What were you doing on September 11, 2001?

[Guest 10MAN]

I was the on-duty pilot scheduler in my KC-10 squadron at McGuire. Standard ops was to have one TV on The Weather Channel and the other on CNN/FOX News. All of us in the scheduling office saw the replays of the first plane hit and then saw the second plane hit "live." Then we heard about the Pentagon. Within minutes we started building alert crews and calling guys/gals to tell them to pack their bags and to put them in crew rest. The next several days were devoted to Op NOBLE EAGLE, then most of us left for ENDURING FREEDOM. I remember all of this like it was yesterday. Hard to believe it was 7 years ago.

Never forget.

We had also been thorough Manhattan 2 days prior on our way to take someone to the Islip Airport on Long Island. Or route took us right by the Empire State Building and within a few blocks of the WTC. For a country hick from TN, I remember thinking "My God, those twin towers are incredible!" Two days later they were a smoldering heap of destruction. Eerie.

[itsokimapilot]

It was 0800 Central Time (0900 EST) and I got a phone call from my mother in law. I was still sleeping (we were flying nights at the time, so I got home late and was sleeping in late before going to work again around noon).

Mom in law said a plane had hit a buidling in NY....flipped the TV on expecting to see poor visibility and a Cessna tail sticking out the side.

As I looked at the clear blue sky on the TV screen, I remember thinking to myself how anyone could not have seen that giant building filling up their windscreen. Just as I finsihed that thought, I watch the UAL 175 strike the South Tower, then reports of the Pentagon hit.

What the hell was going on?

Squadron initiates a recall...don't come to work....take your names off the outside of the house....THREATCON DELTA.

Sad day indeed.

To the 2,974 lost on that day...RIP!

Cap-10

That was my classes night week in UPT. Woke up to one of my classmates calling me "Dude, we're going to fvcking war. Turn on your TV." I turned on the tv to see the second airplane hit. I called my wife who worked for the Columbus Dispatch newspaper and they had no idea what was happening. Had the wife get home to make sure she could get back onbase. I really wish I were a F-15E pilot that day. What a sad day for our nation.

[zrooster99]

I was a "sortie generation OIC" in the 20th at KBAD. Anybody who was there knows the mad scramble to get the stuff back under ground. I was working nights on the exercise, was on my way home after hitting the gym and heard something about a "light aircraft" hitting one of the towers. I remember thinking: "just like Buddy Holly" and "dumbass GA pilot", until I got home and saw the footage... Also broke up with my girlfriend at the time...best thing to come out of the whole deal...psycho bitch....

[Guest GCL]

i was in 6th grade (guess I'm the youngest one here haha) sitting in English. the teacher said we were attacked and tried to put on the radio (didn't work i don't think). It wasn't until later i really learned what happened. I remember just watching CNN for hours when i got home...

[Bergman]

I was playing flickerball on TD4 of SOS. Everything was normal when we heard a PA announcement to return to our dorms and await further instructions. Everyone rallied in my room (aka the swamp) to watch CNN all day and kill a handle of Captain Morgan, since we were confined to the dorm UFN and it seemed like the thing to do at the time.

to those we lost, and to those who weren't at SOS and got to put some f*ckers in the dirt as payback.

[zmoney]

I was a senior in High School sitting in History class. Over the PA the school's President (the SRO of the school if you will) informed us that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center and asked all the students with family members who worked in the area to go to school's library.

Being from Long Island meant that lots of my friends had family members who worked in the Towers or nearby.

Two things I'll never forget.

1. My school posted a half sheet of paper on the bulletin board displaying the names of the missing (at the time).

A few days later it was a full sheet.

A week later it was a legal sheet.

For the longest time I thought the list would never stop growing...

2. My mom worked at the American Red Cross so I volunteered there quite a bit. I remember the large parking lot absolutely filled with water and care packages. It was surreal. They would truck half the stuff out in the morning. By the time the truck got back, the parking lot was full again.

Remember what happened. Honor their memories.

[JarheadBoom]

I was in my first year of USMC Reserve, after 8 years of AD. The NAS Willow Grove Airshow had been the weekend of 9/7-9/9, and it was a drill weekend for us, flying the MAGTF demo for the airshow. We also had a 4-ship det at NAS Key West doing some JTF stuff.

I was sitting at the computer that morning, looking for a civilian job after my wife had gone to work. I went to Yahoo for something, and I saw a news headline I'll never forget: "Airplane hits WTC tower". I looked out the window and thought "How could someone hit a freakin' skyscraper on a CAVU day like today?" Then I started noticing the not-normal sounds on the TV my wife had left on in the living room. Got up from the computer, walked into the living room, realized they weren't talking about a Cessna, and started wondering how incredibly bad things had to have gone for an airliner to hit that building. About a minute later, I watched as UA175 hit the south tower, and "incredibly bad things" took on an entirely new meaning.

I will never forget what that impact looked like... and I will never, EVER forget seeing people choose to jump, rather than burn.

I won't forgive, and I can't forget.

[Guest L Unit]

I was hunkered down in the barracks in Okinawa Japan. It was 10-something at night, and everyone had gone to bed, so I had the TV on mute while I got my stuff ready for the next day. AFN was the only channel we got, and was less than informative on most occasions, but then the special report broke in and they cut to live TV from the states.

We had a suite-style living arrangement, two rooms and 4 dudes sharing a single head that connected the rooms. After watching the second plane hit, I tried to wake up my roommates and tell them we were going to war. They gave me a 'whatever' and went back to sleep.

Incidentally, there was a typhoon approaching, and the base was locked down anyways. It took a while for us to get any information.

[Guest Fogo]

High school senior english class...

A teacher came in and told us to turn the TV on, that there had been an airplane crash into the tower. Still thought it was an accident until we saw the second one hit live. Much the same as others; there were the comments like "I guess we're at war."

I had been mulling over joining ROTC that fall when I got to college and applying for the scholarship. This was still when I had my wild dreams of parlaying a decent HS football career into playing in college. That day brought a lot more clearer thinking to my head... turned the scholarship paperwork in the next day and told the detachment I'd be joining them that fall.

Hard to believe 7 years have passed since then and I now sit here writing this at the Deid.

[BigFreddie]

UPT at DLF - it was the week of my drop. A neighbor in the dorms came over and I turned on the TV just minutes before the second jet hit. We got recalled to the squadron and watching the T-37s, T-38s, and T-1s returning enmass was a little disturbing. We started flying after a couple days with a ton of "unknown rider" calls over guard.

Lots of folks in my class went heavies to avoid being away from family in the fighter world. Lots changed that day. A few months later I was flying OEF support... And the rest is boring history...

BF

[Guest Cougar_62]

Mountain Time Zone, so most of it had already happened by the time I got to work.

Remember thinking that it was a lot like Tom Clancy's book where a Japanese Airline Pilot flew a 747 into the Capital building.

My kids were 12 & 8 at the time, and they're both working towards military careers. Some of it comes from suddenly finding out at a young age that we're not always secure, and that somebody has to step up.

[Coasta]

I'd just finished AC school and was on leave in a certain city that starts with a "C" ends with an "O" and has a "hicag" in the middle. Mom woke me up in their dungeon of a basement and said the WTC was on fire. I remember saying to her, "Small plane my ass!" and then the second plane hit. My blood was boiling. I was supposed to return to Japan the next day, but couldn't, so I called my best friend, and we spent the next 3 days watching CNN at Ditka's, getting angry, and destroying ourselfes with bourbon--for free of course. To further fuel my rage, my squadron's biggest concern at the time was flying off the FY01 flying hour deficeit we had because our jets were constantly broke. Nole '96 you have a good story about the fun we had with the F/A-18 CAP over PGUA. Let's hear it!

[BONE WSO]

I was just coming home from an early morning class at Texas A&M. I got home just in time to see the second tower hit. I was so pissed that anyone could actually do this to the US. I was a busdriver on campus and had a shift to drive that afternoon. They did not cancel classes initially and I still remember driving the bus that day. The bus was always packed and loud but that day it was dead silent while everyone listened to the news.

I was in my senior year and planning to attend UT law the next year. After that day I changed my plans and wanted to blow up the bastards that did this. I decided I would join the AF. Seven yrs later I am deployed to "Southwest Asia" and got to fly on 9-11-08 in OEF and finally got to do my part.

[amcflyboy]

Gander. Newfoundland on September 12, 2001:

Halifax, Nova Scotia that same day:

[egochecks]

Meeting my wife.

[Guest alfakilo]

I was the Captain on a TWA DC-9 letting down into Dulles when ATC said something like "This is Washington Center declaring a national emergency. All aircraft land immediately."

It was like watching a covey of quail scatter. Everyone lit off for somewhere to land, not having the foggiest idea what was going on. I wondered if I needed that old eyepatch we had back in F-4s. There was no ATC vector, no nothing...just get it on the deck. Now.

I had just started the JASEN arrival and for some reason decided to break hard left for Cincinnatti...BTDT, I guess.

Three days later, I made it back to St Louis with half of our original pax still with me. Quite an experience.

[BADFNZ]

Bringing this back to the top.

Anyone else have want to chime in with their personal experience that day? I don't care about the stories of people sitting in science class or sleeping at their dorm. I want to hear about those that were in the air, in the chocks, sitting at the scheduling desk, etc.

[Chida]

I was a senior cadet at USAFA. I had just showed up to 2nd period class and saw it all on the news. First I thought that it was an accident but when the second plane hit I thought "we're going to war." Not much else happened in the way of classes the rest of the day.

Some memories from directly after that: moving all the cars 3 miles away, 24 hour guard duty, checking ID's a lot, restriction to the cadet area for about 2 months, strangely quiet skies, no more tourists. I was casual at Barksdale at the 96th when they were deployed to attack Iraq. When I got to Laughlin in early 2003 they had just stopped checking IDs at every building. I was in T-37s when the US attacked Iraq. In Jan 2006 I flew my first combat sortie in Iraq.

[Login Name]

I was a third at VMI walking into Scott Shipp Hall. Somebody said "a plane just hit the world trade center." I laughed and walked to class. Our prof wouldn't let us get out of class to get to a TV or internet to see WTF was happening. Once I got back to my room I spent the next hour trying to get ahold of my mom to see if she had spoken to my dad b/c the PNT was hit. After 2 hours I finally reached her and she was balling. She just got off the phone with my dad thankfully. Later on that day my friend's girlfriend kept messaging me on AIM and that we needed to talk, but I kept missing her. My friend's dad never made it out of the PNT that day. I'll never forget.

[Toro]

After 2 hours I finally reached her and she was balling.

Not to make light of the situation, but I hope she was bawling, and not balling.

[Login Name]

Not to make light of the situation, but I hope she was bawling, and not balling.

Lol good catch. Yes, she was crying and not ridin' dirty.

[Van1]

I was playing flickerball on TD4 of SOS. Everything was normal when we heard a PA announcement to return to our dorms and await further instructions. Everyone rallied in my room (aka the swamp) to watch CNN all day and kill a handle of Captain Morgan, since we were confined to the dorm UFN and it seemed like the thing to do at the time.

to those we lost, and to those who weren't at SOS and got to put some f*ckers in the dirt as payback.

I was playing flickerball as well. Remember coming back to the dorm to clean up and then heading over to the SOS building wondering why we were suddenly in Threatcon Delta. Spent the rest of the day in the classroom finding out why.

[Prosuper]

That day was supposed to be my first flight in the E-3 as a flight engineer. The 966th is a training squadron and the aircraft was packed full of students and instructors. During engine start we sheared a starter on the number 3 engine. While MX was replacing the starter the pilots were monitoring the radios and noticed that OKC was diverting airplanes and landing them as fast as they could. Then one of the mx guys came up the airstairs and told us a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center buildings. All of us assumed it was a small plane, maybe a crazed Cessna pilot. A few moments later another guy told us it was an airliner. Then we got word that another airliner had hit the other tower. By now the ramp at Tinker was filling up with aircrews and mission crews stepping to every flyable jet available. We were told that no students would be allowed to fly and were taken back to ops. We stayed there for a few hours glued to the TV. The jet I was supposed to be on escorted Air Force One on its travels. The controllers said later that the skies were absolutely empty except for military aircraft. They had never seen anything like it. Planes were getting cleared direct from one side of the country to the other. I ended up sitting in a hotel room for 3 weeks while Noble Eagle was going on.

I was a Pro Super on your Flightline for the nightshift spending the next few months generating acft for Noble Eagle and everything else we were doing at the time. As time passed and before NATO got there we had a hard time supporting the 966th school house. Just to give sorties to Noble Eagle and keep planes in ONW and OSW then OEF. Scheduling meetings with ops with the school house was a blood letting session, plus at the time we had 4 different mission configurations of E-3's at the time,(20/25, 30/35, Coral Icon, RSIP) when we put a bird on alert/spare and on the schedule I had to have crew that was qualified to fly it and that became a juggling act.Some missions were up for over 24 hours due to the fact their relief acft was still broke or we did have not have a qualified crew to fly a available acft.

[skinny]

Holding short Rwy 17 at Grand Forks on our way to support a Coronet to Hickam when we got recalled by command post to the squadron. This was the AC's first TDY in the left seat and he was sure he screwed something up and was getting violated before we even left the ground. Began to notice all the SPs in full battle rattle and magnet signs on vehicles showing THREATCON DELTA. No idea what was going on. Spent the next hour in the squadron watching the events unfold until we were handed a TAAN radio and told to go to billeting to assume A-Alert UFN. A few hours later we were rolling down the runway with 180 Klbs to act as XAR over major metropolitan areas. We were told by ATC we were cleared direct anywhere we wanted to go. Surreal feelings ensued. Landed about 11 hours later to find that the old alert facility had been brought out of moth balls and went back into crew rest. About 3 weeks later, the only jets that were on the ramp were 2 can birds and a single FMC jet.

[HerkFE]

I was still in MX (F-16 avionics) in the ANG. Had just finished loading Mode IV and KY-58 for the jets flying the morning lines. One of my co-worker's wife called and told him about the first incident so we were watching when the second hit. About two hours later all the supervisors were called to a briefing and when they returned they asked that half of us volunteer to go home and get some rest so that we could come back that night if needed. During the day they flew some of our jets to Eglin to pick up live munitions. When I returned that night, we launched jets to fly CAP over Atlanta...(so I was told).

Another story as told by a fellow FE that I would meet in 2003....he was in the last day of RT at Fairchild. He said all of the sudden the games just stopped as all of the cadre learned of the incident. They didn't know what was going on but could tell something wasn't right. He said the games resumed and, at the end of the game that night (we all know the "ceremony"), they were told what happened at that point. He said, of course, they thought it was still part of the game and they all were thinking "what a cruel fvcking joke"... just as someone in the crowd basically shouted out something to that effect. In the debrief the next day the cadre told them that there was some discussion as to whether or not to tell everyone what had happened that morning but the decision was made to continue the training and reveal at the end. Again, I wasn't there and I am sure I screwed up some of the details but thought it was an interesting story.