Where Were You and What Changed on Sept. 11?

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, at 8:46 a.m., Flight 11 — hijacked by five terrorists — hit the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Less than 20 minutes later, at 9:02 a.m., Flight 175 hit the south tower of the WTC. Five terrorists had hijacked that flight.

Barely more than 30 minutes later, Flight 77 hit the Pentagon in Washington, DC, destroying a portion of its structure. Five terrorists had hijacked Flight 77.

And at 10:03 a.m., a fourth plane, Flight 93, crashed in a field in Somerset County, PA, after passengers revolted against the four terrorists who hijacked the plane and were attempting to fly it into either the White House or the Capitol building in Washington, according to the 9/11 Commission report.

All in all, nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks, along with the 19 hijackers.

The lives of Americans changed that day. Here are six short stories of people who remember where they were and how things have changed in the 10 years since the attack.

Kevin Rodgers, 54

"I was in my living room, at home, in Ferndale at the time. Someone said a plane flew into the tower. After the second one hit, I knew something serious was going on," said Kevin Rodgers, 54, of Ferndale (bottom left).

Rodgers said he had to leave for work. He arrived to work at 10 a.m., he said. He worked at President Tuxedo in Pontiac. By 10:30 a.m., work was closed.

"I came home and stayed glued to the TV for 36 hours straight, in shock," he said.

Since then, Rodgers said people have changed in America. "There is a new level of alertness. We had that underwear bomber, and people tackled him. That idea of 'Let's roll' has set the standard for Americans in these situations."

The references to "Let's roll" was overheard during a cellphone call right before the passengers of Flight 93, the fourth hijacked plane on Sept. 11, revolted and tried to take over the cockpit.

Randy Minish, 24

"I was home-schooled at the time, and my mom cam home from the dentist's office and turned on the TV 10 minutes before the second plane hit," said Randy Minish (top left), 24. Minish grew up in Bellaire, near Traverse City, and now lives in Ferndale.

Minish said that later that day, after the attacks, he went to a youth group he was part of, and they talked about the event. "The attacks have taken away our sense of invulnerability, the idea that nothing bad can happen living here," he said.

Alexandria Degraffenreid, 19

Alexandria Degraffenreid (top center) of Detroit was only 9 years old on Sept. 11, 2001. "I was in elementary school, in fifth grade," she said. "I was young and knew something bad was happening when they made us leave school early."

For Degraffenreid, growing up in a post-Sept. 11 world, she said she doesn't know what it was like before that. "This is what I know, so I guess not too much has changed. I don't live in New York, I haven't been on a plane. I guess what has changed is how people view the Arab world," she said.

Caroline Coburn, 33

Caroline Coburn (bottom center), 33, of Detroit said she was at her dad's house and had just woken up when the World Trade Center was attacked Sept. 11.

"My dad told me a plane crashed into the World Trade Center," she said. "I said, 'On purpose?' When the second one hit, we knew."

Coburn said she went to work — she worked at a hair salon — that day and ended up just watching the news.

"We talk about it every day," she said. "We talk about it, and we feel like it could happen again any time."

Sylvester Hampton, 28

Sylvester Hampton (bottom right), 28, of Southfield was in Washington, DC, when Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. He was attending Howard University.

"Everyone was in a panic," he said. "All of my family called to make sure I was all right. The city shut down."

Hampton said Americans are on high alert post-Sept. 11. "We're on alert, looking around, a lot more cautious now," he said. "We don't want to be caught in a situation and not prepared again."

Nancy Kerr Mueller, 38

Nancy Kerr Mueller (top right), 38, of Ferndale has three children. The oldest was just about to turn 1 when the first plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.

"Conner was an infant, and I was at the house, feeding him, when my husband called from work and said, 'Babe, turn on the TV,' " Kerr Mueller said. "I told him I was in the middle of something. He said, 'Seriously, turn on the TV.' I did. ... I started crying."

For Kerr Mueller, raising three children in a post-Sept. 11 world, she said it's important to learn about the differences in the world.

"We need to become more global and learn about interacting and reacting with other people," she said. "We have to look at the world with a kinder heart. It's really important to teach our children to understand (Sept. 11) and learn from it."