Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 133 No. 1 Fall 2011 | Page 7

Where Were You?

On the 10th Anniversary of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, Nell
Fleming, our WSD librarian posed this question to staff regarding
September 11, 2001. A selection of responses indicates how the
staff will never forget that horrible day.

*I got up early that morning and went to my part-time job
at Verlo Mattress. When the first tower was hit, my boss
told everyone in the shop to shut down the machines and
all of us workers watched the tragedy in the lobby area with
some customers in disbelief until both towers came down
and we went home with heavy hearts. Dan Natalie
*I was a junior at a college in South Carolina. My friend
down the hall was on the phone with his mother and had
this look of shock on his face. I asked him what was going
on. He wrote, “The World Trade Center was hit by a plane”.
I went into my room and asked my roommate to check the
news on the radio. He was telling me what he heard and
then buried his face in his hands when the second plane hit
the North Tower. I could not check CNN website because
of all people online. I was in shock. To make it worse,
someone told me that there was a fourth plane in the air
aimed for Chicago. I was worried for my father who lives
near Chicago. A good number of hearing people I know
from my college joined the Army and Marines immediately.
As far as I know, they went off to the wars and came back
alive. I still grieve even today whenever I think of the
horrendous acts that happened on that day. Kent Schafer
*On 9/11 my school had a recess day. Believe it or not,
I was only in 6th grade. My favorite TV show was on
in the mornings but when I turned on the TV there were
no cartoons. My sister and I saw a building burning and
the newscaster said New York City. About that time we
witnessed live footage of the second plane hitting the
tower. We ran to wake up our parents. All day my family
sat glued to the TV. It all seemed like a movie, we watched
awestruck, as the buildings burned, people jumped and the
eventual collapse of both towers, the fire at the Pentagon, as
well as in Pennsylvania. Keith Burisek
*That morning, I worked at the Gallaudet computer lounge
for off-campus students. I was unaware of the morning’s
events until I walked over to HMB for my morning
history class. The atrium was jam packed with people.
When I arrived to class, my teacher was closing shop, and
redirecting students to the Atrium. By the time I was able to
fathom the depths of the madness, the Pentagon was struck.
Immediately, I made my way to Benson Hall, the tallest
visible building on campus that had a view of the Pentagon.
Here, I was able to see thick black smoke begin its journey.
I stood there among my peers, watching the smoke from its
infant stage until it left a lengthy trail in the sky wondering
if the end was in store. Brian Lievens

*I was in this very classroom teaching The Crucible to my
American Literature students. I was doing the same thing
this year. We were in the middle of a discussion about the
book when the former Guidance Counselor interrupted
class to tell us about the terrorist attack. We brought
our classes to the library, and then the dorm, to watch
it on television and to explain what was going on. The
technology department set up TVs in the cafeteria at lunch
time to keep students and staff informed. Many parents
were calling and coming to pick up their kids. I will never
forget that day. Kari Wicinski
*I was getting ready for class my freshman year of college.
On the dorm television, I saw the first plane hit. I sat in
awe. A bunch of my friends had just signed up for the Army
and Marines after high school and were just finishing up
boot camp. I knew when I saw the second tower go down
that all those friends would soon be getting a lot more than
what they thought they signed up for a few months prior. I
remember driving to get gas and seeing LINES and LINES
of cars doing the same. God Bless America was playing on
the radio over and over, followed by George Bush’s speech.
I still get the chills thinking about it. Krista Schwent
*At that time I was teaching a class at Northern Illinois
University when my supervisor explained what had
happened. The college president closed the university and
locked down the dorms. Faculty and staff had to leave
campus and go home. The rest of the day I was in front of
the TV with my wife crying. It was awful. Mike Coates
*I was at Gallaudet University, sitting in a class at Hall
Memorial Building. As class ended, I walked out of the
classroom and saw hundreds of students and staff standing
and staring at the TV. Obviously, something was wrong. I
looked around and saw some tears and knew this was real.
While on campus we could actually see smoke coming
from the Pentagon. Campus was closed for a week. We
could not leave for our own safety. The road was blocked,
no city buses operated, and all businesses were closed for 3
or 4 days. Jeremy Haag
*I had just retired from the US Navy in August, 2001 after
20 years of service. That morning I received a phone call
at home instructing me to turn on the TV. A plane had hit
the World Trade Center. As I watched