I will always remember the day, in 6th grade, when the teacher of my social studies class got a phonecall. Her face and demeanor were unrecognizable from anything I'd ever seen on a teacher. I understand the true effect of terrorism, because a woman teaching a class safely in Iowa that day was struck dumb by an attack hundreds of miles away. In the next 10 minutes or so she was unsure what to do, she say on the desk staring at the phone, unsure what to do next. After that 10 or so minutes she received a call instructing all teachers to tune into the news, I assume this was to let people see what was going on ant to prevent the teachers from having to somehow explain what was going on. We tuned in just in time to see the 2nd tower get struck. Again, struck dumb, the teacher didn't know what to do. The TV remained on for another short bit of time until the replays of the 2nd plane hitting the towers became too much and it was turned off. A short Q&A and the bell rang. We were told to go on recess for the rest of the day. I remember that night celebrating that we'd have the next day off if Bush declared war as a result of the attack, so young and foolish. From then to now not many memories are that strong, except of course the Dixie Chicks being run out of show business for daring to oppose a war we all now regret.

No word of a lie I was in 5rh grade social studies. The whole world stopped. We were sent home. I didn't understand why the Simpsons was not on at 5 just a repetitive stream of news.

rofl, that was one of my first political-memories. I think i was in 5th grade during the 9/11 attack. (maybe 4th grade)

I was in 4th grade. Didn't get it, and nobody would show or tell much of anything to us. My sister's 6th grade class spent the day watching the news.

Didn't really get what happened until several years later.

That's why comparing death tolls of terrorism to other causes of death in America is in some ways useless and misleading... terrorism has such a larger impact than just the number of people who died on the day of a particular attack.

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Anyone have a good 9/11 documentary suggestion? I try to watch one every year on this day.

I remember my alarm clock going off that morning to the local rock station's morning show, and the crew was saying something about how a "Cessna flew into the WTC" or something like that. The networks didn't break into radio feeds yet, so I didn't think much of it. I did get up, do the morning usual, then turned the TV on in the living room just in time to see the 2nd plane hit live. Immediate thought was "That's no fucking Cessna", and I was just dumbstruck by what I was seeing on the TV. I Had to work that day, so I went about getting ready for work, while the TV was still going. I called my wife, who was already at work, to tell her what was going on. As I was on the way to my first job of the day, she called me and told me that the first tower had fallen. I can't remember the last time I had such a sinking feeling in my gut like that. I got to my first job, and that client had the TV on as well. I was able to finish that job, but my mind was so full of fuck that I ended up canceling the rest of my jobs for the day.

Later that evening, we drove over to the aircraft viewing area at MSP International (where I used to work), and it was the most eerie sound I've ever heard: Absolute silence. MSP isn't O'Hare or JFK, but it's a pretty damned busy airport. And to sit there and see no movement on the tarmac, and hear NOTHING, was unreal. The only sounds came from above, from the F-16s that were flying Combat Air Patrol over Minneapolis.

im sorta glad they kept us full day. i imagine it would be mayhem with panicked parents picking up their kids.



that and all of the country songs going #1 that were for the troops are my first political memories honestly. I sorta remember the florida hanging chad moment from 2000 but not really.

I actually recall being scared that Muslims were going to invade my neighborhood that day. Must've been my conservative amygdala acting up. I was in 5th grade.

This post was edited by IceMage on Sep 11 2018 10:55am

I remember all those first thoughts and fears you get when something like that happens and then over the days I remember having the thoughts about how many of my friends I was going to lose over what I figured was coming

I was at that age where 2 things changed my life forever while in school. Not knowing if I'd lose friends in class after Columbine and knowing I was going to lose them to war after 9/11

because of that stupid attack, my father refused to let me watch the simpsons on the television
I will always remember this day

So frustrating & so annoying
Nothing happens: just people jumping out of the building
just falling debris

very boring

at school, my friends (10yo) were laughing of the attack
they did not understand why Americans were dying for no reason

the Americans never understand thing
the Americans are rather stupid
they do not listen while you speak with them

most of them are arrogant & mean
not even able to speak arab
that's pathetic

I thought that the US would collapse long before I do my bar mitzvah
It didn't happen
The USA are still there
for few months I guess

the Americans can't live for ever while they feed the nazis, kill the native americans, and don't listen while we speak to them
they just can't