Where were you?

I’ve heard people talk about remembering the moment they heard that JFK was assassinated or that John Lennon died. Before September 11, 2001, I had never had that kind of experience.

Because of the confusion and gradual unfolding of the story, learning about 9/11 wasn’t a moment—it was an entire day. For me, it began with whispers in the hallway between college classes. When I heard that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, I imagined a small prop plane and thought, How stupid. After I learned that a second plane had done the same, I was completely confused. Later, the entire student body learned the truth at a university-wide meeting. That afternoon, I listened to the radio during work and then left early to watch the news the rest of the afternoon. My memories are vague, clouded in the confusion and jumbled with information that I know came later but seems to mix with what I learned that day.