What Do You Remember About Sept. 11, 2001?

10 years ago, no one knew what was about to happen in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. No one knew what changes were about to come for the United States. 

Shortly before 8 a.m. central time on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, news went out that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers in New York City. Within 15 minutes, a second plane crashed into the second tower. Many television news programs, already covering the first crash, showed the second crash live.

As the morning went on, a third hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed in a field about 80 miles away from Pittsburgh. 

The country's air space was shut down, stranding President George H. W. Bush and his wife Barbara in the Milwaukee area. 

The attacks were the impetus for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. They heightened racial and religious tensions. But they also saw people pull together in extraordinary ways to help. 

A decade later, many remember where they were when they heard of the attacks, what that day was like, and the emotions that came after. For some, the impact didn't fade. 

The flag hanging in Director Mandi Brown’s office once flew over NATO Role 3 Multinational Medical Unit in Kandahar, Afghanstan. It was a gift from the parents of three children who spent nine months at the center, when their mother and father were deployed to the unit. Charles Dodd was already in Afghanistan when his wife, Shannon, was sent to join him in November. With both parents overseas, the three children went north, to live with their grandparents in Oak Creek, WI. The Dodds were nervous about leaving their children behind, and gave the center the flag in appreciation for how staff there helped the children through a difficult transition.

Read more stories about how Sept. 11 affected people in the area in these stories from Patch.

Brookfield: 
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Fox Point: 
Greenfield:Firefighter Recalls 9/11/02 Trip to Ground Zero and
Menomonee Falls: 
Muskego: 
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What do you remember about Sept. 11, 2001? A decade later, how do you think the attacks are still being felt?