Tell me about Sept. 11, 2001, as you experienced it.

Chana Miriam S

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 7:08 pm

Sept.11, 2001. I was in Toronto for my Bubby’s 80th birthday party the day before and I flew home to Boston at 6:30 am that morning.

Despite my extreme dislike of getting up early, my flight was on time and I nodded off during the flight. Bizarrely, my eternal fears about hijacking ( grew up in the 70’s) meant that I was very nervous on the plane and what finally settled me was that most of the people on my flight appeared to be musicians who had strapped their large instruments into seats. I thought that if someone was going to hijack my plane, they would not bother strapping in the instruments. What can I say? It wasn’t rational but it was 6 am and while I loved to fly, I was always conscious of the possibility of harm.

We landed in Boston Logan at about 7:45 am and deplaned on the tarmac of terminal b, domestic flights (smaller plane, plus went through customs in toronto, hence considered domestic.) I was very excited to be on the tarmac within spitting distance of planes readying to take off or just landed.

I can’t really explain the excitement I have when being up close to airplanes, but I made sure to enjoy my tarmac time with the planes as much as possible until they rushed us into the terminal. To this day, I always love looking at planes up close (usually from the terminal) when I’m in an airport.

Sept. 11, 2001 started wonderfully for me, really. I landed safely, it was a gorgeous day and I had time to myself once I was ready to wait for marc to pick me up! I sat in front of Terminal B and read a book for a couple of hours. As a mother of young kids, this was an extreme pleasure and I must have read 200 pages while waiting for Marc who could not leave Waltham until Max got on to the school bus. I remember thinking it was strange that there was so little traffic at the terminal on a Monday morning ( beginning of the business week.)

When Marc drove up around 9:30 am, with Ariel in the back seat, I was very excited to see them and my first words were “ I’m so glad to see you! I missed you so much!” To which Marc responded “You haven’t heard.” And then he told me.

The period of time after that passed with my frantically trying to call my family in Canada to let them know I’d landed safely and stopping at the Logan Sheraton so marc could call his office from a landline because our cells were not working. His work was telling people to stay home. It felt like we were under attack. Just before we went into the tunnel from Logan, my cell miraculously connected with my
Bubby, and I told her I’d landed. We lost signal in the tunnel and headed back to Waltham to get Max from school, get some groceries and head home before what we thought was going to be a war, hit. At some point in time, I realized that my excited moments on the Tarmac up close with all the planes at terminal B meant that I’d been looking at the two planes that left from Boston. I researched it and then knew for sure that I’d seen them. If I’d had a smart phone at that time, I’d no doubt have had photos. When I saw them, they were safe, on the ground. So much changed in the hours after those delightful minutes. It seemed retroactively like I should have known what I was seeing. No, not rational at all, but felt nonetheless.

In the year after, we found out that our synagogue had lost three fathers, and there were other losses from our local YMCA, where I was a volunteer swim instructor. Wherever we went, it seemed there were stories that were locally based. The company where Marc was working on location lost their CEO ( Danny Lewin.) All the craziness of that year continued with the waiting and watching in the aftermath of the attacks, the stories that came out, the war in Iraq, Anthrax in the mail, Marc’s transfer and our consequent move back to Canada, and as we approached the first anniversary, I realized I was not handling the approach of the date in a normal way.

At that time, I didn’t know anyone else who’d flown on that day ( later, I met a few) but my friend had worked at the Pentagon (and was off site that day) and I picked up the phone to call him.

Until that call, I had no words for what I was feeling. Survivor’s guilt, PTSD, and a general sense of living on borrowed time because randomly fate, or the grace of gd meant that my flight landed and my sense of ‘there but the grace of gd, go I,” was very strong. Thankfully the Pentagon had supported personnel working there and he shared the things I needed to know to work to overcome my disquiet with my own experience on Sept. 11, 2001.

All this to say that I remember. Every year, I think about the babies that grew up without parents, the families killed, the destruction and the tragedy and remain grateful that I was not among the victims. I pray that those killed Rest In Peace and that their survivors have found condolence.

Twenty years. May we never forget.

Last edited by Chana Miriam S on Sat, Sep 11 2021, 7:21 pm; edited 1 time in total

allthingsblue

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 7:15 pm

Wow, thanks for sharing. I was a young girl and don’t remember very much but I just read a transcript of Todd Beamer’s call to Lisa Jefferson and it’s heartbreaking. The photos are, too.

Chana Miriam S

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 7:24 pm

allthingsblue wrote:

Wow, thanks for sharing. I was a young girl and don’t remember very much but I just read a transcript of Todd Beamer’s call to Lisa Jefferson and it’s heartbreaking. The photos are, too.

That was the ‘let’s roll” guy? Amazing human. Danny Lewin was also one who attempted to stop them. I believe he was officially the first casualty of 9-11. An Israeli former sayeret Maktal in the IDF. May their memories be blessings.

baked ziti

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 8:07 pm

I was a young teen and had just arrived at school when a staff member informed us of what was happened. My first though was disbelief, as these things just don't happen in America. When I realized that she was actually serious I starting panicking because my father, some siblings and siblings in law worked there. Bh they were all ok and arrived home covered in white ash. We were all sent home from school in groups. There was ash blowing into my windows at home ( I lived in Williamsburg and had a full view of the towers from my window) and the skies were orange for days. The smell lingered for way longer. I cowered in bed every time I heard military planes flying overhead. I can definitely say that my worldview drastically changed after 9/11.

Rosie89

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 8:14 pm

I was in seventh grade and when my friends and I were walking to school, we noticed an American Airlines plane flying very low.

schmoois1

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 8:15 pm

I was married about a year (no kids yet) and was a teacher at a religious school on Staten Island. A little bit after we arrived at work, the principal called us teachers into a separate room to inform us that planes had hit the towers and one had also hit the Pentagon. I remember her exact words: ‘our country is at war’.

The principal called all the kids in for an assembly where she told them what had happened and we said some tehillim. The kids were shocked and probably terrified. I’m not sure how many of them understood what was happening.

We took turns going to the teachers room to watch TV, and I actually saw the second tower collapse in real time. The thought that there were thousands of people inside was too hard to process, so I just didn’t.

At lunch time that day, an eighth grader was sobbing and sobbing and told us that her father worked in the word trade center. We couldn’t reassure her that he was okay as we honestly didn’t know if he was alive. I can’t forget that feeling of helplessness. Later, her mother did manage to get through and let us know that her husband had managed to get out, thank God. I don’t remember the name of the student - but if you’re reading this, I still think of you!

We were trapped on Staten Island for a while (some of us teachers lived in Brooklyn, and some in different parts of NJ). The OuterBridge to NJ and the Verrazano Bridge to Brooklyn, along with all the other bridges and tunnels in and out of the city, were all closed. I think they thought terrorists might still be on the loose.

When we finally got over the bridge, (with a police escort) looking at the still-burning skyline was traumatic. I grew up in Brooklyn and could always vaguely see the Twin Towers from my street; the thought that the skyline was permanently changed was horrific. My parents had burned papers and ash floating into their yard for weeks afterwards.

For weeks afterwards we couldn’t talk of anything else. It felt surreal - knowing how many times I’d visited the Towers (I even went there on a date with my husband)! It was belfry the days of fast internet and smart phones, and was harder to get information- all the newspapers were immediately sold out that week, and we were glued to the radio.

We had a hard time getting back to work, and even when the bridges and tunnels opened, traffic was horrendous for many days.

For the six month anniversary, they aired the documentary that those French guys had made on TV. A friend of the family taped it (remember those VHS days?) and we all watched it…I think then I started to process about people jumping out of the windows, deciding that that was a better way to die…

Since then, I am very affected, and every September 11th I watch clips and read articles, and feel very connected to all those families…I feel like I was right there and it could’ve been me….

cozyblanket

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 8:26 pm

allthingsblue wrote:

Wow, thanks for sharing. I was a young girl and don’t remember very much but I just read a transcript of Todd Beamer’s call to Lisa Jefferson and it’s heartbreaking. The photos are, too.

Can you share a link, etc?

shanie5

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 8:29 pm

I was drivingwith my 5 year old from Scranton to CHOP in Philadelphia. A 2 hour drive. A friend was with me. The radio in my car was broken as my children had put some coins in it a week or 2 previously. I remember stopping at the Allentown rest stop and having an issue with my minivan. A good samaritan helped us and we continued on the way. I remember seeing a digital road sign that I thought said something about "all bridges to NYC are closed" but as I only caught a quick look as we drove by, I figured I read it wrong. We got to the hospital, parked and went to the waiting room for my sons appointment. The tv was playing cartoons-it was a kids waiting room after all.

I did notice that people who you could tell were strangers were stopping and speaking to each other. A lot. It was strange. Then I realized that there were many many people gathered around a tv in a nearby waiting room. I asked my friend to go see what was going on-something was up. He went. And came back shell shocked. He said "They blew uo the twin towers" in a voice of complete shock and bewilderment. I couldn't believe what he said and had to go see the tv for myself. By this time both towers had fallen. I'm not sure I believed it then either.

After the appointment, as we were driving home, one of my siblings reached me on my cell to tell me our father was ok. He had been working in tower 5, heard the first crash and went outside to see what was happening. He and others with him had to run inside when the towers fell to get away from the smoke, ash and debris. He ended up walking home to brooklyn. I hadn't known that he was that close to the 'action' until that phone call. [As a note of interest, my father is an electician and was working in tower 5 as it was being made into the center of operations. The next day he got a police escort to work so they could speed up the process and be able to use the facility as needed to direct operations for the rescue and cleanup].

daagahminayin

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 8:36 pm

I was a teenager in the UK and didn’t realise the gravity of what had happened when I first saw it on the news in the afternoon.

My friends and I had tickets to an Alien Ant Farm gig that evening. Looking back, if I had really understood what 9/11 was I don’t think I would have gone, but at the time I just didn’t know. The news was still coming in.

Here’s the gig we went to: https://www.myconcertarchive.c.....2744.

Anyway, when we were there, it felt really weird. People were beginning to understand that something really big had happened. I remember the band saying a few words about it, then playing their set. But no one felt like dancing. It felt wrong.

I think I slept over at a friend’s that night and went to school the next morning. By that time I had a better understanding of what had happened. The news reports, the videos…

We didn’t have class first thing in the morning and instead the teachers led a discussion.

For days, and weeks after, the UK was in shock. It took a long time to process and life was never the same.

9/11 is a clear dividing line for me in my understanding of history. It’s when people my age in the Western World lost their innocence and sense of security.

lkwdlady

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 8:41 pm

I was in my 20’s and checked the news when I opened my desktop computer at home before I left for work. I remember reading the headline that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. I figured it was an accident and hoped no one was hurt. When I was walking to work I noticed little white and gray pieces blowing in the air. It wasn’t rain, it wasn’t snow.. it was pieces. This was Brooklyn NY. When I got to work another woman who I worked with came in a few minutes after me with her dark shaitel coated with those tiny white pieces which we later found out was ashes. This was before smartphone days so we weren’t aware of the news immediately. Shortly after, a lady from our office said she just read on the news that the twin towers collapsed! We had no idea how that could happen and couldn’t even imagine it. Slowly, pictures started appearing on the internet. For hours ashes from the buildings blew across the bridge into Brooklyn. We wondered if they were pieces of papers or bodies…
Radios were turned on (back in the day that’s how we kept up to date with the news). Cell phone services were cut off. The subway stopped running. People were frantically inquiring about anyone they knew who had travelled into Manhattan that morning. I remember walking past a store on 13th avenue that evening. There was a television on and there were crowds of people who walked in from the street to watch the news. Most people in boro park didn’t have TVs or internet back then so this was the only way they could actually see what was going on. For the next 48 hours the world was glued to the radio. I remember a woman calling into a radio station crying that her son was a fire fighter and she hadn’t heard from him since he set out to the World Trade Center. Slowly reports were coming in of how people escaped. How people who were coated in ashes and smoke and walked across bridges to try to get to safety. The news showed pictures of people injured on the sidewalks of Manhattan. We saw the horrifying pictures of people jumping from the burning building. The world stopped for a few days. It’s something that anyone living in New York will never forget. Everyone knew someone who either worked in the World Trade Center and was either in the building at the time or on the way to work. Millions of people who were traveling on the subway or driving on a bridge towards Manhattan have a story to tell about that day as people were completely stranded and couldn’t make their way back home.
My kids think this is just a part of history but I lived it and it doesn’t even feel like it was so long ago.

mfb

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 8:49 pm

Was at work that morning and someone came running into the office saying a plane hit one of the towers.
We turned on the radio and heard speculation if it was a accident or on purpose… and then suddenly a few minutes later we heard the lady yelling oh my g-d… there’s another plane.. and then a little later it’s falling…

allthingsblue

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 9:09 pm

cozyblanket wrote:

Can you share a link, etc?

Todd: Hello… Operator…listen to me…I can’t speak very loud. – This is an emergency. I’m a passenger on a United flight to San Francisco.. We have a situation here….Our plane has been hijacked…..can you understand me?

Lisa: (exhaling a deep breath to herself) I understand… Can the hijackers see you talking on the phone?

Todd: No

Lisa: Can you tell me how many hijackers are on the plane?

Todd: There are three that we know of.

Lisa: Can you see any weapons? What kind of weapons do they have?

Todd: Yes…. they don’t have guns….they have knives – they took over the plane with knives.

Lisa: Do you mean…like steak knives?

Todd: No, these are razor knives…like box cutters.

Lisa: Can you tell what country these people are from?

Todd: No…..I don’t know. They sound like they’re from the mid-east.

Lisa: Have they said what they want?

Todd: Someone announced from the cockpit that there was a bomb on board. He said he was the captain and to stay in our seats and stay quiet.
He said that they were meeting these men’s demands and returning to the airport… It was very broken English, and… I’m telling you…it sounded fake!

Lisa: Ok sir, please give me your name.

Todd: My name is Todd Beamer.

Lisa: Ok Todd….my name is Lisa…Do you know your flight number? If you can’t remember, it’s on your ticket.

Todd: It’s United Flight 93.

Lisa: Now Todd, can you try to tell me exactly what happened?

Todd: Two of the hijackers were sitting in first class near the cockpit. A third one was sitting near the back of the coach section. The two up. front got into the cockpit somehow; there was shouting. The third hijacker said he had a bomb. It looks like a bomb. He’s got it tied to his waist with a red belt of some kind.

Lisa: So is the door to the cockpit open?

Todd: No, the hijackers shut it behind them.

Lisa: Has anyone been injured?

Todd: Yes, ..they…they killed one passenger sitting in first class. There’s been lots of shouting. We don’t know if the pilots are dead or alive. A flight attendant told me that the pilot and copilot had been forced from the cockpit and may have been wounded.

Lisa: Where is the 3rd hijacker now Todd?

Todd: He’s near the back of the plane. They forced most of the passengers into first class. There are fourteen of us here in the back. Five are flight attendants. He hasn’t noticed that I slipped into this pantry to get the phone. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor in the rear of the plane……….oh Yoshke.. Help!

Lisa: Todd….are you ok? Tell me what’s happening!

Todd: Hello…..We’re going down….I think we’re going to crash……Wait – wait a minute. No, we’re leveling off….we’re ok. I think we may be turning around…..That’s it – we changed directions. Do you hear me….we’re flying east again.

Lisa: Ok Todd…. What’s going on with the other passengers?

Todd: Everyone is… really scared. A few passengers with cell phones have made calls to relatives. A guy, Jeremy, was talking to his wife just before the hijacking started. She told him that hijackers had crashed two planes into the World Trade Center……Lisa is that true??

Lisa: Todd…..I have to tell you the truth…..it’s very bad. The World Trade Center is gone. Both of the towers have been destroyed.

Todd: Oh God —help us!

Lisa: A third plane was taken over by terrorists. It crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. Our country is under attack….and I’m afraid that your plane may be part of their plan.

Todd: Oh dear God. Dear God…….Lisa, will you do something for me?

Lisa: I’ll try….if I can….Yes.

Todd: I want you to call my wife and my kids for me and tell them what’s happened. Promise me you’ll call..

Lisa: I promise – I’ll call.

Todd: Our home number is 201 353-1073…….You have the same name as my wife…Lisa….We’ve been married for 10 years. She’s pregnant with our 3rd child. Tell her that I love her…….(choking up)..I’ll always love her..(clearing throat) We have two boys.. David, he’s 3 and Andrew, he’s 1…..Tell them……(choking) tell them that their daddy loves them and that he is so proud of them. (clearing throat again) Our baby is due January 12th…..I saw an ultra sound…..it was great….we still don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy………Lisa?

Lisa: (barely able to speak) I’ll tell them, I promise Todd.

Todd: I’m going back to the group—if I can get back I will…

Lisa: Todd, leave this line open…are you still there?……

Lisa: (dials the phone..) Hello, FBI, my name is Lisa Jefferson, I’m a telephone supervisor for GTE. I need to report a terrorist hijacking of a United Airlines Flight 93….Yes I’ll hold.

Goodwin: Hello, this is Agent Goodwin.. I understand you have a hijacking situation?

Lisa: Yes sir, I’ve been talking with a passenger, a Todd Beamer, on Flight 93 who managed to get to an air phone unnoticed.

Goodwin: Where did this flight originate, and what was its destination?

Lisa: The flight left Newark New Jersey at 8 A.M. departing for San Francisco. The hijackers took over the plane shortly after takeoff, and several minutes later the plane changed course – it is now flying east.

Goodwin: Ms. Jefferson…I need to talk to someone aboard that plane. Can you get me thru to the planes phone?

Lisa: I still have that line open sir, I can patch you through on a conference call…hold a mo…..

Todd: Hello Lisa, Lisa are you there?

Lisa: Yes, I’m here. Todd, I made a call to the FBI, Agent Goodwin is on the line and will be talking to you as well.

Todd: The others all know that this isn’t your normal hijacking. Jeremy called his wife again on his cell phone. She told him more about the World Trade Center and all.

Goodwin: Hello Todd. This is Agent Goodwin with the FBI. We have been monitoring your flight. Your plane is on a course for Washington, DC. These terrorists sent two planes into the World Trade Center and one plane into the Pentagon. Our best guess is that they plan to fly your plane into either the White House or the United States Capital Building.

Todd: I understand…hold on……I’ll…….I’ll be back..

Lisa: Mr. Goodwin, how much time do they have before they get to Washington?

Goodwin: Not long ma’am. They changed course over Cleveland; they’re approaching Pittsburgh now. Washington may be twenty minutes away.

Todd: (breathing a little heavier) The plane seems to be changing directions just a little. It’s getting pretty rough up here. The plane is flying real erratic….We’re not going to make it out of here. Listen to me….I want you to hear this….I have talked with the others….we have decided we would not be pawns in these hijackers suicidal plot.

Lisa: Todd, what are you going to do?

Todd: We’ve hatched a plan. Four of us are going to rush the hijacker with the bomb. After we take him out, we’ll break into the cockpit. A stewardess is getting some boiling water to throw on the hijackers at the controls. We’ll get them….and we’ll take them out. Lisa, …..will you do one last thing for me?

Lisa: Yes…What is it?

Todd: Would you pray with me?

They pray: Our father which art in Heaven

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive our trespassers,

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory

Forever…..Amen

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…

He makes me to lie down in green pastures

He leads me beside the still waters

He restores my soul

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for His name’s sake

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

I will fear no evil, for thou art with me…..

Todd: (softer) God help me…Yoshke help me….(clears throat and louder)

Are you guys ready?……..

Let’s Roll……………………

#LetsRoll
#UnitedByDutyBoundByHonor

b.chadash

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 9:13 pm

I was living in Eretz Yisroel at the time. Standing in my baby's room, at the changing table, my mother called from America to tell me she just heard that a plane hit one of the towers. As we were talking, she said "oh no, a second plane just hit the other tower.!"
None of it felt real.

We had a neighbor who had a Korean aide who took care of his invalid wife. She had a TV in her room. Many women crammed into her room to watch the news. The news was very repetitive, just going in a loop.

People walked around for the next few days asking each other if everyone in their family was okay.

I remember thinking that the world will never be the same. I was pregnant at the time and wondering what kind of evil world was I bringing this child into.

We all knew with certainty that the coming of Moshiach was imminent. I was excited and terrified at the same time.

Alas, its 20 years later and we are still in galus.

yersp

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 9:15 pm

I was on my way to work with a Manhatten bound bus. On the highway someone noticed what looked like a hole with smoke coming out of one tower. Another person quickly turned her radio Walkman on and traffic was moving very slowly. As we were entering the tunnel the second tower was hit. The bus was slowly inching along in the tunnel and we were almost out when the bus driver announced that all traffic had stopped moving and either we could stay on the bus and wait or walk back. This was the battery tunnel which is a very long tunnel. Suddenly the tunnel filled with smoke and we didn't know what to think so everyone decided it was safer to just walk back towards Brooklyn. Little did we know that that was the first tower that had fallen. It took is about an hour and a half to walk back and in the meantime there were tons of fire trucks and ambulances flying past us. Many firefighters were walking towards Manhattan. When we finally got to the Brooklyn side we got a ride into boro Park from a hatzolah member who dropped us off all at one stop (we were 4 people walking together) and quickly zoomed back to the tunnel. There were papers and soot and stuff flying all over. I can still smell that acrid burning smell when I remember that walk home. I did not sleep for a few days and was glued to the radio listening to the same news over and over again.

safty

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 9:16 pm

It was a beautiful Tuesday morning and I was driving to Lord & Taylor on the island..I heard the news and TOTALLY panicked because my daughter worked around the corner from the twin towers and she just started her ninth month
I pulled into the first gas station I could find To call her… This is pre-cell phone days… I could not reach her and I drove to the store… It was empty of all customers besides me… I knew exactly where the
pay phones were and tried to reach my daughter again… BH I reached her and she said she is going out with her fellow workers to find a way to get out of the city. Later she told me her harrowing experience of seeing people jumping from the windows of the burning buildings , of strong firemen collapsing and walking for hours until she was able to cross the bridge where my husband met her and drove her home. It is a day that I will never ever forget and my daughter had nightmares of course from it
I cried for days and at night I would just keep repeating “all those people all those people”..It definitely taught me a lesson to appreciate every single day of life that we have.

On another note I know someone who worked down there But because he always has a hard time waking up to the alarm he actually was on a late train and BH was saved!

[quote]

boysrus

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 9:26 pm

allthingsblue wrote:

omg.
I never read that before
cant stop crying Sad

dena613

Sat, Sep 11 2021, 9:32 pm

Made me cry too Sad

Chickensoupprof

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 1:09 am

I was 7, and I saw it on Dutch TV I guess live after school (school in the Netherlands is till 3 o'clock in the Netherlands and I lived a 5-minute walk from my school) my dad ran in the house screaming 'IS IT ON TV IS IT ON TV? I'VE HEARD IN THE CAR ON THE RADIO..... WAAAA'

My parents recall how it was on the Dutch news and talk shows for months after it happened. My brother was little and he didn't knew what happened and I explained to him by building two towers with duplo and broke it with a toy plane... also for a few weeks I talked about Bush, Osama bin Laden till my mom forbade me to do so because some parents said that when was there for a play date that they were not interested in those stuff...

Raisin

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 2:16 am

My kids were napping, I was cooking and I was listening to the bbc world service, to a reporter who happened to be there as it happened. At first they thought it was an accident. Then, when the second tower was hit, they realised it wasn't. We had just moved from NY the year before and I remember going to the top of the WTC with my husband one evening.

I remember sitting and watching the videos of it over and over on our dial up internet.

Because no one wanted to fly in the next couple of weeks we got tickets home to see our family for a few pennies each.

salt

Sun, Sep 12 2021, 2:25 am

I was in my 20's, at work, in Jerusalem. I remember all being glued to the news reports for the rest of the day.
Once I got home I spoke to an American born friend of mine - she said it must have been Bin-Laden - I hadn't even heard of him.