9-11-01, what were you doing?

[lvladder1]

This day has been burned into our memories like most Americans but this day was a little different for the rest of us.
Here's my story.....
My room mate (Edgar) woke me up at "O" dark thirty (after a night of Vegas style partying) and said "dude, turn on the T.V. A plane just hit a building." I was still half inebriated but remembered his girlfriend worked for channel 13 news (ABC or 7 for you SoCal guys) and if he was telling me to turn on the
news, then it was something worth watching.
After rubbing the sleepies out of my eyes I couldn't believe what I was seeing. As I turned on the TV the second tower was just being hit (or it was a replay but it was early and I thought it was live at the time).
So I moved to the living room and called my Dad (a Fire Capt.) and we watched, the horror unfold together. When the first tower collapsed I said to him, " Dad, all those firemen just died." He said, " all those people just died". Holy $hit it still give me chills, just talking/typing about it.
Then we arm chair quarterbacked the incident and we both said we and our respective departments would've done the same thing......... To this day I can't tell you different.

Anyway, My QUESTION to you IS...... What were YOU doing this day? this morning? do you remember? Some of us were already firemen, some had a dream to become a fireman. Others decided that day to become a fireman.
Tell US your story.
And Remember......... NEVER FORGET

John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

[Red Hot Truckie]

i was in Oxnard College Fire Academy. We were watching the news all day. i was 18 years old....

[Ash702]

I was working at the Staples Center in Downtown LA @ the time, servicing the fire alarm system. Ironically, the company I worked for was based in NY and I needed parts from them early in the morning. I woke up and was trying to call them and all the phone lines were busy. The office, my Boss's, my Engineer's, everybody. I couldn't understand until my wife turned on the TV and called me into the family room. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Over and over and over again they showed it. Every time I was still in shock with it.
Well, as everybody can remember, everything was confusing that day and most things were closed. Staples Center included, however, the engineering staff wanted me to come down and babysit the system due to the malfunction. And when I got there, all we did was watch more coverage. Weird....
LA was a Ghost town that day. The freeways and the streets were empty, And there were all these reports of other planes going down, not only in D.C. but other rumors of them going down other places as well.
I remember listening to Kevin and Bean on KROQ on my way down there, and all they did was take calls about it and report as much as we knew at the time.
September 11, 2001....maybe one of the most memorable days in my life. I will never forget and will continue to honor my fallen brothers and sisters. We all will.

[illdaddy]

I was twenty when they hit the towers. I was already in my fire tech classes, but after that day I knew that I was proud of the profession.

I was motivated to do whatever I needed to do to become a full time firefighter. I have been back to ground zero before and it hurts to be there.

We in the fire service are constantly thinking about the 343 that were lost in one day. But when you are there at ground zero, you can't help but hurt for all 3000 souls.

I thought the video tribute stuff that the westcoast911 guys had posted were tasteful and well picked.

[chainsaw5vent]

it was my wedding anniversary, and i was up early to start searching out what to cook the wife, and on the rare ocassion, turned on the t/v right after the 2nd plane hit. i stood there dumbfounded, and heard other reports that the pentagon had been hit also..i called the guys at st.10 and told them to turn on the t/v.
i was living at March ARB officer's housing and realized that our entire lives had just been changed. NOT AS MUCH AS THE VICTIMS AND THE SURVIVORS.
i woke my wife up and we both just stared at the t/v and when the buildings collapsed i told her "you just saw 300-400 firefighters die....." not a joyous anniversary.
you couldn't get away from the news coverage unless you turned off all sources of media, but yet i didn't want to leave it off.

over the next few months, entering the home neighborhood required several forms of picture i/d, license plates, mirrors under the car, opening the hood and trunk, the occassional bomb sniffing dog, and watching the late nite delivery of strange military machinery (MARB is the only operational mil flight line on the southwest coast.) my kitchen window was about 160' direct line of sight of all vehicles entering the base from that day on.

my inconveniences were miniscule compared to those who suffered loss on that day, or in the days since.....