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I was in Alexandria close to the Pentagon. After the plane in NY hit, we went to find a TV. At some point soon after that one of the other planes hit the Pentagon. There was a clear sound associated with the crash and you could feel some vibration on the ground. Almost immediately helicopters were up in the air circling the area where the strike occurred, like they were looking for more planes.
They shut off cell phone service (at that point they had to assume it was a terror attack and they wanted to cut the communications of the terrorists). Of course the people at my work knew where I was, but had no idea if I was affected by the crash. Same with my family. But they weren't sure I was ok and couldn't get a hold of me.
Here was the thing I remember vividly. The weather was perfect. I mean like a couple of days a year weather in D.C. 75 degrees, no humidity, a very pleasant breeze and a brilliant blue sky. It was like no one in D.C. was sure what happened and what to do.
By the afternoon the phones were back on, and I made the phone calls I needed to make. I said I'd be back when the airports reopened.
The airports were almost immediately closed, so no getting back to Denver. Oddly enough the trains were running, so I made plans to go see my mom in upstate NY. I took the train to NY City and saw the incredible destruction of the twin towers. Totally gruesome.
The terrorists acted on a Tuesday, and it wasn't until the next Monday that I was able to take a plane back to Denver. I flew out of Newark, ironically leaving from the gate next to the one used by the terrorists. That gate (A-18 I believe) still had the crime scene tape all around it.
It was a dizzying week for me.
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