Where were u 9/11/01?

MissJoRN, RN · Sep 11, 2006

I feel so much better when I read others initially thinking it was a movie, hoax, something. My (now) hubby called to tell me a plane flew into a tower and my first words were "And... well, what's the rest of the joke?" it was so unfathomable but I've always felt guilty for that reaction. Shortly after the towers collapsed I had an appointment for a final wedding dress fitting. I felt horrible standing there in that princess pouf while people were dying. I wasn't even sure that we would still have the wedding (the 14th) but we did. That night I went to work even though we had a very low census and someone should have been on call. We live about an hour and half from NYC and our trauma and burn center was expecting overflow. At the time we dreaded getting the casulties, now we know we should have been hoping to get them!

We were supposed to fly to Disney a few days later so we had enough time to drive since most flights were still being cancelled. Even so a few people advised us not to go in case more happened. We even took birth certs, etc along "just in case" even though it seems silly now. It felt like civilization was on the verge of collapse. When I got back I went to the SS office to change my name and saw my first (heavily) armed guards. Only 5 years later I don't think twice when I see machine guns, full armor, and big dogs guarding the subway. Weird.

Lurksalot, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2006

I was driving to work, hugely pregnant with my daughter, and ready to take maternity leave. I had the radio turned off while driving on a very busy interstate. Suddenly I noticed that no one was speeding, driving recklessly, or being aggressive. Every single car on the highway was driving the speed limit, plenty of space between each other, and everyone seemed calm. People were allowing other cars to merge onto the highway like they were all best friends. I was so befuddled I turned on the radio and heard what was happening.

And after that, I noticed I was not the only driver on the road crying. I will never forget that moment.

tryingtomakeit, RN · Sep 11, 2006

I was finishing my prereqs for nursing school and I found out about the first plane as my early morning psych class was ending. Sociology was next in the same classroom and at the end of it the psych instructor came back in and told us about the second plane.

I remember calling my husband as I left the campus. All I could think of was getting home to him and my young son...

nursepearl · Sep 11, 2006

I was getting my son ready for school and it was his 4th birthday.

Today, his 9th will be a much better one!:biggringi

NewYorkCityRN · Sep 11, 2006

I was in college getting ready for one of my Psych classes. I am from NY and a girl I would walk to class with grew up not too far from me. She came running to my room, grabbed my arm, and pulled me into the common lounge so we could watch and not wake everyone up. We watched the second plane hit and cried together. Luckily, my family and friends were okay and made it out alive. As I took the train into work today, you could see the mood was somber. There was a moment of silence at 8:46...and you could hear a pin drop in mid town. It's a sad day out here in NYC.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Sep 11, 2006

On September 11, 2001 I was at work at a factory in my coastal Southern California hometown. It was about 5:50am pacific standard time when I heard the horrible news, which would have been about 8:50am in New York time.

DoubleblessedRN, ADN, RN, EMT-B, EMT-P · Sep 11, 2006

I was working a 24 hour shift which started at 7 am. Just after the announcement came that a plane crashed into the north tower, I went outside for my morning walk in the parking lot. When I returned, my partner told me about the south tower being hit and also the Pentagon. Flight 93 was still in the air. So sad.

scribblerpnp · Sep 11, 2006

Senior year of nursing school in my Nursing Management class. Remember watching it on TV and stating, "It looks like they are going to fall!" About 2 seconds before the first tower fell. Class was let out early and I was glued to the TV the rest of the day.

skipaway · Sep 11, 2006

Interestingly, I was in OR 3 giving anesthesia to a total joint patient. Today, 5 yrs later, I was in OR 3 giving anesthesia to a total joint patient. And no, total joints are not all I do.

StarNurse2006 · Sep 11, 2006

It amazes me, how even 5 years later, we all need to tell our stories. There is something about it that unites us as Americans.

I live on the West Coast, so the events of that day were already taking place when I left my house for work...I just didn't know it. I never listen to the radio in my car, but that day I turned it on just as I was arriving at work. All I heard was that a plane had hit the WTC...I really didn't realize the magnitude of it. I casually asked a couple people at work if they had heard about it...some had, some hadn't. I was working at a Target store at the time, and many of the people I was working with had been there since the previous night or had gotten there so early they hadn't heard anything. It was eerily quiet that morning. I was the switchboard operator for the store, and the phones didn't ring. I finally saw the news about 3 hours after the towers fell and I was completely shocked. For days, the only calls we got were from people asking if we had any American flags in stock.

I was pregnant, with a one year old, at the time...and I wondered what my kids would think when people talked about 9-11 as they got older. That week was so surreal. On September 12, one of my co-workers, who was 8 months pregnant, was killed tragically, by an out of control car. Her 5 other children witnessed the entire accident. I have never cried so much in my life. That weekend my ex and I traveled to San Diego for the 3 day company picnic his work hosted once a year. We went every year, and that year was not the same, everyone was so subdued.

My daughter is now 4, and she came home from prescool today with an American flag that she colored. I asked her if she knew why they colored flags today. I tried to explain to her that bad men flew big planes into 2 big buildings and that lots of Mommies and Daddies never came home that day. She said "how sad...I don't want you to get hurt, because then you wouldn't be here to give me hugs and kisses." How heartbreaking.

I believe that we as Americans have been misled as to what really happened on 9-11. I am searching for truth. But the fact remains that we should honor and remember those who lost their lives that day. God bless America.

Celia M, ASN, RN · Sep 11, 2006

I was leaving the house with my nearly 2 y/o son , to get him to day care when I heard the news on the radio, I yelled at my husband to turn on the TV, we couldn't believe what we were seeing. I watched with patients at work that day in horror as the towers fell. I spent my lunch break at the babysitters watching my beautiful son sleep, it was the first day I had not had morning sickness (I later suffered my 3rd miscarriage) during my 4th pregnancy. 8 days later my hhusband and I became US citizens.

AuntieRN · Sep 11, 2006

I was living in Mass. at the time. I was doing my prereqs and working nights in the ER. I was sleeping when the first plain hit and my gf called me from SC and told me what happened. I told her she had to be mistaken and what she saw had to be a movie or something. I turned on my television just before the second plane hit. It was just awful. The staff in the ER prepared to be sent to NYC to help out. It was very sad when we were told noone was needed as they were not finding survivors. I will never forget this day. My uncle and cousin work for the secret service. They are based at the Pentagon, noone could get ahold of either of them for about 3 days. When we finally did my cousin told us he was running late for work that day...he was on the bridge when the plane hit the pentagon, my uncle was out in the field somewhere. It still makes me cry when I think about all those poor children who lost their parents and all the people who lost their lives senselessly, and all the people who lost their lives trying to save others. They are the real heros in our country.

This event has changed the way I look at things, but it also gave me an extra boost to finish nursing school as I felt helpless when this all happened. To anyone who lost someone to this tragedy my heart goes out to you.