re: Where were you and what were you doing.

I was in Pleasanton, CA attending 3 days of technical training for my job.

We had finished the first full day, and the attacks happened early Tuesday morning (Pacific time) before my coworkers and I left the hotel for the 2nd day.

The company conducting the training decided to go on and complete it, so we did that through Wednesday afternoon, then were stranded in northern Cali through the following weekend.

My company paid for our accommodations the entire week and we toured San Fran, Monterrey, Golden Gate Park, etc.

Went to SF airport at about 2am the following Sunday to fly home.

I had tried to convince my coworkers to make a cross country drive out of the trip home earlier in the week. Told them I’d drive the whole way and let them pick out music and fill an ice chest with whatever booze they wanted. I had a stop in Vegas planned. They wouldn’t do it.

What was the army like pre-9/11? I heard it was the greatest job ever.

I was sleeping through a calculus class when I was awoken by a roommate who mentioned that a plane had hit one of the wtc buildings. The news was still trying to figure out the type of plane.

I was getting ready when the second plane hit.

I'm thankful there wasn't a military recruitment table setup between where I parked and the engineering building that day. It was very surreal.

AP US History class at my high school. We had a tv in the class but it was only used for announcements. Another teacher came in and spoke to our teacher in a grave tone and she turned the tv on to ABC or NBC I believe. A few minutes later the 2nd plane hit.

I was in the Navy. I was stationed at the U.S. Capitol building. My office was a few steps from the area under the dome. If it weren’t for the heroes aboard flight 93, I may not be here today.

On the Flightline at Eglin AFB test side, working end of runway. We went back to hanger when we heard something was happening. Everyone was standing around the TV in the break room as we watched we saw the 2nd tower get hit. Few minutes later we were told to bring all jets into hangers and close em up and shelter. Oddly enough once the flight line was emptied some ANG jets flew in with hot load outs and parked down on the hot gun line. We sat around the rest of the day watching the news. I can remember it like yesterday.

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What was the army like pre-9/11? I heard it was the greatest job ever.

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It will always be the greatest job ever, but, pre-9/11, it was a less stressful job.

Was switching boxcars in Russellville, Ark. when someone came over our radios telling us about it. Railroad put out an advisory warning on bridges just in case seeing as to how no one knew what the hell was going on.

I was just starting my Air Force career (roughly 5 years into my 22 year career) as an E4 with a line number for E5 stationed at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. At the time I was working nights as a Maintenance Operations Control personnel. I woke up the next morning saw that I had multiple messages on my answering machine and as I starting playing them I turned on the TV to see the first tower smoking and less than a few minutes of turning on the TV I witnessed the 2nd plane hit live.

That morning will burn in my memory till the day I breathe my last breath. Everything changed for me that day as it did for most of us.

Was running late to work after watching MNF at the local watering hole and got inebriated. Was pissed off at a table of NYC cops who cheered loudly when Ed Mcaffery broke his leg.

Heard it on the radio— sounded like a Cessna from the radio description and just as I pulled into my parking space heard the guy on the radio say in the most somber-scared town say “my God a jet just crashed into the other tower.”

We were glued to the office TV for the next 5 hours. I have never shaken so much as watching the towers come down.

I went to bed thinking those NYC cops at the bar weren’t so bad.