Book Nook provides readers with insights into the world of books. Vick Mickunas takes you into the center of the publishing world with the latest book buzz, book reviews, and exclusive chats with authors..Home > Blogs > Book Nook > Archives > 2008 > September > 11 > Entry
what were you doing on 9/11?
I remember the morning of September, 11, 2001 as if it happened yesterday. It was a glorious Tuesday morning. There was a slight crispness in the air but it was warm and sunny with brilliant blue skies. A gorgeous day until…
We were in our Tuesday morning staff meeting at WYSO Public Radio in Yellow Springs when we heard the news; a plane had reportedly crashed into one of the towers at the World Trade Center in New York.
Our station manager actually tried to go on with the meeting. Our news director objected. We tuned in on television right before the second plane hit the other tower.
Those moments are seared into my memory. I remember everything that happened that day in minute detail. I was wearing my Charo t-shirt. Our world would never be the same.
One of the most powerful accounts that I have heard of what happened on that day was given by a man who was inside one of the towers. He ran down many flights of stairs and managed to escape. He was at the WTC for a meeting. After he got out he drove all the way home to Pennsylvania without stopping until he arrived at his church.
His account was one of many stories recounted by real Americans in the book LISTENING IS AN ACT OF LOVE - A Celebration of American Life from the StoryCorps Project (2007).
9/11 was one of those moments that most of us will never forget…like when he heard that President John F. Kennedy had been shot…like when we heard about the first space shuttle disaster……
Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when you first heard about the tragedy of 9/11?
Vick Mickunas
Permalink | Comments (4) | Post your comment | Categories: we remember
Comments
By Martha
September 14, 2008 2:57 PM | Link to this
I was excited about starting a new job the following day when a friend called and told me to turn on the television. I was horrified yet transfixed on those awful images shown over and over, hungry for more information. I have family and friends in NYC so I was trying desperately to get through to them on the jammed phone lines. Once everyone was accounted for, it was just shock and numbness. The next day I started this wonderful new job, only to open the paper to find that Charles Falkenberg ( best man at my wedding and good family friend) and his wife and 2 young children were on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. Every year on 9/11 my heart aches for his parents (and hers) who lost their only living son and their only grandchildren. Needless to say, I didn’t finish out that first day. I just lost it, it became hugely personal. I fantasized about Osama Bin Laden walking the gauntlet down the streets of Manhattan.By Alice
September 11, 2008 11:41 PM | Link to this
I was at home with my baby daughter. I had just gotten out of the shower and turned on the TV. I stood there in my robe, holding her, feeling like the whole world was coming to an end.By Lea
September 11, 2008 2:44 PM | Link to this
I was working as a receptionist in a small business in Xenia. The CAD operator came running up front to tell us but no one believed him at first. We jammed 42 people into a conference room with 6 chairs to watch a fuzzy TV to see what was going on. Since I couldn’t get in touch with my (ex) in Tulsa I went to lunch and got gas for $1.419. I remember how very quiet it was without any air traffic. I drove to my parents’ that night and that was very quiet too, almost no road traffic. We were totally stunned. We watched the news for hours.By lmj
September 11, 2008 2:31 PM | Link to this
It was at class change between my inclusion American History classes at a Dayton suburb’s school that the principal’s secretary stuck her head in the class and let us know about the first airplane crash. My co-teacher and I had been showing a video therefore a TV was already in our classroom. One of my first thoughts was about my cousin who worked in the World Trade Center. I knew calling her or her sister in New York would be futile. I waited hours before calling their mother in Michigan - I did not want to be the one to tell my aunt what had happened. My co-teacher was concerned about his sister-in-law who was a flight attendant for United. My department head was from Jersey - just across the river. The entire situation reminded me how small the world had gotten - and made me realize we would never take our security for granted again.