the phone calls and the lock downs.

Sept 11, I was on Det in Keflavik,Iceland.

I was stationed at Whiteman AFB, MO, which was my first base. I was a SrA and just getting off mid-shift and getting ready to take a nap when my roommates called me out to the living room. It was the first plane strike of the towers. Less than 30 seconds later I was being recalled back to work where I was there for another 12 hours launching jets. Made me feel so alive to know that we sent aircraft to blow the living daylights out of something.