I was living in Darwin Australia and was out on the town. Darwin was overrun with crowds of US sailors on shore leave. Every single one, even the drunks were suddenly gone. Amazing how quickly that happened. Then we heard why.

Huge hugs of comfort and support for all of my American friends.... It changed the world for sure

I was just leaving for work..;...I'd dropped my dog off at my folks and my dad had the TV on.... I didn't realize what was happening for a moment when the second plane came and of course my dad knew right away... He'd been in WW2...

A tragic day

9/11, (now Patriot Day in the USA.) was my short day on a 35 hour contract, On 9/11, I watched the events unfold as the morning news was interrupted. I called into my worksite, the 7000 inmate Sterrett Dallas County jail, where I worked with programs for out of state convicts being housed there due to overcrowding. Indeed, they had gone on lock down, so no programs, I watched all day. Being brought up on Long Island, many commuted on the LI rail for jobs in the city. No idea how many of my childhood schoolmates, the 300+ students I had taught, or parents of all these, worked in the Towers. I had often gone to the city for theater or fun.
The next month a travel agency here had organized a Support NYC trip, which I went on. The grief was palpable. The ashes were still blowing in the breezes. This was a city in shock and grief with so many memorials already in place throughout the city.
I later found out that F, (his wife and my sister had been friends since the late 60's; when both married, my BiL, a retired NYPD deep night SWAT officer, and F, commander of a NYFD station, began a lifelong 4 some, so I knew them well) had all his men, even those off duty, report in. F needed to stay at ground level with the other leaders coordinating the fire fighters, His entire house went down when the Tower they were in collapsed. Just one of many tales of the impact of that day.
In my travels, I have toured Dachau as well as Hiroshima and Oahu's memorial to Pearl Harbor, and have seen that many buildings in Europe still bear the bullet holes of the WW on their buildings.
Healing and comforting hugs going out to all, especially those who have lost loved ones and those still suffering the atrocities going on in our world.

I was watching tv like millions of others that day, so I saw the second plane hit live via tv. As I mention often, I'm here because I grew up in 6 years of a terrorist war overseas. In it I survived a direct bombing myself and was 2 blocks from another deadly bombing. I wrote a history book about it all, Utopia Undone, in which I got to interview the perpetrators who made and exploded those bombs and went to prison for them, just so I could understand.
http://www.pasadoreciente.com/acciones/02Atentados/Atentados12.html

So when that second plane hit live on tv on 9-11 I knew we were in deep trouble. There was a terrorist mind behind the destruction. I came to the USA to get away from that, and now it had found me again. I knew from my own experience how hard it would be on the survivors. I traveled to New York City to ground zero and paid my respects.

Really surprised so few have replied.

I was living with the federal leader of the Canadian Green Party, on Vancouver Island, about to go overseas for many years.

My uncle worked for Wood Gundy investors, and split offices between NY and Toronto. There was an awful half a day of panic and terror trying to find out if he was okay. Thank the heavens he was, but his entire staff was wiped out.

I said it that day, and I say it today - September 11 was the start of world war 3

I live about 45 minutes away from Shanksville, PA, where on that day Flight 93 went down, so memorials about that day are sort of a part of my community.

My cousin is a pilot for American. His normal flight is Boston to LA.. He woke up feeling tired that morning and not up to a cross country flight. He called his best friend and neighbor and asked if he would take the flight for him, Sure, no problem. That was flight 11, the first to hit the towers. The guilt was tremendous. How could he face his best friends wife and children every day? American was very good to him and got him into counseling and gave him paid leave for however long it took....if ever. His friends wife put the house on the market the following day and left without a word. It was over a year before my cousin could fly,

Whew! That WOULD be a load of survivor guilt to work through, Strength. No wonder it was over a year before he could fly again. Hope he's doing ok now.