Where Were You On 9/11?

As a former office holder in the American Legion Auxiliary and daughter of an immigrant, Margo Tepley’s patriotism runs deep.

And the effects of 9/11 linger in her mind, but on Friday, August 26, she realized how many people aren’t talking about 9/11. And she believes we should be. This is what prompted her to paint a sign in her front yard, 5112 Four Mile Road, that asks people to remember 9/11.

“We need to take a moment to think about it,” Tepley said.

News of the first of the World Trade Center being struck by an airplane hijacked by terrorists traveled quickly at 8:46 am Eastern time on Sept. 11, 2001.

And shortly after, Tepley’s phone rang. She, like the rest of the country, watched in horror as a second airplane struck the second of the Twin Towers at 9:03 a.m. She started calling family members. And then she realized she was home alone.

“I went into work early, not because I had to, but because I didn’t want to be home alone,” Tepley said.

When she got to the call center at the Milwaukee bank she worked at, her supervisor had turned on the television and thought, “How could anyone take so many lives…How dare they?”

Margo’s husband, Ron Tepley, helped her make the sign. Ron, who served in the Korean War, said he was talking to a man who worked on cars when he saw the second tower fall. He too connected instantly to the possibility of war.

 “The man I was with said, ‘Can you believe that?’ No, I said, it’s unbelievable,” Ron said.

Ron helped Margo put more flags around the sign.

“We should remember where we were. Everyone remembers that, but we should also never forget and we should always bear it in mind,” she said.

is having a 9/11 dinner, to find out more.