Kiss Country Remembers September 11, 2001

I remember thinking what a beautiful morning it was as I was walking across the campus at the University of Louisiana at Monroe to a Public Relations class in the Journalism building. Everything changed for our country as I sat in class on that pretty Tuesday morning. By the time I made it to my Journalism class, the word was spreading throughout the campus. Our instructor would not allow us to watch any of the live television coverage, instead we turned to our books to learn about journalism on a day where some of the most raw and passionate journalistic reporting was happening.

Joe Elerson

I was trimming out a new home in the Beaumont area. I had my boom box playing when I heard the DJ say that a plane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center Buildings. I casually asked other construction tradesmen if I had heard that correctly. Everyone just kinda shook if off as a freak accident. Then shortly after a special newscast broke in and said that another plane had hit the other building. We all new at that moment that we were under attack. Some of the workers headed home to catch the coverage. I was around 150 miles from home, so I stayed to finish my job and listened to the events play out throughout the day. I should have left immediately after realizing what had happened. Gas had gone from around 1.50 to 5.00 gallon while I was at work with long lines at that. Everyone was freaking out and buying everything off the shelves. I was glad to finally make it back home. Some of the workers were already saying that it was a government conspiracy. Some still think that it was...