Devastating eventsof Sept. 11, 2001,remain crystal clear8:55 a.m. • “As I returned from dropping our children off at school, I rounded the corner and heard a surreal pronouncement on the radio in the van. One of the twin towers in New York City had been hit by a jet carrying passengers. My brain could not absorb the reality of the possibility that this could even happen.” — Heidi Guttermuth, Akron“At first we thought it was pilot error, that the plane was flying too low and just made a miscalculation. Then we realized it was far more than that.” — Elaine Engle, Tallmadge9:03 a.m. • “I looked up at the TV monitor and at that moment, the second plane hit. I said, ‘My God, it’s a terrorist attack.’ ” — Marianne Sandy, Cuyahoga Falls“The room became deadly quiet as the plane entered [the second tower]. No one spoke. There were no gasps and for some reason, we couldn’t look at each other. Why is that, I wonder.” — Lynn Richards, Canton“I was on duty at the fire station that dreadful morning, stood there watching in horror with my brothers. We were all thinking just how in the hell would you fight this kind of fire.” — Dan Peterson, Ravenna9:43 a.m. • “Then the attack on the Pentagon, in an area that I always assumed was the safest place in our country to be.” — Sharon French, Tallmadge10:05 a.m. • “Soon, the south tower fell. I think I was actually in shock.” — Joan Goch, Doylestown10:15 a.m. • “I received a cell phone message from another friend who had just flown out of the New York area that morning. He told me that he had heard the Pittsburgh area was also under attack.” — Beth Sullivan, Peninsula“I lived only 20 minutes from Shanksville, Pa. My youngest daughter’s friend was in the area working when he saw [Flight 93] go down. He ran to the site and had a piece of the plane in his hand and was told to give it to the police. He said it was horrific.” — Steve and Kathy Lonchar, Munroe Falls10:28 a.m. • “Then the second tower dropped. I could only think of the people in both towers as each floor pancaked down. Another horror scene as some people jumped to their death, a choice they made rather than be burned alive. I just cried and prayed, helpless.” — Joan Goch, DoylestownSept. 12, 2001 • “What pushed my sorrow deeper were stories of firefighters who were lost attempting rescue of others; of those far from Manhattan who, when seeing the death and destruction, traveled into the city and, too, lost their lives; the agony of relatives of missing loved ones who came on TV, tearfully pleading for news, posting pictures and notes in an effort to locate them.” — Joe Cheslock, Cuyahoga FallsSept. 13, 2001 • “I went to my city garden plot. I was out there for about a half-hour with my dad when we noticed how clear the air was. No airplane trails. Nothing in the air except birds. My dad then pointed straight up. There was an Air Force jet on patrol, very high in the sky. I made a lame joke about being back in time, that this is how the sky looked 100 years ago. Dad just snorted, then started hoeing again.” — Jenny Ray, Barberton