Where were you when you found out about the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001? How did it affect your life?
"I heard it on the news and my daughter lives in New York so I couldn't do anything until I heard from her. It took a long time to get through because the lines were all busy. I had planned a cruise to Ensenada with my sister, leaving the next day, and we chose not to go. I lost that money, but it was important that I not go. There was no reason to be celebrating when there were so many people in so much pain."
- Georgine Jones, stylist at Platinum Plus salon, Carson City
"I woke up that morning with my husband and my daughter called me and told me to turn on the TV at about 6 a.m. 9/11 is my birthday and my sister's, the same day a year apart. Normally on our birthday we celebrate together, but it was such a horribly sad day Ð it makes me want to cry right now. It has affected our birthday every year since then. It's hard to celebrate something happy on such a sad day."
- Susie Bendure, stylist at Platinum Plus salon, Carson City
"I was taking care of kids at the time so I heard about it from one of the mothers who called really early in the morning, about 5:15 or 5:30 a.m. She told me to turn on my TV and I watched it all day. My daughter was nine months old at the time so it was very frightening. It made me realize that even living in the U.S., it's not as safe as you think. It made me more aware of current events. It made me read the paper more and care about what's going on in the Middle East. I was more apathetic then."
- Leanne Lowe, manager of West Side Ink, Carson City
"I don't feel safe in my own country because there are people who have been in our country working who then turn around and kill us. That's very sad and it made me very aware. Our freedom was taken away. We can't travel freely now."
- Pam France, binder at Economy Speed Press, Carson City
"At first nobody knew it wasn't an accident. And then, when the second one hit the tower, we knew it was an act of war - a Pearl Harbor - and we had to do something, that was our thinking at the time. We can't back down to these people, these terrorists and murderers. I think we should tighten our policies as to who is coming into our country, even students."
- Eric Neusel, printing press operator at Economy Speed Press, Carson City
"I was getting ready for work and I had just put on the TV and I said to Donna (my wife), 'You need to come over here.' She and I sat glued watching that TV and not only was it a sobering experience then, but it's a sobering experience to this day. I don't think I'll ever get over the shock because I think this was the closest we, as Americans, have ever been to being involved in something that hideous on our own soil. I can still picture it vividly now, just as I did that morning.
I think I'm probably more empathetic to when others are upset now. I think I'm much mellower than I used to be because of that. I hope our country never has to experience something like that again."
- Ron Weisinger, executive director of Northern Nevada Development Authority, Dayton
"It's made me much more aware of the potential problems of the world and the fact that war is not obsolete and neither is terrorism, in spite of what's happened in the last five years, terrorism is growing in magnitude. I think it's spreading worldwide."
- Art Hannafin, owner of Hannafin Design Associates, Carson City.
"NBC had a live feed on the second crash on tower 2 and I watched that. It makes you really question a lot about everything, our role in the world, and the community. As the old saying goes, an argument or a fight takes two people, just as it takes two hands to clap. What blows me away is that there can be so much hatred directed toward us as Americans. I think it's time to look inside ourselves and around us."
- Khan Tung, senior associate at Hannafin Design, Carson City
"I was home and like most of the people in the country that just happened to turn on the TV for some reason, I don't remember why, I was absolutely awestruck at what was unfolding before my eyes. To this day, it is imprinted in my memory. I never thought in my lifetime that I would see anything of that magnitude. I developed a rather caustic feeling regarding the ability to fight this kind of extremism. I always thought the U.S. was a symbol of something good, and nobody could translate even our shortcomings into that sort of hatred and animosity. I have a hard time understanding the hatred extremists have toward this country."
- Bob Hadfield, Chairman of the V&T commission, state homeland security commission member, Minden
"When we saw the first tower on TV, I told my wife something had hit that building because the amount of flame coming out of it was so much. It reminded me of the American Bomber that hit the Empire State Building because of fog in the 1940s. We watched the second plane hit the tower - we saw it immediately when it was on TV. Then I had to go to work. I was still on the hospital board at the time and I was on the team that was doing the final interview with the architects, who would design the new hospital. My wife kept calling me; finally I said that I'm done. I couldn't stay in the meeting. I had a friend on the 52nd floor of tower 2. He was the construction manager for Dean Witter. We found out a few days later that he made it out. My brother-in-law, who is the president of our company now, his coworker's sister was an American Airlines' stewardess who was deadheading and had picked that flight to come out to see her brother. She didn't even need to be there and that was one of the flights that crashed into the World Trade Center.
It's a global economy. It makes you feel how close we are to everyone in the world, even us in construction. It's a global market and we're tied together by bad things and good things."
- Tom Metcalf, owner of Metcalf Builders, Carson City
Father Jerry Hanley at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Community, was struck dumbfounded on Sept. 11, 2001.
"I saw it (attacks) on The Today Show," Hanley said.
"I ran to the church and the first thing we did was open every door in the place so the people would know we were open."
Hanley said black bunting was placed on the doors as a sign of mourning and extra services were held for people to attend and pray for the victims. Staff was at the church for three days, 24 hours a day because people were pouring in, crying, wanting to pray.
"We kept the doors open for the memory of the people, held fundraisers for the victims, the firemen. And we did a lot of praying."
Hanley said the attacks were like a horror show.
"That first day, Sept. 11, was like all the wars wrapped into one. We are up against a great, great evil.
"For me, I was like, if it were dropped on my head it would be OK. But it was innocent, wonderful people who had to suffer like that. It broke my heart."
Hanley has tried to keep up with the events, politically, since Sept. 11.
"I love the spirit of the women, the spouses, who are diligently working with Washington D.C. to get justice - a great result was a commission for that.
"We just have to remember, we're all vulnerable. Evil can't win. We can't let it win in the city or anywhere else.
"And we can't be a part of that evil."
A special Mass will be held at 12:15 p.m. Monday at St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Community, 3000 N. Lompa Lane.
Fred Williams, president of the Korean War Veterans Association Chapter 305 in Carson City, was home at the time the first airliner flew into one of the Twin Towers in New York.
"My friend, the late Beth Liechty, called and told us what happened," Williams said.
"I couldn't do anything but wait and listen to the news. All day long."
Williams thought to himself, "What was the reason for it?"
"My thoughts (about the attacks) were that the ones who flew the planes into the towers, had no respect for life, whatsoever. Life or happiness.
"My friends and I couldn't believe it.
"But I'm proud of what those on Flight 93 did - avoiding the Pentagon and flying into a field."
Williams served in the U.S. Army for 21 years. He retired as a Sergeant First Class after having served all over the world, including the Korean War - Eighth Army, and in Viet Nam with the 51st Infantry Battalion, Charlie Company, First Platoon and Fourth Infantry Divisions.
Williams received the Purple Heart while serving in Viet Nam.