r/nextfuckinglevel • u/IllllIlllIIlI • 1d ago
Today marks 25 years since the attacks of 9/11, to remember that day, here is footage of the moment a NY shop owner saved a woman’s life by getting her into his shop to avoid the dust from the collapsing tower.
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u/IronSkywalker 1d ago
Even more tragic is the true death toll will probably never be known because of all the asbestos fibres that there will definitely be in that dust cloud
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u/vulgrin 1d ago
More people have died from the effects of 9/11 attacks than the actual attacks now, as we learned from Mandani this week.
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u/OPMajoradidas 1d ago
And they still don't give a shit about them. They wanted to rebuild months after it happen just so that guy could get the insurance benefit.
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u/Thecardinal74 21h ago
Silverstein was going to get the insurance payout either way, though.
The only debate was the insurance claiming it was one attack, not two.
But the structural engineers proved that had only one building been hit and collapsed, it would not have caused significant structural damage to the other tower, therefore it needed to be classified as two separate attachs.
There was less ambiguity about the third building that collapsed as it was clear that was a direct result of the falling debris of the first two buildings
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u/Levitlame 1d ago
The number is probably inconceivably higher if you could somehow look at all of the effects of the attack. Particularly the military conflicts and effect on foreign policies. Even domestic attacks on Muslims (and those grouped in with them by bigots.)
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u/DisasterBiMothman 1d ago
I was going to comment exactly this. Muslim families received a lot of violence and hostility following the 9/11 attack.
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u/Hoyle33 1d ago
Really? You had to hear it from Mamdani to believe it? They've been talking about it for 25 years now
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u/natsnoles 1d ago
I heard this morning that at least 9000 people have died of cancer or respiratory diseases attributed to the towers collapse.
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u/wimbokcfa 1d ago
I just took care of a lung transplant patient last week whose disease was from 9/11 exposure 😪
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u/malfunkshunned 1d ago
No one was happier by the Hamas attack then Netanyahu.
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u/PlentyOfMoxie 1d ago
Putin was pretty stoked to get a distraction from Ukraine 🤷🏻♂️
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u/OkCaterpillar8941 1d ago
I've always wondered if Mossad knew about the attacks beforehand.
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u/WhatTheNothingWorks 1d ago
You mean that you wondered if an intelligence agency that tracks the everything g down to the dingleberries on an ant had any foreknowledge of an impending attack?
An attack that the assailants trained for using the exact methods?
An intelligence agency that could track them down to intercepting an order of beepers to put explosives inside?
Yeah, I wonder if they had any idea it was coming…
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u/No-Fuckin-Ziti 1d ago
Bro our own gov’t had the knowledge beforehand. Like, that’s not disputed. What in the wide world of fuck does it matter what MI6 or anyone else knew? We had the names, we knew they were training as pilots, the exiting administration told the incoming one that “an attack is imminent” and they did… nothing.
Blaming this on anyone but ourselves is serious cope.
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u/True-Firefighter-796 23h ago
They didn’t do nothing. They started planning which countries they were going to invade and which defense contractors would give the best donation if they won a contract.
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u/UmpireDapper1757 1d ago
It was still a very stupid answer that betrayed that he perceived the attacks as a good thing for Israel
A less-stupid answer would be something like "Israel and the United States have always been friends and Israel is prepared to support its friend, the United States in its hour of need, as the United States has done for Israel"
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u/Anon-Knee-Moose 1d ago
No no, we need to make all Islamic terrorism the jews fault. Saudi Arabia and isreal cant both do terrible things.
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u/Help_An_Irishman 23h ago
I get the sentiment, but it's also an important distinction that Israel's leadership =/= "the Jews."
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u/jvanber 1d ago
Gaza dancing in the streets. Arafat ended up confiscating cameras and prevented media from releasing further footage.
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u/Horror_Hall_8806 1d ago
More people from the USA should see this.
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u/jettywop 23h ago
More people in the USA should be critical about what they see. Try having a second order thought. (Why would they feel this way? What historical events led to this sentiment?)
The alternative: uncritically allow this to confirm your bias. It’s easy if you don’t think about it.
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u/Gratefullyundead91 1d ago
May I ask - we were funding the attacks on them back then. How does this change anything? People suffering and they’re upset with the oppressors. The government fully condemned the attacks and we’re taking the idiots who celebrated as worse than the people committing it? (Both are bad no doubt)
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u/jvanber 1d ago
It’s just a distinction. Israelis were not celebrating this attack in the streets. While politically, Israeli leaders were correct that this was ultimately good for them, the Israelis didn’t fundamentally see this as something to be celebrated. And they didn’t, they thought this was horrible and built a monument for it.
We weren’t funding attacks on them in 2001, and the PFLP effectively pioneered plane hijackings in the 60’s and 70’s. We’re talking dozens of hijackings.
At the time, the US was spending $85M per year in economic assistance to Palestinians as part of the 1993 Declaration of Principles. Otherwise, the US provided aid to the Palestinian authority in 1994, 2003, and 2005. We were also giving aid to Israel, and both countries were in conflict at the time. So “funding attacks on them” is a weird stance to take, as there was US funding on both sides. But, Arafat, at minimum, was a very complicated leader after founding the Fatah party and leading the PLO.
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u/Hefty-Tomatillo-1236 1d ago
Eh... Churchill probably had the same thoughts when Pearl Harbor happened
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u/adamgerd 1d ago
He did, yes because he knew it'd mean US intervention in WW2
One of Churchill’s private secretaries wrote in his diary that the two men “sort of danced around the room together,” when they heard about the attack on Pearl Harbor.
In Churchill's history of the Second World War he wrote of his emotions upon hearing that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor. Only "silly people, and there were many,” underestimated American strength. For him, the entry of the United States into the war meant that the ultimate outcome—favorable for his country—was now assured. Feeling “the greatest joy” that the attack had arrayed his mother's country on the side of Britain, he “went to bed and slept the sleep of the saved and thankful.”
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u/adamgerd 1d ago
Literally "not very good", hardly dancing around and celebrating.
Meanwhile though let's remember what your beloved Palestinians thought of the attack? Oh look at that, actual dancing around and celebrating.
https://youtu.be/cqZBy09vCVk?si=yMb5GfbIKuEgPRvT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UucjbGmJILk
Somehow I doubt you'll care about this though
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u/OldeArrogantBastard 1d ago
How is this comment that takes the quote out of context at the top of this post? C’mon man, this is just ridiculous.
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u/Mrc3mm3r 1d ago
It's Reddit, talk about Netanyahu and you get all the upvotes you could ever ask for!
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u/WaltChamberlin 1d ago
There were alot more than just Israelis dancing and celebrating though. I understand the point you're making but never forget who the actual perpetrators of this were: extremist Muslims.
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u/DevillesAbogado 1d ago
Weren’t there also celebrations on the streets of Gaza by Palestinian people, just happy that Americ@n lives were lost??
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u/TurbulentBullfrog829 1d ago
Allies take many forms. For instance IRA funding from the US only stopped after 9/11, which lead to weapons decommissioning later that year.
The special relationship, ladies and gentlemen.
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u/_name_of_the_user_ 1d ago
Here's how a tiny town in Canada saved 6000 people that day.
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u/evaivyleaf 1d ago
There’s a very good musical called Come From Away about this town taking everybody in. It’s a cool production for a small cast, and even going in knowing what it was about I was still emotional through a lot of it. Would definitely recommend if there’s a production near you!
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u/pretty-ok-username 1d ago
The Broadway showing of Come From Away was filmed during Covid and is available on Netflix now!
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u/C_Saunders 23h ago
It looks like it moved to AppleTV! But thanks for tip bc I do want to see this and didn’t know it was recorded!
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u/throwaway1546874 23h ago
Just saw Come From Away and I'm tearing up again. Lifelong friendships were forged that day. Mr. Rogers' "look for the helpers" comes to mind.
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u/Levitlame 1d ago
Not to go on too far of a tangent, but IMO it’s way too “sentimental.” It lays it on so thick. It feels kinda like the movie Crash to me. A lot of people clearly feel it since it was well received at the Tonys but it took me out.
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u/gyllbane 20h ago
Sentimentality in a musical. The horror. In other news, the sky is blue, grass is green, and bears shit in the woods.
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u/Levitlame 20h ago
Right... Because things don't have upper limits.
In other news too much water/oxygen/anything will kill you.
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u/UndoxxableOhioan 12h ago
One of the characters is Beverly Bass, a real person who indeed was the first female captain at American Airlines. She appreciated Jenn Colella’s performance so much, she presented Colella the actual uniform she was wearing on 9/11 to wear for the final performance.
Most of the characters are based on real Gander residents.
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u/Away_Investigator351 1d ago
Canada, the best neighbour you could ask for.
I honestly feel sad watching how the US is so mean to them.
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u/_name_of_the_user_ 1d ago
For generations we were the US's ride or die. Now... 🖕
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u/mainlycoffee 1d ago
Please know it's the idiot orange guy and not the citizens (well, other than the idiots that voted for the orange guy). On behalf of Americans, I am so sorry 😞
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u/236766 22h ago
1/3 voted for him and a huge portion was apathetic enough not to turn out. That’s over half your country. It’s not just the orange man. The majority of your country was complacent in getting him elected again and a significant amount support him and believe everything he says. The apology is nice, truly but until things change, it’s hard to caveat this to put a positive spin on it anymore.
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u/ehalright 21h ago
I will be proud of my country again one day, because I and those like me will right these wrongs and make it so. But today is not that day. And it may not come for a while.
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u/mainlycoffee 17h ago
I get it. I hate the way they voted...and the apathy of those that didn't show up. I can't make excuses for any of it. I am just sorry AF that this is the government we are dealing with, they're being complete assholes and there's not a lot I can do but vote and protest (which I do).
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u/Away_Investigator351 1d ago
We in the UK still remember how often Canada would rush to help us during our times of strife, we are still indebted to them, amazing ally to have in this world.
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u/jessicacummings 21h ago
I am a dual US/Canadian citizen and it breaks my heart :( Canada has been an amazing neighbor and friend and there are soooo many Americans who are appalled at what our administration is doing to our allies around the world. I’m sorry my friend
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u/warriordwarfpang 1d ago
Don't feel bad. He impacted our elections in the best way.
Ironically we'd be in a way worse position without him.
I feel bad for the average american that is getting robbed blind... or worse...
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u/MrSniffles_AnnaMae 1d ago
My BILs were on a plane that were supposed to land at LaGuardia that morning. They were emergency rerouted to Canada, and they were stuck there for a week, but luckily were graciously hosted by Canadians who opened their homes to provide shelter and food for many.
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u/Paddy_Fo_Faddy 1d ago
Today marks 25 years since Canada opened it's arms to an ungrateful nation.
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u/DrKittyLovah 1d ago
To be fair the US was absolutely grateful to Canada at the time, and for a long time afterwards. Most of us Americans are dismayed and/or pissed that the current administration is screwing up the relationship so badly.
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u/YoungCubSaysWoof 23h ago
Once the Trump administration has ended, and the repercussions and punishments have been doled out (we have to try), we have to make an overture of some sort to try and rebuild our relationship with Canada (and a lot of the world).
“Sorry” won’t be enough, but we’ll have to try.
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u/DrKittyLovah 23h ago
Definitely agree! Idk what it could be, but I’m all in anyway.
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u/Psykosoma 1d ago
I’ve seen this video several times and this is the first time I noticed the guy say “Look at the shadow of death!” And it really was…
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u/audiophunk 1d ago
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." The Americans were manipulated into giving up many liberties after 9/11. It was when I realized American exceptionalism was a myth.
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u/youngsyr 1d ago
What intrigues me is what happened after the video finishes?
That dust isn't going anywhere for hours, maybe days?
At some point, all these people sheltering had to go leave their shelters?
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u/thederevolutions 1d ago
I wonder what would’ve happened if she didn’t get in
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u/Poquin 1d ago
There was a higher percentage of cancer on those that got covered by this dust if I'm not mistaken. And you would get pulmonary issues right away.
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u/hammertime2009 1d ago
Yep. A shit ton of those people who didn’t get crushed and were able to hide got lung cancer and other diseases from the air. More than we will likely ever know.
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u/Thecardinal74 20h ago
it doesn't show in the video, but some of the "specs of dust" were fist size chunks of concrete barreling down the street a lot faster than you think.
Likely would have been pummeled to death, and each time I see this clip I wonder about the other people you could still see in the street
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u/WeenyDancer 20h ago
Someone posted this yesterday (warning, VERY intense)-
A tape from Ed S on the 'between two towers' youtube channel. At the time he was driving his work truck in lower Manhattan. At ~41:00- 42:00 minute mark the first tower falls and he takes refuge in his truck with a couple others. You can see the thick ash fall, hear them talk about trouble breathing, etc. Just prior he bumps into someone who just left their desk on some high up floor, and came down to the street.
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u/IchooseYourName 14h ago
This broke me. I don't know what it is about the number 25. I've been reliving this trauma for two days now.
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u/r3bbbz 1d ago
If you watch the Naudet brothers documentary, you can see how fast the main cloud clears after one of the brothers hides under the car as he's running away. It was a few minutes. Obviously there's still tons of dust in the air but they're able to see and walk around after a few minutes.
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u/No_Diggity10 23h ago
I still don’t go to Starbucks because Starbucks was charging people for water when this happened.
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u/getcargofar 20h ago
Just adding this to the list
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u/jenglasser 18h ago
Holy fuck, what??? Jesus...
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u/No_Diggity10 18h ago
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/sep/26/september11.usa3
Yes. And they issued refunds and apologized and all that, but how morally bankrupt do you have to be…
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u/binzy90 13h ago
This sounds like employees who didn't know what to do and didn't think about the fact that they could make some executive decisions in what was obviously an emergency situation. I don't blame a company for this because it's 100% on the employees. They should have just given out the water and then handled it with corporate later, but I'm sure they were just trying not to get in trouble.
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u/Choss_King 13h ago
I still don’t go to Starbucks because their coffee is fucking disgusting. Good to know I’m now also boycotting them on moral grounds too.
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u/ExtremeComedian4027 1d ago
Lost my aunt and her unborn baby in this horrific tragedy. She was in the South Tower. And across the world I was watching it happen live on TV as a small child unknowingly - I had originally been watching a telecast of Party in the Park and the channel cut that to show what was happening in NYC. Will never forget this and the pain it caused to millions of people.
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u/Freya-of-Nozam 15h ago
I’m sorry for your loss. I too was a kid.
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u/ExtremeComedian4027 8h ago
Thank you. xx It impacted all our childhoods in such grim and dark ways, didn't it? We grew up in the shadows of it and everything that followed.
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u/Alicewithhazeleyes 1d ago
“There it comes, look at the shadow of death”
I have never picked up on that before. And Ive watched it a thousand times. That gave me chills.
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u/Signiference 23h ago
The moment she realizes and that raw emotion pouring out of her... the first time she screams thank you makes me bawl every time.
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u/getcargofar 20h ago
Haunting is putting it lightly. Literally hearing someone emotionally, mentally and physically overwhelmed by the reality theyre in and how close they came to losing it.
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u/james_a_hetfield 1d ago edited 1d ago
I will say I used to really enjoy flying pre 9-11, I flew a lot before then. I even remember flying to see my grandparents in the new England area in the 90s. Flight lay over was in NYC even. I've only flown twice since then 9-11.
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u/Cloudinterpreter 1d ago
Why?
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u/SashimiX 23h ago
It was way more chill back then. You could even meet people arriving at the gate. Not a stressful experience requiring getting there so early.
There were other differences too, not related to 9/11. For one, the seats were roomier.
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u/crankthehandle 1d ago
It's a fair question, why the downvotes? It makes absolutely no sense to not fly anymore because of 9-11
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u/Lketty 1d ago
I can’t speak for the guy who made the comment, but flying is such a tremendous pain in the ass now. The reason you have to show up hours early is because of 9/11 and all the security theater that has followed.
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u/RandomedXY 21h ago
I still remember a stewardess asking me during a flight, when I was a kid, if I wanted to visit the cockpit. It was amazing. Things were definitely different back then.
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u/Thecardinal74 20h ago
you cold request a non-smoking section seat and sit right behind a guy who chain smoked.
with no barrier between you.
that was nice
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u/goreflys 1d ago
I remember being in 8th grade and watching it on TV in school can't believe it's been 25 years already. Time goes by so fast.
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u/YouKnewWhatIWas 1d ago
I remember waking up early for a college class and seeing the news of the first tower. I remember thinking it was a tragic accident. I'll never forget the way I felt when the second plane showed up and I realized it was a deliberate attack. I remember thinking, this is why people ask about JFK. Everything is different now.
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u/artbystorms 1d ago
And even more sad is there is a very good chance every single person in this video has already or will develop cancer from that dust.
And the NYC government kept that hidden for over two decades, while rushing to re-open downtown and 'get back to normal or the terrorists win!'
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u/TeensyTinyPanda 1d ago
I wonder what she was recording this on. And what was she planning to record. Remember, 2001 is 6 years before the iPhone came out, so this had to be a camcorder she had with her for some reason.
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u/Previous-Weird9577 23h ago
Probably just a personal handicam that recorded onto little tapes, they were pretty common back then. A friend of mine had one she used to take to house parties when we were 14/15....I really hope that footage never surfaces!
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u/qolace 22h ago
For some reason? NYC is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world. Of course people back then are gonna take cameras and camcorders with them. Wouldn't you if you were on vacation?
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u/TeensyTinyPanda 21h ago
lmao good point. I grew up near NYC and legit brain fart forgot it was a, like, tourism destination. XD
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u/Terrh 21h ago
mini camcorders were common and cheap and are likely what this was recorded on. There were a bunch of different formats, mini VHS, minidv, minidisc etc. But full size camcorders still existed and were even cheaper yet.
high end digital cameras could do video. PDAs and small laptops could also commonly do video then, though not nearly as many people had them.
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u/New_Study1257 1d ago
I remember seeing this clip more then 2 decades ago. I was way too young back then
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u/StickyDeltaStrike 1d ago
I saw this from the other side of the Hudson river. I remember the smoke being there for so long and even smoke coming out from the remains of the building for even longer.
I don’t think I will ever forget.
So glad this woman didn’t have to breathe in the cloud of debris. I never saw that video before.
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u/Unhappy_Performer538 23h ago
I truly don’t get how or why gen z makes jokes about this.
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u/agent_mick 22h ago
The same way we can make jokes about any tragedy we didn't live through
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u/zipzzo 18h ago
I don't know how anyone from any gen makes any jokes about any horrible tragedy even if they didn't live through it. Like...from where exactly is the humor even being extracted...?
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u/ascaredkitten 16h ago
Healing through comedy is a well documented phenomenon. Better to laugh than cry and all that
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u/Frankentula 21h ago
it's disturbing to think how much footage there would be if this happened today. i remember my teacher announcing "the twin towers have been attacked. This will change everything". i am not capturing the gravity of how she said it but it stuck with me that this was a kind of crossing of the rubicon
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u/Jarred_Farts_4_Sale 23h ago
Can you imagine how much asbestos was in the air? It's been 25 year's, thats around how long it takes for the cancer/tumors to form depending on where the fiber stuck in the body. I hope everyone who breathed in the air gets checked regularly.
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u/Solenkata 23h ago
"My shit is out there"
My god lady, you have the survival instincts of a pigeon.
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u/neonfuzzball 22h ago
people do not react to emergencies well, on the whole. It's why we have to drill for fire, earthquake, tornatdo etc. In the moment our brains just aren't great at prioritizing or thinking clearly.
She realized quickly what a mistake she'd been making and is grateful for the people who reacted better than her, I think she did pretty good here
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u/getcargofar 19h ago
Shock is shock my dude. I’d say none of us, no matter how well we might think we know ourselves, know how we’d handle that situation without having been in something similar or trained before… and even then I’d argue it’s not a guarantee.
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u/orange_colored_sky 19h ago
I was in sixth grade, either history or English, can’t remember.
Suddenly, my classmates started getting called to the office: “Mr. McLaughlin, please send So-and-So to the office, their parents are here to pick them up.” At first it was one or two, then one right after the other. I joked to my best friend after she was called, “Well, I wanna go home, when’s it my turn?” Literally right after that, I was called, and I was almost never called home. That’s when I started wondering.
I get to the office, my mom’s there and she’s crying. She grabs me and we run to the car. My first thought was who died this time, since we had lost a few elderly family members back to back within the past year or two.
As we’re racing to my brother’s school faster than I’ve ever seen my mom drive since he had a bad allergic reaction as a baby, she tells me that a plane hit the World Trade Center. I blurted out, “Who’s stupid enough to crash a plane into a building?” Then she told me it was an attack, and that we were picking up my brother and going somewhere safe in case schools were targeted, too.
We get to my brother’s school which was down the street, and then we go to the fire hall where my uncle worked which was also nearby. We did all that so fast that we actually walked in as soon as the second plane hit. I remember seeing it happen on the giant tv in the middle of the fire hall, where tons of people were gathered around watching.
I just stood there, glued to the tv, watching it all. I remember seeing things fall from the building; at first I thought they were pieces of debris, then I realized they were people. Actual people, jumping. Two held hands as they plummeted downward. The towers fell, and I’ll never forget the screams echoing off the concrete floors and brick walls. I remember asking my mother if this is how it felt when Kennedy was shot.
That afternoon, we went to another uncle’s house where a bunch of family had gathered. My brother and I walked to the park down the street. As we sat on the swings, we looked up. A single bomber sliced through an empty blue sky.
You know how if you live near a train track, you grow deaf to the sounds? Living in the city near the airport, we never paid any mind to all the planes overhead — until the day there weren’t any. I didn’t hear another silence as loud and disturbing as during lockdowns, 19 years later.
Years later, I began my short-lived teaching by career. I found myself in front of my class on September 11, 2015. All my students wanted to hear was what 9/11 was like, and it dawned on me that these kids were all born after it happened, just like I was born long after Kennedy. And I thought of my mom and if this is how she felt when I asked her about Kennedy on 9/11. So I told them my story. We didn’t learn any Spanish that day.
There really is no explaining it. Some day, I’ll have to explain it to my son, and I don’t know if I’ll do it justice then, either.
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u/HarmlessSnack 1d ago
Next Fucking Level? Really OP?
Bot ass behavior. Fucking karma farming jackass.
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u/Viper1089 22h ago
I remember exactly where i was that day...
I lived in NJ and was in middle school, probably around 11 or 12 and had gone to the bathroom. Walking back to class, I noticed it was eerily quiet. Usually you're able to hear kids chatting, teachers going over stuff, etc. But nope, it was dead silent.
I looked in some of the classrooms as I passed them and the rooms that had the TVs on little wheels, had them turned on and tuned to the news. I saw some kids crying...
... then kids started getting called to the office to be dismissed early.
I wasn't called down thankfully. My dad worked on Wall Street and was on the bus when the first plane hit. They were exiting the Holland Tunnel when the second one hit. Bus driver said, "I'm turning this bus around now."
Such a crazy day where i am super fortunate that i was unaffected, but it is still seered into my memory.
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u/Dumyat367250 1d ago
You really did. It's a tragedy that the US is in a far worse state now than it was then.
Bush looked like a World class statesman in comparison with your current administration.
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u/Sir_Boobsalot 21h ago
I remember watching this as it happened in college, literally half a lifetime ago. there's the 25 years Before where life was just Completely Different, then there's the 25 years After where life has been steadily worse. the twin towers came down and so did the curtains on America itself as people gave up freedom in exchange for "security", let government walk all over them. and then there's what's polluting the White House now; never would've been tolerated before 9/11. we peaked as a nation in the late '90s
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u/Haderdaraide 23h ago
“Look at the shadow of death” is one of the scariest things I have heard a person say live from this video. He meant it, wow, a traumatic experience and heart goes out to all that were affected or fought to get people away
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u/SheriffBartholomew 20h ago
Man, this just brought tears to my eyes and nothing does that these days. I think part of my reaction is the pure gratefulness in her words, in stark contrast to the horror outside. But I think it's mostly the weight of 25 years hitting me all at once, remembering the world that we lost that day. Nothing has ever been the same since, and we are worse because of it.
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u/shadow_dragon123 1d ago
1.5 miles for the heavier stuff the lighter stuff made it all the way to the empire state building which was 3 miles from ground zero
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u/zephead30 22h ago
This is one of the few times I can look back on and say nearly everyone in the country or the world stood still to watch a live event. Bless the victims and their families.
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u/Dizzy-Ad-2248 22h ago
The worst thing I had seen before 9/11 was watching the Challenger explode in elementary school... I was in a college class the morning of 9/11 and what will haunts me still is the images of the people who jumped and the hopeless silence of the reporters who were live at their news desks as the 2nd plane hit.
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u/AKVigilante 22h ago
Lived in PA when it happened. Saw the first tower burning on tv, wife and I went to her mom’s work because her brother was in school in NYC at the time (lived with his dad in Astoria) and he was watching it out the classroom windows. So we just got to the salon her mom worked at when the second plane hit. We were glued to the tv all day. Her brother said the principal ordered teachers to draw the blinds the instant the second plane hit. His teacher didn’t comply.
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u/Luke5119 21h ago
I was 11 at the time, in the Midwest.
I can still remember the teachers struggling to keep their composure and not doing their best job. I was confused and not fully comprehending what was going on. They dismissed us early; my older sister, who was in college, picked me up to take me home. I still remember watching the news that night with my parents, and a reporter at Ground Zero broke down crying on air. It was at that very moment that my 11-year-old brain registered the magnitude of just how serious this was.
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u/crispicity 1d ago
I remember my mom calling me in to watch the tv, only 1 plane had hit at the time, we watched the 2nd plane hit, then they reported the pentagon. By the time the 4th plane was reported down in Pennsylvania, I was convinced this was the beginning of WW3. Traumatic as a child, still scared of flying. RIP all those victims, fucking tragic.