16 years ago our country showed unity & resiliency in the midst of tragedy. #NeverForget What did you do when you first heard the news?

Letise Dennis — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 14:21:55 -0400

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Sep 11 at 2017 2:24 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 14:24:10 -0400

I was on the road to work when reports of the first plane crashing into the WTC came over my radio. The second when I had just arrived at work and then guessed it was a terrorist attack. Have we not forgotten? Do we still care as much? I'm not so sure...

Response by SGT Bryon Sergent made Sep 11 at 2017 2:39 PM

SGT Bryon Sergent — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 14:39:16 -0400

I was delivering drywall to a construction site. I had got into the truck and was turning it around when the second plane struck the south tower! I immediately called my armory and asked how I could help! We were activated shortly there after for Operation Enduring Freedom.

Response by SGT Jim Arnold made Sep 11 at 2017 2:57 PM

SGT Jim Arnold — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 14:57:23 -0400

i had just started off to work when 1st plane crashed into the bldg. the 2nd plane crashed just as i got to work. I mentioned it to co-workers and turned on tv and watched people jumping from the burning bldgs. Every central office went on lock down, no deliveries, no visitors nothing. management told us we will be pulling guard duty from then on, I asked if we will be armed. Management looked me like i just grew 3 heads

Response by MSgt Stephen Council made Sep 11 at 2017 3:00 PM

MSgt Stephen Council — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 15:00:33 -0400

Letise Dennis I got out of bed, put on my uniform, Called my boss and activated the Intelligence Flight recall roster. Then I went over to the 11th Air Force Watch and set up the single Intelligence distribution center for all units defending the northwest skies of the United States. You know, I did my job.

Response by SSG Carlos Madden made Sep 11 at 2017 3:04 PM

SSG Carlos Madden — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 15:04:44 -0400

Good question. Check out the responses here too:
https://www.rallypoint.com/topics/9-11/answers/have-we-forgotten-what-were-you-doing-the-morning-of-september-11-2001-when-you-found-out-are-we-safer-today

Have we forgotten? What were you doing the morning of September 11, 2001 when you found out? Are...

2 part question: 1.What were you doing the of September 11, 2001 when you found out? Please type your response. 2.Are we safer? Please answer survey. Please vote this up and contribute your stories to keep it going. Also read other's stories below and vote the best stories up as well. Thank you for your service.

Response by Cpl Justin Goolsby made Sep 11 at 2017 4:33 PM

Cpl Justin Goolsby — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 16:33:46 -0400

I cried a little bit. I was in a state of shock and disbelief. For starters, I just started my senior year in high school. We watched it happening live in our homeroom. The other sad thing was it was my little brother's first day of school. It was hard to not think about him when your first day of school becomes a national tragedy.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 11 at 2017 8:23 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 20:23:55 -0400

Letise Dennis I watched it on TV in disbelief. I then went back to work, as we had a Space Shuttle mission to prepare for. Space Shuttle Endeavour, STS-108, launched on December 5, 2001.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 11 at 2017 9:20 PM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 21:20:33 -0400

I monitored the situation with an eye towards what, if any, action I had to take as the safety director at my facility.

Response by CPT Aaron Kletzing made Sep 11 at 2017 10:27 PM

CPT Aaron Kletzing — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 22:27:31 -0400

i was a senior in high school and just remember thinking, "WTF just happened"

Response by SSG Robert Perrotto made Sep 11 at 2017 10:35 PM

SSG Robert Perrotto — Mon, 11 Sep 2017 22:35:40 -0400

I went from guard duty on the sciff in yongsan, straight to manning a gun at the key intersections of yongsan garrison, the beggining of 3 months of guard duty.

Response by PO1 Brian Austin made Sep 12 at 2017 1:07 AM

PO1 Brian Austin — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 01:07:55 -0400

When i arrived at work...shock, complete shock. Then went to my desk and got to work. Putting together teams for deployment.

Response by Letise Dennis made Sep 12 at 2017 10:05 AM

Letise Dennis — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 10:05:59 -0400

Thanks to everyone for sharing your memories from that day. I was in college and couldn't begin to process the magnitude of what I was seeing unfold before me on the news. I am so grateful for all of you who began instantly serving and stepping into action.

Response by Maj Robert Dudley made Sep 12 at 2017 11:21 AM

Maj Robert Dudley — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 11:21:57 -0400

It started out like every other day. I went to my job as an aerospace software engineer in New Carrollton, MD just outside the east side of DC. Cathy took the Metro (subway) over to Clarendon, VA (on the west side of DC).

Around 8AM Cathy called to tell me she had a meeting at the Pentagon and wouldn’t be able to talk to me until sometime in the afternoon. We said our goodbyes and hung up.

45 minutes later, the world turned upside down. Someone in my office turned the TV on to Fox or CNN. At about a quarter to 9 an airplane crashed into one of the twin towers in NY. It was scary but it was also a long way away from us so it just felt surreal. Then, about 15 minutes later, another airplane crashed into the other tower. What was going on? We watched the reports like anyone watching a disaster from a distance.

Then it became real. At 9:37:46 an airplane crashed into the Pentagon. Cathy was there. I watched intently, trying to figure out what part of the Pentagon was hit – it’s a massive building so there was very little chance it hit the section she was in. But, it did! When they announced what part it hit, I couldn’t stand up any more. I sank into the closest chair. When I could finally stand, I just paced the office. I had to get out.

In my car, I tried to call Cathy’s cell phone. It was a fruitless gesture – she couldn’t use her phone in the Pentagon and, by now, all the cell towers would be disabled to keep the enemy from using them.

It was about noon before I heard from her – 2 ½ hours later! She made it out. But, 11 of her friends and co-workers were not so lucky. Cathy was meeting on the 5th floor and all of her friends and co-workers with offices lower than the fifth floor died instantly.

Let me tell you the rest of the story from Cathy’s perspective.

Her meeting started at 9:00. One airplane had already hit a tower. They talked about that for a bit as they were settling into the classified room they would meet in – classified equals “no windows.” Before they could even start their meeting, the secretary came in to tell them another airplane had crashed into another tower in NY.

At 9:38, as they were talking they felt, what seemed like, two large safes falling on the floor above them. It didn’t occur to any of them that they were on the top floor - they were on the fifth floor. Almost immediately, the secretary came crashing through the door. She yelled, “I think we are under attack. I just saw flames shoot up the window when the crash happened!”

The airplane flew low over a building across the street from the Pentagon. A friend of ours from church was in that building. They all jumped up from the noise and looked out their window in time to see the plane bounce off the ground and crash into the side of the Pentagon. The plane would make it through all five rings before it stopped. Had it not bounced on the ground and lost some momentum, it would have been worse than it was.

The pentagon is made up of five rings. Cathy was meeting in the fourth ring in (one ring from the inner court). By the time they had all exited the room, the outer office began to fill with smoke. They made their way to the hallway where it was chaos. Fortunately, they were in a newly renovated section. The walls had been fire proofed and lights were installed along the floor showing the way out.

Cathy made it out alive and headed south of DC. Eventually, she was far enough away from the city that her cell phone worked. As an aside, a friend of mine was also in that section. He made it out but went back in for the rest of the day, helping others make it out.

Had they been meeting on the fourth floor, or lower, they would have died that day. Everyone in the office she was visiting who was below their floor, did not make it. Though Cathy had some psychological issues for the next several months, she survived. I thank God, every day, that she is still with me.
In the picture, the yellow oval is where she was that day.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 12 at 2017 11:32 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 11:32:09 -0400

When that second plane hit I looked at my aunt and said "Someone's about to get fuuuuuuuuuu**ed up.."

Response by SGT David Petree made Sep 12 at 2017 9:55 PM

SGT David Petree — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 21:55:22 -0400

Bout a long knife, rigged it to my web gear, cheek my TA-50