Where Wyoming Residents Were When The Second Plane Hit

25 years ago today was a day like no other in American history.

Certain tragic days live in our memories forever. Those who were alive can tell you what they were doing when they heard about them. Where they were and how they felt.

How a moment in time changed lives.

Pearl Harbor. The JFK assassination. 9/11.

My Personal Memory of 9/11

My own memory of that tragic day is unremarkable compared to many, so I will keep it brief.

I was working as a News Director for three radio stations in Rock Springs, Wyoming, but I was on vacation visiting family in northwest Arkansas. I was riding in a car with my dad; he went into a gas station while I filled the tank. He came out and said, "A plane just hit the World Trade Center." Obviously a tragedy, but I assumed it was pilot error or mechanical problems.

I went inside to buy a snack. The guy had a TV on when the second plane hit. I knew then that this was something terrible, evil, and planned.

I remember it like it was yesterday.

We asked our readers on Facebook to share stories that we could use. Here are some of those.

Wyoming Memories of 9/11

Justine Marie

I was stationed on the USS Stump DD978; that morning we were in port, Norfolk, VA (3 hours south of DC by car). I was passing by the mess decks when I looked over and saw the first tower on fire on the TV. I asked the personnel who were on the mess decks what *messed* up movie they were watching... and I watched as the 2nd tower was hit. The general quarters alarm sounded on our ship (this means all personnel are to report to their battle stations). The CO came over the ship's 1MC (intercom) to report that we had been attacked, and prepare to defend the coast, we were setting sail immediately upon all recalled personnel checking onboard; no one was to leave the ship, and everyone was to be "ready."

Nothing was the same after that. Changed the course of my military career.

8 consecutive years of deployments followed. I'd come home for a few months, and then leave again for up to 9 months at a time. 6 month deployments were in the past.

Jessica Nicole Leyh

·"I was 14 getting ready for school (9th grade at Carey Jr High) when I heard the reports of the north tower being hit. I watched the plane crash into the south tower on the news. The news echoed at Carey and my first class was at East (ROTC back when they bused 9th grade for that class) hearing the news there. Teachers were checking on the on us (the students) to make sure they were okay."

Dawn R. Barela

·I lived in Seattle but was visiting my parents here I Cheyenne. I was supposed to fly back that day. Long story short, I ended up driving back in a rental car that took a week to get.

Annette Williams

· I remember that morning. I was getting ready for work after dropping the kids off at school. I went to turn the tv off when a breaking news report came on. I immediately called my husband at his work. I was scared. I told him I was going to pick up the kids from school to keep them with me until we knew for sure we weren’t going to be attacked here.

I said a prayer for those families, and prayed that the my kids were safe at school.

My kids did not know what was going on until I got them home. I needed them near me knowing they were safe

Lisa Randall Chaffin

·My husband, who used to be the host of KGAB's morning show, our daughter and I were at DIA getting ready to board and AA plane to Orlando. We seen the second plane hit on the tv monitors then they shut off quickly. We were told that the airport was closed. The flight crew ran off the plane into the airport with purpose. People were in hushed corners talking on their cell phones.. As we made our way to baggage claim were heard about the plane hitting the Pentagon. At baggage claim I waited as my husband called into the show. I heard about Shanksville. We rode back to Cheyenne in silence trying to understand what took place not realizing the magnitude.

Stefanie Edwards

·I was in the hospital awaiting the arrival of my first child. I was very scared. I was initially scared because this was my first baby, I was excited and nervous, I was going to have a baby! And then on TV the plane hit, then the second plane, and everything turned to chaos and fear. The hospital went on lock down. This was in California. I have never had so many emotions, fear, anger that this was suppose to be our special day, guilt for even having this thought while all of those lives were lost, joy because my daughter was born, guilt again for feeling joy, sadness again for all the lives lost, terrified of what was to come, feeling selfish for bring a baby into this horrible world. The emotions were up and down for many, many weeks and months later. I was sent many newspapers from around the world from that day for my daughter.

Alex Hicks

·This was my 8th grade English teacher from Bentonville,AR. The woman in the photo was her sister Sara. Sara was a flight attendant on one of the planes. She left our class and didn’t come back for a few months

[Note: we didn't include the photo due to not having permission to use it and because of privacy concerns.]

Alicia Lee

·I was 12 years old and in 7th grade at the UW Lab School. I remember sitting in the library that morning watching the news coverage on one of those big box TVs they rolled in on a cart. I can still picture that library and that TV so clearly. It’s crazy that 25 years later, I still remember exactly where I was when I found out about 9/11.

One Final Thought

As terrible and horrifically tragic as that day was, there was one positive. As I headed back to Wyoming, stopping at gas stations, restaurants, and hotels, something felt different. Yes, there was fear and grief and anger, but there was something else too.

I noticed people and remember thinking, "We are all on the same side. We are Americans, even if we look different and dress differently and have accents. We have to hang together and watch out for each other."

I know I wasn't the only one, not at all. I could feel it in how people treated each other, with maybe a little more kindness than before.

A feeling of unity.

I miss that.