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

I was on the last day of my cycle-break while an SGL at Ft. Stewart's PLDC and had just poured my first cup of coffee when I turned on the tv to see the first reports of the first plane hitting...I was kinda like wow that must have been a really lost pilot, and then when the 2nd one hit I knew immediately that we were under attack and I just sat there in disbelief for a good hour and then also learning of the plane hitting the Pentagon I knew my world had changed. Life in and around 3rd ID changed immediately, roads blocked off, we even rotated students as guards at a checkpoint set up on the road into the Academy as we were 17 miles from main post. I just kept thinking about when and where I would be taking a tank into battle because I knew as soon as I could I was going to request going back to a line unit.

I was employed By Dalton Corporation in Warsaw, Indiana as a Maintenance Mechanic Journeyman in the Foundry. I was doing overtime Fabricating and welding Cylinder racks when I got a call over the radio to call my wife. That's when I learned. My father had been one of the Construction Electricians when the World Trade Center was built.

On 9/11, I was working overtime at Dalton Corporation, a Foundry in Warsaw, Indiana. I was fabricating and building cylinder racks to store our Hydraulic and Pneumatic Cylinders. My wife called me and left a message for me to call her. At my first break at approximately 0830, I called her from our break room. She told me the Twin Towers and the Pentagon Had been hit and a fourth or maybe fifth plane maybe involved and before I was done with the conversation, The first tower fell. This affected me personally because My father was an Electrician who worked in the construction of the World Trade Center.

I was stationed at Fort Drum, attached to HHC 4th BN 31st Infantry Regiment. At the time I was sitting in my supply room watching the newest reports about what was happening. I watched the second plane fly into the second of the World Trade Center buildings.

I was a SSG assigned to 58th MP CO in Hawaii.  I was getting ready for work that morning when it came on the news.  Shock, disbelief and just overall amazement that something like this could happen on US soil.

I was stationed at the Misawa Cryptologic Operations Center, Misawa AB Japan.  Over there it was late evening, and a typhoon was coming up the eastern coast of the island, with a lot of thunderstorms, lightning and heavy rain.  Not wanting to get any of my electronics fried, I shut it all down and went to bed.  Got a call from the unit (NOT a regular recall, so I didn't know the caller), asking me what I was doing. At 2 in the morning.  Told them I was asleep, and then they said the magic words "We are at THREATCON Delta," which of course brought me immediately wide awake.  I asked them to repeat that, and they did, told me the US had been attacked, and to come in to the unit ASAP.  I dressed and made it to the base from my off base house, and then was nearly turned around in trying to get to my unit because earlier in the evening the road to my unit was covered in water and the base security forces had closed that road.  Lucky for me it was opened again, and I arrived at my duty location around 3 am. We basically didn't do much of anything that day except watch tv and make sure the regular business of the day was completed.  The intel guys were chomping at the bit to do something, but since nothing would be in our AOR we were just sitting and waiting for the call.  Not too exciting, but being overseas when all this happened really brought it home for us.

I was stationed at ASTC Norfolk, VA and I had been in the US Navy for almost 5 years.
It happened between command physical training and getting ready for Tactical Fixed Wing Refresher Naval Aviation Water Survival Training (the old guys/gals remember it as RP1\R1) when the planes started to hit the towers.  We completed the training and as the student were getting ready to check out that is when the phone started to ring and the students were being recalled back to their commands.
After all the students had been dismissed we were called by the OIC and informed of the base situation.  The base was on lock-down to further notice.  Only essential personnel need to report to base.

I was sleeping. My dad woke me up and said the Twin Tower was hit with a plane. Idc I thought. My parents were making a big deal out of it. I woke up, half awake, sat down in the living room, listening to the anchors say a plane had hit the tower, but there was no confirmation. Right then the second plane hit. I had immediate goosebumps. My parents were hysterical. It's definitely a terrorist attack. 6 months later, I enlisted in the Army.