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More memories from September 11, 2001

September 11 2001 Photo  Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

As people look over their lives, certain events standout. Events that have had profound emotional, or personal, effect on their lives, to the extent that they can remember exactly where they were, who they were with, and/or what they were doing at the time and place when they first learned of that event. Such is the effect that September 11, 2001, had on most people who were alive at the time.

September 11 remembrance. Ground Zero  New York City, 2005. Picture by Stephen Ash.

You may not have been at Ground Zero or at the Pentagon that day. You may not even have known anyone who was there. In fact, you may not even have been a citizen of U.S.A on that day. But regardless of who you were, that day likely had some kind of effect on you. Today we think of those whose lives were changed forever by the terrorist attacks on the twin towers, on the Pentagon, and on the plane that ended up in a field in Pennsylvania. We pray for those who are still hurting, and we also pray that events of this nature never happen again during our lifetime. We appreciate everyone who has responded to any of our posts. We have attempted to include most of these responses, and we apologize if we have overlooked any. Everyone has their own special memory, and to some degree it is cathartic to repeat them every year.

Thank you again for sharing your thoughts, emotions, and prayers.

Rebecca Dempsey: I was sitting in a chair working on homeschool homework and my cousin that lived down the road called my mom and said “Have you heard.” I’ll never forget watching the moment those towers crumbled and all the times they replayed it over and over.

Jim Boozer: I was at work and a customer said to watch the news alert.

Mike Hazelbaker: I was driving a coal truck and had a big load of coal on when it came over the radio.
I had to pull over and sit for a few minutes.

Michael Gardner: At work. Came through on radio. So shocking.

Hardly Madden: I was working a full time job at an automotive factory and was on lunch break when everything started to unfold! I watched as the first plane hit the World Trade Tower… then the second plane hit the other tower beside it, I watched as everything was burning and smoke rolling out of the mud section of the two towers! I toured that area when I was in High School on my senior trip. My heart sank as I watched it all happen, It was then our world forever changed. God Bless America Again!!

Jennifer Shaw: I was in high school. They came over the speaker and announced for all teachers to put their classrooms on lock-down and turn on their classroom TV. We were all watching as the second plane hit. I remember a lot of kids were terrified and crying, just trying to process what was happening.

Jimmy Whaley: I was working on base in Jacksonville, North Carolina, that morning. All of a sudden, the military police were everywhere, people were in a panic, then all civilians were asked to leave the base and all the base’s gates were closed.

Betty Jones: I was supervising my nursing students at the hospital. We were changing a patient’s dressing. The news came across the TV. We both broke down. I had to send the students home that day. All of us were in shock and scared.

Beverly Kay: I was teaching PreK and my kids were on the playground. I remember gathering them up and rushing to get back to the classroom to lock it down. So scared because my son was in 3rd grade at another district and I couldn’t leave.

Randall Christy:I was a teacher…. watching it on our library TV. It was so disturbing…and we all thought there might be more in other cities throughout the nation. One of my church members’ son was stationed in the Pentagon and was seriously injured.

Michelle Britt: I was a bookkeeper for H&R Block at the time and I was sitting at my desk when it happened. The district manager came in and asked me if I had heard about the planes crashing and I got sick to my stomach. Then I saw the aftermath on TV and all I could do was cry at the sight of people running to find shelter, all covered in soot. It was a rough time for everyone, emotionally and mentally.

Tom Walker: I remember watching the second plane hit the tower but I also remember being a member of the USAFAux getting pictures sent to me via email of ground zero from the air, taken the following day, and thinking, “What am I looking at?” It looked like a nuclear blast.

Larry Stewart: I was driving a tour bus with about 50 people on it, doing a tour of the Amish. We were about 50 miles from Shanskville, PA where the plane went down. It was just a few minutes after that when I heard what was going on. We were staying at a Mom and Pop hotel in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and when we got there everything was already closed. If it hadn’t been for the couple that owned the hotel, we would have had nothing to eat. The lady and her husband had just gone to the grocery store and shared what they had with all of us staying at that hotel. I will forever be greatful for them. God Bless the USA

Mary Campbell: Had finally made it home from Alaska around 4:00 a.m. and was sleeping, when my daughter called hysterical…..I couldn’t comprehend all she was saying except “TV!” and she was okay…….I turned on it just as the second plane hit…….I cried and prayed all day and for many days to come……never forget.

Tammie Roberts: I was at work when it happened. Our employer allowed us to watch it on TV. I was crying watching it all unfold before my eyes. It was a terrifying event and that the world was coming to a end. All I wanted to do was pray, to get my kids and call all my loved ones. I’ll never forget that day or all those who lost their lives to such evil actions. Let’s never forget and pray for those who lost their lives and their families and all that survived with serious life threatening medical issues. God bless them all.

Melinda Davis: I had just driven my children to school and was working in my office at home. I didn’t have the TV or radio on so I had no idea anything was going on. A lobbyist friend of mine called from downtown Atlanta, and said he couldn’t get anywhere near the capital. I asked him why. He asked me if I was watching the news.. had I not seen what was going on in New York? I was clueless. Then I saw the replay of the plane hitting the towers. That was about 10 a.m. All I could think of was keeping my children from seeing that horror. Scared me to death. I thought the world as we knew it was ending.

LaDonna Cooper: I was in a candle supply store purchasing wax and oil scents and the owner had a small television on. She screamed out then we all gathered round and watched it unfold and there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.

Billy Southerland: My dear wife passef away 2 months before it happened. A sad time for my girl and me. We were still not over our loss on 9/11 2001. Missing you, Maryann.

Bill Lehmkuhl: I was home getting ready to go to work at UNLV college in Vegas, when they phoned saying the college was shut down. They thought terrorists would hit a casino.

Patt Manzano: I was in my family room and just turned on the TV to the Today Show when the first plane hit. My husband and I watched that day with horror, sadness and, truthfully, fear, because we had no idea what this all would mean. We must NEVER forget.

Janice Rodman: I was home and didn’t have the tv on, and my husband called me and asked if I had tv on, and I said no, and he said turn it on. I sat and watched and cried. This was horrible.

Helen Willison: My husband and I were watching the Today Show, talking about our 25th Wedding Anniversary. I spent the day watching and praying. Did not celebrate our 25th.

Deb Ferreira: Watching on a TV at work…

Dianne Garner: I was home also watching Today show. When they told about it, I just felt numb for a long time. We watched it all day into night and the days that followed.

Byrl Crawley:  I was at work with Schnucks…

Evelyn Wilcox: I was at my desk at the church.

Kay Remillard: Watching in sorrow and disbelief.

Yvonne Cox: I was working on the floor at Kmart. Our manager came out and told us. We couldn’t seem to concentrate on our jobs the rest of the day, different ones were in and out the employee lounge reporting the happenings. A very sad day to remember.

Kathy Gentry: Still is sad.

Wanda Powell: I was in bed. My department called and said, “Get in on the double: ‘STATE OF EMERGENCY'” Went to work on East Orange Police Dept. Had no idea what was happening. As Americans and as Police Officers, our lives changed that day forever. Then the Patriot Act! America will never be the same….worse day ever!

Marilyn June: Folding laundry – my hubby called and I still thought it was an accident. . until I saw the second plane hit.

Linda Brackett: I had just gotten to work and my boss said turn on the tv, and there it was. Unbelievable!

Ann McAlister: I was at home and my husband Robert called me and told me what had happened on that day of 9-11. May God help and bless rhe families of 9-11. Love, Ann

Serena Roberts: On my way into town to meet a friend. Heard it on the radio. I had to pull over because I couldn’t see the road through the tears. Once I got ahold of myself, I got back on the road and met my friend. We, along with a few others, watched as events unfolded, going through the emotions of shock, disbelief, sadness, anger, and sorrow. We cried, we prayed, and I was never more grateful for my family and friends than I was on that morning.

Edith McCullough: Working bible correspondence at Main Street Church of Christ.

Martha Dawson: Glued to the TV, compelled to watch from something within.

Barbara Polk: I was getting off from work in Kentucky where I worked at a nursing home.

Deborah Vaughn: I was almost home from work when the first plane hit the tower.

Jeanine Pearson: I was on my way to work.

Carole Hope: Working at Dr. Ernst, Yonchak and Halcom’s Endodontic office in Middletown.

Carole Hoffmann: I was on my way to work…..downtown Houston.

Dianne Boyd: Health spa

Pat Stum: Home watching Wishtv, channel 8 news.

Nancy Wood: Love that Allan Jackson song Where were you when the world stopped turning!

Margaret Flynn: SAD MEMORIES.

Emmaline Spencer: Terrible memories.

Geneva Walls: I remember sad time

June Hornee: I was home and my husband phoned me from work.

Karen Johnson: At home when police came over.

Vickie Alford: I was at the VA hospital in Shreveport, Louisiana, getting some tests done, when the planes hit the towers. The Air Force Base went into lock down mode due to this, and President Bush flying in from Florida. He was on his way back to the Capital and this was a stop over. They also locked down the VA Hospital where I was at right in the middle of a procedure. We watched it all unfold on the television.

Jackie Jolly: We were here at home. Our daughter Jana called us!

Emily Leeper: I was at work.

Terri Vance: I was at the church I worked for and received a phone call from home telling me to turn on the tv. I told the youth pastor to turn on his tv real quick. We watched in horror and disbelief as the plane pierced the second tower.

Betty King: At home in Danville, getting ready to go meet my new Doctor, Duncan.

Frances Nevels: Having breakfast with my husband before he left for work, when news broke in on Good Morning America!

Neal Putman: In Louisville, Kentucky, at the Hilton hotel in Louisville, getting ready to go out to NQC. Watched the second tower hit.

Ron Deveraux: I was at work before our store opened.

Penny MacDonald: I was teaching 6th grade at the Math-Science Magnet School in Grand Rapids, Mich. We were a late start school. I was walking down the hallway to my classroom and happened to look into a classroom that had the TV on. I couldn’t believe what I saw. The students would be entering for the day within 15 minutes. My teaching partner was frantic because his son worked for Reuters, whose main office was in the Twin Towers, and he could not contact him. As it turns out his son was out on assignment. Since that day I made a special emphasis to remember Sept. 11. I think of how my grandparents vividly remembered the bombing of Pearl Harbor and how, as a teenager, I didn’t grasp the significance. I didn’t want my students, who weren’t even born, to be indifferent to this tragic day. The greatest danger to our history is indifference.

Ron Hollis: We had just gotten home from Maui.

Phyllis Olson: Just starting chapel service at NQC in Louisville.

Joyce Stroud: Sad our churches are not as full as they were the Sunday after. So quick to forget.

Philip Jones: As I recall, the spike in church attendance lasted only a couple weeks….

Judy Ensminger: Teaching school!

Susan Smith: Walked into my doctor appointment and they had the tv on. I told a friend, who is also from N.Y., “What movie is that?” “Susan, it’s our world trade center.”

Elaine Lynch: I was camping with my first husband.

Alice Simmons: I was babysitting in my home and watching the news in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We found out that Sunday, that one of our mothers of a college girl was in Boston, and drove her BFF to the airport that day. Her friend was on Flight 175 that smashed into the W.T.C. in N.Y.C.

Holly Bowman: I had just gotten out of lab class in college, and saw where the first plane hit.

Dottie Hastings: Home with my husband.

Marjorie Tezak: I was in bed when my brother called me …I turned on the TV as the 1st tower collapsed. Took a while to sink in that this was a reality. My heart broke at the realization that all of the Firefighters, were on their way into the towers, were gone in a flash.

Deb Wayne: I was at my computer watching the news as it was happening and could not believe my eyes!

Jen Tatlock: In my grade five language arts class, when they rolled the tv in.

Tammie Conaway: I was sitting in the CARD(center for autism and related disabilites) office with my boy, watching it on there TV.

Delores Green: At work.

Sarina Jordan: I was at work.

Deborah Baker: My cable had been turned off. My pastor’s wife called me and told me what happened. I went to their house to watch for a while. Lines were forming at the gas station. People were afraid that another attack would come and was getting gas.

Christina Withrow: How sad and scary it was.

Bryan Stripes: How we all came together. That’s how it should be all the time.

Wanda Sutphin: I was at my mom’s house watching Good Morning America when Charles Gibson announced that we had been attacked.

Frances Linger: I was in the hospital in Statesville, N.C., recovering from an injection for pain in my back, when I heard the nurses talking, her mother had called her.

Charley Garner: Flying to N.Q.C. from Birmingham. Diverted and grounded in Cincinnati. Rode in a passenger van with 11 strangers. We learned details on the van’s AM radio. The McKameys sang “I’ve Won,” that night.

Bob Oliver: I was waking up, and was going to fly up to Washington State, to meet the guys of our group, The Cross Road Quartet to do several concerts, but all flights were canceled.

Glen Gobel: Scheduled to fly out of Seattle at 10:00 am to Washington, DC. for a convention.THAT didn’t happen…….

Michael Gardner: At work came through on radio. So shocking.

Lisa Denny: I was off work, and home doing housework, and I happened to have the tv on. I fixed some coffee to rest a minute or two, and saw the first plane hit, and I thought, oh, no, a plane crash. But as the second one hit, I watched in horror and disbelief as I soon realized this was no accident. I called my husband at work and I sat there for hours watching it unfold in shock. And of course, I cried out to God. I went inside the towers back in 1994, and I remember how massive they were, and couldn’t believe they just crumbled to the ground so quickly.

Beverly Kay: I was teaching PreK and my kids were on the playground. I remember gathering them up and rushing to get back to the classroom to lock it down. So scared because my son was in 3rd grade at another district and I couldn’t leave.

Memories of 9/11

9/11

Eighteen years ago, the day the earth stood still: an attack on two towers changed the world forever. 9/11 would come to represent one of the most wicked displays of terrorism to date, as thousands died in an attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.

September 11, 2001, people across the continent and the world were listening to the news and watching images that would be burned into their memories forever.

We asked several friends what they recall about that day. As we share them with you, we hope you reflect on the lives that were taken and given, the first responders and accidental heroes.

Ground Zero: en.wikipedia.org

Lorne Mathews: “The 2nd Tower. Saying we’re at War!”

Parker Jonathan: “I remember getting a phone call from my wife shortly after the first plane hit. I was asleep in a hotel room at NQC in Louisville, Kentucky, when she woke me up and told me what had happened. I was half asleep when she told me, so it didnt really register at first, but when I finally fully awakened, I turned the TV on and of course every channel was covering it. I remember a very somber mood over the entire NQC, but I also remember a very real sense of unity not only at NQC, but it was something that you could sense was sweeping across the country.

Mike Moran of the Torchmen: Sitting in a hotel, in Louisville, in disbelief.

Jimmy Reno of Mark209: I was sitting in my office, at my former job where I was part of the Safety and Security Department, for a Christian television network station. We immediately had to take steps to secure the station as we reached over 90 countries and had been identified by the FBI as a potential future terrorist target. While doing this, we also were monitoring the media coverage. I remember praying for all of those so tragically taken and their families.

Vonda Armstrong of Hope’s Journey: September 11, 2011, I was at work at the Dr.Kennedy’s dental office in Alabama. I’ll never forget when we saw on the TV the people running from smoke everywhere. I think it took a while for it to really sink in what had just happened. I remember watching television and saw when the second plane hit the tower.
That day will never be forgotten…..

Steve Ladd of Old Paths: Waking up in Louisville at NQC, turning the tv on in my hotel room and watching it play out in front of my eyes. It was a somber concert that night. I’ll never forget.

Patrick Drummond of the Drummonds: I was sitting at the Gate at Ft. Rucker, Ala., getting ready to exit. We were told what happened and that the Military base was locked down. A terrible feeling not knowing what was happening to our Country!
A day our Country should never forget; many lives lost because of hate!

Brent Gibbons: That the building imploded like a professional precisely placed explosives so nothing around it was touched.

Jason Oxenrider of the Riders: I was teaching my 10th grade world history class when the counselor walked in and whispered about the first plane hitting the World Trade Center. We immediately turned the tv on and watched the horror unfold. A day that America should never forget and still should be a day that brings all of America together!

Kristina Cornell: I was pregnant with Isabella when the attacks came on September 11, 2001. She was born on October 1st so I was so scared to bring my baby into this crazy world! I could not believe what I was watching on TV, I could not believe this happened in our safe haven… over the past 18 years, I have learned that you truly NEVER know what tomorrow brings. Sometimes we even experience tragedy on our home soil. BUT GOD! He restores even the worst of our nightmares. He is the great healer! He is sovereign and enough!
This is a song that I recorded about the children who lost their parents on 9-11. I hope it encourages someone!
https://youtu.be/g25NN_cJEro

Yvonne Dodrill of the Dodrills: Luke Dodrill had a construction clean up business then, he had 5 or 6 employees. That morning I was still in bed, and Luke woke me up and said that something bad was happening (the second plane hadn’t hit yet). I walked into my living room and all of his employees are sitting there watching the tv report. I was 12 weeks pregnant with Annie, and I wasn’t a Christian, and I thought, as I watched that second plane hit, that the world was ending and I wasn’t ready to meet God. All of us sat there watching in horror and disbelief bawling our eyes out. It is forever etched into my soul! The horrors just kept happening that day with the towers falling, the plan crashing in PA and also the Pentagon. A day that changed my life. We started going back to church within a few weeks of that day, and eventually we gave our lives to Christ.

Carolyn Echols: I remember the horror, the sadness, and the fear.

Jaquita Lindsey of 11th Hour: I was in cosmetology school at the time. All the students were watching a technical video as my instructors all gathered around the TV. I could tell by the looks on their faces that something very bad had happened. I walked across the street to a store where I worked so that I could watch television in the lounge. I was watching as the second plane hit! The real crazy part was that my hometown of Camden, Arkansas was on the top ten terrorist list due to a major missile factory in our area.

Tammy Young: Utter chaos and sadness!

Angie Mizell: Tim and I were both at home that morning with our boys. The plane hit the first tower. I commented that the pilot must have had a heart attack or something terrible. Tim looked at me very seriously and said that it was intentional. I fussed at him and accused him of being negative. Shortly, the 2nd tower was hit. He just looked at me with those eyes of, “see!” I cried, we prayed. We had to take our youngest, then 8 years old, to the doctor. Our oldest called to tell us about the Pentagon. We were in shock. Everyone we met that day could talk of nothing else. Everyone walked around in a daze. Sad day in history!

Leslie McKay of the McKay Project: I was pregnant with Mary Katherine (she was born in Dec) and I remember standing in the living room watching the Today Show about to leave for work and saw the second plane hit the building. I remember saying to her, “Oh no baby girl, what in the world are you coming into.” So hard to believe that it’s been 18 years now. That day changed so many lives.

Steve Dover: I was working in law enforcement at the time. I was off that day but was activated and pulled a guard post at one of the entrances to a military base in our city until the national guard could be deployed. Nobody come on or off the base without a full search of their vehicle and person. Things were very tense for several days.

Dianne Wilkinson: Like so many, I was at NQC at the Executive Inn Hotel…awake but still in bed and watching TV…grazing through channels. I came to one that I assumed was HBO…a disaster movie…and suddenly the news channel broke in, and I learned that my country had been attacked…by cowards…on its own soil. I felt a kind of fear I had never felt. I began to pray as I never had before. Like so many, I chose to go to Freedom Hall that night and be with folks I loved. If the evil ones bombed it, too, we’d go to Heaven together. One big word to terrorist heathens…you can do horrible things…but you can’t destroy children of God! HE is in control of our destiny!#neverforget

Jack Armstrong of the Bibletones: I had a meeting at the capital in Jackson, Mississippi, that Monday and I stayed on my cousins’ houseboat that night and his satellite dish was not working and I didn’t have the news on that morning. I pulled up to a service station that morning to fuel up and I heard what had happened on my car radio. I will never forget it hard to believe that had happened on US soil.

Darien Southerland: I was doing a radio show on WGKA in Atlanta. I always kept Good morning America on. The first plane hit and we thought it was a accident. The second hit and we knew something was wrong. They pulled me off air at 10am. We then went back on at 12 noon till 6 pm. We took calls all afternoon from listeners.

Dianne Campbell: Watching on TV the second plane hit. Then watching the towers collapse. The pain in my cousin’s voice when she called me from Florida.

Pauline Patterson: That it was horrific! A sad, sad day.

Deborah Baker: My cable had been turned off. My pastor’s wife called me and told me what happened. I went to their house to watch for a while. Lines were forming at the gas station. People were afraid that another attack would come and was getting gas.

Rusty Rowan of Pardoned: I was returning from the post office, I had just opened my car door when the radio station made the announcement. I remember walking into the building and people’s faces being very cold, and blank with shock. Several of us gathered in my office to try and find out exactly what was happening. I remember going through several different emotions throughout the day; sadness, fear, anger, and even an elevated level of patriotism. The next morning there were flags and signs of support everywhere. It was a time of great concern and uncertainty, but also a time of even greater unity across America. I will never forget 9/11. It changed our country forever!

Tammie Scott: Sitting in my parents house in front of the tv, and I also had a school friend who was in the service who got killed at the pentagon when one of the planes crashed into it.

Kristen Stanton: I was sitting in the library researching and I was the only one there so I had no idea until I got home and saw the news.

Penny Walters: I was at work and someone came in the office and said come look on TV. We stood there watching and then the second airplane hit. We all went silent. I was so scared and just numb. It was just like the world stopped moving.

Jennifer Campbell: Concerning 9/11, my mom and I were at home, watching the news when the breaking news of the attacks began. We immediately started praying for the injured, the families affected, the first responders, and everyone involved. Having heard personal accounts from friends who were in Manhattan when the Twin Towers were struck, it is heart wrenching to know the true horror of this day. Although I may not understand the “whys” of horrific events like this, I know God is in control. Jesus said we would have trouble in this world, but He also said that He has overcome the world (John 16:33). As such, I do not place my hope in governments, organizations, or even religion. I put my hope in Jesus Christ, for He is the only eternal hope. He is the Lord of lords and King of kings. When we put our trust in Him, we do not have to fear the future. We can rest in His unconditional love, knowing that He loves us more than we could ever imagine.

Nikki Bernardo: I was sitting in my high school Biology class. My teacher got a phone call and left the room in a panic. Another teacher came and got our class and took us to the library where there was a TV on playing the live footage. Our Biology teacher came in sobbing…. (Her son worked in one of the towers) and she could not reach him. Thankfully she was able to reach him soon after. Turns out, he was out of the office when it happened. Wow!

Jason Dyess: I remember sitting at work watching the towers fall on tv and feeling absolutely helpless. Then at home that night, the eerie silence of no planes flying over my house like I’m accustomed to hearing and seeing. Just had an emptiness in my gut and praying a lot.

Bonita Eileen: I was cleaning my house and saw it on the tv and I went to the school and picked up my children. My Ashley was alive then and I brought her and my oldest son Adam home to be with me!
We got on our knees together and prayed for our country and all the families that lost their loved ones!
All the ones who were hurt and needing medical attention!

Cami Shrock: I was a junior in high school sitting in class when they announced it over the intercom. The teacher brought in a tv and we watched the news the entire period.

Donna Hoffman: We lived in Montana up in the mountains way back on a dirt road. It was common for our TV service to get knocked out. My daughter called from school to tell me what was going on. I got right on the phone and said to fix the signal problem. I told the service lady what was going on and she got me a signal right away. I was home alone all day and it made me think of all the people who would now be alone because of this.

Reva Hoskins of the Hoskins: At NQC…at the Executive Inn…we were leaving our rooms to go to a interview….We got on the bus turned the news back on….I immediately called my Mom and Dad… we were all so scared and away from home….But we didn’t leave!

Robin Tanner: We were at NQC in Louisville. I watched it in the hotel room. Our hearts broke and we prayed. A very sad day for America.

Denise Hankey: I was working at the American Red Cross Greater Ozarks Chapter in Springfield, MO. It was such an emotional day with hundreds of phone calls coming in desperately wanting to get in touch with family there and us not able to give many answers, just comfort and support. A memory that will never be erased.

Chuck Kidd: I was with Dr. Buck Morton, at his table about to do his morning Bible Study, at the N.Q.C., in Louisville, Kentucky.

Debra Wilson of Eagle’s Wings: Darryle and I were at home. My sister, Rhonda, was there, too. Matthew called from his job and told us to turn on the TV – that a plane had just hit the World Trade Center. We originally thought perhaps it was an accident. We soon learned different. Then the second plane hit! We sat HORRIFIED – glued to the television. I remember crying for days.

Joan Walker of SGNScoops: My sisters and I were at N.Q.C. in Louisville… very scary, eerily quiet in the sky… will never forget!

Lorraine Walker of SGNScoops: We were heading into the Cracker Barrel by Freedom Hall in Louisville. I remember the quiet. It was freaky. Surreal. Tense. And yet it broke down barriers. Everyone talked like friends. Quiet…the Louisville airport was shut down. At night the exhibition hall of NQC was half empty. Those walking around were either watching news footage or talking about the events. Being a Canadian in a foreign country when that country declares war and borders close is a frightening experience. The hotel allowed us to stay over until our borders were open. Many Canadians were also killed in those attacks. We were all deeply affected.

GW Southerland: Possibly the worst day since I’ve been alive!

Crystal Jonathan: I was at the office when my mama called me. My brother Grant lives in NYC, he was out of town, but his friends witness people jumping and gruesome things at the top of their building. I did turn the tv on and the second plane hit. We have a tiny piece of the towers in the shape of a cross, given to my father from fellow ironworkers.

Sheila Blackwell: 16 yrs ago tonight we were packed , ready to head to the airport the next morning ! Little did we know what lay ahead. We flew from Raleigh to Atlanta, changed planes then were set down in Memphis, never reaching our destination. Two days later we finally were able to get a rental car and drove back to Raleigh to get our car. We were so thankful NOT to be on one of the planes that went down that day ! A day no one will ever forget…….

Mark Jenkins: I asked Jeff (Steele)…  but that year at NQC he rewrote lyrics to “We Want America Back.”  He never re-recorded it and doesn’t remember lyrics. But it was awesome.

Greg Fox: I was in my hotel room at NQC and just finished shaving. I called Robin on the cell phone from my room, sat down beside the desk and turned on the television. She answered, “Good Morning, Honey…“ She spoke with such happiness in her voice as we were to be wed on the sixth of the upcoming month. As I flipped the tv channels from weather to sports and finally to the networks, I exclaimed, “Baby, turn on the TV now to Good Morning America!” Robin’s excitement went to a complete silence, marching mine…. no words, just an audible crying on both ends.Then the second plane crashed into the second tower as we watched, together yet apart… You see, she hadn’t begun her trek to Louisville to bring my fallen Father to NQC. It was just an awful cold time, emotionally. The unnerving feelings of, “What do we do?” …. And then “The Comforter” filled my heart as Robin quickly and quietly said, “Pray for us, Baby, and the kids and family….(pause)….. then through her tears, “And God will protect and bless and protect everyone, and our Country!” With that, we both prayed aloud, together yet apart. All day was a day of unknowns. Would the convention go on? How could I get back home to my family, my children, my mother and ailing father and mostly Robin. Thank you, Father, for sending the comfort and peace! As the day and week moved through the NQC, many times I cried to Jesus, “Father what do I do? What is Your will for me now? Then the answer came. Saturday night after the morning of 9/11, a Reunion of all the Kingsmen on stage for an wonderful time of singing and fun and tears. As I stood beside my father in his wheelchair, with his lifeless left side, Dad never stopped raising his only available hand to the Heavens. He motioned for me to lean down. I did, just as he whispered in his failing voice, “Son, this is it! …. (pause) and then through his tears he spoke again, “Greg, sing my verse on ‘Old Ship,’ and then let’s go back to mama and the house ……” At first, I didn’t really know what everything he said meant, but the next morning, those words rang loud and clear again in my head, and moreover, my heart. That afternoon, Sunday 9/16/2001, God comforted all my fears and questions, and I received the call: ‘It’s time!’ I wrote a closing letter to Maurice Templeton, to tell him that the reunion in the NQC stage would be the last time “The Kingsmen” would be performing as group together again …….That’s what I have go through my heart every year and every day and every hour and every second on 9/11!…Thank you again Father, for your words of peace and comfort and for the discerning knowledge to heed Your call!

September 11, 2001: Fifteen Years Later

September 11 2001. The attack on the twin towers, NYC. Origin of picture unknown.

9/11. A date that lives on in the minds of those who were affected by it…and anyone alive was affected by it. Homeland Security was birthed and many security issues were changed. Wars were begun and more lives were lost. But for those who stared at their tv screens in horror that day, there were scenes etched on our brains that we will never forget. But let our readers tell you what they remember…

Saw a lot of people in church the next few weeks. But didn’t see a lot of repentance. It’s slowly coming around but is it too late as we see the US crumbling because we’re dependent upon the government instead of turning to God. Psalms 118:9 — Stephen Widener

Ground Zero: en.wikipedia.org

I had just arrived at a friends house to babysit her 2 kids. Her husband greeted me at the door and just said come in and sit down. Like many people I just sat in silence, seeing it, but not really registering the magnitude of it at that time. It kind of made everyone numb. There was a mass turning to God across America. That has been forgotten and people have turned their backs on God. I was not involved in it neither did I have any connection to anyone involved it. What affected me was hearing the stories later on about the reasons that some people who were supposed to be in the building that day weren’t. One person had a flat tire, one person spilled their coffee and had to go home to change. The one that touched me the most is the interview with the pilot who was supposed to be flying one of those planes that day. He knows the Lord and he explained how schedules got mixed up, and turned around and he ended up not being the pilot. I still have that interview on my computer. I can’t answer why it happened, but there are many things in life we don’t understand, but I know who we can trust in the difficult times. God is not an uncaring God, where an epic loss like this would lead some people to believe. I am saddened by the loss. The thing that sticks with me today, is the people having to call their loved ones and say goodbye. How many knew the Lord? My Pastor preaches a lot about how everything is a preparation, and there is a reason for it. It reminded me of how much we take for granted that when we leave the house in the morning, will we return. How many of us have been frustrated over looking for something, or a flat tire, or something that delays us. God could be preventing us from an accident ahead. I will never forget 9/11. Thank Him for each day and always be kind to others. You don’t know what kind of battle they are fighting. Those people who lost loved ones, are still grieving. Grieving is an individual journey, while a tragedy happens everyone rallies around but as time goes on their lives go back to normal but the one who experienced the loss doesn’t. Keep remembering their loved one over the years. They want to know you didn’t forget. — Mary Johnson (For those who want to check out that pilot’s story: You Tube Video… In My Seat, A Pilot’s Story of Sept 10-11th)