North Texans' 9/11 memories, 25 years later

The 9/11 attacks were a defining moment in our country's history, bringing intergenerational trauma and pain that haunts Americans to this day.

Yes, but: 25 years later, not everyone is able to answer, "Where were you when 9/11 happened?"

The older generations' memories are younger Americans' history lessons.

Stunning stat: Over 100 million Americans were either born after 9/11 or too young to remember the attacks, which left almost 3,000 people dead.

Flashback: We asked Axios Dallas readers to share what they remember about 9/11. Here is what they wrote:

Bryan W. was a senior in high school when he realized the old TV his teacher had set up wasn't for an impromptu movie day. "We all sat in silence with the occasional person saying it had to be an accident. We spent the rest of the day feeling so lost and scared," Bryan writes.

Robert F. was sent home early from work with "nothing to do but watch the towers fall on TV and wonder if there would be more scenes like it."

"Everything we thought we knew about the safety of living in America was gone in one morning. I can't describe the fear," Robert writes. "I can draw a fairly straight line from 9/11 to today's fractured nation."

Summer G. was all dressed up for high school homecoming, when a teacher turned on the TV and said they would not be skipping their lesson for the day. Summer's dad, a fire chief, picked her up early to watch the coverage.

"As a freshman, I knew some things but of course was also still a kid. It was so hard to understand why and how something like this could happen," Summer writes.

Leslie N. says her children were at school when she learned about the attacks while watching TV. Her husband at the time was working three states away, in oil fields. "I thought I would never see any of them again," Leslie writes.

"I still have PTSD from 9/11. Just talking about it brings tears and a little panic to my system," she says.

Mary D. was in Ireland for business meetings and watched the news coverage from an Italian colleague's hotel room. The Americans in the group were stranded in the country for several days.

"Whenever we went into a restaurant or pub, the people would hear through our accents that we were Americans and come offer their condolences," Mary writes.

David W. was preparing to head back to Austin from Kansas, via a flight from Oklahoma City, after his grandmother's funeral. He ended up driving the entire way, listening to nine hours of programming that included the song "God Bless the USA."

"I still have, somewhere, my unused Southwest Airlines coupon for the Sept. 11 return flight to Austin. The events of 9/11, and the several says before and after, remain burned in my memory," David says.

Peggy B. was teaching at UNT that year. She remembers the student whose father-in-law was a United Airlines pilot flying the morning of the attacks and the student whose sibling lived in an apartment building near the World Trade Center.

"For the rest of the semester I started each class with a short, 'How's everybody doing. Are there any updates?' There was always something the students wanted to share," Peggy writes.

Tracy B. got off work early to be with her husband, who worked for American Airlines in Denver but was off that day.

"A coworker from my job had a brother at NYFD who did not survive. We laid flowers at his desk," Tracy writes.

Mike E. was headed to a meeting in Memphis on a small commuter plane when the pilot received an order to land immediately. The plane landed in Memphis and the taxiways at the airport were filled with all sizes of planes.

"In the terminal, there was a huge crowd looking at a small black and white TV. We joined and saw the second tower fall. Next several hours were total chaos," Mike writes.

Morris M. was on a work trip two blocks from the White House on the morning of the attacks. Unable to find a rental car for the drive home to North Texas, Morris waited for Dulles International Airport to re-open.

"When I arrived at Dulles, it was like a morgue, dark and quiet. The same was true in St. Louis so I sat quietly in the dark, alone waiting for my flight," Morris writes.

💭 Naheed's thought bubble: Like many of you, the attacks marked the end of a carefree childhood. The anxiety and fear have followed me into adulthood.

My younger brother, born six days after the attacks, will never fully understand what the aftermath was like. I hope his generation never has to experience anything like it.

Thanks to all those who shared their memories.