It was a moment that most Americanís arenít able to forget. The morning of Sept 11, 2001, two planes struck the twin towers, a third crashed into the Pentagon and another was brought down by passengers before it could reach its destination.
Nearly 3,000 victims and 19 hijackers died in the attacks.
The Post asked on Facebook: Where were you when the twin towers fell? What do you remember from 9/11?
Here are excerpts of some responses:
Danielle Jenkins
I was sitting in my Grandmothers living room I was no older than 4 or 5 years old when it happend. We had turned on the tv while everyone else got ready to go do something and we saw it on the tv. I Remember seeing people jump out of the windows and seeing the second plane coming in threw the towers.
Peggy Pigeon Judd
I was 21. My mother and I were in Maine on vacation. We had slept in, and I was surprised to see I had several voicemails on my phone (we had planned on staying in New York the night before, and our family was concerned). Learning about the planes crashing into the twin towers completely ruined the trip–everyone in town stood on sidewalks, and every t.v. in every restaurant was tuned to the same channel. There was a hush over everything. My mom and I decided to go home, because we figured everyone would be trying to get away from the east coast. We were WRONG; we were the only car on the west-bound highway–the east-bound highway was clogged with tanks and armored trucks carrying troops. US citizens stood on the side of the road with patriotic signs. It was an incredible sight, an incredible feeling, and it brings me to tears to remember it a decade later.
Kimberly Ritchie Brooks
On January 7, 2001 my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia so she wasnít able to go to school. The morning of September 11, I had taken her to school to take a test. We were on our way back home and the radio had no music just talking, it was just really scary. I told my daughter, I donít know what has happen, but it is bad. Has soon as we got home we turned on the TV to see imagines of the plane flying into the first tower. Then it wasnít long the other plane flew into the second tower. My first thought went out to all the students at school. My fear was they might try to hurt them. It wasnít long we learned they were only on planes and wanted to hit big thing. None of us is the same since that day and never will be.
Terry Echeverria
I was at home in northern Virginia working at my computer. On that one particular morning, I was deeply immersed in what I was doing, needed all the concentration I could get and hadnít turned on the TV. My mother called to ask if I was watching any of the morning shows. After learning that I wasnít, she told me to turn on the TV right away.
In the meantime, my husband was at a meeting in Arlington, VA. While in the meeting, someone ran in and turned on the TV. Once it registered what was happening, everyone in the room looked out the window and saw a large amount of smoke bellowing in the distance – just three miles away at the Pentagon.
I didnít know where exactly my husband was ó still at the meeting or on the road – and wondered if he was caught in all the traffic because very quickly streets were closed down and the entire area was under a high alert. Under normal circumstances, it might have been a 25 to 30 minute drive. It was many hours before he finally walked through the door. As far as Iím concerned, my husband couldnít have come home fast enough.
Like the rest of the world, I was glued to the TV for a long time afterwards. Because I was born in DC, grew up in Maryland near the borders of DC, then lived in northern Virginia, I equated at least one of the attacks as having happened not only in the same subdivision as two other related events, but literally in ěmy own back yard.î
I remember seeing American flags and emotional banners beginning to appear hanging over bridges on I-66, the road leading to GW Parkway and the Pentagon.
Even as recent as six years ago when we last returned to the DC area, weather-worn emotional banners were still dotted along the roadways here and there. Armored personnel carriers and trucks with anti-aircraft guns were lined up on either side of GW Parkway nearing the Pentagon. It felt as if we were under some sort of military rule. Something youíd see in a movie or in the news about some place else other than in the United States of America. Very, very uncomfortable. Extremely sad that it came to that.
Terri Fortner
I was pregnant with my first child. I was 18 years old I was young and scared, and my husband had just joined the Army.
I was asleep when it started, and my mom called me from work to tell me to turn on the TV. I sat in that chair in our living room crying and crying until dark when my husband called me finally to tell me what had been going on there. It changed my life, b/c my husband had been at AIT in Virginia and I knew that he would have to go to war at come point.
David Phan
On that tragic day, i was sitting in my recliner studing for a driving test then i just took a break. has i remember at first i was watching cartoons then i turned the channel and seen that the first twin towers was in flames. then suddenly i saw the second plane crashed into the second tower. i was stunned i thought it was unreal or maybe a movie. i ran and got my parents and watched the whole tragic event unfold. i was in goosebumps the whole time, my very first instinct was that america was under attack like the movie ëíRed Dawníí. i lilterlly got prepared and called friends and family in some wierd case we were going in war.very sad
Kathy Graham Pulliam
I was teaching academically gifted students at Knollwood Elementary School. My class was in an outside trailer so I had no knowledge of the attack on the World Trade Center until I finished my classes and had gone into the main building for lunch. You can imagine my surprise when I saw the images on the TV in the media center. I was filled with such sadness and despair but I had to keep a bright outlook for the children as they had no knowledge of the attack.
Daniel Michael
I was 21 at the time. I was sitting in the chair at College Inn Barber Shop getting a haircut. Someone came in and told us what had happend & we thought what many others thought. Surely this had to be some sort of horrible accident, but that thought quickly passed as the next attacks unfolded.
My ex-wife was working at the Rowan County Airport at the time and called to tell me that they had been locked down and had two FBI agents standing by with them, along with the NCANG Blackhawk Helicopters fully armed.
I was still working for the fire department at the time and remember all the extra security measures that were put in place………… All exterior doors had to be locked at all times, bay doors only went up if a truck was leaving on a call or returning from one, if we went outside we had to have at least one other person with us, etc.
Praise the Lord for the USN Seal Team that found the man responsible for planning the attacks !!!
Rhenee Queen
I was in school and a fellow classmate came running down the hallway and said that we were being attacked. He was a joker so we didnít think anything of it. Tried turning the TV on but it was broken. We had to wait until the bell rang for the next class before we found out what was going on.
Randy D. Hill
I was walking into my spanish class at east rowan..we had an exchange teacher from argentina and she was scared to death even more than the rest of us. I remember sitting in class watching the president address the nation. Itís really hard to describe the way we all felt.
Billy Evans
I Was at work we were listing to Johnboy and Billy @99.7 the Fox and thought at first it was one of the jokes .. but then realized it wasnít. I Called my Dad and told him to put it on regular tv not a cable channel and well the rest is History at work every radio was on and everyone just listened. when I got home i watched in dispair and Sadness thinking is it over ? are they gonna hit somewhere else ? I still get teary eyed when I think about it or even see the images on the TV.Itís a day i will never forget.
Jenai Burnside
I had just woke up and turned on the tv…I kept saying Oh my God over and over again as the tears fell.Later that day I sat down and wrote a poem.
911-2001
A sad day to remember,
The twin towers died with most of itís members.
First one plane, then another,
Towers burning,
falling, falling,falling.
run, run, runnnnnnnnnn.
Buried under dust,pieces of buildings,plane parts,cars and trucks.
Pentagons burning,
another plane crashes.
Everyday people,
Fireman,cops,and such.
Died heroes,
In thier own way.
President says,
We ainít going to take this!
Guilty ones beware!
cause weíre COMING!!!!!!!!Jenai Burnside 9-11-2011
and then another plane crashes in PA.and we lost some true angels. More American people would have died if they had not have gotten control of that plane in the end…RIP all you Heroes.
Lisa Jean Humphrey
I was in california. i was sleeping when my mom called to tell us she was okay. I was so disoriented! My aunt worked just across the river, my best friend from high school was in the city, my cousins had to be evacuated from school. All I wanted to do was go home (northern new jersey) but I could not travel. One of my worst memories is talking to my mom days later who told me ětoday we thought there was a chemical attack because the air smelled so bad, but it is just the towers smolderingî
Brian Hargett
I had Federal Grand Jury duty in Charlotte @ the Federal Courthouse. The US attorneys came in and told all of us something was happening but no one knew what was going on. They told us that all federal buildings were being evacuated and we all had to leave. I went to my parents house as I was recently divorced and watched the news with them and my daughter of 4 sat on my lap. What a horrible day and a helpless feeling.
Barbie Burt
I was getting ready for work that morning. I turned on the tv and saw live pictures of black smoke rising from one of the twin towers. I heard a report that one of the towers had been damaged, ěpossibly by a small aircraftî or ěpossibly a bomb.î The media really didnít know much at that point. I have relatives who live in NJ and NY so naturally, I watched and waited for more information (like the rest of the world.) Then, at 9:03 a.m., I watched a commercial airplane plow into the second wtc tower and at that point, it became shockingly, painfully obvious what was happening. It felt like someone just knocked the wind right out of me.