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Front cover of the special edition newspaper we released during my senior year of high school.

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I was sitting behind the wheel of my 1997 Pontiac Grand Am that my dad had bought from a junk yard and made me help him repair so I would have a car. I was waiting to turn left off of Donaghey onto Prince street in Conway,AR (headed to high school, senior year). The radio was playing B98.5, and a news report stated that a plane had hit the first tower. I immediately felt like this fact had heavier significance than other facts spouted out on the news segment. My first class was pre-cal. My teacher, Doyle Jackson, had the television on watching the situation unfold. 2nd period was Newspaper class and the television stayed on there too. From class to class we watched as the reports rolled in. I wondered about my aunt who lived in PA and flew into DC and other ares in the Northeast for various things. Was she on one of the planes? My uncle travelled by plane as part of the stage crew with various musicians. Was he on one of the planes? I went home after school and the televisions at home were tuned to the same story. I think all the radios and televisions in the nation were listing. My dad offered a caring glance in his own way as I came through the door. My mom had come home early. She worked in a state office and I remember fears that this may be a widespread attack on government buildings. Being a Vietnam War veteran, my dad had an extra sense about what was happening and what may come next. I think both my parents felt lots of uncertainty and maybe concern for me and brother and what the future held. My mom tried to contact family and find information about my aunt and uncle. We were able to confirm that she was not on any of the planes that went down. My uncle was touring with Madonna's Drowned World Tour, and I believe they were in Europe at the time. He later told us she asked the crew if anyone felt they should cancel the upcoming shows. The whole crew voted to move forward in an act of defiance of the fear intended to be instilled by the terrorists and use what they could of the proceeds to support recovery and relief efforts. I was co-editor of the high school newspaper, and we ran a special edition in the weeks that followed. I had a small sense at the time, but maybe not completely, that the events unfolding changed the trajectory of the world as we knew it. My husband and I watched the complete Gilmore Girls series years ago, and we noted how you could tell the tenor of the show was pre-9/11. The world that gave way after has been very frought, and we are still struggling to recover from it.

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I was in 1st grade on 9/11/01. I remember it pretty vividly because I was home sick that day and we watched it on TV in our living room. I remember my mom being shocked and scared, the news reporting on long lines and high prices at the gas station in the following days, and President Bush addressing the nation. It's the first major event that I remember from my childhood.

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On September 11, 2001, my husband Jeff and I were living in Memphis, Tennessee. At the time, I was working as a magazine editor, and my boss’s son happened to be in Manhattan presenting a software program on Wall Street. He was there when everything unfolded. My best friend from junior high was also living in Brooklyn, and I remember the fear I felt for her. Thankfully, she was able to get out of the city safely and make it to New Jersey.

During that season of our lives, Jeff was serving in the Arkansas National Guard, and 9/11 drastically changed our path. Over the next five years, he was deployed first to Egypt and later to Iraq. In between those deployments, our twins, Clay and Owen, were born.

That day, and the years that followed, reshaped how I saw the world. It was devastating from both a national and deeply personal perspective, leaving me forever changed. On a positive note, I also remember how much our country came together, and that unity has stayed with me as one of the most powerful memories of that time.

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I was in kindergarten during 9/11 and I don't really recall any details. However, my aunt has been living in New York City and this is their story. My nana (grandmother) was working in Nashville as a school librarian and had been notified what was going on. They couldn't show students but , the story room in her library had a tv that teachers could come watch to see what was happening. My aunt Suzanne, my nana's daughter, lives in NYC and was working as the hospital librarian at Mt Sinai. She called my nana at 9am to ask if she should leave to meet her husband in midtown to walk home to Brooklyn. She asked my nana if she knew what had happened. My nana says that hearing Sue whisper "mommy, do you know what's happening?" will always stick in her memory. Sue asked if she was "essential," but my nana told her that she didn't think medical librarians were essential workers who had to stay and hoped Sue could get home before the bridges closed. So Sue left and met her husband with smoke in the sky in a totally silent city as they walked. She called my nana later to tell them they were walking toward the lower east side and that she had to stop to buy other shoes because she was wearing through hers. My nana didn't hear from her again until 10 at night when they got to their apartment. They had walked the entire east length of Manhattan, across the Brooklyn bridge, and they passed their neighborhood fire station where pictures and black drapes were already up to let everyone know the first responders who had died in the attack.

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I was teaching at Cord Charlotte High School, and my husband was in Little Rock taking a recertification exam. As events played out I just wanted him home. Nobody knew if it would affect all states and cities.

It probably wasn't a good idea, but all schools watched on TV. My son came home a bit shaken up and scared. Definitely understandable.

Once everyone had gathered their composure, my core group of high school friends and I began looking for two of us. One was a flight attendant who always flew out of Boston, and the other was employed with Goldman Sachs. We couldn't get through to either. We finally got a message from one who had a Blackberry with email capability. Most phones didn't have that at the time. Her message said, "Was sick at home, heard the first, saw the second, safe at the country house."

My other friend finally got an email to all of us that said, "On vacation in Europe, will be stuck here until flight bans are lifted"

In Batesville, AR, the community was pushed into the mix. A graduate of Batesville High School, Sarah Lowe, was serving as a flight attendant on one of the flights that hit the towers. That doesn't happen twice to a small town. (In 1995 one of our own passed away in the OKC bombing.) Even now, it is so surreal that in a few hours, so many lost their lives.

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I was teaching a Geometry class at Catholic HS in Little Rock. We stopped class and watched the second plane fly into the second tower, live, on the televisions located in each classroom.

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I remember sitting in a college lab class at the University of Arkansas when someone came in to whisper something to our teacher. She stayed silent. Just as class was ending, she told us that something was happening in New York and that we should check the news. I went straight to the student union. At that time, cell phones were just for calls.

Walking in, I saw a large TV set up in the middle of the room, facing away from me. Beyond the screen, I will always remember the faces of the students gathered there ...many crying, some numb, others comforting their friends. It was a frightening day. I watched for a while, then walked home and tried to call my family. - Shirley S.

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I was teaching in a computer lab with Dr. Brandie Benton when the news came. Students and staff were watching in the library until our superintendent told us that students should not be allowed to watch. Our children were in college in Austin and College Station, Texas, and we were in Arkansas. So we made a plan that whatever happened they were to meet at the homes of their grandmothers - just make it to one of them and we would find them there. We had no idea if World War III had just started. Would the refineries on the Houston ship channel be hit? Would we have a world left? What was the next target? It was a very scary time. Tears came to my eyes as I wrote this just now, and it has been 24 years. How people must have felt in NYC or PA or DC.

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I was a school nurse in Allen, TX. As the day unfolded, we had many parents check their children out of school - but most left them in for the day. We did not bring the news into the classrooms -- just let the kids have the last "normal" day they would have for awhile. My parents had flown out to California a few days before to see my stepsister and were scheduled to come back on 9/11. I called them right after it happened and advised them to keep their rental car - they drove home to Arkansas from California.

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I was in eighth grade art class when it was broadcast on TV. It was a sad time. Shock, fear, anger and sadness were what everyone was feeling. Everything changed after 9/11.

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I was in eighth grade art class when it was broadcast on TV. It was a sad time. Shock, fear, anger and sadness were what everyone was feeling. Everything changed after 9/11.

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I was in high school near an army base an hour away from the pentagon. I lived on the base, went to school right outside the base. (Near baltimore MD). My dad was a military major and sometimes had to work at the pentagon and I wasn't sure if he was working there that day or not when I saw the news in first period, AP govt. There was talk of DC being the next target. My world didn't feel safe anymore. I wasn't sure if he was the next target in the pentagon or not. my army base I lived on was now in lockdown and cars had to be fully searched before entry. Even the bus had to be evacuated and searched before it could take me home. Intense moment in history for me. My life living on that army base was never the same. My view of the world was never the same. - Mary

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I was in my senior year at UCA. My roommates and I were getting ready for class and we had Good Morning America on the TV. We watched as the second plane hit. There are no words.

I can remember cars lined up all the way down Dave Ward Drive waiting to fill their gas tanks at the local convenience stores. The gas prices had been raised to nearly $4.00/gallon (when it was typically $1.09). My husband (fiancee' at the time), had just started basic training at Fort Sill, OK two weeks prior, so it was really hard not getting to talk to him at a time when the world wasn't making any sense at all.

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Justin Howell: I was in the 4th grade in my home room class and they brought in the news on the roll in tv!

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Justin Howell: I was in the 4th grade in my home room class and they brought in the news on the roll in tv!

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I was 6 months pregnant with my 2nd child and was getting ready to take my oldest to Mother's Day Out. I had a busy day planned for that day as my husband and I were supposed to fly to NYC on the 12th so he could attend a conference. I continued to prepare for the trip all day because I just couldn't process the scope of what was happening.

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In the Pacific Time zone, it was still early, and I was having coffee with the Sacramento TV station people. The news footage came fast, we all thought the first plane was a malfunction. When the 2nd plane hit the tower it was hard for the morning team to remain professional, but they did. My instinct was to get the kids up and keep them close. My husband was already gone for the day, but he called and asked us to stay home for a while until we knew it was not happening anywhere else. NYC is on the opposite side of the country, but that day it felt like next door. I was also a student then and the NYT was required reading for my International Relations course. My professor was a consultant for the Pentagon. He taught class from Washington, and I still have those newspapers somewhere. Let's not forget the brave Americans on Plane #3.

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I was living in San Pedro, CA. I was working as a substitute teacher for three different school districts in Southern California. I did not get called that day, which was rare.  I remember being shocked by what I was seeing on the T.V. It was scary because I was right there at the port of Los Angeles, but we could hear the military planes in the area. It was shocking and devastating to see happen to our fellow Americans.

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I was living and working in Colorado Springs on 9/11. I was getting ready for work when the phone rang and it was my daughter from Tennessee. She asked if I had TV on to which I said no and she replied I better turn it on so I did. Everything immediately changed. 

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I was living and working in Colorado Springs on 9/11. I was getting ready for work when the phone rang and it was my daughter from Tennessee. She asked if I had TV on to which I said no and she replied I better turn it on so I did. Everything immediately changed. 

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I was in first period, AP US govt, as a high school senior. I was in baltimore maryland and my dad often worked in the pentagon. I remember the sheer terror I felt not knowing if he was working in the pentagon that day. I also remember my teacher crying bc he had family up in NY. It was a scary moment and I knew America would never be the same. I felt vulnerable and unsure of the future. 

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I was in first period, AP US govt, as a high school senior. I was in baltimore maryland and my dad often worked in the pentagon. I remember the sheer terror I felt not knowing if he was working in the pentagon that day. I also remember my teacher crying bc he had family up in NY. It was a scary moment and I knew America would never be the same. I felt vulnerable and unsure of the future. 

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-Mary

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I was working as a creative director for a city magazine in Shreveport when someone called me and told me to turn on the TV. I saw the second plane hit. It was devastating. That event pulled our country together in a way I hadn't seen before. The resulting patriotism was amazing in the midst of all the heartache.

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I was in 9th grade then and on the volleyball team. I remember being in the weight room with a radio on. A special news report interrupted the music, and all the girls crowded around trying to figure out what was happening. A few of the teachers had televisions in their classrooms, and we watched the news footage. It was completely unreal to us, and scary despite being so far away.

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I was in a biology lab at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville when someone came in and whispered something to our teacher. She didn't say anything until class was dismissing. Then she told us that when we leave we need to go check the news. I went to the Union building and there was a large TV set up in the middle with many dozens of students huddled around watching. Several people looked scared and some were crying. When I stood with them I saw what was going on and immediately called my family. I walked home right away and as I recall the University closed for the rest of the day. I have family that lives in New York City and it took a while to get through to everyone and make sure they were okay. We had the opportunity to visit the 9-11 museum and it is a lot to take in. - Shirley Scarbrough

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I was homeschooled so I was at home. My mom called us into the living room and we saw the second plane crash. We were speechless.

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I was getting ready for my mother's funeral.  The school was closed so everyone could attend.  I was watching CNN and thinking that not just my world was falling apart....the entire world was crumbling.  My mother loved God, she loved her family, she loved her country.  She lived to serve.  She was buried on 9/11/01 and was spared the heartache of witnessing the devastation.

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I was working at the ALE school.  One of my colleagues happen to be on the internet and learned of this horrible tragedy.  From that point on we were glued to the tv.  We were all in disbelief and shock. Many tears were shed that day.  Even after 22 years, it still cuts deep. May we always remember those who lost their life that day and all the families affected then and now.
~KVickers

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I was working at Arkansas Tech University. I had heard the news and walked down the hall toward our student union. One of the towers had been hit. Stunned, I was watching the TV screen when the second plane hit the next tower. It was a dark day, and I still have difficulty comprehending that level of hate.
--Shauna

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I was in the 5th grade. My exposure to the breaking news was so limited; our teachers tried desperately that day to shield our eyes and minds. I was a library worker, so I skipped recess to sneak in some news coverage from an old TV in the back room because I had overheard enough from the teachers to know "something" was wrong.  I was able to visit Ground Zero a few years later & it was absolutely sobering. Every piece & memory of that day is still just as real as it was at 10 years old. 🇺🇸❤️ -Erin Gibson

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I was in my 5th grade science class, and our teacher ran in, freaking out about the World Trade Center being hit and crying. I didn't even really know what the World Trade Center was; I just knew people were scared. I lived in White Hall where there was an arsenal, so people were picking their kids up all day, so we ended up just watching movies while the teachers all whispered about what was happening and worrying.
About twelve years later though, I did dramaturgy for a play about 9/11 called 110 stories, and it was all personal interviews with people who were there. Because I was the researcher for the cast and director, I learned so much that I didn't know or understand when it happened, and since then, 9/11 has had a much bigger impact on me when it rolls around, because I know names and stories of individuals who were there.
-Darby

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I was teaching 7th grade math at Berryville Middle School. The dad of one of my students was in NYC on business; we were so very thankful when we got word that he was OK.

- Cecilia Gray

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I was the head band director at Westwood Junior High in Richardson, TX when I heard the news.  I was walking down the hallway when a student said, "Did you see that plane fly into those buildings?"  I shook it off, thinking this kid was just blowing smoke.  Then, I passed by a classroom and saw one of the Twin Towers on fire.  It was surreal.  I could not believe what I was seeing.  When we discovered that it was a terrorist attack (the 2nd building was now on fire), we were extremely nervous - Richardson is part of North Dallas.  We were afraid that the larger cities across the country might be under attack.  Not a lot of curriculum was addressed that day...
The worst part was that I had a student whose father lived and worked in New York City.  He was a basket case until he found out his dad was ok.  I was already close to the family, so we had quite a 'moment.'
This event was one of the saddest times of my life.  Whenever I see any of the footage, I still shed tears.
We should never forget this event and learn from it so future disasters like this will not happen again.

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I was still living in France at the time but I had just flown back from the US the week before (I was visiting my host family from when I was an exchange student). I remember trying to call my host family but could not get through. I was eventually able to get a hold of them the next day or so. I could not believe what was happening. It still seems surreal to this day. Ludivine Miles

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I was teaching a 7th grade keyboarding/business technology class at Hot Springs Middle School. Once the students started the lesson, I went to my desk to check my email and saw a news alert. At that time, no one realized we were under attack. My principal walked into my classroom to do a walk-through and I summoned him to look at the news report as the second tower was hit. We were both in shock. Our school went into lockdown for the rest of the day. I had a trip to DC scheduled the following week and it was cancelled, obviously. I also have a good friend who is a pilot for United who was in the air on a trip to DC. It was three days before he could call home. He was fine, but his family and friends were very anxious until he called home. I remember being in complete shock for days that this could happen in America and to Americans.

- Brandie Benton

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I had just finished a lesson with an Algebra class.  As usual, the last 8 minutes of class were for working on homework, asking questions, and cleaning the transparencies for the next class.  I am standing in front of the class chatting with one of my students about something mundane when the English teacher comes to the door and says, "There is something going on; you need to come see this."  The whole school was crammed into the Biology lab watching the 1st tower when the 2nd plane hit.
This was Charlotte, and many of our parents worked at banking centers downtown.  There was a real fear that Charlotte could be hit, too, as it was (and still may be) the 2nd largest banking center in the country behind NYC.  Within a minute, the phone was ringing, sending students who drove home and those who didn't home with those who did.
Afterward, the other teachers and I were sitting at picnic tables discussing the events, and every time a plane went overhead, we all stopped and watched.  I still remember the pit of fear in my stomach with each plane flying overhead.  ~Chaille Brown

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I was teaching at the Arkansas School for the Deaf and 8 months pregnant with my first child. We tried to keep the students busy with games so we could watch what was happening. This was my last visit in 1999.   It still doesn't seem real. -Jennifer Mobley

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I was teaching at the Arkansas School for the Deaf and 8 months pregnant with my first child. We tried to keep the students busy with games so we could watch what was happening. This was my last visit in 1999.   It still doesn't seem real. -Jennifer Mobley

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I was teaching a geometry class at Catholic High School in Little Rock. All classrooms had televisions and we watched as the 2nd plane flew into the tower. It was and remains surreal.

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On 9-11, Jeff and I were living in Memphis. I was the editor of a national building trade magazine. The publisher's son was on Wall Street that day pitching a software program he had designed to a company. He watched everything unfold first hand. He was able to get to New Jersey to safety.
I remember Jeff calling me at work. He was an officer in the Arkansas National Guard. When I got home from work that day, he was packing all his gear because he simply didn't know if he would get called out immediately.
While I can't even fathom being a family member of someone who died that day or someone who witnessed all those attocities first hand, my family's life was forever changed that day. Jeff was deployed twice over the course of the next four years after 9-11.
I'm thankful for all freedoms that our country offers us, and I'm thankful for those who help protect those freedoms. --Samantha Carpenter

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I was subbing at a local high school that day and was at home getting ready. I had the news on and remember coming into the living room to hear them talking about an attack. I went on to school and the admin had rolled in tv carts into classrooms for students to watch. Honestly, it took me a couple days to even grasp what had happened. For days, I sat in front of the tv and cried. I am thankful I was able to visit NYC in 2004 before construction and then again in 2016 to see the Freedom Tower completed. -Danesa Page