Where were you… on September 11, 2001?

Marvin Sikes – I was at Humboldt Utilities. It was a beautiful September morning. All the ladies had gone to a utility function and us guys were running the place. We were looking forward to having a fun day while the ladies were gone. And was hoping they had one also. Someone came down the hall and said something big is going on and it’s all over the news. And boy was it. That day was unbelievable. My wife and I finished the evening in prayer for our nation at our church that night.

Pastor Quill Brabham – I was serving on active duty as a recruiter for the Air Force in Mississippi. I had just walked into my office and was told the nation was under attack and we were to go immediately into THREATCON CHARLIE.

Dr. Janice Epperson – I was teaching English at I.B. Tigrett Middle School and one of my students, Brian Ridley said to me, “Either this is a great movie or a plane just hit the twin towers in New York. Immediately following this, the principal, Mr. Nelson Piercey, came on the intercom and asked EVERY teacher to stop what we were doing and turn on Channel One because history was being made.

Amanda Love – I had just gotten to work at Click1 and turned on the TV in my office. I’m not sure how much work we got accomplished that day. We – like the rest of the country – stayed glued to the news. I remember the eeriest part of the next few days was the lack of airplane trails in the sky. We’re close enough to Memphis that they basically blend with the clouds. The lack of planes and their trails was startling.

Tom Witherspoon – I was working at Amtek Precision Products in Bradford. I can remember all I wanted to do was go to Goodluck and hug my mama. I thought the world was coming to an end. I wish we could be as united as a country as we were in the days and weeks that followed 9-11.

Kingsley Brock – I was home that morning and watching CNBC. The backdrop behind the anchor was a view of the twin towers. I actually saw both planes hit the towers. When the first plane hit, they thought it must have been a small plane and the pilot had some sort of health crisis…heart attack or seizure. They quickly realized the building damage and fire was too large to be made by a small plane and then the second plane hit. Then the news started to come in about the Pentagon and Pennsylvania planes. Was totally surreal to say the least.

Patricia Taylor – I was entering my office when I heard these dreadful sounds coming from the staff members, who were watching television. I was in complete disbelief when I watched the twin towers being attacked, and I just prayed and sobbed. At that point, I was overwhelmed with emotion. My brother, a United engineer at the time, knew the members of this team, which made it even more difficult to just think. It is a day that I shall never forget. God Bless!

Brittanie Doaks – I was sitting in algebra 1 at Jackson State. It was my freshman year in college, my first semester. Very calmly the teacher came in and took one of the students out. He then told us that we could leave because there was a plane that went down. We found out later that the young man who left before us had a parent at the Pentagon. Driving home from Jackson to Humboldt, the radio. announcer was barely understandable fighting back tears, and then he played Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA”. I remember crying as the words played. There was so much sadness and uncertainty that day, but also an overwhelming sense of patriotism and hope.

Marquitta Patterson – I was in Killeen, Tex., a military spouse of Fort Hood Army base, working at Convergy’s when we got the news. I was scared to go home because I knew my husband would probably be on alert and I did not know when or if I would be able to see him. It was one of the scariest moments of my life!

Larry Sanders – I was attending a meeting of the Northwest Tennessee Superintendents Study Council at the UT Martin. I had already retired from education. I was there to talk with new superintendents “What They Might Face In Their First Year As A Superintendent”. Someone came into our meeting and told us that New York had been attacked and the Trade Tower was burning. There were very few details. We paused our meeting and offered a prayer for our country. Then continued our meeting.

Clayburn Peeples – I was walking into the courtroom in Alamo when a deputy ran up to me and told me the first tower had fallen. My youngest son was living and working in New York at the time, and my heart fell too. Then came the reports of the second tower falling and the other attacks, and I was sick with fear. The next three hours I was numb as I tried to listen to cases, and then another deputy gave me a note that said, “Your wife called. Joseph is safe.” I was instantly relieved, but have any of us ever truly felt safe since that day? Never forget.

Valeria Wedley – I was working as an engineer for Wilson Sporting Goods. I heard about the first plane and thought it was an accident. As I walked further down the halls the monitors were switched to the news. I then saw the second plane hit and fear and understanding set in. At that moment, I realized the US was under attack.

Danny Wade – It was a Tuesday morning, a typical day on deadline to get the newspaper out. Stephanie Woods came running up front and said an airplane had just crashed into one of the Twin Towers. We quickly turned on the television. Within a few minutes the second plane crashed live on tv. Everyone in the office was in shock.

Laurie Gamble – I had a meeting early that morning. I walked into the bank after the meeting to find all the employees around the television with a look of total unbelief on their faces. Regina Brown asked me if I knew what had happened. Just as she started to explain to me what was going on, the second plane hit the second tower. We were all in a state of shock! A day I will never forget!

Dr. Greg McFadden – I had just come off the golf course after nine early holes in Hohenwald with a couple of friends. One of them received a call from his wife telling him there had been a plane crash in NYC. I headed home to shower before work when my wife called to tell me about the crash and while we were talking, she started crying and told me a second plane had crash and something bad was wrong. She was right.

Charles Perry Jr. – I had taken my mom to the eye doctor that morning. While we were there, there was an interruption on the broadcast and I was in a state of shock. I was upset and sad; and I knew this meant war.

Mark Hodge – I was getting ready to catch a flight to St. Louis and several members called me asking if we had seen what had happened? My wife and I turned on the news and we saw what happened. We started praying along with other church members who came by the house.

Winfred Allen – I was eating an enjoyable breakfast at Leonards’ resturant when Carolyn called and said they thought that a small plane had run into one of the towers in New York. As she was telling me, another one hit and we figured we were being attacked.

Libby Wickersham – I was a senior at Union University, but commuting from home for my last semester. I saw the first plane hit while watching Good Morning America getting ready to leave. I talked to my grandmother all the way to school that morning and she let me know that a second plane had hit. This was when we knew we were under attack. I had International Marketing with Dr. Stromberg in a classroom above what was then Lifeway Bookstore. We barely got class started when Dr. Dockery cancelled school for the day and asked us all to convene in the chapel to pray for our country. We will never forget.

Vanessa Presson – I was working at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce in Workforce Development. Several of us had organized a career exploration event for 5th graders who were being taken by bus to the civic center. I remember vividly people talking about something happening in New York City. I heard that there was a TV on in the security office, with live feed from downtown New York. I was trying to understand what was going on and that’s when I saw the second plane hit. I remember being shocked at what I was seeing.

Seth Wilkerson – I was 12 years old and was in the dining room working on my homeschool work as the announcement came across the radio station playing in the background that we had been attacked. Immediately my parents began to talk about how our country would never be the same. It’s hard to believe it’s already been 20 years.

Katrina Smith – I was working in the library at East End when I saw a teacher walk down the hallway frantically. She was in tears, came into the library and said turn on the TV. Then I saw the destruction that had taken place. I felt overwhelmed and scared not knowing what would happen next.

Marilyn Brown – I was in Trenton and when I saw the news, I was in total shock. I couldn’t imagine the pain the families endured and I was sad. Seeing the first responders help made me feel better to see them working together in such a tragedy.

Debra Spegal – I was heading to work, crossing the railroad track on Central Ave. when the first report came over my car radio about an airplane flying into the Twin Towers. They didn’t know at the time that it was an attack, but I thought it had to be something other than just an accident. I headed downtown and parked behind Brasfield’s Jewelry where I worked. Roger let me in the backdoor and I asked him what was going on. He had heard it on the radio, too. Roger headed down to Thompson’s Shoe to see if he could find out anything else on tv. By the time Debbie arrived, a second plane had crashed into the towers. I went home to get my portable black and white tv so we could watch what was happening. I remember how blue the sky was that morning and the days that followed. Air traffic was suspended, and it was eerie not to see any contrails in the sky for the next several days. America had been attacked on its own soil. We would never be the same again.

Ken Bradford – I was teaching a bible class at Jackson Christian School and a student came in late saying he heard on the radio that a plane flew into the trade center. I thought the student misheard the information and dismissed it until first period class was over when I saw otherwise. I will never forget!

Blankenship – I was working at the Regional One Health in Jackson. I heard commotion outside my door and saw co- workers talking and some crying. They shared what was going on. Our planes that were hijacked by terrorists had flown into the twin towers at the World Trade Center. That couldn’t happen here on American soil. I was upset, sad and angry. We watched the news for as details were given about the towers, other planes and the Pentagon. I didn’t get much work done that day. That evening, I remember crying as they showed the scene of the towers being hit over and over again on the news.

Barbara Morris – In Gibson on September 11, 2011, was an ordinary day for me and my husband. While eating breakfast with the television on, we saw something that was not an ordinary sight. We saw an airplane crash into a skyscraper in New York City. My first thought was what a terrible accident. Then I saw, smoke and fire bellowing out of a tall building, which I learned later was World Trade Center. Then my husband said,” look here comes another airplane, this is no accident.” This ordinary day had turned into the deadliest day in our country.

Bishop Lee Cook – I was in Fort City, N.C. at work at Dollar General. I walked into office and heard radio playing. It was different because it was no music but talking. As I listened, I heard the towers had been bombed. I thought about my son who was in the military. What I had witnessed was not good.

Cheryl Cook – I was in North Carolina. When I saw, I called my husband to ask him if he had heard what happened. I was in total shock and I started praying and was praying for strength for the victims families, the injured and the first responders.

Brad Joyner – I was in Indiana working in construction. What I had heard and witnessed was devastation for the US. My heart went out to the victims and their families but especially those responders who were working hard to help those injured.

Virginia Perry – I had just got off work at Wilson Sporting Goods. I worked overnights, and sat down and turned on the TV and saw breaking news everywhere. I couldn’t believe what was happening and was disturbed the whole day. I couldn’t sleep and kept watching the television. I felt very sad.

Gregory Vinson – I was working at the alternative school here in Humboldt when one of the teachers came in cussing saying what had happened. We turned on the TV and looking in disbelief, we saw America had been attacked. I felt shocked, sad and mad. Other co-workers were upset and crying. It is a day I will never forget.