“Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?”
This question is famously asked in the Alan Jackson song “Where were you,” and is a question still discussed and reflected on by many who lived through the events of Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the United States and the World Trade Center towers in New York City collapsed after being hit by hijacked airplanes.
Many Green River residents remember where they were that day in vivid detail.
“I woke up and they were talking about how the world trade center was on fire,” Barry Tippy, owner of Red White Buffalo, recalled. “And I remember watching the second plane hit the second tower live.”
Tippy said the main emotions he felt were “anger and rage,” and he wanted to find a way to help.
“I was working for the highway patrol and I literally almost quit the highway patrol and went back into the military,” Tippy said, describing the event as “this generation’s Pearl Harbor.”
Steve Core, the communications administrator for the city of Green River, was working in radio in 2001. He recalls being at work and receiving phone calls from his wife Nancy each time one of the towers went down. He spent the rest of his workday providing “wall-to-wall coverage,” giving radio listeners as much information as possible about what was going on. Core had to try to set his personal emotions aside to focus on sharing news and updates with others through the radio, even though he was worried about his brother, who was in the army overseas at the time.
“It’s surreal, is what it was,” Core said, summing up how 9/11 felt.
Core also recalls driving to Roosevelt, Utah, later that day to watch his son play in a football game. He remembers flipping through radio stations the whole way to try to get as much information as he could about what happened. Instead of the usual crowd, only two other parents from Green River showed up for the game. Core remembers the exact score, even though he felt like the game was meaningless at that point.
“It’s amazing how you remember the mundane things you were doing on that day,” Core said, noting that he wouldn’t remember that football game at all if it hadn’t happened then.
Some days and events stay in your memory forever when you live through them, Core said, noting he can also remember where he was when the space shuttle blew up, and it’s the same with 9/11.
Bessie Middlemas, who worked at the Green River Star for many years, remembers waking up and hearing the TV her husband Ken was watching, then hearing the president had a message for the nation, which was when she realized something was wrong.
“It was quite a shock,” Middlemas said.
Green River Fire Chief Larry Erdmann also said he remembers where he was when he heard the news, and recalls that he was working for the water department and was a volunteer firefighter at the time. Seeing what happened and hearing about those who lost their lives was “heartbreaking,” according to Erdmann.
In addition to remembering exactly where they were and their emotions when they heard the news of the 9/11 attacks, many people also recall details of the aftermath — the bad and the good.
Tippy remembers when panic started to set in. He recalls seeing people lined up at gas stations filling up anything they could with gasoline, including trash cans, because they were worried and trying to prepare.
“The most surreal part was no planes. It was quiet,” Tippy noted, remembering how the airlines shut down for a time.
Then the problem of travel set in, which caused more panic as people tried to get to their families, Tippy said. Middlemas also recalls hearing about people who were stuck trying to get from one place to another. She remembers her son, Green River Police Chief Tom Jarvie, was in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for a police event and she was worried about him being able to make it home. Jarvie ended up renting a car and driving to get back.
Despite the fear and panic caused by the terrorist attacks, it wasn’t long before people started to come together.
“What I remember the most about it was the day after,” Erdmann said. He recalls going out on a call as a volunteer firefighter on Sept. 12, and everyone they passed was waving and honking in support. “The patriotism that we had the day after it all happened was just phenomenal.”
Tippy remembers a blood drive being held at the Green River Recreation Center and how the line stretched all the way to the high school. There were so many people who wanted to donate, the blood drive organizers were not able to take all of them.
“I think that was an amazing, amazing time, and I think it was a very tragic time all at the same time,” Tippy said, thinking about people banding together after the attacks. “It was very moving and emotional.”
Tippy also recalls the bravery of the first responders and law enforcement in New York City, who continued to go into the World Trade Center to help people despite the danger.
“All those people knew how bad it was. They knew, but they kept going anyway,” Tippy said.
Even for the first responders who survived, many have lasting health problems from that day, both Middlemas and Tippy pointed out.
“A lot of people don’t realize how many of those guys are dying every day, still,” Tippy said, explaining that many who were at the World Trade Center have since developed cancer and other related health problems.
Two decades later, the effects of that day continue. But for many who lived through the September 11 attacks, it doesn’t seem like it’s been 20 years.
“I can’t believe that it’s actually the 20th anniversary already,” Tippy said. “It’s just mind-boggling to me that it happened that long ago. It doesn’t seem real.” He later added: “Twenty years later, it’s still a fresh and raw emotional experience for me.”
Middlemas also said it was “amazing” that it’s been 20 years, and Erdmann said it’s “crazy” that the time has gone by so quickly.
Despite the fact that it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long, Tippy expressed concern over what’s already been forgotten.
“I’m just afraid that it will be a very distant memory, and it shouldn’t be,” Tippy said. He thinks it would be great if Green River could create some kind of memorial to those whose lives were lost on 9/11. One idea Tippy suggested was an event where shoes are laid out, one pair of shoes for each life lost, to give people a concept of the scope of the tragedy.
Core expressed his gratitude with the city, which is leaving up American flags in the city through this weekend — something he hopes will become a tradition. He believes it’s important to do what we can “to remember a day which we should never forget.”
Tippy noted that, in addition to remembering what happened on 9/11, we need to continue to learn from it, and he worries that we haven’t learned as much as we should have.
One of the things Tippy thinks America as a country should learn from the past is to keep the commitments we make. Similarly, Middlemas believes America needs to learn how to interact with other countries, while Core said the biggest lesson 9/11 taught was “don’t ever let your guard down.”
Erdmann also thinks America needs to support its first responders, law enforcement, and military. He believes we need to bring back the spirit of patriotism and unity that prevailed on Sept. 12.
“Wave the American flag and be proud of it,” Erdmann said. “Back the country. No matter who the president is, no matter what political party you’re part of, be an American.”
Tippy remembers feeling like that spirit of unity would never go away, “but here we are 20 years later, and we’re all at each other’s throats again, and we’re all fighting each other,” he said. But he believes one of the biggest lessons we need to learn from 9/11 is how to come together again and how to work with others.
“It sounds really simple, but all everybody wants in this world is to be treated with a little respect and a little dignity,” Tippy said. “And if we could all do that with each other, the world would be a different place.”
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