I was 1600 miles away from home, working in Chantilly, VA, 20 miles from the Pentagon. The government agency I was right next to and supporting, the National Reconnaissance Office, had planned an emergency exercise for the day of a plane crashing into their headquarters building compound. Needless to say, I shut down the R&D lab I was managing, and the week was eerie... no planes in the sky for days.
My family, attending and teaching seminary out west was apprehensive of my status until my son and I had phone contact. That son went on to later become an Army Ranger (after a mission), deploying to Iraq, then A-Stan 3 times.
My brother who lived in Northern Virginia was scheduled to attend a meeting at the Pentagon that morning, but it was cancelled.
I left Dulles Airport on Friday on the first United flight to depart from there since 9-11. We all cheered raucously as we took off and there wasn't a dry eye on the passengers.