9/11: Kent Patch Readers Tell Their Stories

Editor's Note: Kent Patch asked readers to share their stories of Sept. 11, and they've responded.

Here are two of the stories shared with us. Share your story by emailing it to Kent Patch Editor Matt Fredmonsky at matt.fredmonsky@patch.com.

Michelle Elizabeth Bedy:

"First off I want to say that I was taught about (Osama bin Laden) long before this date. I prayed and prayed he would just go away. Every Marine knew the threat ... nobody knew he could, and would, pull something of this nature off. Its been said before "it only takes us being lax one time, overlook one thing, or for Al Qaeda to get lucky."

The big heads agree that both happened in the 9/11 report. However, here is my story:

I was an active duty Marine stationed in Yuma, AZ, on 9/11.
It was 0600 our time and I remember watching the news. It was the Gary Condit story, and I was talking with my lifelong best friend in Atlanta who was complainig about her stocks going down.

After we hung up, I heard the story about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. I thought 'there is a lot of airspace around that building...' and I got up to put my dishes away and get ready for work. Then, as I watched on live TV, the second plane hit. My world froze and I vaguely remember my bowl hitting the floor and shattering and one of the commentators saying 'That was deliberate.' I grabbed the phone, called my best friend back, told her what happened, that we were under attack and she needed to get her son out of daycare and get home right now.

As I was rushing upstairs in my base housing unit, I called my husband and told him. He was a civilian working at Yuma Proving Grounds and had just been turned away from entering the base. Only military (and) residents were allowed on. He was on his way back to pick up our 2-year-old and come home. My next call was to my mom. My father was in Washington, D.C., on Department of Defense business. She hadn't heard what happened yet, turned on the news and immediately told me she was going to hunt down my father and get back with me.

On the way into work, I found out the Pentagon had been attacked as well and the first tower had fallen. The feel of the base was choreographed chaos. All gates that were unmanned now had 5-ton trucks in front of them with armed guards, and I noticed that there were F-18s flying patrol overhead (we only have Harriers in Yuma). As soon as I walked into my work center, all staff non-commissioned and commissioned officers where pulled into a meeting. I told them I couldn't reach my dad that was in the D.C. area for a DOD missile launch ... and, you gotta love Marines, had 10 cell phones tossed at me and was told to use them as long as I needed. A prayer was said for all the victims and for the safety of our people in the Pentagon, particularly one of our Marines that worked there ... a Marine that most of us had worked with before and were very fond of.

Then the real work began. We had to get every Marine ready for deployment. Immunization check, wills, power of attorney, in loco parentis forms for single parents or married active duty members. We had to account for every Marine, at work, off duty, or on leave. We had two Marines that were married and on their honeymoon in New York City. Took us a bit, but we found them unharmed. We also had to track down any Marine 'in transit' to a temporary duty assignment, which we had three all now hopelessly stuck in whatever airport they were forced to land in.

All civilian workers were being turned away from entering the base and the wait to get on the base was hours. Yuma is still in the 100 degree range in September, so many got into work as everybody was already on their way home to get wills, count their 782 gear (deployment/field issue gear to every Marine). The one thing I was shocked at was watching one Marine wander around waiting for a call on his cell. His family was in New York City. It took a while, but we finally got the sign that they were OK, which was a moment of thanksgiving during all hell breaking loose.

At 1400, my husband called to tell me they were safe at home. At 1600, my mom called to tell me dad was fine, but stuck in D.C. At 1730 I answered a call from the Pentagon. (Our Marine) was safe and sound and was permitted to see the area hit. He said it was a mess, but it was obvious that it was a plane that hit and it sounded like someone had dropped one of the big safes on one of the upper floors.

I finally got home at 2000. I started counting my 782 gear. Even though I was already in receipt of orders to recruiting, I still had to maintain my deployable status until I left to my new duty station.

One vision that I will never forget: as I was counting my gear, my son Eddie grabbed my helmet, put it on the deck, sat on it and started watching the news. Apparently he didn't think I was paying enough attention, because he told me to "ssshhhh" then pointed to the TV and said "Bill's [O'Reilly] talking." It was 2100 and I finally decided to spend some time with a very calm little boy and hug him like there was no tomorrow.

That feeling was partially correct ... there was a tomorrow, but every tomorrow was different from 0600 on 9/11/2001. The first shot was fired years ago with the first World Trade Center bombing, but this? Innocence lost for generations to come.

For the first time in my adult life, I cried myself to sleep that night (with) tears of frustration and anger that this happened to the country I was sworn to protect. Even typing this has caused me to well up in tears. All those innocent people, murdered to promote hate through terrorism. Almost every aspect of every life in the U.S. changed that day and leaves many to wonder when is the next shoe going to drop?"

Michelle Elizabeth Bedy
Kent State University
SSgt, USMC (ret/disabled)

Kathy Lovell

"I was teaching at the Portage Opportunity School on Sept. 11, 2001. It was my second year, and I had been fortunate enough to move up the seniority ladder to acquire my own classroom. That morning I was teaching ninth-grade English.

The room next door was a much larger room and was occupied by our adviser and lead teacher. She was using the TV for some presentation and the morning news shows were on. I was sitting at my desk when she came to my doorway and said, 'Come here right now!' Her tone was such that it made me move immediately to her room. I didn't say anything to my kids, just went directly to her room. Something that would have seemed odd to our students, to just leave them in the room, to go somewhere else.

It was her tone that made me feel so odd, one I had never heard. It was the kind of tone that makes you move without thinking, or questioning, why you are doing so and as I entered her classroom I was about to be shocked and mesmerized.

I don't remember what she said, but it was only a matter of seconds before the second plane hit. I was standing halfway into her room when the second plane hit. I am not even sure that I had registered the facts from the first plane, nor do I know when my kids came into the room. All I know is that at some point all of the students had entered her room and were seated all around. Since it was just September we would only have had maybe eight or so kids starting with us, so we were all able to fill the desks in her room.

At some point I realized that I was standing, maybe pacing, because I know that when the counselor arrived to see students I met her at the door and said something I never thought I would say in my life, nor do I hope to ever utter again, “Someone is attacking the U.S.”

I'm not sure how long I watched before I began to worry about others. My husband was due to fly somewhere on a business trip and my best friend from high school lived right in the heart of New York City.

Feverishly I began trying to call people as I imagine was most of America. Shortly my husband got in touch and was still in the states at his office, but I was not able to locate my friend, Jon Spano, in New York. I was getting very panicked and resorted to calling his family that lived locally. After some tense time of locating local numbers I was able to speak with his aunt and was told they had spoken with him and he was safe. His office and home were only a few blocks away. He would tell me later about the smell that lingered for a very long time and the dust.

Once I had made contact with family and friends I was able to return to watching the drama that was unfolding minute by minute as we sat in utter amazement. None of us spoke much — even our students were unable to say more than a few words as we were all lost in thought and disbelief at what was changing our world forever."

Kathy Lovell

Kent, OH