Where were you on 9/11?
“I was a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation assigned to the Athens, Georgia, office. I was sitting at my desk listening to the radio as they were talking about a freak air accident when the first plane hit. I was listening live when the second plane hit. I was in shock, and everyone in the office ran to the break room to turn on the news.
“All of the agents went home around lunch and made sure we had at least three days worth of clothes packed and loaded in our vehicles in case we were sent to help with any part of the investigation.”
Benjamin Haynes, 45
Buford, Georgia
“I was in my seventh grade social studies class. They cut on all the TVs per the front office request. The entire class watched as the second plane hit the second tower and watched live as all the horrors of that day unfolded. That evening riding the bus home, it was so silent. Once home, my grandma, brother and I talked about what had occurred that day. The next few days, no matter the class we were in at school, it was the topic of discussion, and we still would watch the live coverage when there were new updates.”
Amberlea Tant, 32
Rossville, Georgia
“My husband and I were just finishing up a one-week bicycle tour in France. After our last day on the bikes, we came to our hotel room before dinner when one of our travel mates told us to turn on CNN. Our shock soon turned to panic when we tried to reach our children in the U.S., which took hours. They were afraid for our safety, but the French were wonderful.
“We spent several days in Paris, each day checking in with airlines trying to get home. The locals would hear our English and stop us on the street to tell us how sorry they were for what the U.S. was going through. During a moment of silence, all of Paris stopped — no traffic, no talking. At the museum we were in, everyone stopped and bowed their heads. I’ve never been so emotional and proud to be an American as that day.”
Vicki Cox, 69
Ooltewah
“I was an OTR (over the road) semitrailer driver on 9/11. There are TV rooms in the larger truck stops. I had fueled up and gone inside to buy stuff when I noticed many drivers peering inside the TV room. Curious, I went to see what they were watching. Recognizing the World Trade Center, I concluded it was a movie based in New York City, where I grew up. Seeing the plane go into the building, I asked what the name of the movie was and was shocked to hear, “It’s not a movie. It’s real!” I tried to watch but could not focus and wrap my mind around the fact that it was REAL.
“For many months after, when traveling on the Jersey Turnpike, I could not look to the east, for not wanting to see the familiar skyline where the WTC used to be.”
DeVeria Stokes, 72
Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia
“I was in Washington, D.C., with Tom Kinser, CEO of BlueCross BlueShied of Tennessee, for a conference. We were in a cab on our way to Capitol Hill, when suddenly we heard an explosion in the distance. A policeman stepped in front of our cab and ordered it to stop. We got out, confused, and started checking our Blackberry devices and learned an airplane had struck the World Trade Center.
“As we walked several miles back to our hotel under beautiful, clear blue skies, a military jet flew over at a very low altitude. We tried to call Chattanooga and all cell circuits were busy. Finally, we were able to reach the office and we asked them to get word to our families that we were safe. When we reached our hotel, we turned on the TV to see video of the planes flying into the WTC and we learned that the explosion we heard was a plane striking the Pentagon. We could see the smoke plume from our hotel window.
“We piled into a rental car and drove across Virginia to get home, as all flights were canceled for days. We were thankful to be unhurt but had great fears for our country. There was a sense of pulling together in the aftermath that we have not seen since.”
Ron Harr, 67 Chattanooga