9/11 quiz

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

This quiz has been going around Live Journal the last few days, and I thought I it would be interesting to post it here, along with my answers.

1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the pentagon and WTC?
I was home. I had gone out the night before, had more than a few drinks, and I got up at about 10:30. By that time, the towers were both down. I moved the mouse on my computer, and as the monitor woke up, there were at least 20 IM windows open, people who had IMd me. I got the news from Mercutio. He told me what had happened and I immediately turned on the TV.

2. What country/group did you suspect immediately?
I fairly quickly knew that it was most likely middle eastern extremests. I have a degree in Poly Sci, I’ve studdied this. I would not have been overly suprised if it had turned out to be someone else, but I thought it was a safe bet that it was some mid-east terrorist group.

3. Who were you with? How did you react?
I was alone. I reacted with rage, grief, sorrow and anger.

4. Who did you call first?
The first people I called were my parents. I remember raging on the phone to my dad, nonsensical stuff about nukes, attacks and revenge, liberally laced with vile curse words. You have to understand that I do not curse with my parents. That day, I didn’t care, however. So sue me.

5. What did you do the rest of the day?
I watched the news with shock and horror. I finally felt that I had to do SOMETHING, so I went out to give blood. The Red Cross donation center was swamped. I was told it would be hours before I could give, I didn’t mind waiting. I’m not the type of person who can just sit by, I wound up answering the phones, giving the exhausted volunteers a rest. I was one of the last to give blood, and I stood up afterwards and called attention with the people left, those who had given blood and those waiting to give. I asked for everyone to acknowledge the selfless dediction of the Red Cross volunteers who were, by that time, reeling with exhaustion. We all stood and cheered these special people. I remember hugging the guy who was in charge of the center, both of us crying freely amongst the cheers.

6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks?
No, but it was a close thing. I was on the phone ( and IMing at the same time! ) with Geobabe by noon. We both knew that Vix worked in the towers. Geo had met Vix before, I was only aware of her as a member of the SDMB. We were both convinced she was dead. We said a lot of extremely emotional and excited shit, and together we prepared ourselves for the worst. To this day, I can still hear Geo’s triumphant shout “SHE MADE IT OUT!” after Vix posted that she was OK. That was one of the best feelings I have ever had, and I cherish it. Small good on a very bad day.

7. Do you think 9-11 should be a holiday?
Yes and no. I think it should be a holiday on the order of Memorial Day. I hold Memorial Day close to my heart for what it MEANS. Unfortunatelly, most people hold it near and dear to their heart as a long weekend and a day for sales. I wouldn’t want that to happen to 9/11

8. Do you think even a % of the money donated really made it to the families?
Yes I do. If it didn’t. I would cheerfully crucify the folks responsable for diverting funds again and again and again for the rest of my life. I’d enjoy it too.

9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last?
No. I have always loved my country and what it stands for. I would have died for it before 9/11, and I would die for it now, should circumstances warrent. I will not sacrifice myself blindly, but I will gladly sacrifice myself for an ideal.

10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again?
Yes. I was flying in October,

11. Have you been to Ground Zero?
Yes and no. I went there, but did not have the 4 hours to spend in line to view the actual site. I would have gladly stood in line, but I had to pick up other people. It dosen’t matter. Being close was chilling, and I still respect what GZ stads for with all my heart. I saw a picture today of the WTC before the attack, and THAT is how the NY skyline should look. The absence of the towers is just…wrong. Unfortunately, I am aclimating to the fact that that’s how it is now.

12. At what point did it really sink in?
Beats me. I’m still angry and hurt. Is that sunk in? I dunno. Do you?

2

I’ll give a furrener’s perspective.

1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the pentagon and WTC?
I was at work, when a colleague came into the room and said: “Uh, a plane just crashed into the WTC in New York”. We went to the company restaurant, where all TV’s where showing the news. I saw the second plane hit the other tower minutes after I walked in.

2. What country/group did you suspect immediately?
Well, “terrorists” was what came to mind. And then your mind immediately wonders to the middle east. Palestinians came to mind, but also Osama Bin Laden, since he had bommed the WTC before.

3. Who were you with? How did you react?
Complete disbelief - I could not grasp what I was watching at first. Then, as it set in, sadness, and concern for my friends in America.

4. Who did you call first?
I called a few friends here in Holland, and my mother. Then, I called Shayna, whom I had met IRL before.

5. What did you do the rest of the day?
Went home after work (the first crashes occurred around 15:00 my time, and no one worked after that). Was glued to the TV for the entire night.

6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks?
No.

7. Do you think 9-11 should be a holiday?
I honestly don’t know. Part of me says that the best revenge is a life well lived, and the other part knows you can’t just brush something this enormous aside like that. I’ll leave it to the American people to decide - either choice has my backing.

8. Do you think even a % of the money donated really made it to the families?
Probably the majority of the money did. Maybe I’m naive.

9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last?
Doesn’t really apply to me, but yes, I did sense an increased level of patriotism coming from Americans, be it posters of the SDMB or colleagues at work. It’s worn off bit since then, in my opinion.

10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again?
Yes, I flew from Amsterdam to Los Angeles via Milan on October 19.

11. Have you been to Ground Zero?
I have never been to NYC, but I hope to go there one day. Not for ground zero especially, though.

12. At what point did it really sink in?
After about a day or two, the innitial wonder and disbelief was replaced by anger and a deep sadness. I guess that constitutes “sinking in”.

3

**1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the pentagon and WTC? **

At work, 3 blocks from the Empire State Building (thinking that was gonna be the next target) :frowning:

2. What country/group did you suspect immediately?

At first I didn’t suspect terrorism - I thought it was a private plane in distress.

3. Who were you with? How did you react?

With co-workers. It was so surreal. State of denial.
**4. Who did you call first? **

My mum in Oz, so she wouldn’t worry.

5. What did you do the rest of the day?

Walked home (subways weren’t running). Talked to friends, watched TV, cried.

6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks?

I know 3 people who worked in the towers and another 3 in the immediate area. All are safe, thank God. One escaped in one of the last elevators down.

7. Do you think 9-11 should be a holiday?

I think there should be moments of remembrance in the morning at the time of the attacks, but I don’t think it should be a public holiday.

8. Do you think even a % of the money donated really made it to the families?

Yes, I do.

9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last?

I certainly felt it here in NYC. I think so.

10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again?

Yes. I flew to LA and then on to Australia. It was 7 months after the attacks.

11. Have you been to Ground Zero?

Yes. :frowning:

12. At what point did it really sink in?

When I stood standing at a massive hole in the gound where the bulldozers in the pit looked like Tonka toys, then realizing the top I had on, I had bought in the WTC mall.

I used to work downtown and spent a lot of time in the towers - I miss them. :frowning:

4

1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the pentagon and WTC?
I was in the lobby of Two World Trade Center when the first plane hit One World Trade.

2. What country/group did you suspect immediately?
I had no idea. I just wanted to get the fuck out of there.

3. Who were you with? How did you react?
I wasn’t with anyone I knew, but there were dozens of people in the lobby. I was shocked and scared. I had an urge to pray, which freaked me out, since I’m not very religious. I tried to get more information - I asked some maintenance guys if they knew what was going on. (They didn’t). I tried to get up to my office but couldn’t. I wandered around in shock for a few minutes, then I decided to flee.

4. Who did you call first?
My Aunt Jean, who lives in Tribeca, about seven blocks from the WTC. She works from home, so I figured she’d be there. I couldn’t get through to her at first, so I tried my mother at the school where she teaches. Same deal. After many frantic minutes, I got through to my father at his office. This was at a payphone. A while later, as I walked uptown, I stopped in a video store and called my aunt and spoke to her, and then my sister Catherine, who was teaching in the Bronx. I think the next person I called was my boss Melissa, who was in the PATH train when the first plane hit. For a few days, she was the only coworker of mine I knew to be alive.

5. What did you do the rest of the day?
Freak. Cry. Freak some more. I walked up to my friend Patrick’s (then) office at 36th and Madison. He wasn’t there, but one of his coworkers let me use the phone. After a bit, I got in touch with a friend who lives in Manhattan and went to her apartment. First thing I did there was email everyone I knew. Second, I posted here that I was ok. When the trains to Brooklyn were running again, I went home. My housemates and I watched TV for the rest of the day.

6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks?
No. Thirteen of my coworkers were killed, but I didn’t know any of them. I’m currently working on writing profiles of them to be posted on our intranet sites on Wednesday.

7. Do you think 9-11 should be a holiday?
No.

8. Do you think even a % of the money donated really made it to the families?
Yes.

9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last?
Yes. Everyone on my street - and I mean everyone - had a flag flying. I’m not feeling especially patriotic anymore. No more than usual, anyway.

10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again?
Yes, about six times. The first was later that month. I flew from Providence to Nantucket on a 10-seat Cessna. I wasn’t scared at all. I think the next time I flew was to ChiDope in April. I was terrified. Now I’m ok with it. Not thrilled, but ok.

11. Have you been to Ground Zero?
Several times. I went in October or early November. Most recently, I went in late June. It’s very odd now - really just a big hole in the ground. Sua and I drove by fairly recently and for a moment, I didn’t recognize it. I was like, “Huh, what’s this big construction site? Oh, yeah”.

12. At what point did it really sink in?
Shit, I don’t think it has. Everytime I hear another coworkers’ story about their experience, I’m shocked.

5

  1. i had just walked into work when a coworker asked me if i heard anything about the wtc. i tuned into abc on the radio and in a few minutes the second plane hit.

  2. binladen.

  3. i put out an all staff email about what i heard on the radio. coworkers rushed into my area to hear what was going on.

  4. i emailed my cousin to find out if her son was delivering in the area. he had the financial area route.

  5. keeped coworkers updated via email until it was decided to turn on the office av equipment. then our building was closed, i walked home and checked up on the sdmb. i was very worried about vix, and was so very relieved when she and all the nyc/wash dc dopers checked in. i watched tv for hours.

  6. no. just friends and relatives of friends. clients of ours lost coworkers, my boss in boston lost a close friend. that sort of thing.

  7. no, we should do what they did, just go to work.

  8. yes.

  9. fairly patriotic before, most of the men in my family have been in the navy.

  10. no.

  11. yes, sept 22nd.

  12. i don’t think it has. even though i know the towers are gone, i still have trouble wrapping my mind around it.

6

1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the Pentagon and WTC?
I was working at an international TV news company, and looked up from my PC to see a small cluster of people at the bank of TVs used to make sure website journalists have news feeds from all competitors. I walked over around the time the second plane hit the WTC.

2. What country/group did you suspect immediately?
None in particular, although given the scale of the attacks I did assume an established terrorist group, and immediately leapt to a conclusion it was Middle East-related.

3. Who were you with? How did you react?
I was in a busy open-plan office, with around 20 other consultants and 30-40 client staff. I was open-mouthed and bewildered, but most of us just milled around watching the various TVs and talking in hushed tones. We tried to keep working, half-heartedly, but since it was 3pm-ish when we first noticed there wasn’t much left of the working day.

4. Who did you call first?
My girlfriend, to see if she was watching the TV. I didn’t know anyone who was even remotely likely to have been in New York.

5. What did you do the rest of the day?
We kept on working (albeit half-heartedly) so as not to look like we were wasting the client’s money, then started back on the usual long commute home, almost as if nothing had happened. The trains ran on time, the passengers maybe a little quieter, but nothing to suggest anything had happened. Once I got back to London everyone on the underground was reading the special edition of the Evening Standard, very quietly indeed. I watched TV news for the rest of the evening.

6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks?
No, not even close.

7. Do you think 9-11 should be a holiday?
Absolutely not. Nobody’s going to forget in a hurry. What will a holiday achieve? How many in future years would just see it as an excuse to get drunk and enjoy a day off work?

8. Do you think even a percentage of the money donated really made it to the families?
I assume the donations went somewhere useful, presumably to funds for victims’ families if not directly to them.

9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last?
Not specifically, I’m not American. If I was I still doubt I would. Why would I love my country more when something bad happens to it? I appreciate the opportunities I’ve had whether bad or good things happen.

10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again?
Yes, lots of times. Although the first flight since was in April 2002, this wasn’t through choice; I simply had no need to fly anywhere prior to that.

11. Have you been to Ground Zero?
No, I’ve never been to New York.

12. At what point did it really sink in?
I don’t know. Initially it was while watching the news that evening. Since then seeing some of the documentary footage has refreshed that impact.

7

As corny and self-centered as it may sound, I figure I was in a particularly extraordinary situation on that day. I had already finished working a 10 hour day, and just happened to be in the strangest place at the strangest time.

1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the pentagon and WTC?
In an ironic twist, a bunker-run briefing at my air base in Kuwait. I’d already been in place for a couple of weeks, and had settled into a routine. I distinctly remember a Major popping his head into the briefing saying ‘Sir, another one flew into the World Trade Center. . .’ We then got the lowdown from the Colonel running the meeting on what was going on.

2. What country/group did you suspect immediately?
Strangely enough, I instantly remembered the story of a B-17 accidentally flying into the Empire State Building back in the 40s. I figured it was some knucklehead with a Piper Cub or Cessna 152/172 style airplane that got blown into the building accidentally. I also flashed back to that fool who tried to plow into the White House a few years back with the same small airplane.

3. Who were you with? How did you react?
About 50 other SNCOs and officers. I was more stunned than anything. I took it with a grain of salt until I could take a look at CNN. Keep in mind it was 3:30 PM in the afternoon local time when I heard about it. . .

4. Who did you call first?
I couldn’t. All the lines were blocked. But my e-mail lit up like a christmas tree.

5. What did you do the rest of the day?
Watched TV and started hunkering down for other things to come our way. There was honest speculation that SCUDs could be falling out of the sky at any minute, so I went back to my dorm room and got my chem-warfare kit together, checked my mask, packed it all in one bag, and went back to the office. Later on, a few others and I did finally go get some dinner. The chow hall was indescribably quiet and a pallid silence was all over the camp.

6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks?
No, but my Mom was damn close to it.

7. Do you think 9-11 should be a holiday?
No. Observances maybe, but not a holiday.

8. Do you think even a % of the money donated really made it to the families?
Yes, yes I do.

9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last?
You betcha. And it still lasts. This gave me a reason to go to work every day.

10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again?
Yes. I flew back from Kuwait that December, and have taken a few other business trips since. I’m not afraid to fly, taking into consideration Flight 93, where the passengers stood up to that nonsense and took matters into their own hands. I think anyone even considering hijacking an airliner will have to do some serious planning on how to overcome the hundreds of passengers that will be more than willing to fight back. . .

11. Have you been to Ground Zero?
I have. I took the flag that my Congresswoman’s office sent me to the site, opened it up, and “flew” it twice. I had an unknown NYPD officer help me fold it back up each time.

12. At what point did it really sink in?
Later on that night, at about 2:AM local time when my dorm room phone rang, and a woman was looking for ‘John’. I imagine it was the previous occupant, but I was confused and sleepy. I told her there was nobody there, even though she continued to beg me to look around. The coldest feeling I have ever felt was when I finally explained to her that it was a 10’ by 10’ room, and I was the only one there. All she said was “Oh my God. . .” and hung up. :frowning:

Ma’am, wherever you are, I hope the worst that happened to John was that he got stranded in Germany for a few days.

Tripler
And that’s my story . . .

8

**1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the pentagon and WTC? **
Coming up out of the subway at 6th Ave / Rockefeller Center, I passed a bunch of people gathered around a TV set. At the elevator I learned that the focus of attention was that someone had flown a plane into the side of the WTC. Went onward to my office. By the time I had set up and started work, someone went down the hall saying a second plane had hit the second tower so I stopped thinking of it as an accident by an idiot pilot. Boss had TV brought into his office and we watched the telecast in between doing little spots of work.

**2. What country/group did you suspect immediately? **
Don’t laugh–I figured it was Serbian supporters of Milosevic.

**3. Who were you with? How did you react? **
As I said, I was at work. My coworkers were here and there. I kept on working until they told us to go home. I had to walk home because the buses were not running. 50th Street was starkly deserted which was weird as hell.

**4. Who did you call first? **
During the morning before I went home I tried calling my girlfriend and my parents but all lines were busy. Email worked though so I emailed everyone to let them know I was not in any danger.

**5. What did you do the rest of the day? **
Once I got home, we tried to get our television set to pick up broadcast signals, but since we don’t have cable (we aren’t TV watchers) reception wasn’t very good. Our neighbor down the hall invited us to watch on her TV. We made supper over there.

**6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks? **
No one that I knew even as a casual acquaintance was killed or injured in the attacks.

**7. Do you think 9-11 should be a holiday? **
Maybe. Might be too soon. It’s still an unresolved issue and I don’t think we’re clear on what we’re commemorating at this point.

**8. Do you think even a % of the money donated really made it to the families? **
Yeah, probably as good a rate as for other legitimate charities with professional staff.

9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last?
Most of what I felt was astonishment that any concern on this planet would think it was a good idea to attack the US, which at that time was very isolationist in attitude, and think that the result would be that the US would butt out of whatever they wanted us to butt out of. “What the fuck did they think this was going to accomplish?”, I kept asking.

**10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again? **
I seldom flew before the attacks and would not fly now. The red tape bullshit and inconveniences of flying have only gotten worse and they were already intolerably bad. I would fly if I had a friend who owned a plane and had a pilot’s license or something but I hate flying commercial airlines.

**11. Have you been to Ground Zero? **
No.

**12. At what point did it really sink in? **
What “it” are we referring to?

9

**1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the Pentagon and WTC? **

I was sitting in the commons at the school where I teach.

**2. What country/group did you suspect immediately? **

I really had no idea. I could not imagine anyone wanting to do something so wretched.

**3. Who were you with? How did you react? **

I was with my students. I felt sick and confused. I tried to carry on with the day. I wanted revenge. I was depressed for a long while.

**4. Who did you call first? **

I called my mom.

**5. What did you do the rest of the day? **

We tried to get through the day. Most of our students went home. There was an inaccurate report on the radio that said our district was going to release students early. They evacuated several of the big office buildings downtown as a precaution and parents wanted to be with their kids. My last class of the day had about 8 students present. We watched tv and probably should not have. I kept wondering if something else was going to happen.

**6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks? **

No. There were several of my coworkers that were trying to reach their families in New York. We had one student who had a brother killed at the Pentagon.

**9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last? **

I have always been patriotic. Now, even more. I am more appreciative of firefighters and policeman too. I really want to get a t-shirt that says NYFD.

**10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again? **

No. At first, I thought I would never fly. Now, I would fly but I really have no desire to go out of the country. Everybody seems to hate us.
**11. Have you been to Ground Zero? **

No. It makes me so sad to think about all of this. I do not think I would ever want to go there.

**12. At what point did it really sink in? **

I think I recognized this as being life-changing immediately. It hit me hard right away and it got worse and worse.

10

Oops - I skipped two questions. Should 9-11 be a holiday? Yes, I think it should be a day people can break with routine and spend time with their families. I know this week will be somber as we struggle with the tragic memories.

I hope the money got to the people that needed it. Unfortunately, some organizations probably exploited this event for their own purposes.

11

1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the pentagon and WTC?
I was asleep when my mother called me in my dorm room to tell me about the two towers and the Pentagon. Took me all of about three seconds after I hung up with her (making sure she was okay and GOING HOME) to get dressed and head to a computer lab so I could make sure people on the board knew (for all I know the power was out everywhere important). Boy did they. I spent the next four or so hours wondering where my mother was and if she was alive because she said nothing before signing off AIM. I remember my sister and I wondering if she was dead because one second she was on and the next she was off.

2. What country/group did you suspect immediately?
I thought there was a chance it was an extremist or middle eastern fundamentalist group, but my mind didn’t move to think of who it was. I was really most concerned with my mother and the few dopers I knew who were in that area.

3. Who were you with? How did you react?
I was alone. Mostly I reacted out of the thought that my mother might be in danger because when I first heard (not knowing at the time how many dopers live or work close to or in the towers), she was the only person in my mind who was close to danger.

4. Who did you call first?
I called home once or twice to find out if my mother had said anything to my father (who was at home) about coming home early, and he said he hadn’t heard a thing. When I told him she’d signed off AIM abruptly, he was slightly worried but told me he’d let me know if anything else came up. I was practically hysterical when my mother got back online. Scared the living fuck out of me. Tears me up right now just thinking about it.

5. What did you do the rest of the day?
I sat in IRC and on AIM talking to people. At 12 I had a class, where basically the prof said “does anyone have any questions?” and then said “Okay, for fairly obvious reasons we’re not going to have class today”.

After that I went to listen to the coverage on television and on the radio (both areas were packed deeper than sardine cans, and unless you were seven feet tall or right up against the television, you weren’t going to get much of a view). And mostly it was repeats of what had already been said, and some footage of the rubble and such.

6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks?
Not to my knowledge. I know some folks on here know people killed in the attacks.

7. Do you think 9-11 should be a holiday?
Yes, but not in the traditional sense. I think it’s the sort of thing where people should be free to go to work or school or whatever if they want to (I picture some unscrupulous employer scaring folks into working:(), or do their own thing on that day. I don’t like the idea of it being a big advertised thing “9/11 BLOWOUT! ALL PRICES SLASHED 50%!” or commercialized (which would be just about the lowest thing anyone could do, in my eyes).

I just don’t have a good grasp yet on what, other than a lack of descent into anarchy/martial law, we’d be celebrating.

8. Do you think even a % of the money donated really made it to the families?
I think it did. I think if it didn’t they would probably say something. At least, I hope so.

9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last?
I had a thought of joining the Air Force (best place I figured I could go, with my eyesight being better’n most), but more than that these days I just try to stay more aware of things that are happening in this country.

10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again?
I have not, but it has nothing to do with any fear of flying. I was considering flying to ChiDope back in April, but ended up carpooling.

11. Have you been to Ground Zero?
I went there with a few other dopers on January 6 and we took a look where we could, saw the written tributes and also saw the 4-hour waiting line for the viewing deck. We didn’t have the time to see it and I don’t think I missed out on a whole lot. I saw what was left of the wreckage and I’d seen shots of it almost every day since 9/11.

The other reason I’d wanted to go was that I’d brought along a poem I’d written (which still doesn’t completely make sense to me, but whatever) about that day. It just felt like the site was its home. I would have left it there anonymous, but it had the URL to my homepage on it and I didn’t like the idea of even slightly advertising who had written it. It isn’t important to me that I wrote it but that it was written.

12. At what point did it really sink in?
That the towers had been hit and had fallen down? In a way it’s still difficult to imagine. But when I saw on television and online (which was substantially after … all the regular newsmedia sites I check were down due to bandwidth problems), it … gained another dimension.

12

You know, I did want to say one more thing:

I originally went to Kuwait for Operation Southern Watch, never expecting anything like 9/11 to even occur. Immediately afterwards I started getting a lot of news from other Dopers, and I don’t think I quite adequately thanked them enough, like SwimmingRiddles, maidenunicorn, GingeroftheNorth,lurkernomore, iampunha, MrCynical, and a whole slew of others that reached through the electronic void to tap me on the shoulder and give me a virtual thumbs up.

So many were concerned for Dopers in NYC and DC, and people kept reading to check up on each other. That’s when I realized that this isn’t just a message board, but a real community. And I thank y’all for letting me feel welcome in it.

Tripler
Dammit, look what you made me do. Now I’m all sappy and stuff.

13

1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the pentagon and WTC?
I’d just come home from work, and turned the TV on
for the late news, as I usually do.

2. What country/group did you suspect immediately?
Bin Laden, but I wasn’t sure.

3. Who were you with? How did you react?
Alone at night with a only a cat for company. So, yes I was scared (the SDMB helped a lot).

4. Who did you call first?
Nobody. It was 10pm here, and the next day, my sister was annoyed with me for not calling her. I am glad I didn’t call her. The fear of seeing it live was that we didn’t know when it would stop, and I didn’t want anyone who was blissfully asleep to share that. Better to see it recorded rather than live.

5. What did you do the rest of the day?
Tried to sleep from about 3am (five hours after the attack), was (kinda) successful at about 5am.

6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks?
No.

7. Do you think 9-11 should be a holiday?
No.

8. Do you think even a % of the money donated really made it to the families?
Yes.

9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last?
Yes. I was proud and moved to see the Australian warships sailing, and to see our own flag at half mast. I also felt a much closer connection to America and Americans.

10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again?
Yes. It was fine. May this year.

11. Have you been to Ground Zero?
No. If I were in NYC, I would definitely go. I respect those who don’t want to, but I’m one of the ones who needs it. I’d be giving souvenir sellers icy stares though.

12. At what point did it really sink in?
When I saw the first tower fall in on itself on TV, I was stunned. A few seconds later, when I saw the dust cloud engulf Manhattan, the sheer scale of what I was watching finally hit me.

14

**1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the Pentagon and WTC? **

I was in class. Speech class to be exact
**2. What country/group did you suspect immediately? **

At first I thought some retard had flown a Cessna into the trade center as some sort of suicide. None of my other classmates knew what kind of plane either. We made cracks with metaphors like a fly hitting a Mack truck, little did we know. Osama Bin-laden came to mind immediately after I found out exactly what happend.

**3. Who were you with? How did you react? **

With my classmates, once I found out what really had happend…I couldn’t believe it. I was so angry I could barely drive home.

**4. Who did you call first? **

I woke my brother up, then called my parents.

**5. What did you do the rest of the day? **

Listened to the radio, I didn’t have TV

**6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks? **

No, but a family in a neighboring town lost a son in the pentagon attack.
**9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last? **

Not really, I’ve always had a love for my country. I did break the stars and stripes, and hung it at half mass.

**10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again? **

Couple of times to Thailand through LA

**11. Have you been to Ground Zero? **

Not yet, but someday.

**12. At what point did it really sink in? **

The minute I heard onthe radio that a second plane had hit

15
16

Oh bugger.

17

1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the pentagon and WTC?
I had spent the previous night with an ummmmmmfriend and was awoken by him calling up the stairs and saying, “Rachel, wake up! World War Three is starting.”

To which I replied, “What happened, did your other three girlfriends show up?”

And then we started flipping through the news channels.

**2. What country/group did you suspect immediately? **
No one.

**3. Who were you with? How did you react? **
Ya know, I was pretty calm about the whole thing. It wasn’t til later that evening when the enormity of it all hit me.

4. Who did you call first?
Work, to tell them I’d be coming in late.

**5. What did you do the rest of the day? **
Went to work: taught my co-workers that, yes, NPR really does have a place in the world; showed them how to find cnn.com and msnbc.com and foxnews.com and etc.

6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks?
This is the part that bugs me the most.

I spent New Years 1992/3 in NYC’s Times Square, and spent that weekend with a co-worker’s aunt out on Long Island. I’ve long since forgotten the names of both my co-worker and the aunt. The only thing I remember is that the aunt worked for a brokerage firm in one of the towers. Aunt was so cool…I wish I could remember her name.

7. Do you think 9-11 should be a holiday?
No. We already have a Memorial Day, and look how that’s treated by many.

**8. Do you think even a % of the money donated really made it to the families? **
I know it was, but I think the distribution is a bit unfair.

9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last?
After 10 years in/married to the military? Not hardly. I was patriotic enough the way it was. If anything, I was a little cheesed off at those who were suddenly more patriotic than thou.

10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again?
About a month after the attacks I flew to Spain and was petrified til I fell asleep on the Newark/Madrid leg.

No, I wasn’t afraid of terrorism - hell, right after the attacks was probably the safest time in aviation history to get on an airplane. I was afraid some dimwit would say the word bomb, a stewardess would flip, and I’d be diverted to freakin’ Buffalo.

11. Have you been to Ground Zero?
No, and I don’t want to go. I liked the last view I had of them too much.

**12. At what point did it really sink in? **
I think it was when Jennings started sort of breaking down on TV later that night. Newscasters aren’t supposed to do that, you know.

18

1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the Pentagon and WTC?

At home. I woke up to my brother screaming, “Holy shit, we’re being bombed!” and woke up just in time to see the second plane hit.

2. What country/group did you suspect immediately?

I didn’t immediately suspect anyonre. I wasn’t even thinking of it.

3. Who were you with? How did you react?

I was with my family. I cried a lot. I thought of my nephew, who’d just turned 4 tens days prior, and I got really scared.

4. Who did you call first?

My friend Greg, who has family over there. I wanted to make sure he was aware of the situation so he could attempt to contact his family. After about five hours, he finally got in touch with his mom. Sadly, he’ll never talk to his dad again.

5. What did you do the rest of the day?

Clung to the SDMB/IRC and watched TV. And cried.

6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks?

One.

9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last?

No, I didn’t. I’ve always flown a flag at the end of my front walk. I’ve always felt a sense of pride being American. I’ve always loved my country.

10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again?

I’d never been a passenger on a commercial jetliner before the September 11, 2001. I attended Dopetoberfest though, and departed from MSP to SFO on October 18, 2001.

11. Have you been to Ground Zero?

No. And I never made it out there to see the WTC, either. It makes me sad. My previously mentioned friend Greg told me about them several times even before the attacks and, even from way over here, those buildings fascinated me. I’ll probably never visit the site.

12. At what point did it really sink in?

When I heard that NYC called for 8,000 bodybags

19

You know, I don’t think I can answer this quiz properly. I spent the day crying, and thinking that vix had died, and I immediately thought of Washington and NYC dopers, hoping and praying they were safe.
I spent the day watching the news online. Boyfriend at the time was useless in comforting me, and I had to explain to Matthew what had happened.

It was a really rough day, even for a foreigner.

20

  1. Where were you when you heard about the attacks on the pentagon and WTC?
    I preparing to leave for class and checking both the SDMB and theUserFriendly message board, as is my wont. I saw the news first on the SDMB, and turned on my radio.

  2. What country/group did you suspect immediately?
    Like yourself, I suspected middle eastern terrorists.

  3. Who were you with? How did you react?
    I was alone. I reacted with horror and outrage.

  4. Who did you call first?
    My eldest brother, then my mom.

  5. What did you do the rest of the day?
    Well, I went to class but then they sent us home. I started calling friends and sending e-mails, as many of the people I know were scattered around the country and travelling home right around that time. I sat at home and waited for reponses; checked in here for news and listened to the radio. When my boyfriend came home, I had a good cry, which lasted for a week.

  6. Did you have any friends or family killed in the attacks?
    Yes, a former study partner was killed. She was newly married and a few months pregnant. I still berate myself for not having answered her e-mail from June.

  7. Do you think 9-11 should be a holiday?
    Noooo… I think not. I can’t really explain why, but I’m not comfortable with that idea.

  8. Do you think even a % of the money donated really made it to the families?
    It better have made it to them. If not, then I’d like to join the line for dealing out vigilante justice.

  9. Did you feel an increased sense of patriotism? Did it last?
    No, I don’t think so. I’ve always been aware that I live in one of the richest countries on earth and I’m happy about that. While I may not support certain of my leaders as they would wish, I’m still proud of my country and our accomplishments.

  10. Have you flown since the attacks? How soon did you fly again?
    No, but that’s because I couldn’t afford another Portland or Vancouver or Toronto vacation this year.

  11. Have you been to Ground Zero?
    No, I’ve never been to New York City and see no reason to go now.

  12. At what point did it really sink in?
    I guess when I saw the footage from the WTC.