Dallasites Recall 9/11 And The News That America Was Under Attack

DALLAS, TX —Patch put out a call on social media last week for Dallasites to share their recollections of that sky-blue day 20 years ago that changed the trajectory of America forever.

Actions that took months to plan but mere moments to execute put the United States on a path to its amorphous but ongoing "War On Terror." Those events changed the way we travel at home and abroad, introduced a slew of new laws under the Patriot Act, and led to invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Here, without editing (except for grammar), are the words of your friends and neighbors about what they were doing on that day that remain etched into the minds of everyone who lived through it.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson

I remember sitting in my apartment in West Philadelphia when the initial news broke of a plane hitting the World Trade Center. At the time, I was in graduate school, working on a law degree and a masters program on international relations. But just weeks before, I had clerked for summer at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and I had seen the World Trade Center every day as part of my commute.

“At first, the attack looked like a possible accident — a small plane that went off course. But it quickly became clear that it was more sinister than that. I was stunned and overwhelmed. Innocent people who had gone to work that morning, just as I had weeks before, were killed, and those towers and the whole world as I knew it then — at nearly 26 years old — both were collapsing live on TV.”

Patricia Haynes

I was sitting on my bed calling in a prescription. Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer broke in on "Good Morning America" to say that a plane had hit the World Trade Center, but did not have a lot of details. While they were talking I saw the second plane hit the other tower. My heart literally skipped a beat at what I was seeing.

I just sat, numbed by what was happening, not knowing what to think or do. When the first tower went down, I knew I had to get away from it. I drove to work, noticing how little traffic there was on the freeway. I was listening to the car radio when the second tower went down. In downtown Dallas, there were police cars on every corner. People on the street looked dazed. I realized I would have to take an elevator to the 33rd floor, but did it anyway. Our office manager told everyone to go home.

Want to be the first to know about Patch membership when it launches? Click here to find out how you can support Patch and local journalism.

Before I left, one of the attorneys called and asked if I could locate a phone number for a friend who worked at Cantor Fitzgerald which was decimated by it. I’m a paralegal so I always get called on to do that kind of research. I knew his name and that he lived in Tribeca. It took a while, but I found it. The attorney let me know later his friend had not gone into work that day. A little bit of good news. Like the whole world, I was terrified but transfixed by what was happening. It’s still gut-wrenching to think about. My birthday is the 14th so I never forget that day and week.

Melinda Lusk Coalson

I was in my classroom with the TV off. I taught students from other countries to speak English; many of them from war-torn countries where they had lost friends and family. One had even had a friend shot dead by a sniper just feet in front of him, walking home from school. School had not started yet. Some of my students were hanging out in my room when a group of panicked students ran in and told me to turn on the TV. We all watched in horror. My students were in disbelief. They thought they'd made it. They were in America, where these things don't happen. They thought they and their families were safe. My classes spent the day using their English, but to discuss the tragedy, to make sense of it all — just like the rest of us.

Debbie Dickinson
I was in Irving Texas getting ready for work. The story broke in that a plane hit the first tower. Everyone thought it was an accident. When the second one hit, it was like everything became quiet. What just happened? My husband was out of town in Tennessee with the CAF B-29 for an air show. I called him and they hadn’t heard yet. He couldn’t come home for a week; no flying. I was so sad and a little frightened about what would happened next — and then it did. I will never forget that morning.

Albert Peña Dávila

I had the day off. I had just returned from dropping my children at school. 'The Today Show" was doing a story on the streets of New York when the first plane hit the North Tower. I watched in disbelief and in the confusion. I’m wondering was this an accident or even worse . . . on purpose.

Then about 20 minutes later, the second plane hit the South Tower. This was an attack, and where would they strike next? San Antonio is a military town. I immediately ran out to my car, and I was at my daughter’s school within 12 minutes to get my daughter. Within 15 minutes we were in the car going to get my sons.

I was keeping up on the situation by listening to WOAI. We picked up the boys and headed home. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but, we would be together. My deepest condolences and prayers to all the people who were killed that day and are still dying today and their families.

Robi Bratton
(I was) crossing the lobby of the company HQ for Samsung. They had huge TVs mounted on the walls and i usually never looked at them. But that day something caught my eye, and I stopped in my tracks. I don't know how long I stood there watching. At that point it was just the first plane crash. I left to complete whatever task I had and went back to my desk. A bit later I had to go back across the lobby — in time to see the aftermath of the 2nd plane hit. But before anyone knew the cause of the crashes. Both times I was the only person in the lobby, seeing these acts of destruction. It was very surreal and spooky.

Pamela Thomas
I had just parked my car at the office parking lot. Someone else getting out of her car ran over to me and said a plane had flown into a building in New York. I didn't believe it. We hurried to the building and headed for the closest office with a TV.

About 10 people were already there, watching the breaking news. We all saw a second plane fly into the other tower. I couldn't understand what or why it happened. Terrorism on U S soil? It just didn't happen here, did it?

Brian Hill
Working at the Houston Parks and Recreation Department. I was City Council liaison and that day was at my desk and had was working on project and had NPR news on. When the story broke I went down the hall to the PR staff office. They had a TV. I could not believe what I was seeing. One of the Twin Towers on fire. The staff in the room was totally silent watching the video. Nobody said a word. I quietly left the room and went back to my office. Our Parks Dept. director was from NYC and still had a daughter living there. I could only hope and pray she was OK.

Phillip Kinstley(I was) teaching an AP biology class when the teacher next door came in and told me about the first plane. What an awful accident, I thought. A short time later she was back and said there was a second one. The TV was on for the rest of the day, and lessons became current events and Q&A.

Chris Bellomy
We lost almost as many people as we do every two days now — to COVID-19.

Looking for more Dallas news? Subscribe.