September 11

Most people will never forget where they were or how they first learned of the tragic events that had taken place that day. Where were you? E-mail webmaster@cbs3.com with your story.

Dr. Kurt and Nadline Bomze

My husband and I were in France standing on the United States Military Cemetery in Normandy. We were thinking about all these brave young men who had given their lives for our country. At that moment my cell phone rang. It was our daughter who lives in Marlton, New Jersey. She was telling us of the events as they were unfolding in our country. We were in disbelief. The other Americans on our trip were shocked. Even the bus driver and the guide were in tears. When we were in a small town near the coast, one our group went into a pub and came out saying that the towers had collapsed. Everyone we came in contact with in France was so sympathetic and eager to help if they could.

Anonymous

I was working at a restaurant in Orange Park Florida on 9/11. Both of my Sons were in boot camp for the United States Army when all this occurred. I just remember wanting to hear something just anything from one of my boys knowing this was a beginning of some terrible things my boys would have to endure. In the past 5 years they have both been to Iraq and safely home. All of the victims and their families stay in my prayers because God kept my boys safe.

Matthew Cole

I am 15 years of age, when 9/11 happened; I was in 4th grade, on an Air Base in Dover, DE because our school was being renovated because it was really old. I was 10 years old then because my birthday happened a week or so before the attacks. When I got into school, everything was normal. When at or about 9:30 or before I remember a phone ringing in my 4th grade classroom, my teacher picked it up as the other went on with the lesson (we had two teachers, not a student teacher), and he said 'Oh my god. You must be kidding.' He quickly went over to my other teacher and she was just in shock, she had to sit down and everything. Then my teacher got another call, and all this time, we had no idea, clue, or even a hint to what was going on, and this time it was the principle of the DAFB school and my teacher said 'Get your stuff together, you're all going home" mixed emotions, confusion and excitement. Since we were on an Air Base, think of how hard it was to get on/off. My bus was caught in a traffic jam, and I used my teachers cell phone to ask my mom what was going on, she told me 'Something really bad, you'll see when you get home' so after my bus gets at the school to get us, 2 1/2 hours late at that, I still had no idea what was going on, and I was one of the last people off, and I get home and my mom was like 'Look at the TV and tell me what you think this is she turns it onto CNN I believe, I didn't know it was CNN, and I truthfully told her 'A weird movie', and she says 'No, look at what channel it's on' I look and I see CNN, I said "This is real?" and my mom says 'Very real', I had many questions like 'What's a terrorist, what's a World Trade Center, why did somebody do this?" and I believe 'Is anybody in our family dead?' and she says 'Maybe' I ask 'Who?' instinctively, and she says ' A great-uncle you never met' and I say 'Lets hope not' and she agrees. Then a couple days later we find out my great-uncle had been killed in the Pentagon in the section that was hit directly, I didn't know what to think/act/say because I never knew him at all but my life is as normal as ever. Thank you for reading this as I know it was long and very true in my case, again thank you.

Elsa Devera

A few days earlier, my 84-year old mother and I had gone to Washington, DC, on vacation from Miami FL. Both of us had lived many years in DC (mother) and Alexandria, Virginia (myself), but had not returned in several years. We were staying at a hotel (the former Guest Quarters) on New Hampshire Ave., near the Kennedy Center and just a few blocks away from the State Department main building. For those unfamiliar with the area, this is just across the bridge from the Pentagon.
At 9:30 am. we heard an incredible noise. We thought the hotel had blown a generator. When we turned on the TV to see if there was anything happening, we started to believe something worse was going on. Along with the incredible noise near us in DC -- soon followed by other sounds that appeared explosions -- we heard innumerable gunshots. That is something no one has reported in the media. We don't know who shot them, but a number of automatic weapons were shot that day, in that area of DC.
TV coverage on the WTC attacks was continuous. My mother and I could not believe what we were seeing; it was horrible, but it was happening in New York, not in Washington. We knew something was happening very close to us in the nation's capital, but the TV only carried the events elsewhere. This scared us even more for a little while, just a few moments that seemed like an eternity. Finally, we heard that the Pentagon had been attacked also and I rushed outside the hotel to see what it looked like across the bridge.
In shame I must admit that I was relieved the Pentagon had been the target. I had been inside the Pentagon before it was totally closed to the public, to the shopping mall there. I knew that the strong construction of the Pentagon walls could stop most problems, and the military brass there would manage to contain victims. It was not a place like the WTC where thousands worked and played. It was a military installation with discipline and totally different architecture.
On the next day we had planned a trip to the Smithsonian museums. We visited them in spite of the fears we all had. Why...? Because we were not going to let any terrorists win. We were not going to be intimidated by evil people who thought we should be made to suffer. We were NOT going to surrender to those terrorists or anyone, because we are proud Americans!

Steven W. Scott

I was on my way to work in Gibbsboro when I was stuck in traffic just on the other side of 42 heading on 295 north. I normally don't listen to the radio and usually listen to my cd's, when I was stuck in traffic again I decided to put on KYW News Radio. The news was running the top stories that morning, when a loud beep came over the air. The report said that a plane hit the NY trade tower. My first thought was, how could someone miss that building a crash into it, the radio didn't say what kind of plane, and I was thinking it was a small aircraft. So as I got to work, late again, I was going to tell them what I heard and how crazy that was, when they told me that a 2nd plane had hit the tower and we were under attack. So shortly after, we were evacuated out of the building and send home. So there you have it. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!

Anonymous

A nurse at a Philadelphia hospital preparing for, waiting for, praying for those who I/we could help - unfortunately "our" patients never arrived. To those that we had hoped to help (and their families) know that we were with you and my/our helplessness on that day will be with me/us forever.

Bobbi Jo Malpica

I was at work when the tragedy happened. Other people came and told me it was on the news, when I ran over to see I saw it hit the second tower. At first it looked like a movie I was watching, then when it hit me I felt paralyzed with emotions. To this day I can't watch the tape of what happened.

Amy Feld

9/11 and breast cancer are forever tied together for me. I was driving to see my doctor for a lump in my breast. I wasn't particularly concerned, breast cancer didn't happen to me. It happened to other people. Listening to KYW 1060 I heard about a plane flying into the WTC and I thought--- how could a pilot be so stupid as to fly a plane into the WTC. I had a hard time wrapping my brain around that. I continued listening as the 2nd plane hit and the magnitude of what happened was becoming more apparent. My mind kept flipping back and forth from, "terrorism doesn't happen here." to "breast cancer doesn't happen to me." Concentrating on either was difficult.

Once inside my doctor's office the nurses were gathered around a little black and white TV and I joined them. People were crying, calling loved ones, panicking-- the world as we knew it had changed--- and I had a lump in my breast, that I no longer felt couldn't possibly be cancer. If terrorism could happen in the USA then breast cancer could happen to me. I thought about my breasts, MY twin towers and a sense of foreboding overcame me. I remember almost every second of that day and can't think about my subsequent diagnosis of breast cancer without thinking about the terrorism on 9/11 nor the 9/11 tragedy without thinking about breast cancer.

Janice Frattarola - Philadelphia

I was working for a Funeral Supply Company, next door to a fire-house in Philadelphia. My husband called me at work to tell me about the attack. He usually gets news all screwed up so I thought he was mistaken. Unfortunately, when I turned the radio at work on, I heard the news that the 2nd plane hit the South Tower. Then I knew that he was finally right. I wished at that moment that this could be one of those times he got the news all wrong, but it wasn't. I immediately prayed for all those people, that they would be taken quickly. I just wanted it to be over for them as soon as possible. Every night, after the attacks, the news was always covering the attacks. All I could do was cry and pray for all of those whose family members were lost that fateful day. Now I pray for those families whose sons, husbands, brothers, daughters and sisters are over seas fighting for the American Way. They need our prayers too. Please know, that as an American, I appreciate everything that our service men and women are doing in the fight for freedom. God Bless All of You. You are making the ultimate sacrifice. We as Americans cannot forget what they are doing for us over there.

Maerz Family:

We were at Rices Flea Market in New Hope, and we stopped in our tracks when a friend called to tell us the 1st tower had been hit. We left immediately to come home, my fiance's son, Noell, was in the south tower and we were scared and worried for his safety. It's something that never leaves our mind, or our hearts.

Bill Burke, New York

At about 8:55AM, I exited the subway on Spring Street, several blocks north of the World Trade Center. I was walking south and noticed everyone looking up. Just as I crossed the street for a better view, the second plane hit. I saw the fireball and streaks of flaming debris heading in my direction. I was at a safe distance, but since I had worked in the north tower several years before, I felt fear for my former co-workers. I found out later that 8 of them had perished. As I watched the hellish inferno, I had trouble accepting that it was real. It looked like a special effect from a movie. Then, I saw the jumpers … my heart sank at the reality that would drive someone to jump from certain death to another certain death. That was just the beginning of the day that changed all of us, at least in New York city. I still work downtown. I still take the subway. I still love New York, but to this day, I look up in fear at the sound of a jet flying close to Manhattan.

Martin Connors, Philadelphia:

I am a Philadelphia Police Officer. I am married with a wonderful son. On September 11th, I (like most of my fellow Americans) witnessed the senseless slaughter of human life. The department was put on high alert and our tours of duty were extended. With the exception of a scant five minutes to change my uniform of the day, I did not see my wife and son until later that evening.

My squad was deployed to the hotels near the Philadelphia International Airport. In each and every hotel we checked we saw the faces of travelers, many of them American, change from distraught to a significance of hope.

People walked up to us and thanked us for being there. We were just doing our job.
We were asked our feelings for fallen brothers and sisters in New York. I could only respond that it was horrible, seeing no need to raise their already heightened anxiety.

I felt the pulse of the true America was still beating.

When I returned home, I kissed my wife and hugged her. I went upstairs to kiss my son who should have been already asleep. Being the son of a Philadelphia police officer myself, I could not be angry with my six-year-old for waiting up and feigning sleep for my return. I too had done the same during the turbulence of the late sixties and early seventies.

My son, Timothy, sat up in his bed, and asked me, "Did you and your partners catch the bad guys that hurt those people with the bomb and airplanes?"

"No," I said. I choked back a sob. "We didn't. Not today."

Timothy leaned closer to me. For the first time in my son's life, he was witnessing me crying. He held my face.

"Don't cry daddy." He put on a brave face. "All those police and firefighters that died when the buildings fell on them will be replaced by their sons."

I began to cry heavier. My son just held me and said, "It's gonna be OK."

My six-year-old, perhaps oblivious to the true magnitude of the tragedy, was comforting me with his simple wisdom. I only pray my son will not take up my choice of career, and find his own path because he had shown me that night that he has the soul of the BRAVEST. He wants to be a firefighter/detective, in other words, a fire marshal.

My only regret is that I am duty bound to Philadelphia, and wish to have been there to at least bring our brothers and sisters out to let them rest in peace.

This was originally written on 9/12/01 at the behest of a brother officer when I told him of what my son had said that night of 9/11. My friends who had read the story in it's rough draft urged me to send to Grand Lodge of the FOP and the Rosie O'Donnell show by my wife after Rosie asked for 9/11 stories from around the country. This story remains still on the Grand Lodge's website, and since Rosie O'Donnell's show has been long since canceled the website no longer exists. However, word got around the internet through police blogs and fire blogs. The Digital Archives requested I submit the story there and it is preserved there through a grant by the Smithsonian for the Archive of other American stories of that day.

It is not just the story of my experience on 9/11, but how my son gave me solace to continue doing my job and have a belief in the future of our nation. Every year since my family pays tribute to all that perished and are thankful for those that go out and keep us safe.

Lisa Murphy:

I was at work at a local newspaper. I was sitting at my desk and we got a phone call from an employee's son, who was a firefighter. He told us about the first plane. We ran to the nearest T.V. and while we were sitting in shock watching the footage on the first plane, we watched the second plane hit. I was speechless and just started to cry. I started to hear about the other two planes and thought, 'What was happening.' I went to the nearest phone to call my husband who was home with our 3-year-old. He was sitting watching it and just holding our son, he then got up and called our 5-year-old's school and immediately picked him up. We just sat for days, weeks, and still cry about it. We often talk about it and what we were doing and thinking and have taught our kids about it and why it happened and now again we are still reminding them. We also had a friend die there which made it seem so much more real. We fly our flag everyday with pride and always have, not just because of 9/11, and we remember each day why we do it. We just look at our 4 boys and think about what we have and how quickly it can all be taken away and 9/11 stressed that even more. The worst part of hearing about it at work was that we were all in shock and still had to get our paper out that day, quite a few things changed in that issue and also in the weeks ahead, but we did our work and all went home and hugged our families just a little tighter.

Ann Doerffel, Warminster:

My family and I were living in upstate New York. Our son had just started 2nd grade. I had just finished reading to the kindergarten classes at the parochial school he attended. My husband was out on a bike, riding (he had taught 9th grade Earth Science but had been let go from the school district). Before I left the school the school librarian had come in the library and said "A plane hit the World Trade Center." I thought that a little prop plane had hit. As I was driving home and listening to the local news radio station, it was obvious that it wasn't a little plane. As I was driving home, Flight 175 hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center. By the time I got home and turned on the TV, Flight 77 was minutes away from hitting the Pentagon and Flight 93 had been taken over. I saw both towers collapsed live. I sat stunned trying to figure out what was happening to our country. The country I served as an Air Force officer. We were glued to the TV. And we had to sit our then 7-year-old son, (tell him) what was happening and that he was safe at home and school. I found out that the next day that the school principal had successfully persuaded many parents not to come in and get there children. It was best that things be keep as normal as possible. My husband got back from his ride moments after the tower fell and Flight 93 crashed in Shanksville, PA and Flight 77 hit the pentagon.

For my generation this is our Pearl Harbor and the Kennedy assassination.