When terrorists attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, journalists did what they are trained to do.

They stepped aside from the day’s assignments and shifted gears to tell a story that would impact all Americans. Many rushed to the scenes of the attacks. Others sought out law enforcement and terrorism sources. Some found local angles.

Twenty-five years later, the memories still are vivid. Here are their stories.

MARIE DeNOIA ARONSOHN: Inside our newsroom — shaky determination. Information, phone calls, field reporters deploying to locations. Off-air recordings. more

AARON CHIMBEL: What I do remember is how proud we were as students to produce one of the finest issues in the newspaper’s now nearly 125-year history. We knew the world had just changed and our work mattered. more

ZACK FINK: Over the next several hours we watched as the guard was mobilized to support the nation’s air defense systems. Fighter jets had been scrambled, and the guard played a key role flying military and VIP’s in the region because the air space for all commercial flights had been shut down. more

DONALD GILLILAND: We started making phone calls to see if anyone in our coverage area had loved ones in New York or D.C. or knew of anyone who did. We found several people who did, got their stories, and put together a story for the next day’s front page that offered a local angle on the national news. more

ERIC J. GREENBERG: I drove onto the bridge, which was only a short walk from ground zero. Smoke, ash and debris filled the air. It was like a scene from one of those nuclear apocalyptic science fiction movies. more

JIM HOOKER: I don’t recall who I stood there with in disbelief as we moved from the conference room to the newsroom staring in disbelief at the TVs lined up on a wall in the newsroom that were trained on every station, which in turn were all running video of the first plane that hit the North Tower with no explanation as to what we were seeing unfold before our eyes. more

DEBORAH HOWLETT: When it became clear that this was a terrorist act, I talked to the national desk and they asked me to head to the Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower) another iconic tall building in the U.S., in case there were multiple attacks. I remember rushing toward the building as everybody else was fleeing. more

LOUIS JACOBSON: It was a Tuesday, and my publication, National Journal — a weekly magazine — had already finished much of the next issue, which was to be put to bed on Thursday, Sept. 13. We immediately went into a meeting to figure out what to write. It was the only time we ever scrapped an issue, and put one together start to finish, in two days. more

HERB JACKSON: My newspaper in North Jersey was dealing with the story of a lifetime. Some staffers lived in New York City and wrote first-hand about being engulfed in dust fleeing the collapsing towers. more

LISA ROBERT LEWIS: No one had to call them in; they all raced to the office after hearing the news. Many were young; a few were veterans. more

JOSH MARGOLIN: When I think back to 9/11, it’s the visuals that rush to mind: the burning buildings that we could see from so many miles away; the cloud of smoke staring right at me in the middle of the night. The silent crowded streets. more

ROBERT J. McCARTHY: Late that afternoon, I reported to a still buzzing newsroom — feeding on the energy of a big story. Managing Editor Ed Cuddhy was heading home around 7 p.m. when he stopped by a group of reporters. “Quite a day,” he said. “Quite a day.” more

AMY MORITZ: We were glued to the television. I called my sports editor back in Buffalo and told him where I was. While we had an outstanding reporter, Jerry Zremski, as the paper’s Washington, D.C. bureau chief and correspondent, I offered to help if there was any on-the-ground reporting we needed. more

BRIAN MORITZ: Once the scope of the day became clear, there was only one thing to do. Go to the newsroom. It’s what journalists do. more

BILL REED: One of my toughest and most controversial decisions was to run a photo nearly half a broadsheet newspaper page showing people who had jumped from the flaming, smoking Towers, captured in midair. more

STACIE SHERMAN: Many of us had covered tragic events before: hurricanes, car crashes, murders. But what we were seeing on television was something we had never seen. more

KATE WELSHOFER: My body remembers the tension of driving to the station followed by the familiar relief the busyness of breaking news provides. The buzz of the newsroom helped drown out the deafening quiet everywhere else, a small comfort. more