Where were you?

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

I recently had a discussion with my employees at the restaurant about 9/11 and it was interesting to hear their memories and opinions on the topic, especially from some of the younger employees, some of which were very young at the time, while others weren't even born yet, and as teenagers now they only have a historical perspective of the events that occurred on that day. Some of their thoughts on the topic ranged from emotional to just not caring about it, but I won't go into details about their opinions here.

You guys know that I love to hear other people's stories about where they were when significant historical events occurred, and as we approach the 25th anniversary of 9/11, it got me wondering... where were you when 9/11 happened?

This is actually a 2 part question for Murf because she joined this forum on the same date in 2009, and I'm curious about what led you here on that day?

By the way, I know that the anniversary is a few months away, but the recent conversation has the topic on my mind so I thought I'd bring it up here. Also, you don't have to read my story since it's long, but I would still like to hear your story.

As for myself, I was 20 when 9/11 happened, and I remember the day very clearly. It started like any other day, I got up at 5am to get ready for work, I was only working at the restaurant for just over a year at that point. I was there early to set up for the breakfast crowd that comes in every morning at 6am, and as usual, they cleared out early to go about their day so there was hardly ever any customers in the restaurant around 8am. We knew it was always slow at that time of day, so us employees would talk to each other and listen to music while we did the morning cleanup.

If I recall correctly, it was around 8:45am when the attack started. Of course, this was back in the days before you could get instant news on your phone, so we didn't know about it until about 10 minutes later when the music on the radio was interrupted by the news of the attack. There was a sudden silence in the air as the reporter described what happened, the smiles that were on our faces only seconds earlier had been wiped away as we listened, my boss yelled at one of the other employees, Ricky, to go turn on the tv at the front of the restaurant, and as soon as we saw the live footage of the first tower we were in disbelief. At that point the footage of the initial impact hadn't reached news outlets yet, so everybody was under the impression that it was just a horrible accident.

We stood there staring at the screen, hoping that the people in there would get out safely, and then the unimaginable happened, the second tower was hit while the whole world watched. There was a collective gasp from everybody, and then there was just silence, it lasted for only seconds, but it seemed like a eternity. Then one of the servers, a young girl named Jana, stumbled back and almost missed the chair behind her, she immediately started shaking and crying and another girl named Tanya was comforting her. It felt surreal, as if you were observing one of those disaster movies happening right in front of you, but no matter how much you wanted to look away, you couldn't.

Like everybody else, we continued watching until the first tower collapsed, 2 of the girls screamed, while the rest of us were in shock and stared in silence just watching the horrific events unfold in front of us. It was then that my boss told everybody to go home to be with our families, and aside from my boss, the head chef Raoul, and myself, everybody else went home. We are a few hundred miles from NYC so we weren't in any immediate danger, but we were well aware by that point that this was a attack on our nation, so I called my mother and everybody else to check on them, and my boss and Raoul called their families as well.

We were still watching, and then the second tower collapsed, and there was just silence from us. we stayed in front of that tv for the rest of the day, my shift was supposed to be over at 2pm but I stayed until 8pm when my boss decided to close. That day we only had 3 customers after the attacks began, and they were 3 out of touch older people that had no clue what was going on until they walked into the restaurant and we told them about it. To this day that is still the lowest amount of customers that we have ever had here in one day. I remember looking out the window periodically throughout the day, and there wasn't anybody around, it was like a ghost town.

That night I made sure to give my boss and Raoul a hug before we closed up, and I told them to call me if they needed anything. I was living by myself at the time but I drove straight to my mother's house to check in on her and my younger siblings who were both still living there. When I arrived my sister ran to hug me while my brother stood silently in the doorway, and that image in my mind is something that I won't ever forget. My mother was sitting in front of the tv shaking, so I sat beside her to comfort her, she grabbed my hand and held it tightly, and my siblings sat with us, but none of us said anything, we didn't even eat dinner, we just sat there until 1am when my mother suggested that we should go to bed, so that night I stayed there.

To this day I'm still not sure why I decided to stay at the restaurant that day, maybe it's because I knew that the people that mattered were fine, or maybe it was my way of showing my boss that I was a dedicated employee, I'm not sure, but looking back on it now I know that the events of that day, and the time I spent with my boss and Raoul, definitely solidified a bond between us that is still strong today. In some way, it may have even carved the path that led me where I am now, as without this restaurant I wouldn't have met my wife and have the beautiful family that I have today.

As I sit here writing this, there's a plethora of memories and emotions running through my head right now, and it certainly gives me pause to reflect on the events of that day, how it changed the world as we knew it, the ramifications of which shaped our current society, more so than any other event that happened before. As a parent myself now, I can't even imagine what it must have been like having to explain that day to a young kid. My kids know about it but around here the topic isn't discussed in school, at least it isn't for kids their age, I'm sure that they discuss it in high schools. My wife and I haven't ever let our kids watch the full footage from that day, but I think that they are old enough to handle it now.

So, where were you on that day?

[Murfreesboro]

I didn't even realize I'd joined this forum on an anniversary of 9/11. I'd been reading here for a while and decided to leap in. I guess it was Halloween season.

The actual day? My boys were at school, and my husband, who was between jobs at the time, must have taken them. I was at home with Lydia, who was headed to preschool at a nearby church. I always, always had the Today Show on every morning, but that morning I didn't, because she had uncharacteristically asked for cartoons. So I gave her cartoons while she ate breakfast. I think her preschool was at 9, and I took her there in complete innocence. One of the other mothers was exiting at the same time I and another woman were entering. The lady who was leaving was clearly upset, so we asked her why. That was our first time to hear about it. She said that maybe 10,000 people had died.

I raced home then to tell my husband, who had returned ahead of me. However, he was already aware because a friend had called him. I think I'd left Lyd at preschool. I know the boys had their entire school days. Of course we had the tv on, but I don't think we saw anything in actual time. I remember crying, or at least tearing up, as I watched the TV coverage. I know that happened to me off and on throughout the day. I remember that Lyd, who was only 4, watched me very closely once she got home. She wasn't used to seeing me so upset by anything on tv. When the boys got home, I believe Karl's class (second grade) had had the tvs turned off after the initial reports. Colin's class (7th grade) had them on for a while, but then the teachers decided to shut them off. Colin said later that he'd wished they'd have kept them on. But nobody really knew what to do that day.

I seem to recall that there was a moment that night when people throughout the nation were supposed to shut off their lights and put candles or something out in front of their homes. I remember we did that at a designated time.

[Murfreesboro]

When I ask Lydia now what she remembers about 9/11, she tells me that what she remembers is what happened the next day, when I crossed the street with her to visit our neighbors. Our neighbors directly across the street are Muslims from Jerusalem. I did not know them, but I had heard on Sunday from another neighbor that their first-born child had died the previous Friday from a birth defect. The child had been about a year old and was born with a heart defect. I'd been mulling over what to do about that when 9/11 happened. I'd decided that I had to acknowledge their loss by bringing them a loaf of cranberry orange bread, so I made it and took it to them on 9/12. It was kind of an awkward visit, but I think they did appreciate it. I know they did. I recall that the husband told me, "These people do not represent our religion. I wouldn't kill a dog, much less a man. These are terrible people who did this." For one week after that visit, my husband sat in the dark at the end of our driveway with a loaded gun to make sure that no one bothered those recently bereaved neighbors, but nobody did.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

Your husband is a good man to have looked out for that family. There was so much misdirected hatred towards Muslims that lasted for years after that, and still does in some way, when most of them just wanted to live peaceful lives and didn't share the opinion of extremists that twist the meaning of their religion and use it as a excuse to hurt people.

I seem to recall that there was a moment that night when people throughout the nation were supposed to shut off their lights and put candles or something out in front of their homes. I remember we did that at a designated time.

I remember that as well, but I don't know if anybody around here did it because we were watching the footage on tv that night. I remember them showing vigils from a few places around the country, and after awhile they had stopped showing replays of the attacks and were only showing live shots of the aftermath at the different attack sites. Like most people we were glued to the tv for days after that, watching mostly CNN and the recently launched MSNBC. I remember that the day the attacks happened the WB11 wasn't broadcasting anything, I think their transmitter was located on top of one of the towers, so they couldn't broadcast after the tower collapsed, but their weather helicopter was in the air right after the first tower was attacked, and they had recorded every moment of the event after that but it wasn't until years later that the footage was released as part of a documentary.

I know that in some parts of the country they sent kids home early, but most places had full school days. I guess it was meant to not cause any panic among the kids during that time of uncertainty, as people were aware that our nation was under attack but didn't know where could possibly be hit next and they didn't want large groups of people out in the streets. My mother said that it reminded her of when JFK was assassinated, every kid in her area was sent home early that day. That's another famous "where were you?" moment, but Murf is the only one here that can tell us about that day because Andy and I weren't born yet.

[Murfreesboro]

In Jackson, MS, the students were held in school the whole day but weren't told of the assassination until just before release. (There were no tvs in school in the '60s unless something was happening like a presidential inauguratuon or a moon launch, etc, something planned well in advance). However, one boy in our class overheard the teachers talking about it in the lunch room and spilled the beans. I didn't even believe him until the teacher made the announcement. I think I was in the 4th grade, but I hadn't turned 9 yet.

There was a weird repercussion of that assassination in my father's family. One of my uncles had known JFK and his family connection quite well. He'd even been Ambassador to Ireland under that president. But ten days later, on Dec 2, that uncle died violently. Officially it was a suicide, and it might have been/probably was. But there was enough oddness about it, and in the days afterward, that even some members of his immediate family still think he was murdered. He's become a footnote to the JFK assassination conspiracy theories.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

I recall you mentioning that relative before, but you hadn't gone into detail about it. I'm curious, as you seem to know more about the circumstances surrounding the aftermath of the assassination, well, certainly more than I do, are you aware of anybody else that was close to JFK that died suddenly or mysteriously in the weeks or months following the event? Not that we're feeding into the conspiracy theories out there, but I am interested to know now that you mentioned it.

[Murfreesboro]

Actually, I don't, because I've never made it a point to read up on that stuff. I was a child when it all happened, of course. It was only because of the family connection that I remember so much about my uncle. I've always felt that something more was at work than the public ever knew. It made no sense that Jack Ruby, a NOLA club owner I think, should have shot Lee Harvey Oswald while he was indoors in police custody, and on camera. That happened after I was in bed, but my mother saw it live. Nobody ever gave a sufficient motivation for Ruby's action.

My cousin has said that his dad was given some mission to NOLA in the months leading up to the assassination. JFK had him carrying a sum of money to someone, I think. I believe it happened in a bar or club of some sort. He said his dad never told them what had transpired, but he was clearly very, very uncomfortable about the whole thing. If he did commit suicide, I've wondered if he did it to protect his family. My cousin says that his sister's life was threatened by an anonymous caller if his mother had asked for any investigation of her husband's death. Also, in the days after his dad's death, someone broke into their house while they were sleeping upstairs, and laid out every knife in the kitchen on the counter. Pretty intimidating. I guess it's OK to write this stuff on here, since my cousin himself used to have a web site where he talked about it, but I don't think he maintains it anymore.

[Andybev01]

Long story short, I just got through spending a 1/2 an hour writing my reply and then , of course , the bot patrol kicked me off of the forum and I lost all of it , so;

That day was horrible.I didn't enjoy any of it.

Now that the forum is back up and running , I will attempt a reply at a later date.

[Murfreesboro]

Oh, that's so frustrating. I've had stuff like that happen to me occasionally, both at this forum and others.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

Murf - That's still some very interesting information. Also, I don't think that you have to worry about writing that stuff here because there's only 2 other people on the face of this planet that will ever read it.

I guess that's one of the best things about this forum, it's our own little corner of the internet and there isn't anybody else here.

I just got through spending a 1/2 an hour writing my reply and then , of course , the bot patrol kicked me off of the forum and I lost all of it ,

Oh, that's so frustrating. I've had stuff like that happen to me occasionally, both at this forum and others.

Believe me, I know exactly what that's like. I can't tell you how many times I've been up at night typing a post, and you guys know how lengthy some of my posts can be, only to have the forum or the internet go out and waste my time, but I learned my lesson and now I ALWAYS copy the full text of my posts before I make my post so if the forum logs me out or something else happens I won't have to type it again.

Don't get me wrong, I can type about 80 words per minute, I'm a damn fast typer, but that doesn't mean that I want to sit there and type it again. I think that you will both agree with me when I say that your initial and immediate reaction and reply to a post comes from the heart, and it just doesn't come across the same way if you have to type it out again.

Andy - I'm looking forward to reading your story.

[Murfreesboro]

HH, since you asked, I randomly looked up something on the order of witnesses who died in the days and months after JFK's assassination. To my surprise, a boatload of names showed up, my uncle's among them.

[TheHeadlessHorseman]

Well, that's certainly some interesting information, but as they say ... that's a story for another day.