Mick Bates
I was working in my office in Northern Virginia on 9/11, 2001. My late wife Liz came downstairs to share what was going on as shown on TV news. My initial response was that it was probably a small plane that had flown into the tower. Wow, was I wrong. Within minutes we were all glued to the TV. It was unbelievable that we were under attack. In the days to come, my children remember hearing wailing as some of their high school peers were notified of their parents' death at the Pentagon and in the planes.
Key memories include:
- The valor of the first responders in New York and the Pentagon
- The unity of the country in the aftermath to combat terrorism
- The leadership of Mayor Giuliani and President Bush as they navigated the unknown in the early days through recovery
It is important for the USA to maintain its vigilance against enemies, foreign and domestic, so this surprise attack never happens again.
Benjamin Wetzel
I was in a 9th grade algebra class on the morning of 9/11. Our teacher stopped class and let us watch the news as it unfolded on the classroom TV. I remember the spread of unsubstantiated rumors and the uncertainty of knowing when the attacks would stop. Today, when I go to one of the memorial sites or revisit the events for a history course, I always tear up at some point. There is a feeling about 9/11 that those of us who lived through it have difficulty communicating to those who did not.
Kathy Bruner
Our newborn son Andrew was 3 weeks old, and I was at the doctor’s office for his baby checkup. I was watching the news on a TV in the waiting room when the towers fell. I remember the visuals taking my breath away, the horror was so intense. Having been born in NYC, I probably felt the impact differently from the others in that Kentucky waiting room. I remember asking God, “what kind of world have we brought a child into?”
Scott Barrett
I have very distinct memories of 9/11. Even writing this, without thinking about it I remember that 9/11/2001 was a Tuesday. I was in AP US History class as a junior in high school. The teacher canceled what he was planning to teach and we did work silently as we listened to the radio. I don’t think any of us knew the magnitude of the moment at that point.
Carie King
It is hard to believe that it has been twenty-five years since 9/11. My husband and I were in graduate school at the University of Georgia. I was working on my MEd and was at the time student teaching at a local high school as well as serving as a Resident Director in International Housing at UGA. We had our kickoff potluck for the residents planned for that evening.
I first learned about the attack during my passing period. I had just finished teaching a room full of tenth graders and had another group entering. A student, one who was known to exaggerate a bit, came in the room shouting, “We are under attack!” If I recall clearly, I told him to settle down and have a seat. He didn’t. He approached me and said, “No. Please, turn on the TV.” It was then that I saw the fear in the student’s eyes, and I realized that he was not exaggerating. He was terrified and needed my full attention. Together, we turned on the news.
After a day of being with my students and processing what was occurring, I headed back to campus having forgotten about the event we had planned. It was then that I saw several notes posted on our apartment door asking if we were still gathering, if it was safe even to do so. My international residents, many Asian and Middle Eastern, were unsure if they would be safe to gather on that evening, and some asked if it was even safe to leave their apartment. My husband and I went door-to-door inviting our neighbors to join us in the quad. Some brought the food they had planned; many just brought a chair and sat in a safe space of community. We processed together, talking about the day’s events and what was to come. It was clear that as much as we as Americans felt attacked, our international neighbors recognized that this would have a broader impact. Several stayed and prayed.
In the following days, we tried to provide a safe space to process and ask questions both in the classroom and at home.
Josh Wood
I was in high school when this happened and I clearly remember watching the first tower in a common area of my high school. We did not even go to first period as we watched this and all of a sudden the second plane hit. It all seemed very unreal to be watching this tragic historical event happen right before our eyes on live television. Many of my classmates and a few good friends enlisted in the armed forces shortly after because of that event. All but one of them, my best friend, came back from the war. The Lord used that experience to help me learn more about my faith and be more open publicly about my faith as many of my classmates turned to me to be a support.
Mike Mendenhall
- Watching The Today Show on NBC. Business interview with Jack Welch, CEO of General Electric. Cut to report of a possible small plane hitting one of the towers.
- Later in the day, attended a meeting with my son's teachers at his elementary school. A teacher informed us that the school was on lockdown, a first for the school. I would not have been able to enter if our meeting had been scheduled later in the day.
- Later in the week, dozens of employees at a major automotive parts headquarters voluntarily gathered in a large lounge. Led in prayer by a coworker, a lay pastor at his church. Prayer in this workspace never happened, just that day. No one objected.
