I too remember exactly how that day went. I woke up at around 0430, went through my normal morning routine. Crap, Shower, Shave sideburns, cheeks, then neck, all against the grain. Brush hair right quick, since I acutally had some back then. Threw on jeans, socks and a work t-shirt, grabbed my jacket & carharts. Went downstairs, packed the lunch I'd put together the night before; Curry Chicken salad sandwhiches. 2 gallons of water, a gallon of slightly sweetened ice tea and off to work. I got there around 6am, checked the job I'd be headed out to, and started the coffee for everyone else on their way in. Helped load the vans and trucks, then off to work.

We all got out there around 7am. I wound up spending most of my morning in a manhole, standing ankle deep in mud feeding 2 48 strand lucent branded outside fiber optic cables and another lucent 36 strand through a 90 degree turn. All any of us had to go on was what we were getting from the radio; there were no tv's to be had, and we weren't sure if it was real or not. So, we did the only thing we could do, put our heads down and got back to work. around 1300 or so, the shop called us back in, and my Dad picked me up. I found out later on that we'd really lucked out; the plane that hit the Pentagon plowed through the corridor where he usually gave briefings. I remember vividly, watching the news footage, the documentaries that were put together by film school students that rode along with FDNY.

A little over a year later, I joined the military. I don't know if somewhere in the back of my mind, seeing that and wanting to do anything I could to keep it from happening again had anything to do with it. But as the years have gone past, I can't help but think back on all those who selflessly gave of themselves to do all they could to save others. Those brave men and women deserve remembrance, and recognition. However, they deserve it with dignity and honor, not the caricature of a media circus remembrance events have become. When I think of how it should be, I think of the way CBS of my childhood remembered 7 Dec, 1942. I can't help but think that 11 Sep, 2001 should be treated in the same manner.

I was in a college in New Jersey that year and was 17 at the time. I had taken the bus to school that morning. To be honest, I don't even remember if I had a class that early. I only remember the class I was attending when the entire day went to hell.

I was walking through the hallway on my way to swimming class when I heard a loud broadcast coming from a room ahead of me. As I passed by, I looked to my left and saw a group of instructors hundled around a small radio. It sounded like an AM news station. There was this look on their faces--they were all in shock over something. I didn't stop and whatever I heard the news anchor say at that moment didn't raise any flags. I was sure something bad happened somewhere... but when doesn't something bad happen? I'd most likely hear about it when I got home.

I entered the ladies' locker room to change and it was completely empty. I searched the pool area but couldn't find my classmates or my instructor. The clock on the wall gave me the impression that I was early... but not that early. Someone would show up eventually so I changed into my swimsuit. Another classmate came in during this time and I think we did mention how odd it was that no one else was here. I was in the middle of taking off my socks to complete my transformation when a staff member barged in and told us to get dressed and leave. The twin towers had been hit by planes and the decision was made to evacuate the school.

I quickly reversed my transformation and bolted. The entire campus was crawling with students, half of which had no idea what was going on. Some students I spoke to thought the evacuation was a rumor. I told a few classmates I recognized was the staff member told me. I called my mother at this point to tell her what was happening. She asked if the school was a target and I had no idea. She left work to come pick me up.

By the time she arrived, the streets of the campus were gridlocked. We were driving out of there at a snail's pace. The radio was on and I was finally able to hear what had happened. By the time I got home, both towers had already fallen. Every channel kept playing footage over and over of the towers falling and amateur video of bystanders being caught in the chaos. During all of that, the news anchors reminded me that they had absolutely no idea what was going on. All flights were being grounded.

I was glued to the television the entire day in disbelief. Truth is, I barely remember anything. There was too much information being given to me. I only knew this: the towers were gone, the Pentagon had been hit, a plane went down and many people lost their lives. I remember the panic others were in--frantically calling friends and family even if they didn't live or work in NYC to make sure they were okay. I knew of no one that would be there but called my friends anyway. I remember one being very emotional and we talked for quite a while. After that, the month was pretty much a blur. I had heard from family members of the friend of a friend of a friend that had been involved somehow but, from what I remember, our family didn't lose anyone.

I think today I'm going to stay away from the television for the rest of this week. I'm really in no mood to see all of that chaos again for the 6th time. It's all too depressing.

I showed up at my office (in a large federal government building) at 8 am to find people rushing through the halls looking panicked. I had no clue what going on. A radio was blaring in an office down the hall and I overheard. I was completely dumbfounded. I fired up the office PC and, not surprisingly, I couldn't connect to any news sites.

My co-workers and I spent the next few minutes silently huddled around the radio. I remember thinking that as a terrorist act it was so incredibly, implausibly perfect--stranger than fiction. Then they closed our building as a security precaution. I'll never forget riding down the elevator, crowded with quiet co-workers. No one knew what so say. At that point it felt wrong to leave work--I felt powerless.

I went home and immediately turned on the television to see the towers collapse shortly thereafter. I remember being completely numb at that point. I have several family members who are firefighters, and in the days that followed the deaths of rescue personnel hit me especially hard. I still get emotional just thinking about it. Watching those events unfold was one of the most profound and haunting moments of my life. I'll never forget how I felt.

I remember standing in the University Center at NKU and just staring at the bigscreen along with well over a hundred other onlookers when the second plane hit, nobody saying a single word.

Still scary stuff.

My father and I were in New Mexico, doing a show at the state fair. He had gone down to lobby of the hotel for coffie and heard somthing about it. He came into the room and turned on the TV which woke me, I thought I was still asleep and it was just a horrible nightmare. We spent the day calling every one we new from back home. We were still making calls as we arrived at the fair grounds and some news reporters caught wind that we were from NY and started taping us trying to contact our family and friends.

It was all so sureal, being so far away from home and having minimal success contacting anybody for a while. I was releaved as we dwindled down the list and everybody was turning up fine. When I talked to my girlfriend I found out her father was ok, but trapped in the city for 2 days trying to get home.

It all became so real when we came home about a week later. We flew into NY and as we made our decent that night I could see an overhead veiw of the city, and the smoke that was still billowing out of ground zero. That image will stick in my mind the rest of my life.

The events that day changed the general "feel" in the U.S. for a while. I remember people being overall more freindly, neighborly if you will. It was a very strange thing, traveling in the months afterword, the responce we got when people found out where we were from... I remember people would give you a look (or maybe some space) if you told them you were from NY. Like we were all big mean city folk. But when people found out during that time, they seemed to want to just hug you and tell you how much they felt for you.

But a few months later things seemed to change back to normal. people went back to hating, fearing, or just generally disliking one another. It was sad to see such a huge change in the humanity of people dissapear.

I have avoided so much of the media on that day since. Movies, TV specials, Books... It's not that I am trying to forget, I just don't want to be reminded.

I had a 4 hour break during classes that day. I came home for lunch and was browsing Voodoo Extreme when I saw the news post about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. I turned on CNN and was about 30 seconds into the broadcast when I saw, live, the 2nd plane hit. I was amazed at what I had saw and really could not process it at first.

I was at work in Center City Philly. My boss called me into his office and I remember us looking at cnn.com together. When I saw the first strike, I remembered the story of a plane hitting the Empire State Building some 50+ years ago and thought it must just be a terrible aviation accident. Then the reports of the second plane and the pentagon attack came in. The office atmosphere became surreal, as folks didnt know what it meant or if more was coming.

At that point I remember telling my boss I had to go home, everyone else had made the same decision too. The office was in a quiet chaos, folks who rarely worked together or barely knew each other were working together to figure out ways to get back home. That was the first hurdle, because all the trains had been temporarily stopped, and the streets were jamming up. Personally had to get back across the Delaware to Jersey. I ended up grabbing a ride with a co-worker I hadnt even realized lived in NJ and who was nice enough to drop me at my local train station parking lot so I could drive home.

It was such a wonderful feeling to get home and see my wife safe, even though I knew, being in South Jersey she was going to be fine. It's just you didnt know at the time if it was over, or how other Americans may react to the situation. At least one of the partners in the company was on one of the planes that day. I didnt know him at all, but it was a clear and close reminder that not everyone made it home to see their families again.

We went into the break room at my office and watched the news coverage of the first plane that had hit the tower. While we were watching, the second plane hit the other tower. I turned to my friend and told him, "we're going to war." Little did I know that it would end up being 2 wars, one involving a country that had nothing to do with financing, supporting or training the terrorists.

I was living at home with my parents, commuting to college for the semester. My mom woke me up saying that a plane crashed into the WTC. I said something like "no big deal" rolled over and fell back asleep. A few minutes later I woke up again thinking that maybe I should turn on the TV. I turned on the TV in my room and saw the news, I was pretty amazed that a jet liner could crash into a building. I still didn't realize the gravity of the situation until I saw the second plane hit on live TV. I went downstairs and my parents were also watching, nobody said a word. I had class in a couple minutes and wondered if I should go, I went in my car and started to drive to the college, listening to the radio on the way. As I approached the school, I noticed the lots were emptying out, class was canceled. I got a phone call from my girlfriend who was in highschool at the time, saying classes were canceled there, too. So I picked her up and brought her home, and then went back to my house and watched the news with my parents for what seemed like an eternity.

The thing that I remember most was the sense of community in the following days. Every person I encountered the next couple of days felt like a brother, or a sister. I also remember how my father, a very proud Army veteran printed out some flyer's a mere hours after the attack, and started posting them around downtown. I believe the only thing they said was Admiral Yamamoto's "sleeping giant" quote. My father also was one of the first to apply for a job in the new department of homeland security as a airport screener for TSA. He just retired from that job last month, his second retirement... he didn't need the job. He is 73 years old.

I was in my sophomore year at a school in Kansas City. I got up for my early class and saw something in passing about a plane hitting one of the towers. My mind jumped to one of those little private planes or something. Class was over and I walked out and heard that it wasn't pilot error. I ran back to my room, woke my roomate and turned on the TV.

The rest I saw live, from the next plane hitting to both buildings falling. Classes weren't cancelled but I skipped the rest of the day to watch with my friends. I started to go to one class, but some other students were acting very dumb (crying hysterically in public for no reason or acting like its literally the end of the world) and the prof started what turned out to be a 4 hour prayer vigil. Conservative christian colleges are like that sometimes. I decided that I wanted to see events unfold for myself.

I did get a phonecall from my dad to make sure that I was ok. I don't think I was in any danger in Kansas. However, my sister was going to school in San Diego at the time and from her apartment she could see subs from the nearby naval base heading out to see. All of them. And that's what clued her in to watch the TV. Her seeing the subs is the creepiest part about it for me. She was right next to a public target.

It is strange how well that day is imprinted in my memory, and I hope no one will ever forget. Just another day as it started. Got to work at 800amEST and started prepping for a busy day as an Sales Account Manager for a small transportation company. I had a HUGE 1000am appointment with a big customer who does mucho business with a different company in town and I had worked forever to get a meeting. So it started as a great day for me and looked forward to this meeting and I knew I had a great shot. A friend of mine called me on my cell and told me a commuter plane hit the tower. My first thought was..what a stupid assnut of a pilot to hit a tower and what the hell was he doing in the city. I left for my appointment and turned on the radio and realized what was happening and had to pull over to let it all sink in. As a amateur historian who does alot of reading, I realized that they actually did it AGAIN and this time the world will change forever.

At my appointment, the Transportation Manager whom I knew pretty well from the relentless pursuit of the appointment turns to me and says some very chilling words....."Tom, It is not a good day. I have 15 trucks all over Manhattan and I need to make sure my people are safe." BAM..that hit me like a ton of bricks and it really hit home. NYC is only about 250 miles SE of us.

I actually made the last 3 appointments that day and everyone was in a state of shock and business was the last thing on people's minds. I stopped for a cup of coffee at a gas station and noticed for the first time that the roads were empty and the gas station was deserted on a usually very busy intersection. The middle-aged woman behind the counter didn't say anything except "horrific" on hearing the radio in the background. My answer was the understatement of the year..." You will never forget this day as long as you live and the world will never be the same."

I got to work and logged into IRC where one of my friends commented that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. It was assumed that it was an accident. Then the second hit and everyone knew it was an attack. A cow-orker at the time claimed to have gotten information from a close contact that a military base in the mid-west had also been attacked. (This was only one indicator of many that she was useless.) Naturally, very little work got done at our offices that day.

The internet had basically ground to a halt. News sites were completely overrun and it was hard to get real information. Several us went to the Quizno's down the street where they had a TV. I watched the towers collapse live on CNN.

I turned on the radio in my truck on the way to work as they were trying to figure out what happened to the 1st tower. Then the 2nd tower was hit before I pulled away from the curb.

I tried to figure out whether I should to go work or not, but went anyway. I worked in a call center / cube farm at the time, so everybody was mining the internet for information. Still, the TV in the cafeteria was a better source of information. I wonder if that would still be true today?

What still sticks in my head is the amateur footage they showed on one of the news channels live before they edited out the bystanders comments. Hearing people say "Jesus F%&king Christ!" as the bodies hit the pavement was a lot more poignant than the talking heads in the studio. Not to sensationalize the news (more so) but the raw honest shock and emotion of New Yorkers on the street seemed to pay more homage to the victims and the event than all the dignified word-smithing of the talking heads behind the desk.

It wasn't on the 11th, but I also remember my reaction to a televised charity concert held soon after. I thought it would be cheap, plastic, and sentimental, but seeing a fat and not-ready-for-MTV Tom Petty get on the stage and give an honest and moving tribute to the people of his country seemed extremely real and appropriate. I was surprised and grateful.

The memories of that day will forever be burned in my psyche. Back in 2001, I was working for Rogers Cable doing high-speed cable Internet installations. My best friend worked there too and we were often paired up together. We were doing a new cable service and Internet installation at a new house in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven, very standard stuff. We were upstairs waiting for the cable modem to provision and the customer had a radio on in the room tuned to CFRA, a local AM right-wing talk station I normally wouldn't pay attention to. Two of the hosts were giving a live commentary of the CNN footage they were watching and at this point, the first impact had happened a few minutes ago. The modem came online so we went downstairs and the customer already had CNN on. It was her, her two kids, us and an electrician from her builder there do so some other work. No one really talked, we just all stood there transfixed. We all watched in horror as the second plane impact took place -- live, in real-time.

At that moment, I felt a wave of panic and horror pass through me that I've never felt before or since. For a few moments, I wanted to cry, scream, run and punch something all at once. We continued to watch for a while and then decided to finish up our work as fast as we could. We didn't see the towers collapse but we heard about it happening on the radio while we finished our job. During this time, we were repeatedly trying to call our contractor's office and various friends and loved ones but our cell phones just kept reporting network congestion which just frightened us more. Several miles almost due east of this suburb is the Ottawa International Airport. As we walked outside, we watched a constant line of planes making a break for the ground, some of them extremely close together and definitely landing at a speed that was much faster than normal. I wish video cell phones existed back then as this was a truly surreal thing to witness. We finally managed to get one of our phones working and our next four appointments told us not to bother coming. We flew back to my house and spent the next four hours glued to the TV. After that, we blew through the rest of our calls and for the next several days, our free time consisted of watching various news channels.

I still get shivers thinking about that experience and to this day, seeing footage of the day makes me choke up a bit. I've grown some strong opinions about the policies that came before and after that day since then but the day itself is something I'll never forget.

I was a senior in high school and I had an alarm clock radio. I woke at 7:05am(PST) to not hear my usual soft rock music but to instead hear a very shaken radio DJ describe that the WTC had been hit twice and the Petagon had been hit as well. I listened for 2 minutes, just not believing it, thinking it was still a dream. I dashed downstairs to the kitchen where my dad was eating breakfast, turned on the kitchen tv and saw the towers smoking. I had to break the news over the phone to my mom and sister.

At school, we went about the day as normally as possible, except in each class it was just a QA discussion about what happened. I remember in my first class of the day, all anybody asked was, "Why?" I kept wanting to yell back, "Cause we f**k with the Middle East too much!" But even my smart mouth self, was too numb to say anything. I just sat there staring at my desk ignoring the teacher's attempts to make sense of it all.