Where were you when the world stopped turning...

...on that September day.

10 years. Wow, I cannot believe it has been 10 years. I was working at NIMA at the time. I was listening to my radio, and I kept thinking the disc jockeys were pulling a prank, and I thought it was pretty silly. After about 10 seconds, I realized it was not a joke and walked down stairs to the only tv in the building that streamed CNN all the time. I thought that it had to be an accident. No other thought even crossed my mind. I went back to my office to continue preparing for the day. I am wondering now, why I was at work so early. I didn't typically get there until 9:00. I don't remember how I learned that a second plane hit, or the pentagon. But I know that once I knew, I was scared. I was on a government base after all. I called my dad and asked him how they were going to evacuate all those people. I called Dave who was working in a building nearby and we agreed to meet for a walk. When I walked into the building where Dave worked, so many people were gathered arou d the little tv in the lobby. No one could believe what was happening. There was a rumor that a fourth plane was out there. We went outside, the thing I remember most is how beautiful it was outside. The FAA at this point had grounded all planes, and there was not a cloud in the sky, not a cloud or con trail in the sky, the sky was awesomely blue. I wasn't watching when either tower fell. I can recall being on lockdown. No one was allowed to leave. I remember seeing a guard walking outside with an automatic weapon. I was terrified. At some point, I am assuming once all the planes were accounted for, we were off lockdown. I knew I was not going to be able to work, so I went home. I was glued to the tv for days.