I was on a business trip and asleep in my hotel room in Redmond WA when the phone rang and my (now) ex-husband told me to turn on CNN.  I remember seeing the second plane strike the towers, commenting that it was an amazing simulation before I realized it was real.  Everyone was glued to computer and TV screens, one of my best friends called me after she had run from a meeting at the Pentagon when it was struck.  My hotel extended my stay without my asking (I spent a lot of time there back then), USAir had already rebooked me by the time I thought to call.  Rental cars were in short supply as people joined with strangers to drive cross country to get home.  It was one of the first topics in this blog back in August 2006.

 

We were stunned.  It was a moment of truth.

 

246 died on the four planes

2,603 in New York City

125 at the Pentagon

 

411 emergency responders died in the rescue and recovery efforts.