Ten years ago today, I was working in the Lindbergh Field air traffic control tower at San Diego International airport. My job was to provide weather for incoming and outgoing aircraft, but after the second tower was hit, all flights were incoming as controllers scrambled to bring planes out of the air.

There wasn't one single incident — controllers all over the world deserve kudos for handling an unprecedented emergency operation like that so professionally and without an accident.

I'd been working at airport weather stations for eight years, and I'd never seen anything like what went on at Lindbergh Field. As I watched the TV in horror and the weather with anxiety, the airport, including the tower, was locked down. I'd gone in for an 8 hour shift, but ended up staying for 48.

During that time, the planes that, before the order to bring planes back, had been queued for takeoff were kept lined up as planes were brought down into Lindbergh Field. One after another, just minutes apart, planes came in. Planes were nose to tail on the taxiways.

Then, the airport turned into a big police and military operation. The planes were emptied, and luggage was laid out all over the tarmacs as police dogs were brought in to search. It was incredible to look out onto the runways, taxiways and grassy areas and see nothing but luggage spread like a big quilt from one end of the airfield to the other.

They were looking for other terrorists, part of a West coast plot. From what I've heard, the action the FAA took in grounding all planes averted more tragedy.

The next 48 hours were weird and scary. All planes were grounded, and yet, in the middle of the night on the second day, a plane landed at Lindbergh Field. I was in the Air Force, where I worked in the weather station at a base that was home to KC-135 Stratotankers. I'd know that plane anywhere.

So when one landed in the middle of the night…I recognized it, even though it had been painted to resemble a commercial aircraft — the windows had even been painted on.

To this day, I don't know what was going on…I suspect a military decoy operation, but boy…it was weird.

I began to hear from other weather and air traffic control friends who were putting events prior to 9/11 together. Freaky things, stories about foreigners who had been training with aircraft and doing things that, at the time, were odd (sneaking under radar, sneaking in landings at airports without permission, etc.) but that now made sense.

So much was happening behind the scenes during those days following 9/11, and I can only think that while that day was horrific beyond belief, a lot of lives were saved. (I'm not even going to address the conspiracy theories, which are ridiculous.)

I was on the opposite coast, and yet, 9/11 affected me profoundly. I can only imagine how people who were in NYC and DC are feeling today. To everyone affected, you're in my thoughts.

And wow, the memorial that's been constructed in NYC is amazing. I hope to be able to see it someday.

Now you know where I was on 9/11. Where were you?