Remembering Sept. 11

My wife and I were living in our condo in Attleboro at the time. She was working at MEDITECH in Norwood and I was working at Softrax in Canton. We used to carpool together. We got into work around 9 a.m. (after the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center). We didn't hear about it on the radio as we were probably listening to music.

I got into work and settled into my desk when my phone rang. It was my good friend Mike who also worked with me at Softrax. He was working the later shift that day. He called me and asked me if I heard the plane flew into the World Trade Center. I said "No" and hung up. 

I assumed it was an accident. Why assume otherwise? We were never under attack before. I went to boston.com and then saw the news that the second plane flew into the World Trade Center. At that moment I knew we were under attack. 

It was such a helpless feeling. You just didn't know when it was going to be over. Especially when you started hearing about the Pentagon being hit and the other planes being taken over. All I knew is I wanted to be with family. No work was getting done that day. 

I found myself at work looking out the window for something to attack the building where I was working. After that day, I was never the same (good and bad).

Sept. 11 was followed by the anthrax attacks. I found myself being anxious all the time. I looked at trucks driving in front of me wondering if they were exhausing some type of killer scent. I didn't trust planes flying above me. I would never get on a plane anytime soon. I couldn't past get the thought of those innocent people on that plane. My nightmares of that day seemed oh so real. My innocence was forever lost that day! 

Looking back, though, I never felt more united as a country than I did during the time following Sept. 11.

I'm interested in hearing other people's memories and feelings of that day ...