I was at work, in the finance industry, so there were TV's all over the sales floor. Within minutes of the first plan e hitting, we were all standing around watching. I called my father, who works a block from ground zero...he was OK, but we couldn't locate my older brother, who lives a block on the other side (Battery Park City) turns out he was stdning directly underneath where the first plane hit. That was the last we heard from my family for hours. My brother ran home, and found his wife in the apartment just as the second plane hit. She was supposed to be at work already at windows on the world, but was late, as she was looking at a new puppy on the internet. Every one of her coworkers who was in th restaurant already lost their ives. They boughthat dog...it had already saved her life. My father ran outside to meet them to get the ferry to NJ, but was caught outside as the first tower fell...he dove behind a van and destroyed his knee. THe governemnt has offered to pay him, but he feels the money could do much more good elsewhere. My father, brother, and sister in -law were all evac'd to NJ, where they were all able to get word out that they were OK.
I went home, before I had heard from them again, and my ex-wife (still married at the time) was just getting out of the shower. I asked her if she had turned on the TV yet...she said no, and I told her, but started crying...it is one of the worst memories of my life...having to explain 9/11 to her, as it was happening, while not kowing where half of my family was. We turned on the TV, and that is when we got the call that everyone was OK.
God bless all of you, and all of humanity.