Henry Raymond

Fairfax News => Current News & Events => Topic started by: Henry on September 11, 2008, 08:54:42 AM

Title: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: Henry on September 11, 2008, 08:54:42 AM

A while back, maybe 2005, we had a Fairfax Historical Society Meeting where the question was asked, "Where were you on September 11, 2001?"

On this Seventh Anniversary of that tragic incident, thought you might want to look back yourself and see if you remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news of that terrible tragedy.

Larry Parsons wrote up the minutes of that meeting and I have them on my Fairfax Historical Society Web Site.  A number of those people responding are no longer with us, including Larry Parsons, but if you are interested in reading what each had to say about what they thought and where they were when they heard the unbelievable news, click on the following link:

http://www.vtgrandpa.com/fhs/where.html (http://www.vtgrandpa.com/fhs/where.html)

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: Loctavious on September 11, 2008, 09:39:13 AM

I worked at the airport back then.  I'd just entered the breakroom at one of the long-standing airlines and saw everyone with this grim look on their face.  I looked down at the TV to see the 1st plane hit in replay.  Total pandomium broke out after we all watching and the second hit.  My wife was actually on a plane in Philly taxing on the runway when it happened.  It was grounded and through all the chaos there she was able to bond with 4 other Vermonters trying to get home and somehow found the last vehicle to rent out of Philly - a U-haul truck.  It took them 13 hours to get home. 
that was the last day of my job, it was discontinued that day and never brought back ( skycap).  My wife, who worked for the airline, lost her job 2 years later - the airline never really fully recovered ( did any of them though really).  As with so many Americans, and people of the world for that matter, it changed my life forever.  The psychological effect was pretty intense for a while after that.  I'm emotional as i write this and probably will always be when remembering that day and all those lives lost.

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: Mike Raburn on September 11, 2008, 11:24:10 AM

I was on a job where our company was constructing a Railroad Depot at the International Airport.
Some of our subcontractors kept their people home that day, never really understood that, so it was just a handful of us there at the site.

With the flights grounded it was eerily quite.

When the Korean Airline 747 sent out its high jack signal they scrambled 2 or 3 F-15s from Elmendorf AFB.
That base is clear on the other side of town but we with them having full military power cranked up, we heard them and saw them blast out of there to intercept the 747. That plane was eventually sat down in Canada but the towns name escapes now.

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: Henry on September 11, 2008, 01:06:27 PM

Some interesting notes regarding where people were on September 11, 2001 - I plan to add them to Larry Parsons notes.  Below is one I received from Tom Ferrick:

"I was building multiple ball fields and tennis courts in Hull Massachusetts (Nantasket Beech). It was a major route for planes going into Logan Airport. There was about a hundred workers on that school renovation project. Just finishing my morning coffee. I had a strange feeling as I saw activity in the sky slow down considerably. This was a place were at any time you would see 5-10 planes flying low in the sky at any given moment. As I looked around I was not the only one that had this feeling. So I called my wife (Peggy) if she new anything. She was watching the news. At that time they didn't say it was terrorist. They were looking at it as an accident. As she was on the phone with me she saw the second plane hit. It was like she went into shock. We stayed on the phone until cell phones got shut down. I had a large radio in my truck and put the news on. Before I new it half the construction crews were around my truck listening to the news. I have never seen that many people so quite in my life and so tuned into what was on the radio. I remember seeing some big construction guys shedding a tear or two. After that the management made the call to send everyone home. I am not sure but I presume there were relatives of some of the workers effected by it. Seeing how the planes came out of Boston. That's my story. Not much. I don't think I will ever forget that day. Just like your generation will never forget the day of JFK. Regards, Tom Feerick"

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: NorthFairfaxBoy on September 12, 2008, 08:00:32 AM

I was at work....(as were most I am assuming..) anyway.  The phones started ringing all over the office.  It was spouses and family members calling.  Myself and a few others left on a break to go to a nearby home. We arrived just as the 1st tower collapsed.  When we returned to work, the managers (both are Canadian) were very hesitant to let anyone go home.  They were worried about work not getting done??!??!!?

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: Kathleen on September 12, 2008, 01:39:50 PM

I was working at a Travel Agency on Williston Road.  All of a sudden everything got extremely quiet.  You could have heard a pin drop out in the middle of Williston Road -- not a sound, not a car moving on the road.  Then it happened -- they cancelled all flights and our phones wouldn't stop ringing with people turning to us to try and get them home.  We actually had people angry and threatening us unless we got them home.  I know it was probably just a knee-jerk reaction to a bad situation, but lets get a little perspective here ... they were safe!

I was layed off from my job two weeks later (everyone panicked and started cancelling their vacations they had already booked for the holidays and even winter break).  I was unemployed for two years.  But coincidently I was finally hired by the Department of Homeland Security in Customs.  How's that for irony!

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: katrinaantonovich on September 12, 2008, 08:16:38 PM

Teaching a class full of children (just like the Alan Jackson song lyrics about sept 11th)

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: Stand Alone Defense on September 12, 2008, 10:59:00 PM

I was in boot camp and I thought it was all a sick joke to scare us until they let us watch TV.  It was the begining of a very rough 5 years that's for sure.

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: dearon on September 13, 2008, 07:18:20 AM

I was at a seminar at the Holiday Inn.  All cell phones are required to be off.  You can imagine the pandemonium when the class went on break.  The T.V.'s in the hall were reporting the news showing the Pentagon had just been hit; I believe the president was in Florida when told and on his way to a safe place, I don't remember exactly where.  I was terrified and left the area immediately as most of the people that had gone that day. Looking back I think the reaction was so fearful because we didn't see the story unfold, it was being told the whole story all at once that was so overwhelming.
 I called my office and for the safety of everyone had them go home.  We had a contact post office in our building and the govenment was closing major post offices and federal building. I decided even though we were a small town it was not worth the risk to stay open.
It was one of the most terrifying days of my life.  I watch the new coverage on CNN as they retold the story. The emergency workers and people that were trapped and those that died, initially were thought to be much higher.  My oldest son lived in Hyde Park New York less than an hour from N. Y. city. There was great fear in the sourrounding areas as well as New York City. 
I still remember one of the passenger's statements as she called her husband, saying the people that had taken over the plane had red bandannas.  I don't know why the media never focused on the significance of that and what it means??  Does anyone have any idea?

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: tfence on September 11, 2011, 08:22:31 AM

¤*¨¨*¤.¸¸ ...¸.¤\
\ 9/11 AMERICA \
.\¸.¤*¨¨*¤ .¸¸.¸.¤*
..\
☻/
/▌
/ \ NEVER FORGET!!!

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: 7F30 on September 11, 2011, 09:29:42 AM

Driving past the Mitchell house on my way to work.

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: CLach on September 11, 2011, 11:44:58 AM

Working at General Dynamics (they work government contracts) in Needham, MA.... went to the cafe for a coffee and saw the news coverage of the 1st plane, sat down to watch and saw the 2nd plane hit live on TV...many concerned at work, some... new people in the Towers and at the Pentagon as well....not many dry faces there that day. The entire cafe was full, people just staring at the TVs for hrs....not alot of work got done that day....Never Forget, good topic....a friend of mine was one of the ones running down streets that day getting away from the smoke and debris...he was ok but he has an interesting story...god bless all

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: tfence on September 11, 2011, 02:10:51 PM

✰✰✰✰✰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ If You're Proud To Be An American Wave
✰✰✰✰✰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ This Flag In Honor Of The Fallen Men
✰✰✰✰✰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ And Women Who Served Our Country
✰✰✰✰✰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ For those who have served in the past
☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ and For those who are serving now
☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ And For Those Who Are Still Fighting
☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰☰ THANK YOU AMERICAN HEROES.PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR GREAT NATION UNDER GOD THIS ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: MikeF9 on September 11, 2011, 09:48:02 PM

I was sitting at the dining room table finishing breakfast or the Free Press. The TV was on. I was watching the KTLA Morning News out of Los Angeles. Anchor Emmitt Miller announced,"We have some breaking news. This is a live picture of apparently a fire at the World Trade Center." Sure enough, there was Tower One with black smoke pouring out.
I switched to a New York station, who were reporting that a plane had hit the building. I then switched to WCAX to see if they were covering it. Bryant Gumbel was on the phone with a woman who had seen the plane hit. I telephoned Margie at work and told her. She said she was surprised the plane hadn't hit the Trade Center before now.
Suddenly there was an explosion on the screen, and the woman started screaming that a second plane hit Tower 2.

If you ever see footage of CBS's coverage of that day, the first live shot of the Pentagon gives me chills. All Bryant Gumbel says is, "Oh my God.....Oh my God.....Oh my God.....Oh my god...( then composes himself and says)..The heart of our nation's defense has been attacked."

After the second tower collapses, there is an ariel shot from a helecopter of the harbor. In the fore ground is the Statue of Liberty. Blue water, blue sky, but a huge cloud has enveloped the lower part of Manhatten. You see no buildings. Only haze and smoke.

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: Cat on September 11, 2011, 10:24:49 PM

We lived in Georgia, VT at the time...we were actually in the middle of plans to move to Hyde Park,NY which is about 1.5 hrs from NYC.  I was a stay at home mom back then & at home with our youngest daughter, our oldest daughter was at school & my husband was at work. I could not stop watching the TV...it was unbelievable.

We did end up moving to Hyde Park, NY in early spring 2002 about 6 months after 9/11 happened & we lived there for 5 yrs. We have visited New York City several times & each time we visited the World trade center site. I was born & lived in Beacon, NY (about 1 hr from NYC) until I was 6 yrs old.   I am a New Yorker.



(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c32/cjmorin/wtc1.jpg)


(http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c32/cjmorin/wtc.jpg)

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: mkr on September 12, 2011, 11:08:12 AM

I was in Altamonte Springs, Florida for Lucent training.  We had an instructor from another room come in and say the twin towers just got hit by a plane. We quickly turned on the tv and saw the second plane hit.  At this point, several of my classmates were from NYC and had fellow employees in that building as well as family.  We all gave them our cell phones so they could try and get a hold of someone from home.  We were all sent home for the day and told to carry our identification everywhere we went.  Thank goodness for the first time I had a fellow employee travelling with me doing training as well.  I was so thankful for having an ex-military co-worker/dear friend with me. 

We were glued to the tv and trying to figure out how we were going to get home.  I never wanted to be home and with my parents more than that moment.  My Mom looked up trains, buses, and no luck.  They let us take our rental car from Florida to VT.  My Mom got online and made sure we took routes that would get us home as DC/NY area had been blocked.  We had to go way around and the backside of NY to get to VT; 36 hours to get home instead of 23.  Joey and I headed home Thursday during a tropical storm.  That was a hell ride for the first 6 hours, but we wanted to be home.  The rest of the trip home was one I will never forget.  Everyone had flags out, everyone was helping everyone, kindness throughout our whole journey up the east coast.  The construction electronic signs all had flags from state to state.

I was never so happy as to when I walked into my parents home and hugged and kissed them both.

God Bless all of those who lost their family and friends that day and to the heroes who went in to save lives.  I will never forget. ~ Mary Kay

Title: Re: Where Were You On September 11, 2001
Post by: Jim M on September 12, 2011, 12:09:17 PM

            I was in St. Luke's Cemetary as Wilfred's ashes were laid to rest.

            And then to visit David & Janet on Lake St., St. Albans  where we watched the destruction on  TV.

            My wife and a daughter had flown to Jackson Hole and were due home the next day.......

            Well, United was NOT flying so a son took them to Idaho Falls, Idaho where they got
            on a bus for a three day ride back to Burlington. That's a three 24 hours a day ride, not funny for them.