I remember when I was first told about the attacks. I was in the U6th Room in Evans house at school, sitting on the sofa having just finished my last lesson (History). Suddenly, two 5th years came in and started going on about a plane hitting the World Trade Centre and Pentagon. I didn’t believe them – firstly because they were the type of people who enjoy winding people up, and because it seemed so improbable. They were insistent, however, so I turned the radio to BBC Radio 4 where there were some unclear reports about a plane crash. Then I tried the TV in the house, which was pretty broken so I rushed down to the 6th Form Centre where about 30 people were crowded around the television. I stayed there, saw the second plane hit and tried to make sense of it all. The general feeling was one of shock – especially after it became apparent that the planes were hijacked and that it was not an accident. Few people said much, but a few of us tried to figure out what it all meant. I then went to the IT suite to check the BBC news site, but of course that was overloaded. Next I went to another house, Marshall, and spent the next hour watching the television. I missed the first tower falling, but saw the second – not that it mattered, due to the repeats filling the time.

In retrospect, the next bit seems silly on what was such an important day in history. As it was Tuesday, I had a prefects’ meeting to go to, where surprisingly little was mentioned of the attack. It all seemed so baffling and indescribable, not just to people like myself and Ollie who had what would be considered an above normal interest in current affairs, but to everyone. Then I remember driving back home, the traffic being heavier than normal for a Tuesday, listening to the updates on Radio 4 – although by now all the stations were tuned in to either ITN or the BBC. That was when I heard about the fourth plane that crashed on its way to what was assumed to be either the White House or Camp David. When I got home, I just crashed and watched the news, aghast at the pictures of people jumping from the buildings and on the spot reports. I made a few posts on a message board I frequent with some friends, the interesting part being the following:

Atli and everybody else who says it, I agree, this is like Pearl Harbour.
This attack is also the kick the American economy needed to get out of recession.
Bush will almost certainly be re-elected.
If ever there was an excuse for National Missile Defence, this is it. The military budget will surely grow again.
America will take a more interventionist role again, but this time take it more seriously and commit more troops.
Thank God it wasn't Anthrax or any other biological weapon.
Everything the '90s stood for - free enterprise, free speech, the messing around post-Communism - has been superceded. The moment the first plane touched the tower, our world changed. No longer is it 'anything goes'. To (part) quote Fight Club "Our generation has had no Great Depression, no Great War." We get terrorism. It's a new world order.
Looking back on others’ on the spot thoughts is interesting, but I had forgotten I had written this until recently. I seemed almost surprisingly optimistic. Yet in between times have changed. Who knew what Enron, WorldCom or Anderson were doing at the time? The NMD argument has pretty much disappeared. Anthrax did appear in a separate incident. Interestingly, no mention was made of Iraq, especially after it was confirmed that al-Qaeda were the Culprits. Although Bush’s argument is that it is all part of a wider force, it seems amazing how quickly we have shifted our focus from Afghanistan to Iraq. And Bush being re-elected? Well, we’ll see how that turns out, although the more questions there are over Iraq, the less I think it is likely to happen.

In many ways, this contribution is worth little. I wasn’t in the WTC when it was hit. I didn’t know anyone who was, or anyone else who know someone who was. I didn’t know anyone in the Pentagon. But I do remember where I was when it all happened, and I doubt I will ever forget.