Greetings from Colorado

I am working on a book project called " Where were you on 9/11" this project will share stories and personal experiences of hunters in the field, and those fishing
I am currently working on a book project g and finding out how the world changed in a matter of a few hours back in New York City. Where were you, what were you doing and how did you react when you heard the terrible news when you returned from the field or waters?

There is no compensation for your submission, but lets tell the world we as hunters and fishing people that we were just as shocked as the rest of America. I would appreciate any help you can provide.

Please send submissions to:
Dr. Michael Brooks
11677 west 62nd Ave. #10
Arvada, Colorado 80004

Or e-mail to:
[email protected]

I' m not going to submit for I was not in the field at the time. The only open season for us at that time is dove season and the time of day of the week found me doing my job. I work installation/repair for a telco co. and I was in my work van at the time when I heard the radio news. I was close to my inlaws at the time and I quickly drove there to watch the TV.

As probably anyone with a heart, I was mortified to say the least. I couldn' t imagine the evil, the cowardness of these pathetic people for doing such a deed. I was at the begining of my new home project and couldn' t enjoy it at the time....needless to say as well, it was my wedding anniversary as well.

I was in Colorado on my annual elk hunting trip. I did not find out about it until that evening. One of the guys camped next to me went to town and bought a news paper. It was earie quite with no jets flying over head. I saw one small plane go over head with a jet fighter on it' s tail. I could not believe what had happen it deffiently put a dampener on my spirits. I still hunted but the incident was always on my mind.

Although I was at work on 9/11, our bow season started just four days later. Being in the woods helped me to relax a bit, and took me away from the tragic week. Isn' t that what hunting & fishing and the outdoors is supposed to do? It was very therapudic. I was, however, very erie to not have airplanes flying overhead. I guess I never realized that I had noticed them before. What was more spooky was when they started flying again.
Charlie

To be honest I don' t know why but I wasn' t out hunting . . . and should have been. As a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, I ride my bicycle 35 miles round trip to and from my Tuesday morning meetings. As I was dressing, the news bulletin came on FOX News and just in time to see the second plane hit the second tower. I had to complete my ride and got back home to catch up on progressing reports.

It was not a happy day for any at our usually large meeting and not many dry eyes mine included. . . our leader called for a minute of silence.

Well. I wasn' t in the field but I was in Mr. Williams' 8th grade reading class when I found out. Mrs. Smith came in and told my class what had happened and she was crying and everything. When I heard about it I thought she was joking. Then, next period I told some of my friends and they thought the same. Then, after lunch the principal came over the announcemants and told us everything and I remember walking down the hall and watching people crying, then, I came home and watched it all night until I went to bed.

I was at school to settin in geometry and my cousin came in and told everybody but nobody beleived him and we went back to work, then i went to my next class and found out, our season doesnt come in till beginning of oct.

I was on my way to work, taking the usual 35 minute+ drive into downtown Milwaukee. I had just listened to one of the FM stations do an interview with Santana Dotson, then with the Packers. As I neared Miller Park, they said that a story had just come across about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. No thoughts about terrorism yet; just sounded like a freak accident. I turned on WBBM AM out of Chicago to see if I could get some news. They cut away to an affiliate in New York and I listened to that the rest of the drive in. Just as I got downtown and was getting ready to pull into the parking lot, the reporter in New York said, " Oh my God! Another plane has just hit the other tower of the Trade Center!"

At work, there was nothing but people listening to the news that entire morning. At about 11AM, our building announced that it would close " for security reasons" at Noon and everyone had to leave. Apparently, any building over 20 stories was looked at as a target (our building is 30 stories). I drove home and for lack of anything better to do, washed my Durango. The thoughts of the opening of bow season, set for the upcoming Saturday, were pushed out of my mind.

That weekend, the opening of bow season in Wisconsin came as scheduled. I remember sitting in the stand Saturday morning and reflecting on the events of the week. I remembered thinking how innocent things seemed only one week earlier. I thought about the fact that only about 96 hours before, people were heading to work, it was just an ordinary day, and life was as it had been seemingly forever. It was too early to recognize the whole impact that 9/11 would have, but something told me the world would never quite be the same, at least for America. Just recalling the whole chain of events left me with a strange sick, empty feeling as I watched a couple does and fawns eat some clover. That night, we went to the local watering hole we frequent during hunting season. A news show played back scenes from 9/11. I couldn' t help but get that sick, empty feeling all over again. It seemed that not even hunting or a few beers with friends could dull the pain.

Well...i ws not in the field either..I was @ work. Hit us all in this area damn hard (I' m about an hour outside the city). People were freaking out. You couldn' t get through on a phone anywhere. We were expecting all kinds of attacks even as far away as we were.

My company @ the time had close to 400 people working in the TT and a building next to it. The vast majority of them are all gone. Many of my co-workers at my office had loved ones who working in the buildings. People were screaming and crying and breaking into hysterical fits . Hellfire..I' m crying as I type this. I remember just hugging one girl I had hardly knew previously for nearly an hour. Her husband worked at the Towers and they had a baby in a daycare center there at the time. Both are gone. She was in shock, and didn' t even try to get back into the city (not that she could...she took the trains..which were stopped)....

I cannot describe the absolute feeling of dread of being so close to so many people who were affected by this. It' s one thing to see it at home, to be disgusted and angry, and cry. But to be there with folks whose loved ones were there,as it' s happening and died(and although you gave words of encouragement, you knew that it was hopeless), and you and they are totally helpless to a damn thing about it.

Today, I work somewhere else. I work w/ a TT survivor. She handles any questions pretty well. But across the street a new office building is going up, and they have been blasting the lot for about a year now (granite). Despite all the blasting horns and siren warnings, she screams and jumps out of her chair every time one goes off (it shakes our building), which is usually 2 to 3 times a day.

Whenever I hear people getting complacent about or criticizing the USA' s War on Terrorism, I always give them a damn detailed description of that poor girl in shock huddled next to me, digging her nails into my back and arm mumbling and sobbing the names of her husband & child.

Never Forget.

I was outside in my back yard target shooting when my wife mentioned to me that a plane had run into a tower or building- I didnt realize the extent of what had happened till I came in and watched what was happening on tv.
As for my reaction I was shocked. I could not take my eyes off the images of jets plowing into the towers- all I could think that what was happening looked too much like scenes from somekinda movie but sadly it was not. Then anger , then I wanted vengance and I still want vengance and I still get angry........