story7221.xml

story7221.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-13

My mother called me at work at 8:55 am to tell me a plane had hit the world trade center. At the time I was thinking why would a small plane be flying in NY city? And how could it not see the WTC? I had no idea she was talking about a jumbo jet. By the time we got this part clarified, the second plane had hit. We'd decided even before the word "attack" had been used by the media that this was not a coincidence. After that all hell broke loose. There were stories floating around that government building were being evacuated -- and since many of my friends work for the federal govenment in D.C., I was worried. There were even stories that a fuel storage facilty near me was under heavy guard because of terrorist threats. My office mate was trying to reach her family by phone, they were in NYC, and of course, all circuits were busy. By time the plane hit the pentagon and the other crashed in PA, we were all very scared, worried, and felt helpless. It was worse for the people who had families in NYC. My office mate had two brothers that were firemen and two family members that were police officers. Needless to say that when the towers collapsed she was beside herself. By that afternoon the sky was deathly quiet. We were all glued to our radios trying to get more information. I couldn't reach my friends in DC, and my office mate couldn't reach her family in NY. On a whim (I guess), my 21 year old son stopped by the office on his way home from work. All I could do was hug him tell him how glad I was just to be with him right at that moment. He was determined to go the NY with a group of volunteer firemen to help with, what we all thought at the time, would be a massive rescue effort. I was certainly proud that he wanted to help but as his mother I was scared to death. I also had the possibility of the activation of the draft looming in the back of my mind and I was terrified that my only son might be called to serve. From 9/11/01 to 9/11/02 it has been a long year. My son has since moved to another city just an hour away. I took 9/11/02 off -- I don't know why ... I just did. My son called me and asked me to come to his place ... just because. We spent the afternoon just being together. When I went back home my daughter (who had been shielded from most of this because she was so young) and my mother and I went to church. I did watch Peter Jennings from the time he started broadcasting at 8:30 am until he ended his broadcast at 11:30 pm. It's still too much to take in even one year later. I can't imagine how the people who were in the thick of it and survived are making it. I pray for them and for all of us.