“What do you remember from that fateful day?â€
“It was creepy in Memphis the day after because there were no planes in the sky and that’s unusual for here, especially being right by an airport. Memphis felt naked and eerie. I wasn’t used to seeing it and if I ever saw it again, I still wouldn’t be.â€
— Robert King | International Business & Japanese | Age 36
“I think I speak for everyone when I say we all just felt subdued. Especially being military, you had this anger of ‘how could someone infiltrate our country?’ You felt disrespected, but after the initial shock subsided, you just wanted to take action and try to help. What can we do as a country to help? We needed to do something; anything, and I think we did even from Memphis. Despite this tragic time period in history, I do believe it unified the country for a brief period. At that moment, it didn’t matter what race you were, or what denomination, or even if you were an immigrant or not. For that time, we had unity. I felt proud to be an American. We were one.â€
— Frankie Mae Perry | Billing Supervision | Age 59
“My eldest daughter was 20 then and had called me at home. I still remember her voice on the line sounding so shocked and scared. She goes ‘Daddy daddy, you have to turn on the TV set right now.’ What I remember most, though, were the days following when all flights were grounded. I have three daughters and I remember telling them this was what the pioneers saw when they looked up into the sky. We are so used to seeing planes, helicopters, or even just vapor trails. But, these particular few days there was nothing, not a trail, not even a sound.â€
— Joseph Garrone | Accounting Coordinator | Age 68
“It wasn’t until I got back to my frat house that my buddies had it on the TV and I went into a state of disbelief. I was in shock. Some of the guys didn’t know what was going on and were saying crazy stuff like people are about to invade the United States. When realization set in, it was followed by a desire for revenge. My friends and I were caught up in the chaos that was going on, but when we finally stopped to think, it just made us feel mad. I’m not doing anything special this year for 9/11, but I think it’s important to still look at how it relates to today. WWI, Pearl Harbor, Vietnam, it was all before me, but if you don’t know history, you’re doomed to repeat it.â€
— David Crowe | Social Work | Age 35
