Where Were You on September 11?

Editor's Note: I wrote this last year while editor of Sarasota Patch for the 10-year anniversary of Sept. 11. Today, we remember that fateful day that changed our lives 11 years ago. We'd love for you to share where you were on 9/11 in the comments section below. 

I was in ninth grade at Grain Valley High School in Mr. Oliver’s keyboarding class. Grain Valley is about 30 miles east of Kansas City. If I went to the room today I could go to the desk/computer I was sitting at when we found out that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center.

The keyboarding room was small and shared with a larger computer lab separated by a sliding glass door. Mr. Oliver opened the door, and we could see on a large projector screen the horrifying images of one our nation’s landmarks in flames.

For the rest of the hour we watched the news coverage as the chaos unfolded. In my next class, language arts, it was the same thing. Eyes fixed on the screen not knowing what it really all meant. As the reports of the Pentagon being hit and images of the World Trade Center collapsing were being reported on the TV it just added to the confusion. Who would do this? How many people were dead?

By lunch our principal, Mr. Witt, had given teachers strict orders to continue with lesson plans for the day and not to let us watch TV. Luckily in my last class of the day, American history, Ms. Bartels ignored our principal’s request. “This is history,” she said.

During that day it was difficult to comprehend what had happened and how much our lives had instantly changed. At the end of the school day I got off the bus and started walking along my gravel driveway toward my home.

About halfway through my quarter mile walk, I noticed our American flag was waving proudly in our yard. It started to sink in. By this time my mother was walking toward me. As she approached me she gave me a big hug and started crying. The day’s events had finally hit home.

We want to hear from you... Where were you on 9/11? How did it impact your life? Post a comment below, or email editor William Mansell at william.mansell@patch.com.