Anyone who lives through a monumental even in world history can recall exactly where they were and what they were doing when the even occured.
So, were were you when those airliners hit the World Trade Center and what were your thoughts?
-N8
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I was supposed to be attending a USAF satellite training class but I had to skip it that morning and do some year-end paperwork at my office. Id just filled my coffee cup and settled down to get into it when a young Lt came by my office and said something about the WTC being on fire.
We went down the hall to the First Sergeants lounge where there was a TV that was tuned into Good Morning America which was covering the story. We talked about what we thought had occurred. We were thinking it was a small aircraft that had hit the building and we were expecting the FDNY to get the fire out quickly. As we watched in amazement, a second aircraft came out of now where and hit the second tower. We could not believe it. Then the alarms in our building sounded and we were informed that the base was now in THREATCON CHARLIE. When the towers fell we felt shock, disbelief, anger as what we were seeing sank in.
Someone brought up CNN on the big screen in the conference/situation room where we watched as news reports of the Pentagon getting hit filtered in. We went to THREATCON DELTA which means the base is locked down. We all had friends who worked at the Pentagon and of course we wondered if they were ok.
A while later we got word that Pres. Bush and Air Force One was headed to our base and we started getting ready. Vehicles were moved away from buildings and trash dumpsters were moved away too.
Just before lunch we got word that we could leave the building. I ducked out the back stairs of our building and headed towards the parking lot. Suddenly there was a dozen official vehicles and secret service agents, with weapons at the ready, jumped out and set up a perimeter as Pres. Bush and his advisors got out of a van and headed for the secured teleconference room in our building.
We saluted the president and he returned the salute as he hurried into the building.
I ate lunch with a friend that day and the restaurant was totally quiet as every one watched the TVs that were usually tuned into ESPN.
At the time I lived in the flight path for the local airport and it was strange not to have planes flying for those couple weeks.
So, were were you when those airliners hit the World Trade Center and what were your thoughts?
-N8
-----------------------------
I was supposed to be attending a USAF satellite training class but I had to skip it that morning and do some year-end paperwork at my office. Id just filled my coffee cup and settled down to get into it when a young Lt came by my office and said something about the WTC being on fire.
We went down the hall to the First Sergeants lounge where there was a TV that was tuned into Good Morning America which was covering the story. We talked about what we thought had occurred. We were thinking it was a small aircraft that had hit the building and we were expecting the FDNY to get the fire out quickly. As we watched in amazement, a second aircraft came out of now where and hit the second tower. We could not believe it. Then the alarms in our building sounded and we were informed that the base was now in THREATCON CHARLIE. When the towers fell we felt shock, disbelief, anger as what we were seeing sank in.
Someone brought up CNN on the big screen in the conference/situation room where we watched as news reports of the Pentagon getting hit filtered in. We went to THREATCON DELTA which means the base is locked down. We all had friends who worked at the Pentagon and of course we wondered if they were ok.
A while later we got word that Pres. Bush and Air Force One was headed to our base and we started getting ready. Vehicles were moved away from buildings and trash dumpsters were moved away too.
Just before lunch we got word that we could leave the building. I ducked out the back stairs of our building and headed towards the parking lot. Suddenly there was a dozen official vehicles and secret service agents, with weapons at the ready, jumped out and set up a perimeter as Pres. Bush and his advisors got out of a van and headed for the secured teleconference room in our building.
We saluted the president and he returned the salute as he hurried into the building.
I ate lunch with a friend that day and the restaurant was totally quiet as every one watched the TVs that were usually tuned into ESPN.
At the time I lived in the flight path for the local airport and it was strange not to have planes flying for those couple weeks.