9/11, Where were you?

It was my second day of the fall semester of school at BYU-Idaho.
In fact it was the first semester that it became BYU-I. The summer term before, it was still Ricks.
A Tuesday morning, I was on my way to my weights class in the Hart building.
I passed two girls in the hall, they looked worried, and I didn’t think much of it until one of the girls said, “they think it might be terrorists.”
That’s weird.
I went into the weight room.
The TV was on, and everyone was quiet.
The news caster was talking about how a plane had crashed into the tower, there was no confirmation about what had caused it.
The teacher struggled to get class started, when we all watched in awe as on live TV we watched a plane crash into the second tower.

Class was over. We all sat and watched the first tower fall. It happened so fast. I remember the news caster was speechless, which never happens.


I went home. It was a slow school day, and I had laundry on the schedule, so I did it. My roommate Rachel had left her alarm clock, radio on in our room. It was a sports news station, but they were talking about the attacks too. The man said, “This morning we woke up and thought we had the most important interview available [Micheal Jordan had announced that he was coming out of retirement(again) to them the day before] but who cares now.”

There was a ward activity, where we were supposed to compete with other ward in field races. We all met out on the Arbor Cove lawn, our Bishop arrived and told us it was canceled. It happened and it was so far away, and our activity was canceled.

The next week Elder Henry B Eyering was coming to make Ricks Officaly BYU-I, for devotionals you could usually walk in and wait, but there were bomb dogs, and armed police men, it was weird.

The images were EVERYWHERE that first week. I kept crying, every time I though of it. I didn’t even know anyone there, why was I so sad?

It doesn’t feel like ten years ago, it just happened, right? Still, it is hard to remember what life was like before body scanners, and 9/11.

What do you remember?
Where were you?

I am actually really curious. I have never spoken to any of my friends or family about it before.

Please comment.

PS: 11/4/11 I just heard this great podcast, from This American Life:

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/445/ten-years-in

I think it does a great job of looking over the way America and it’s people have changed over the past 10 years. Check it out.

6 thoughts on “9/11, Where were you?

  1. I was home getting ready for high school. Grandma Meal was there for some reason. First plane hit. News freaking out. I assumed some sort of accident. Got in shower. Second tower hit by time I got out. I was sure they wouldn't fall. One fell on the way out the door. Second fell before I was in home room. That was a pointless day at school. Mr diangelo staged an experiment of estimating how many people wood be able to evacuate. People were sure that 20k+ were dead. I reasoned that under 4k died in wtc.

  2. I was my first semester of college also. I had been in school about 2 weeks and I worked at 5:30 am cleaning classrooms. It wasn't until my shift was done at 7:30 and I was walking thru the concorse that I realized something wasn't right. Everything was deserted (but aren't most college campuses at 7:30) anyway 2 office staff had pulled a rolly TV out and were watching with worried looks on their faces. I know this will sound super lame of me but my only thought was "serioulsy what could be that important on the TV to have it on" and I contiued home. When I got in the door all my roommates were up (another huge abnormality) and they were silent in from of our tiny 12" TV, every single one of them was crying, all 6 of them were holding hands and I knew that something terrible had happened. I cried a lot that day. I had an aunt who was a docter in Manhattan as well as a cousin in Queens on a mission. I called my parents and then spent the rest of the day watching over and over again footage of the towers. Our TV was on for 24hours straight and for the rest of the week it was on when we were awake. Something my Grandfather that served in WWII said to me always, "You young people do not appreciate what freedoms you have. Be grateful for those who have served to give you such a blessed life." I think about that phrase everytime I see a flag or say the pledge or sing our national anthem. I am grateful for this country and those who serve and have served and for those who have lost their lives for this country. But most of all I am grateful for Peace, and that it can still be found in times of unrest.

  3. Thanks for posting your story! I was at BYU, and I woke up late (which was quite normal for my sophomore year) and got to my religion class right as it was supposed to start. Everybody was talking and anxious. A guy behind me told me that one of the towers had been hit by a plane and they thought it was terrorists. Our teacher came in and quoted Psalms 46, "Be still, and know that I am God." We were all so confused that I think his quoting the Bible actually scared us even more. I went to work after that and followed the news on my work computer, not getting much else accomplished that day. Everybody was glued to their TVs the rest of the week, and we even neglected to celebrate my roommate's birthday because we were in shock. Crazy times, but that Psalm proved to be a huge comfort through the crazy days that followed. Love your blog and love you!

  4. I was at dance class with Mrs. Beuchannan. Someone came in while we were dancing and told us to go to another teacher's class to watch what was on the news. I don't remember what the teacher's name was but I think he taught geography and he was super 'mean' heh. We were all crowded into his room and sitting on the floor, desks, and counter all over the place just in awe. I don't remember if people went home after that, but I think it was possible we did.

  5. I'd just gotten home from picking up the kids from seminary. Dad called and told me to turn on the television. There it was, the two towers. As we watched they collapsed. I can remember the shock as I realized all the people who had come to help were now gone. They had given their lives trying to rescue others.
    At school we talked to the kids about what had happened, and tried to soften the blow a little. Every break we were gathered around the tv trying to get every bit of news.
    Even now, I cry a little when we sing the third verse of America the Beautiful "Oh beautiful for heroes proved".
    Just this week I was explaining it to my students, who hadn't even been born yet, and I cried as I told them about the people on the flight who sacrificed themselves. Just thinking about it now makes me emotional.

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