Brownsville Herald

My husband and I were in Las Vegas on four-day business/fun trip. We’d left our children with our good neighbors across the street to babysit. We were awaken at about 5:30 a.m., and were told frantically to turn on the television. To our dismay, we could not believe what we were watching. We then saw, right before our very own eyes, the striking of the second airplane as it hit the second Twin Tower. I last remembered watching a group of firemen marching down the street into the smoky clouds, as they disappeared never to return again. We were stuck in Vegas for nine days. The airport was shut down, and my husband was grounded from traveling as per his company’s instructions. That day we walked down Vegas Strip, and it felt like a ghost town. Everyone stared at each other, not knowing who to trust or what to believe and yet ironically felt so very patriotic as every marquee on the Strip proudly displayed our American flag. Once we finally were able to board the airplane back home, we sat there quietly. It was dead silent, still in disbelief. As of today, we still owe our neighbors for taking such good care of our children!

I was driving to school listening to the Big Al & Charlie radio show when I heard of the attacks. Once I got there, the mood was somber and everyone was in shock. No classwork was given that day, as we listened to the radio and watched the news in select classes.

I was in my 8th grade English class when that happened. All we did was watch the news that day.

I was a freshman in high school when it happened and what I remember the most is how much my stomach turned when I saw the buildings begin to collapse on live television.

I was on vacation in San Diego. We had flown in to LA two days prior. We got a call bright and early that morning saying, “I know you vowed to NOT watch any news while you’re here but you HAVE to turn on the TV now!” My mate at the time was a reporter and he was taking a break. We sat and watched with the rest of the world as our lives became forever changed.

I was a 6th grader going into art class. I remember thinking of seeing a movie but then I saw it was live. I cried… now 10 years later I’m in EMS.

I had just graduated Navy boot camp and was training at my “A” school in Great Lakes, Ill. The base went into high alert/lockdown right after the planes hit. I quickly realized that my tour of duty had changed the second the first plane hit the tower. Sure enough, Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom followed not long after.

I was getting ready to go to school… it was my junior year in the university when I saw what happened on the TV and then the second plane hit the Twin Towers. Instead of going to school, I went straight to work which was at the Kansas City Airport Marriott to help out since they said all planes were making emergency landing. Seeing all the dismay happening was scary and unbelievable. That day I stayed at work from about 10 a.m. til midnight; the next day I went to class and explained to my professors why I wasn’t in class. The other thought that went through my mind was “God, please be with my brother because my brother at that time was in the Marines.” That day will never be forgotten…

I will always remember that dreadful day in September. That day the school librarian where I work called me over the see the breaking news on CNN. Teachers gathered to see the horrific pictures on TV. Teachers wept in disbelief of the events unfolding in New York. When I got home the news was that gas was going to skyrocket—the gas lines at HEB were long . People were panicking everywhere you went to buy gas. People were also going to church to pray for the people that were dying at the Twin Towers. I will always remember that day in September … God Bless America! 

I was at work when I heard all the noise coming from the patient waiting area. I went to see the problem and on the TV was the Twin Towers surrounded by smoke and fire! It was a horrible feeling just thinking of all the people that died in the seconds it took me to get up from my seat.

I was home right outside Chicago and decided to watch some TV and an image of NY was on the channel. Smoke was all over and the image of the second airplane crashing on the building. I thought it was a movie, then I turned the channel to watch something else but the same thing was on… for a second I thought “How weird, same movie is on both channels.” Then the person on TV sounded too real and it hit me! I was in shock—words cannot explain the emotional turmoil. I called my friend to let him know. He couldn’t believe it. And the rest of the day I kept watching the news and worried about what could happen here to in Chicago. I think the world after that day now suffers from post-traumatic stress.

On that day I was in the hospital with my daughter. She was five months at the time. She had been born two months early. I had a room on the hospital next to my daughter. I got up and turned on the TV at the exact time we had seen the second plane hit. I remember asking the nurse in the room (were) there two planes? It was a long day of disbelief . But when I saw the towers fall down I remember feeling stunned. Three thousand souls had all cried out at once. How could anyone not feel a part… their soul had cried out in pain as well. I remember feeling so very lost. Can’t even begin to understand the grief and pain of all the people of 9/11. All I can do is pray for them all.