Ask people where they were when they first heard about the Sept. 11 terror attacks and the responses come immediately. Many on the West Coast were still asleep that Tuesday morning when the first plane slammed into the World Trade Center. Some were awoken by phone calls; others heard it shortly after arriving at work or school. Whatcom County residents who were overseas found themselves getting hugs from strangers. While the stories of how they heard varied, the reactions were the same: disbelief, shock and sadness.
Here are just some of the stories Whatcom County residents shared with The Bellingham Herald in response to a solicit about how people first heard the news; read more of them online at whatcom.remembers911.com.
Joyce Moseley-Sweeney, Bellingham
On the fateful day of 9-11-01, I was awakened by a telephone call from a frantic friend telling me that our nation was under attack with planes crashing into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. While getting ready for work as a classroom teacher (second grade at Columbia Elementary School), I watched in utter disbelief and shock as the tragedy of the attack unfolded on the TV screen.
At school, when the bell rang, upset students and stricken parents streamed into the building, whispering about the tragedy. I invited my parents to join us in the classroom with a "Morning Circle" to discuss the terrible events. Children snuggled into their parent's laps, and students who didn't have a parent present sat next to caring adults for support and comfort. I placed a box of tissues in the center of the circle.
As we discussed the tragic happenings, many wept, and we adults tried to offer comfort and hope, explaining that our city was not in immediate danger and that our armed forces and all emergency personnel would do everything in their power to protect all of us in the nation. After a while, parents left and the students turned to the distraction of their school work. While putting on an air of confidence and strength, my heart grieved for those whose lives were lost and for the loss of innocence by my young students, knowing that life would never be the same again for any of us.
Evelyn Hoekstra, Bellingham
Early that morning my daughter came in my bedroom, woke me up and said," Mom, dad's on the phone and he said you better get up and turn on the TV." Both towers had been hit by that time and everyone knew this was not an accident. My husband is a trucker and was unloading in Canada when some men on the dock made a comment about "the U.S. being at war." We were not sure if the border crossing would remain open for him to return to our home in Bellingham. Fortunately that was not a problem. I had a ticket to fly to Holland with my two daughters and my mother on the 13th. This was going to be a once in a lifetime trip for my daughters; before they started their families, to go to the country of their heritage. Of course our flights were cancelled and rescheduled for a few days later. The night before we were to fly out of Vancouver to Amsterdam three out of four of us decided not to go. We did not like the idea of leaving our country. What was going to happen while were abroad? It was such a dismal, frightening time, and home, with our loved ones, was the best place to be. Looking back, I wish we would have gone. It would have been a shorter vacation, maybe a bit glum, but we were never able to make up that once in a lifetime trip.
Sue Lillie, Bellingham
On September 11, 2011, I was in Normandy, France. I am a tour operator and I take groups to France. This tour was ending on September 12th.
It was 3:20 in the afternoon (9:20 EST) and I was in my hotel room after touring D-Day sites for the day - sites reminiscent of June 4, 1944. My husband called me to tell me that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center in New York City. At the time, we were living near Washington, D.C., and he received word of the attack very quickly. I was alone and far from USA.
I immediately shared this news with friends from New Jersey who were traveling with me. Since the lady worked for the state of New Jersey, she was in shock to hear the news. We turned on the French TV only to see the second tower struck by a plane.
The irony of being in Normandy where the Allied Forces had landed some 57 years before took on new meaning. I longed to be home with my family, but that didn't happen until the 18th of September.
However, the people of France were gracious, welcoming, sympathetic, and grieved for the loss that America had experienced. Strangers stopped me on the streets of Paris and expressed their sadness and hoped that I would be able to return home soon. Truly the French people were able to feel the pain that I was feeling and they embraced me during that time.
The world forever changed that day. I guess we all did!
Dorothy Goldsmith, Bellingham
We lost a family member on 9/11. Rob Jordan was only 34 and worked in Tower One at Cantor Fitzgerald. I was getting ready for work when I saw the plane hit the first tower where Rob worked. It was a surreal moment and I was numb. I could hardly move or gather my thoughts.
It wasn't until later that day that his mother, my cousin, called me at work to inform me they were certain her only child Rob was lost. We still held out hope for several days thinking perhaps he survived, but deep down inside we knew he was most likely gone.
It has been hard on our already small family. I don't think there is a day that goes by that we don't think of him and the loss that so many others suffered. The family dynamics have changed as well. Watching reruns on TV of the towers being hit is to this day, unbearable. This is why we plan to be away from the TV on the 10th anniversary. But there has been good things that have come from this loss. Two scholarships have been set up for the men's rowing team in Rob's memory at Orange Coast College in Newport Beach, Calif., where he rowed and was captain of the rowing team. So his memory lives on in a positive way and our family is so very thankful. We try to make this our focus now!
We miss you Rob.
Henry W. Cross, Bellingham
My memories of that day involve the south of France. A small town called Hyeres where I was staying with a family who spoke only French.
I had retired in 1999 and having always had a desire to learn to speak the French language properly, I decided to go to school in France and experience total immersion in the language. I enrolled in a school in Hyeres and arranged to stay with a family for the total experience.
Because I was at that time not very proficient in the language, our conversations were rather short and halting and at the dinner table a French/English dictionary was constantly at my side. There were many pauses while I looked up an unknown word. We, nevertheless, got on very well, and they are now my very good friends.
On the day of the attack, my hosts were watching television as I studied in my room. Suddenly they both appeared at my bedroom door extremely agitated and gestured for me to come watch the television. I did so and saw what appeared to me at the time was a trailer to a film about an attack on the twin towers. I did not understand why they were so upset, and they were unable to convey to me what it actually was.
It was not until the next day that the full import of what I had seen finally hit me.
Marianne Johnson, Bellingham
My morning began as usual, getting up and ready for work. My husband had the radio on, came into the bedroom where I was getting dressed and told me something was happening in NYC. I quickly turned on CNN and became extremely alarmed to find out that both the north and south towers of the WTC had been attacked. Our son Christian had just relocated, with his girlfriend, to Brooklyn three days before and we knew they'd planned on spending their first week sightseeing in Manhattan. Unfortunately he didn't, at that time, have a cellphone or land line so I immediately called the parents of his girlfriend to see if they'd heard from their daughter, which unfortunately they had not. As we remained glued to the TV, not knowing where our son was, we became increasingly frightened when, 30 minutes later, we received a call back from the girl's parents saying they had talked their daughter and they were safe in their apartment on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge.
About an hour later, I received an email from our son dated September 11, 2001, 7:56 AM (which I will keep always) that said, "I've been trying to call you but the phone lines are not working. We are both okay and safe. Love you lots, Christian." To this day, I never walk out of the house without my cellphone on, nor does anyone in our family.
Chelsey Prince, Bellingham
My brothers and I were scrambling around, getting ready for school. I heard my dad yell to my mom, "Something happened to one of the twin towers, it's on fire!" I was 16 at the time. Though in shock, we kept getting ready. Then came another yell, "Oh my god! A plane just went into the other tower! Oh my god!! ... Fast Forward. ...Teachers and kids were silent at school that day. We had the news on every channel in every class. Our principal said a prayer over the intercom. After school, I took my brother to the (very empty) Cascade Mall parking lot to drive his new remote control car. I literally remember like it was yesterday, the absolute stillness and silence of empty air space and streets. I fell in love with my country that day. As the quote goes, ""I dream of a day when my son has to ask, 'Mama? What's war?"
Jennifer Hughes, Ferndale
September of 2001, I had just begun high school in Ferndale. Most mornings before school, on weeks that I lived with my dad, I came downstairs early to watch the news while he cooked breakfast for me.
On the 11th, I was up earlier than usual, and found that the news was on louder than usual. My dad filled me in on the planes crashing in New York; I believe I walked in as the second plane hit the South Tower. We continued watching the news, as the reports of other hijacked planes came in, until the report of an explosion at the Pentagon. I remember speculation of a car bomb, or perhaps a bus exploded.
I continued watching the news as the buildings collapsed, before leaving for school. The first class was Spanish, and like most other students at the school, we spent the morning watching the news. One student's brother worked in the Pentagon, and we were relieved to hear that he was not hurt. I finally realized the extent of the tragedy when I learned that many students had been kept home by their parents that day. I thought of Pearl Harbor and the World Wars, and wondered if that day was the beginning of the next World War.
Laura Livingston (Foreign Service Officer, Retired), Bellingham
(My perspective on 9/11 will likely be much different from your other contributors, since I was serving at the U.S. Embassy in Panama when the attacks happened.)
I was in my office with Elizabeth, a Washington colleague, checking cable traffic and the papers, waiting to leave with the Charge d'Affaires for the dedication of a joint U.S. government/Panamanian law enforcement project, which was to be opened by the Charge and Panama's Attorney General. I received a phone call from one of my Panamanian contacts a little before 9 a.m., asking me if we still intended to do the dedication "in light of what just happened." Puzzled, I asked him what had happened and he said, "Didn't you know? A plane just flew into one of the Twin Trade Towers."
I told him I'd call him back, went to tell the Charge, who had just learned himself, and with my colleague, raced down to the Embassy canteen, where we watched CNN in horror, as the second plane struck. A few minutes later, one of my Embassy colleagues ran in, telling us that he had received a phone call from D.C. saying that a third plane had crashed at the Pentagon. We were in shock, some of us, crying.
Immediately, our Charge asked the Panamanian government to help us secure the Embassy's side streets, which it did. He told me to go to the project dedication and when I did, I found the entire Panamanian Attorney General's office there, many of them crying openly and hugging Elizabeth and me in sorrow. The Attorney General wept during his dedication, as did I. They kept telling us, "Anything you need, anything we can do, just tell us and we'll be there."
One of my closest contacts phoned me every two hours for the next few days, just to make sure I was doing OK. That evening, I headed an Embassy Watch Team between 6 p.m. and midnight. The four of us watched President Bush's speech on the Charge's TV and fielded phone calls from Panamanians eager to donate blood or offer their condolences. The next day, we set up a condolence book at the Embassy's Cultural Center, and Panamanians from all over the country, some having driven over a hundred miles, came to grieve with us. I was one of the greeters, and each person who signed the condolence book was in tears; they all hugged me and murmured that their hearts were broken, too. Somehow, we got through the next few days, but I think if I had been in any other country, it would not have been as easy. The unconditional love and support that our Panamanian allies and friends showed us was proof to me that American values are admired throughout the world, that your true friends will always stand by you and that diplomacy is in the heart and soul, as well as the mind.
CoCo Lomas, Bellingham
To celebrate our Class of '51 Shelton High School's 50th reunion we gathered at the Port Ludlow Resort on Monday, Sept. 10, enjoying a sunny afternoon getting reunited with old classmates.
Early next morning our fun event was to change drastically
Sharing a condo unit with seven other close school friends, my husband and I switched on early TV in our bedroom to the mind-bending pictures of the first burning tower in New York.
We alerted the others in our unit and we all shuffled around in concerned astonishment as we followed the mayhem that altered our day.
By the time of the attack on tower two we were all fully awake and cognizant of the magnitude and distressing details of the worst happening since the infamous Pearl Harbor.
Port Ludlow is close to the Bangor Naval Base, so we watched submarine patrols heading out for the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
National "no fly" commands caused a small plane owner in our group to cancel flight plans and drive to his destination later in the week. In general the tone of our get together was greatly diminished, but we found solace that we were witness to history in the company of lifelong friends.
This September I will be attending our 60th Reunion. I know that sad thoughts of the 9/11 tragedy will come to mind as I ponder the primitive mindless savagery enacted on that unforgettable day.
Dr. Roger Stambaugh, Bellingham
In 2001 I was traveling each week from Bellingham to my periodontal practice in Santa Monica. Down on Tuesday, back on Thursday.
The morning of 9/11 I was at the Bellingham airport for my usual weekly commute to L.A. via Seattle.
As we were boarding the 5:20 Horizon flight to Seattle we saw the first aircraft hit the tower on an airport television monitor. We all thought it had to be an errant pilot. No one had thoughts (nor did the TV anchors) as to the possibility of terrorist activity.
Arriving in Seattle we discovered that all flights had been canceled and were told to immediately evacuate the terminal. Outside the terminal was mass confusion and no organization.
Perhaps 10,000 or more passengers, airport employees, etc., were standing in the roads approaching the arrival and departure areas. The entrances and exits to the airport were blocked so no one could leave. As I traveled on Horizon and Alaska each week I knew many employees of those airlines. The Alaska Airlines headwaters is a short walk down the hill from the terminal so I borrowed a vehicle from one of the Alaska employees and drove back to Bellingham with several other Bellingham-L.A. commuters. The next week flights had resumed, but travel by air has never been same after 9/11.
Joe and Dolores Hanson, Bellingham
Joe and I were returning from Fairbanks and Anchorage on a week's vacation and were due to leave Anchorage on the 12th for home. We were glued to the television all day on the 11th. We knew immediately that we would not be going home any time soon so we rented a car on a weekly basis and the hotel very generously extended our stay for as long as we needed, and we could use the laundry facilities after the maids were through with their work. The next night we decided to go for a walk in our neighborhood and we noticed people (lots of them) going towards the end of what looked like a park. As we were walking, a young couple from the Air Force base were walking, too, and we asked them what was going on and they stated there was a candlelight vigil going on. They asked if we had candles and we said no. So he pulled out a couple candles from his pocket and lit them for us so we participated in a beautiful service of prayers for those lost and for their families. We attended a church service the next Sunday and the pastor asked those who were stranded to please stand and quite a few people rose. It was quite impressive. We weren't able to leave until the 18th so we just enjoyed sightseeing around Anchorage and browsing through the stores. The day we left we had to be at the airport four hours ahead of time and that airport was absolutely packed wall to wall with people.
Donna Schultz, Bellingham
My husband, Allan, and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary on Sept. 8, 2001. Our daughter, Kathi, came from Minnesota and our son, Gary, his wife, Sylvia, and our granddaughter, infant Linnea, came from Fairbanks, Alaska. Following the Sunday celebration at our church, this little group headed for Victoria, B.C., on Sept. 10, a place none of them had been. Anticipation of a good family time was high.
Allan went down for coffee in our hotel lobby on the morning of the 11th. Finding a group peering avidly at the television set, he went to find out what was happening. It looked like a bad movie; it couldn't be real. We got our group together in our room and watched as the horror developed on our television screen. After some time, we decided to go out and explore a bit. We weren't going to change anything, though shopping was the last thing we felt like doing. It was the right thing to do, as we experienced the kindness and concern of the Canadian people. Our tears were joined by theirs. We felt comforted by their caring. We went on, according to our plans, to spend a few days together in Tofino. The management where we stayed kept guests apprised as a television set was on in an unlocked room, available to anyone who wanted to gather there. Again, the kindness and support.
One detail remains with us: had Kathi not been with us celebrating our special time, she would have been in Washington, D.C., on business. God is good.
Stan Burpee, Ferndale
I was on vacation in the D.C. area during that week and it was my plan to visit the National Mall that day. Earlier that morning we had seen the second plane fly into the Tower and were all quite concerned. The people I was with needed some convincing to continue with our plans, but I had flown across the country to do this and I would not be denied this opportunity to visit the Capitol. We hopped onto the Metro for the ride to D.C. Soon after I noticed a lot of smoke in the distance and thought it was just a building fire. The Metro then went underground for a few stops. Then the announcement that there had been a national disaster and the Metro would stop running. We were stranded in Pentagon City, with thousands of other evacuees. Was able to smell and see the smoke from the Pentagon. Everyone was walking with nowhere to go. About four hours later the Metro started to run again, and we made it back to our hotel. Soon after I found out who was responsible I made plans to be back in D.C. on 9/11/2002. I made it back; that morning I was in the observation room at the top of the Washington Monument at the time of the Pentagon impact and said a prayer.
The Rev. Jon R. Mutchler, Ferndale
9-11-01 was my 42nd birthday. I was at work early (5 a.m.) working on a church project while listening to the local sports radio station (AM 1170). I never listen to sports radio but was this time because the Mariners were smoking hot, on their way to 116 wins that season. I was caught up in the enthusiasm. Then around 5:45 a.m. there were broadcast interruptions about one plane, then a second, then back to sports. Back and forth: sports and planes.
I wasn't conscious as to the moment when the radio network transitioned from all-sports, to sports/planes, to all-9/11. As the gravity of the event mounted, I couldn't decide whether to go home to see it on the TV or stay near the radio. It was too much to take in and I just didn't want to see it "live" on TV. Radio was enough. Eventually I had to go home to gather the family to talk about what was happening to our nation.
A birthday I will never forget. That night we opened our church for a special church service. We met people that service who remain friends to this day.
Richard Nevels, Bellingham
I remember exactly where I was and what my first reaction was to the bombings of the Twin Towers:
My wife and I were vacationing in Whistler, BC.
It was relatively early in the morning and she had gotten up and was making coffee. I was still lounging in bed when she turned on the TV.
The very first image on the screen was that of the plane hitting the second tower.
Her reaction, "Oh, my God, we've been attacked."
My first reaction, "Our chickens have come home to roost."
Patrick Hurley, Bellingham
I was sitting in a morning class while attending law school in Washington, D.C. During class we saw smoke in the distance, which, after class I later learned was from the Pentagon. When class got out, the halls were frantic with students - many of whom were from New York - trying to figure out what to do. It seemed that everyone in Washington, D.C. funneled into the streets, hurrying in all directions. All streets were turned into one-way channels out of the city but were at a standstill due to the number of cars trying to flee and people walking and running in between the cars. As we hurried to wherever we were going, police officers and others were yelling "more planes are coming!" and that we should seek shelter. Those of us who lived in upper stories of apartment buildings and didn't have a means to leave the city found places to stay together to wait it out. For months afterward the city was full of armed military vehicles taking watch over all major streets. This and events that occurred shortly after - the anthrax scares, the D.C. sniper, the wars, among others - were a big reason in deciding to move to Washington (state) with my wife, a Washington native.
Robert W. Keiper, Bellingham
I learned about 9/11 actually on 9/12, 2001, as I was visiting friends in Brisbane, Australia. It was around 7 a.m. when one of my friends told me to get out of bed and come view the TV. Just as I rounded a corner and could see the TV, the second plane hit the second tower. The odd thing is that we had watched the vintage "The Towering Inferno" the evening before, so I thought they had turned on another disaster movie! Total disbelief hit me when they told me I was watching live TV and America was under attack. Like so many, I remained glued to the TV for the rest of the day.
While teaching high school drama, I would take students to NYC every-other spring break and we always ate one "elegant" meal at Windows of the World restaurant on the109th floor of Tower 2. Memories swirled of our amazing times when we were treated like royalty by all the staff at WOW restaurant. Something told me to purchase a WOW cookbook, which has become a most valuable treasure to me.
Of course, I then became stranded in Australia because all the airline traffic in and out of the U.S. was stopped. Two weeks later, I finally was able to leave Brisbane to L.A. LAX was a "haunting" place as we had to deplane a mile from the terminal and were bused to connecting flights. LAX was silent in the various terminals and appeared as a deserted, ghost town.
While still stuck in Australia, I attended my friend's neighbor's secondary school when it was obvious I wasn't going anywhere. I became the "lesson" for the day once they discovered I was a "Yank" and wanted to know my feelings/thoughts about the four attacks on my country. Once the Australians discovered I was from the U.S., they couldn't do enough to try and make a horrible situation somehow easier. They had giant flat-screen TVs placed on every block of their downtown shopping area that broadcast continuous feeds from the news. To this day, I can't imagine the fear, horror, and anger people across America were dealing with being so far from my homeland.
Kathy Kendall, Bellingham
On September 11, 2001, my husband and I were at a seniors Bible study at Christ the King. This is where the two of us found out about the horrible tragedy. Our group prayed for all the victims, using the Bible to apply to this horrendous tragedy! We spent most of the morning discussing how this would affect our nation and the world. Naturally, everyone in our group had never experienced a tragedy of this magnitude, but we searched through all the scriptures that might apply to the tragedy ... discussion following. We went home assured that God had heard our prayers.
The next day was filled with anxiety about the upcoming trip that we had been planning - a delayed honeymoon to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. Our trip became one of mixed emotions ... we were delayed for many hours in one airport and our beds ended up being the floors of an airport in an unfamiliar country. With no security to make us feel comfortable, fear became a partner. I decided then and there ... no more flying for me!
Dick Vander Yacht, Blaine
On Sept. 10, while getting in condition for an African safari, I took a bad fall and my right ankle was put in a walking cast. I thought I would have to cancel my trip.
On 9/11 I was up early because of pain. I turned on TV just as the second plane hit the tower. I watched every minute of news all day and could not believe that something like this could happen in our great country.
I remained glued to TV all day and learned that all overseas travel was cancelled. This was a double whammy because I could barely walk and I could not get a refund of money paid for my trip.
After several anxious days I made the trip under a pall of gloom. 9/11 and my personal problems that day will never be forgotten.
Marian Yunghans, Bellingham
The telephone rang. I was finishing up the morning dishes.
"Can you come to the Red Cross office ASAP"?
"Why? What's happening?"
The answer came, "Turn on the TV!"
I was horrified! Not questioning why or how this emergency was happening, I leapt behind the wheel and was seated at my desk for the next 18 hours answering endless telephone calls all asking the same question, "What can I do to help?" My heart sank as I had to reply, "Nothing at this moment. Keep tuned to your TV set." Regardless, boxes of work boots, blankets, shovels, and even volunteers began to flow into the office, which none at the moment were useful. How helpless all of us felt! Word then came that financial contributions were needed more than anything else. Lemonade stands popped up on every neighborhood street corner and soon groups of young girls and boys were carrying in jars of nickels, dimes, and quarters to the Red Cross office. I had tears in my eyes as an old lady handed over a brown sandwich bag full of coins that she had been "collecting for a rainy day." I felt a mixture of anger for the perpetrators of this horrendous act mingled with tremendous pride at the collective compassion of our Bellingham citizens for the welfare of the victims of 9/11.
Dorothy Gonsalves, Bellingham
My cousin, Doris, and I were in Xian, China on 9-11. She had lived on Long Island and had worked in Manhattan. She went to the city square where they were practicing tai chi but came back in a few minutes announcing that terrorists had attacked the World Trade Center. We turned on the TV set in our hotel room and saw the horrific photos of what was happening in the U.S.A. but could only get the Chinese language stations. It was not until some of our Elderhostel group managed to call home that we realized the horror of what had occurred. When we went out to the street Chinese people who spoke some English expressed their sympathy for America.
Heather Flockoi, Bellingham
I will never forget the day I saw horror in New York. It has shaken me and it will never leave my mind. I remember getting up as usual and got ready for work. At the time I worked at Target in Bellis Fair mall. It took about 35, 40 minutes to walk to work so when I walked into the store and up to the break room I was surprised when they told me not to start work until noon. I'm supposed to start at 10 a.m. so I asked why. Their response was "Look at the TV." I did. All I could do was stand there in the middle of the break room in shock right when one of the planes went into Tower 2. I had to force myself to sit and not cry, (let us say I failed) and work. I went home feeling scared for the families and all the people that lost their lives in this tragedy. Today I am very surprised it has been 10 years since that unforgettable day, and I still pray for all involved, the families that still mourn, the people that lost their lives, and the future these families must rely to continue on with their lives today. No one will ever forget September 11, 2001. To say a saying from Martin Luther King, Jr.: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."
John Crawford, Laurel
My daughter had just awakened me, as I had worked the night before, advising me that a plane had crashed into a building. She was up and getting ready for school. I, an airport firefighter, found it odd that my pager had never gone off. I turned on the TV to find the most tragic scene of the twin towers with flame and smoke raging into the sky. At this time, I knew it was not in Whatcom County. Within minutes of getting my breakfast ready I almost collapsed, as I watched the second of plane fly into the second tower. At this time, I watched in horror and knew this was terrorism. It was odd going into the airport here in Bellingham, to find an empty terminal with no one around as the FAA had advised no commercial or general aviation. We all know the outcome of that date, however, I will never forget how I found out and where I was on that fateful day.
Molly and Gabriel Campos, Bellingham
My now husband and I were near the India and Pakistan border on 9/11/2001. We just came from northern India where we hadn't had TV, so we were in our hotel room watching a movie about America being bombed by terrorist, I can't recall the name of the movie. We got a knock on our door by the proprietor who said "Turn on the news. Your country has just been attacked." We turned on the news and watched LIVE the airplane crash into the twin towers! It was surreal and truly shocking.
Terry Mikoch, Birch Bay
My brother-in-law from Calgary was staying with us in Birch Bay during that week as he commuted cross border every day to a work assignment in Vancouver. As my wife and I sipped our morning coffee in bed watching the events unfold on television, the second plane hit the WTC. I said to my wife that it was Osama Bin Laden and to go wake her brother Danny to get going because they would be closing the border. Both statements ended up being true and my eyes dampen as I remember it now.
Earl Erickson, Blaine
It was most tragic event to occur in USA history since Pearl Harbor.
People were horrified viewing graphic television news programs. Images showing jet airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center, people running for their lives in the dust, and firemen and policemen responding to help save lives.
Another news report showed a commercial airline plane that was highjacked by terrorists and had crashed in a Pennsylvania field. The plane had been headed for our nation's capital in Washington D.C. The brave passengers on the flight did not let it go down without a fight.
3,000 innocent civilians lost their lives that day at the hand of terrorists. Many were simply on their way to work or were the brave firemen, EMS and policemen who were there to help.
World history has shown that people with demoniac thinking will impose their ways and will commit crimes against humanity. World wars have been fought to liberate people from oppressive dictatorships and tyranny. It continues even today.
The tragic event in New York had a connection to Whatcom County.
A local man received phone call from a woman in New York. Her husband had been a friend in collecting movie memorabilia items. He perished in the trade center towers. She sent the local man a part of her husband's collection. This included a Marine full dress uniform from the movie "Heartbreak Ridge," worn by a famous actor. Friendships can be forever.
May the memory of 3,000 innocent civilians that perished that day be never forgotten. A day of "Heartbreak" for many people and our nation.
They are now "Heroes in Heaven." God Bless them all!
Lindsay Caldwell Reid, Bellingham
Our northwest Washington, D.C., high school had just ended its opening school year Mass of the Holy Spirit when the president's assistant whispered something to him. His third announcement, "Another plane has just hit the Pentagon," began a day of emotional triage for our students. Fifty percent of our students had a parent in the State Department or Pentagon. We spent the day watching unreal images on classroom TV's trying to reach family. Yet another image best captures my personal experience that day.
While bridges were closed to Virginia, primal desire drove me to get home to my husband even though everyone told me I couldn't. Recently retired, Joe had seen the towers hit in real time on TV and couldn't get through to his daughter in NYC. It's the only day he had a scotch at 10 AM! Hours later we heard she had witnessed the towers come down but was safe.
As I drove through D.C. in the early evening, police told me the bridges were closed, turn around. Irrationally I just kept going. Within a block of the 14th St. Bridge, it reopened! The sole driver on that bridge, I could see smoke still rising from the Pentagon. All alone, the Pentagon on fire, no traffic - it was like a scene from a sci-fi movie. Eerie does not begin to capture the feeling.
Later that night, grateful to be in bed with my husband and the sounds of F-16 fighter jets flying overhead protecting us, I realized how much I cherished both my husband and my country.
Alice Dusenberry, Lynden
I remember September 11, 2001, like it was yesterday. It was a beautiful fall day, cool and sunny. The sky was the clearest blue you can ever imagine and there was not a cloud in sight. On that day I was working at a New Jersey company in northern Bergen County.
A little before 9 a.m. I was having coffee in the cafeteria with my project leader and some colleagues. The cafeteria was large and had four televisions. That morning the TV was broadcasting footage of the World Trade Center, which was spewing smoke from several windows. At the time I thought the building had just caught fire. At 9:03, we sat horrified as we watched the second plane crash into the other building. My project leader paled and said, "I was working at the World Trade Center during the first bombing in 1993. After that incident, I did not want to work there any longer and got a job at this company."
I got my cell phone and called my son who worked in Manhattan. He once had a consulting job in the World Trade Center. He answered on the first ring. He was on the commuter train from Connecticut to New York. I told him what happened to the World Trade Center, and that he should get off the train at the next stop and take the next train back home. He got off the train, called his girlfriend to pick him up, and went back to Connecticut.
The impacts were felt immediately. Local churches opened for special services. Expecting a huge number of injured people, my family's doctors closed their office to go to the hospital to handle the emergencies. Nonprofit organizations started fund drives, collecting socks and bottled water for the firefighters and workers at the site.
Although I lived 50 miles from New York City, five people from my town were killed that day. Three were workers in the World Trade Center, the fourth was a parish priest who served as NYC fire chaplain, and the fifth was a passenger on Flight 93 that crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
It is ten years later and I always feel extremely sad when I turn the calendar page from August to September. I live in northwestern Washington now, near the Canadian border, where crossing the border is strictly controlled by Homeland Security agents. Our lives are forever changed because of the attack on the World Trade Center.
John N. Connell, Bellingham
September 11 was certainly a 9/11 day for me, I'll never forget it.
After I retired, I served as a volunteer teaching English at a university in western Siberia. I made many good friends there, including Svetlana Vyatkina, a bright, industrious young faculty colleague who also taught English.
In 2001, Sveta came to America for the first time, to work in a summer job as a lifeguard at a YMCA camp. The children absolutely loved her, so since she was going to have about a 12-hour layover when changing planes in New York on her way home, she was asked to stop by the YMCA's office while she was there to discuss plans for her to return in 2002. First, though, to give Sveta a chance to see a different part of the country, I arranged for her to also visit Bellingham.
Then on the evening of September 10, it was time for Sveta to begin her journey back to Russia, so I took her down to SeaTac to board a United flight scheduled to arrive in New York on the following morning. During our drive, she told me that she was planning to head downtown right away, to spend the day in the city center, marveling at tall buildings, and added that she intended first to go up in the World Trade Center for a really spectacular view. Her visit had been a great success, in fact she remarked that this had been the best summer of her life, so she was in exuberant high spirits as we said our au revoirs, and she headed for the gate.
When the shocking news began to come in on that sad morning, you can imagine how alarmed I was - could Sveta's United flight have been No. 175, one of the planes that had just crashed into the World Trade Center? Or had she arrived early enough to have been visiting those doomed buildings, when the horrible events began? At first, I felt both panicky and paralyzed - how could I find out whether my good friend been slaughtered by terrorists, along with so many other innocent, hardworking people? But then, I remembered her appointment at the YMCA's International Office. I managed to find the YMCA's phone number and immediately called. After many busy signals, I finally got through, explained the purpose of my call to the lady who answered, and gave her the name of my friend, Sveta Vyatkina. I then heard her call out, "Is your name Vesta Vakina?" And despite the garbling of her name, I heard a familiar cheery voice answer, "Yes!" Sveta happened to be right there at the YMCA office, and she came on the line to assure me she was OK. I then telephoned her mother in Russia to let her know, and I'll always remember how grateful and relieved she was, to hear that her beloved daughter was safe. Shortly thereafter, Sveta managed to send me an email - here is an excerpt:
"Dear John! I can't believe it's happening to me. I can still see the remnants of the collapsed buildings thru the window, the smoke coming out. We have a perfect view out of the window. The buildings are not there any more. The transport is blocked. My flight is cancelled. Please, e-mail me if you managed to reach my parents." (Although Sveta was marooned in New York for several days, the YMCA took good care of her and arranged for her to stay in one of their hostels until she was finally able to resume her journey and eventually made it home safely.)
Meanwhile, I resumed listening to the torrent of 9/11 news that continued to pour in. Suddenly, it brought me a vivid memory of a cold December day when I was a youngster sitting beside my parents as they stared at the radio, while I tried to figure out why they were looking so alarmed, until they told me that a terrible attack had been made against America, at a place called Pearl Harbor. How well I then understood their feelings on that other dreadful day - I had just had an almost identical experience. It is said that history tends to repeat itself, but I often wish it wouldn't.
