What Do You Remember About Sept. 11, 2001?

10 years ago, no one knew what was about to happen in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. No one knew what changes were about to come for the United States. 

Shortly before 8 a.m. central time on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, news went out that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers in New York City. Within 15 minutes, a second plane crashed into the second tower. Many television news programs, already covering the first crash, showed the second crash live.

As the morning went on, a third hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed in a field about 80 miles away from Pittsburgh. 

The country's air space was shut down, stranding President George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara in the Milwaukee area. 

The attacks were the impetus for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They heightened racial and religious tensions. But they also saw people pull together in extraordinary ways to help. 

A decade later, many remember where they were when they heard of the attacks, what that day was like, and the emotions that came after. For some, the impact didn't fade. 

When the planes crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, Waukesha Mayor Carol Lombardi received phone call after phone call from concerned citizens who wanted to know what she would do if more planes were headed toward Chicago or, even closer, to Milwaukee. She expressed confidence in the city’s recently adopted emergency management plan, and coordinated a prayer vigil that night at for community members to pray for the victims, their families, the first responders and everyone involved. The community came together that day, she said, but in the years after, people started to forget. That’s why several years ago, she coordinated – an annual event marking the terrorist attacks. The event respects those who lost their lives on 9/11 and pays tribute to those in Waukesha County who daily put their lives at risk to serve and protect others in the community.

Read more stories about how Sept. 11 affected people in the area in these stories from Patch.

Brookfield: 
Brookfield: 
Fox Point: 
Greenfield:Firefighter Recalls 9/11/02 Trip to Ground Zero and
Menomonee Falls: 
Muskego: 
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Oak Creek: 
Port Washington: 
Shorewood: 
Sussex: 
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Waukesha: 
Wauwatosa: 

What do you remember about Sept. 11, 2001? A decade later, how do you think the attacks are still being felt?