Readers Share Their 9/11 Memories

Where were you when you first learned of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks?

We asked Patch readers in New Hampshire to share their memories of where they were, what they were doing, and what they remember about that terrible day.

Here's what they had to say:

Dennis Cote, North Hampton fire chief: That day, I can remember like it was yesterday. I had just gotten home from the gym and I walked in and flipped the television on and the breaking news of the event had just started. I assumed that it was a major fire in one of the towers. Never imagined that it was a plane. Then when they said it was a plane, I remember reading that the Empire State Building got struck many years ago and just assumed it was a horrible accident and not a deliberate act of violence.

I was speechless and really couldn't comprehend what was unveiling in front of me on the television. I called my wife at her work and she couldn't believe it either. There was an eerie silence over the area. Many apartments in the complex where we lived emptied overnight. I just couldn't believe that the United States of America was under attack on our own property.

Ralph Fatello, American Legion Post 35 (Hampton) commander: I was at the beach. There was a hurricane off the coast and I was down there shooting stills and video. I came home to get my wetsuit boots because everyone said the water was really cold. When I walked into the house my wife was watching TV and said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York. I stopped to watch the coverage. We both saw the second plane hit. I yelled "We're at war!"

It was a series of continued shocks. I went back to the ocean to tell everyone what was happening. I have it all on videotape. The perfect waves breaking under a cloudless sky with the radio blasting Howard Stern (who did a remarkable job reporting what was happening). I stopped every single Surfer and told them. "WE ARE AT WAR!"

Tom Loosmore, Hampton: I was sitting in my office monitoring our dispatch system and satellite feed to my drivers (my wife and I owned a courier distribution company) when a message came onto the screen stating there was breaking news that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. I quickly clicked on the internet to see what was happening. I quickly left the office and went home to watch things unfold on TV rather than the computer. It was like watching a horror movie, I could barely believe what I was seeing. Then came the second plane, the Pentagon crash and the plane diving into the field... all just a blur.

D.J. Bettencourt, Salem: I was in the middle of taking an algebra exam my junior year of high school when the first plane struck the World Trade Center. I remember our teacher hurriedly coming back to the class room and logging onto his computer, presumably to find out if the rumors he was hearing were true. The exam finished before the class ended and the teacher announced that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I immediately thought that it was an accident and that the pilot of a small Cessna got lost or had a physical ailment that was responsible for the incident. No sooner had my teacher made the announcement than another teacher came in and said that a second plane hit the second tower. We watched the rest of that day’s event on television in the school. School officials rightly knew that keeping students in school was the best course of action, although they also appreciated that the school day was effectively over by 10 that morning.

However, what I will never forget was that as I was leaving school, two United States Air Force jets flew over head. I remembered that all planes had been ordered to land and seeing these jets struck me vividly for the first time that President Bush was serious when he said that the terrorist attacks were an act of war and that freedom would be defended. Later that night, about 100 members of Congress gathered on the steps of the Capitol and sang “God Bless America.” Even as a young man, I was struck by the sign of unity and strength that was critical in the days and months moving forward from 9/11.

Elaine Gibson, Merrimack: I was starting my work day, when a co-worker came in and announced “A plane crashed into a building in New York City.” How could that be? What a horrible accident! Of course, these were my thoughts. Then, when the second plane crashed, I knew something more sinister than an “accident” happened. I just couldn’t imagine what it was!

As a new Marine Mom, my first thoughts were, “Tim! Oh, how the world has changed for you now!” Tim (the middle son) had left on Sept. 10 for his first duty post in Hawaii. Yes, I was afraid for him and his safety, but we had talked about that before he joined. I knew his time in the Marines would now be more important and more dangerous than we had ever imagined, I just didn’t know how much. My husband called me and said he was wondering how Patrick (our youngest son) was doing in Boston. Patrick was at the federal building to be sworn in as a Marine Recruit, to leave for boot camp after high school graduation in June 2011. Patrick and 30 others were sent home and told to return the next day. Five of the men, including Patrick, reported in on Sept. 12. I was afraid for them and proud of them at the same time.

The world changed that day for me. I listened to and watched news reports with a totally different perspective of world events knowing my family was now drawn into them. I held hands with strangers and prayed. I kept a hopeful and upbeat spirit for my sons to see, all the while praying that we would be safe here at home and they would be safe in their duties. Since 9/11, I fully realize that life doesn’t always hold for us what we want, but we should appreciate what we have and tell our loved ones, every day, that we love them.  

Lisa Ivory, Merrimack: I was a school bus driver (still am) and we had just finished our runs. A few of us girls decided to go to breakfast at what is now DW Diner. They had a small TV on and we happened to notice the twin towers with smoke coming from one of them. It must have just happened, because no one really knew anything. I remember asking the waitress, but she wasn't too sure, just knew that a plane had flown into one of the towers. I thought it was a small airplane and some idiot had committed suicide.

When I got in the car to go home, I turned on the radio... and that was all that was on. Then a second plane hit one of the towers. I sat there stunned for a minute. I couldn't believe that it was commercial jets that had flown into the towers. What was going on? I then went directly home and was glued to the TV until my afternoon bus runs.

I don't remember too much of my afternoon runs... I think we were all kind of zombies. But the one thing that does stick in my mind were the parents that were at the stops waiting for their kids. Parents that usually work or don't wait at the stop because their children are older. They were waiting for their children: to give them a big hug; to give me a sad and understanding smile; to just connect with their children and know they were safe. You could tell from their faces they were wondering what to say to their children, trying to figure out how to tell them the world had just been turned upside down. My own children rode my bus with me back to the lot, and I had to tell them the news, and try to explain it to them in terms they would understand, but also not be too frightened. I really have no idea if I accomplished my goal.  My son was 9, and my twin daughters were 7.

If my memory serves me correctly, that was a Tuesday. I don't remember the rest of the week. But I do remember Saturday: MYA soccer games at Reeds Ferry School, the eerie silence of the skies. Saturday mornings usually saw many airplanes flying through the skies of the Reeds Ferry fields... but not this Saturday.

I didn't personally lose anyone in the 9/11 attacks, but I cried with the rest of the world. I still choke up to this day whenever I think of that September morning.

Julie Ballentine, Exeter: It was my daughter's first day of preschool. She was three years old. When I went to pick her up, there were signs that said the teachers knew what was going on, but please don't talk about it in front of the children. I held her a little bit tighter that day.

David Beach, Bedford: I was in Dallas at work. We immediately turned on the TV after the first plane hit the first tower. We were all glued to the TV for the next few hours, until we were released early. Just four days earlier, I was near the Twin Towers on a photo shoot.

Stacey Catucci, Concord: Amazing how this day is burned into our memory and the emotion is that as if it just happened. I remember where I was and that when I got the call. I told people I worked with, but no one believed me. Then we put on the news. My girlfriend called, we left work and took our kids out of school and left the city, not knowing why it was happening but knowing we just wanted to be with our children.

Chip Hawkins of Barrington: On Tuesday 9/11/01, I watched in horror as the news unfolded from lower Manhattan. My brother, Scott, was a firefighter with Ladder 128 in Queens. I called his house first , as he was on vacation till that Sunday. No answer. I called his cell phone. No answer. I called his wife Patty's cell phone , as she worked in the city for TNT. No answer.

I called his firehouse on Greenpoint Ave. in Queens and was told, 'He's not here.' 'Is he on scene, or on the way in?' I asked. 'He's not here,' replied the dispatcher. 'Is he on duty?' I asked. Again the reply, 'He's not here.' Come on man, this is his brother Chip calling. I just want to find out if there's a chance I am watching his demise on national television. 'Chip,' he said, 'All I've been told to say to incoming calls is, he's not here.'

On Wednesday afternoon, Scott finally called to say he was OK and had survived the collapse of the second tower.