145 20 7169 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Just another day in English class, i wasnt paying any attention whatsoever. Instead, i had brought my favorite Tom Clancy book from home, and i was reading Debt of Honor. In that book, a Japanese airline pilot flies his 747 into the Capitol Building during the State of the Union address. When the PA clicked on, and the voice of our principal, Mr. Healey, came over the speakers, it was pretty obvious to everyone that there was something very wrong. Slowly, Mr. Healey explained to us what tragedy had befallen our great nation, and when he was finished, all of us were in utter shock. i leaned back against the wall (sitting in the back DOES have some advantages), and just took a second to come to terms w/ what was happening. Needless to say, no more learning was attempted the rest of the day. the time we learned of the attack was 10:04. The PA scratched and buzzed again, as our principal reminded us that because of our close proximity to Washington, many of our students' parents may have been injured in the Pentagon attack, and he was allowing anyone w/ relatives near the Pentagon to call their family down in the main office. My Dad works at the Defense Information Service Agency, DISA, which is a few streets away from the Pentagon. I got permission from my teacher and left class. When i got to the office, you would think that a war had started. Hell, i guess that a war HAD started, but that wasnt on my mind as i made my way through the crowds, to a spare telephone. i called my mom, and made sure that my dad was okay, and then, only then, did i think about the consequences of this. Something big had gone down, and i wanted to know what it was. My 3rd period class consisted of my teacher recieving updates over the phone from his wife, and telling us the news. World Trade Center had been hit, 6000 missing or dead. The Pentagon was still on fire, hundreds gone there too. I saw several of my friends who were volunteer firefighters leaving school to go help fight the fires at the Pentagon, and it was a real learning experience. i think that i grew up more that day than in the past 2 years. I looked at my friend, Sean, who was on his way to DC, and no words were exchanged. He knew what he had to do, and nothing else mattered except fulfilling his duty. He flashed me a thumbs up then ran out to the parking lot. Lunch time came, and went, w/ me in the library researching everything i could on what was happening, and why. A carrier battle group was on its way to New York, various surface ships had made port around DC, all civilian air flights were grounded until further notice, the Air Force was holding a continuous patrol pattern... our country was preparing for war. I had to work that day, back when i was still working at Subway, and that night anyone in uniform got free food. My dad stopped in after he had gotten off work, around 9, and... heh, we shook hands. No real emotional display. The time for all emotions except anger had passed. I got off of work at 1130, and got home to find out that my dad had gone back to work around 1030. I went downstairs to my room, but no sleep was coming for me. I reflected on the day, on September 11th, and knew that i would never be the same. Mike Harman, Class of 2003. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story2198.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 208.31.154.100 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: The morning of 9/11, I was training for the second day of my new job. A co-worker came in and turned the television on and said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. Soon there were several people crowded around the tv. Many wrote it off as being a pilot error, an accident. While we were all discussing it, the other plane flew into the other tower. Some of us sat in stunned silence, others kept asking, "What just happened?" over and over. I spent the next few days in a fog. I couldn't stop crying. Now, five years later, it still makes me cry, and I am fearful about what might happen next. I just get the feeling that the terrorism on our country isn't over; they are not yet satisfied. Now, five years later, I have a baby boy that gives me hope for the world, but the feeling of dread won't go away. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story20662.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2006-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 4.136.90.112 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Ever since I had moved with my family to Central New Jersey in 1993, I commuted from my home to my law office in lower Manhattan. The last leg of my daily commute was a 22-minute ride on the Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) train line. The last stop on that trip was the underground station deep beneath the World Trade Center. On the morning of 9/10/01, I had to stop off at my office on Wall Street to pick up some papers enroute to a court appearance. At exactly 8:46 a.m. on 9/10/01 I was exiting the PATH train and heading up the escalator to the underground WTC Concourse level. When I left my office on the afternoon of 9/10 I had already loaded into my briefcase the papers I would need to cover court conferences scheduled to be held on 9/11 in a lower Manhattan courthouse. The significance of those minutes of preparation will remain with me forever. Knowing I could proceed directly to Court and avoid the need to stop by my office on the morning of 9/11, I left home bit later than I had the day before. At about 8:50 a.m. I was in the midst of my daily PATH ride. One of the mundane activities PATH commuters engage in every morning is glancing eastward toward the lower Manhattan skyline, visible in the not too distant horizon as the train approached and passed beyond the Journal Square station in Jersey City, NJ. We had just been told we were being re-routed to the midtown PATH terminal station near 33rd Street and Broadway due to a "police action" ongoing at the World Trade Center. I glanced up at the white towers of the WTC and saw a large, dark gray cloud of smoke billowing out of the south tower, 2 WTC. Ironically, my law office had been located on the 26th floor of 2 WTC about two years earlier! At that point, I had no idea of the enormity of the events about to transpire. I continued on to Manhattan believing my court appearances about 6 or 7 blocks northwest of the Trade Center would not be affected by a "fire" that far away. Shortly after arriving and exiting onto the midtown streets, I began to learn what was happening. I observed a stream men and women in business suits, briefcases and shoulder bags swaying at their sides, all striding North from lower Manhattan. An attorney I had met in Court the week before happened to be a member of that scurrying army. He saw me moving southward and stopped long enough to tell me the buildings in lower Manhattan were being evacuated. Having realized my only option was to return home to New Jersey, I began to make my way westward towards Pennsylvania Station, intending to catch the next outbound New Jersey Transit train. It was a futile attempt. By that time, all bridges and tunnels leading in and out of Manhattan had been shut down under a security protocol apparently in place for emergency situations. I joined the thousands of other commuters scattered around the Penn Station area, assuming a similar scene was being acted out in the vicinity of Grand Central Station, the other main commuter terminal in midtown Manhattan. At that point I happened to look southward to where earlier that morning stood the twin towers and realized they no longer stood out in the lower Manhattan skyline. I shortly learned from a nearby car radio that the World Trade Center--and the concourse beneath it that I had been using on a daily basis-was no longer there. Eventually, the trains began to run and I joined thousands of shocked and angry commuters in a trip home that I will never forget. The westbound trains exit the tunnel under the Hudson River and enter into the daylight of Central New Jersey. They then turn to the South, heading to Newark Penn Station, the main terminal for westbound Amtrak and commuter trains. While heading South from the tunnel exit on the daily commute home, one usually turns his or her eyes eastward, grateful to see the fading Manhattan skyline in the distance. It always signaled the end of another workday and the beginning of the unwinding that would occur during the long ride home. This time the view was anything by soothing. An unfathomable, smoldering cloud of dust and smoke dominated the airspace over lower Manhattan. The sense of leaving work and the City behind was replaced by the realization that my daily trips to and from Manhattan would forever be over-shadowed by the memory of the sites and emotions experienced on that day. I still find myself glancing wistfully and sadly on my daily commutes at the eternally altered lower Manhattan skyline, knowing that the events of 9/11/01 will forever be a part of who I am and how I live the rest of my life. I'll re-live those walks through the lower concourse, of the stores I shopped in and the countless people I saw there each day, not knowing who amongst them I would never see again. At some point there will be new buildings standing where the Trade Center once stood. But the shadows of what had been there will always be reflected in my mind's eye as I pass through on my daily commutes into and out of a City forever changed. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6981.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-13 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.80.181.44 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On September 11th,2001 I was at school when the twin towers and the pentagon were hit. I was just getting out of Phys. Ed class. My teacher had it on the T.V. when I went to my next class. I was affected by this because of all the people that were killed. I am very glad that noone in my family was involved in September 11th. I feel really sorry for the people that were. September 11th was a very bad day for America. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6484.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 156.63.116.99 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Dear September 11 Digital Archive: The following is the text of an e-mail I sent to some old high school friends on September 26, 2001. We had all attended Livonia (Michigan) Stevenson High School in the mid-1970s (I'm currently 43 years old). We had assembled at a Yahoo Group organized to mourn and commemorate one of our own--Josh Rosenthal--who perished in the World Trade Center tragedy (he was a senior vice president of a mutual fund with offices in one of the towers). The following e-mail reprints and summarizes the various e-mails I had sent to various people over the preceding two weeks: ****************************** ----- Original Message ----- From: James Kobielus To: Yahoo Groups Livonia Stevenson Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2001 9:28 AM Subject: [livoniastevenson] fyi How This Terrorist Tragedy Has Impacted me on Several Levels All: Many of us are experiencing trauma on many levels from these attacks. For me personally, Josh's death was certainly the most devastating news from these incidents. My personal experiences with this crisis are best told through a sequence of e-mails I sent the week before last (in chronological order): ************* September 11, 2001 9:47am (to my colleagues at The Burton Group) All: Regarding this bombing at the Pentagon just a moment ago...I was watching the TV right outside my office to follow the World Trade Center incident (which I saw mentioned on Yahoo), when I heard what was clearly a substantial explosion in the distance...I'm keeping my windows open because it's (otherwise) such a lovely day..my house is ten miles due south of the Pentagon, and only two miles away from some major noisy highway construction work...I immediately knew this sound did not come from the highway construction work...the moment I heard it, I had a weird feeling in my gut..then the people came on the news talking about an explosion at the Pentagon..I said to myself "my god!". Jim ************* September 11, 2001 6:53pm (to many people in the US, Europe, and Asia) Dear Family and Friends: This is a quick e-mail to assure you that we're all safe (but shaken up) after this morning's attack on the Pentagon by a terrorist-hijacked plane. Obviously, there's chaos right now in the DC area, with many roads closed and all forces on highest alert. At around 9am, I was listening to the TV news on the World Trade Center attacks when, with my window open on this (otherwise) calm lovely day, I heard a distinct boom in the distance (we're 10 miles due south of the Pentagon). At that point, in the 30 seconds before the local news came on to tell us what went down, I had a weird queasy feeling in my stomach (on top of the weird queasy feeling from the NYC news). Needless to say, my planned consulting trip to Wall Street for next Monday-Tuesday has been canceled. Overtaken by catastrophe. Quite a shock to the collective nervous system. September 11, 2001--another date that will live in infamy. Brace yourselves for a nasty aftermath. Jim ************* Thursday, September 13, 2001 3:56pm (to Susan Collins, my longtime editor at Network World) Susan: I've never done this before. But could Network World please publish the attached "special column" ASAP (in the next week or two--or perhaps on Network World Fusion today)? I've written it as an open letter to President Bush and other senior US officials, proposing a simple suggestion for making free emergency 911 calling on commercial airlines mandatory as a means of stopping hijackings in real time and notifying the US airforce of the need to intercept stolen aircraft before it can hit other commercial and government buildings. Publishing this would be an incredibly important public service. Once you read it, I think you'll agree. Thanks for your consideration. Jim (KOBIELUS AFTERNOTE: The following column was published the very next morning, Friday September 14--me serving my country as best I can--an analyst aiming sharp analysis at the enemy): OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH AND OTHER SENIOR US OFFICIALS: REQUIRE FREE, INFLIGHT EMERGENCY 911 AS HIJACKING COUNTERMEASURE Dear President Bush: We need to use our American ingenuity to address future terrorist threats along the lines of the horrific incidents we just experienced at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. With that in mind, I?d like to propose mandatory regulations on US commercial air carriers, and on foreign carriers in US airspace, that can help us to interdict and resolve air piracy incidents while they?re occurring. These regulations would supplement other measures that airports, airlines, and other organizations use to prevent such incidents before they can occur. The idea is this: All commercial aircraft over US airspace should be equipped at all times with the feature of allowing free, emergency 911 calling by all passengers from all seatback "airphones." Most new commercial airlines come equipped with these phones in all seat rows, and many older aircraft have been retrofitted with them. We shouldn?t have to rely on people bringing their private cellphones on commercial aircraft with the hope that they can place calls from the phones in flight from 30,000 feet and 500-700 mph over every niche of US airspace. Not everybody has private cellphones, and we wouldn?t want to entrust something as important commercial aviation security to a communications tool that may not always be available when we truly need it. Besides, in-flight calling on terrestrial cellular systems is not always feasible, since their signals often don?t have universal coverage, or the speed at which calls are handed off from cell-to-cell at 500-700 mph would increase the likelihood of disruptive or failed call handoffs. If every passenger on a commercial aircraft over US airspace can count on using their seatback airphones for free in hijacking emergencies, you have increased the number of "real-time reporters" who can contact authorities-especially, the US air force-who can take measures to intercept a runaway aircraft before it can target commercial and/or government buildings. Also, you will have plenty of information on the perpetrators that can be used to prosecute them after the incident. This is not a difficult or expensive remedy to implement. The airphone carriers can implement it in a heartbeat through a simple reprogramming of their billing systems. The airlines would certainly welcome any measure that allows passengers to report hijacking incidents immediately in cases where pilots and crews are incapacitated. Similarly, if potential hijackers know they are being reported to authorities in real time, they might think twice about pulling stunts like these criminals got away with on September 11. I suspect that all civilized nations will want to follow our lead and make such regulations mandatory. But somebody needs to lead the way, and that should be the United States. The present pain is ours, and the world?s waiting for us to take the initiative without delay. Please consider this suggestion closely. It would make a huge difference in our ability to stop this madness, and in our ability to make our friendly skies friendly once again. Sincerely, James G. Kobielus ************* Friday, September 14, 2001 4:23pm (to people I knew/loved in college in Michigan) Dear Friends: A modest proposal just conceived yesterday and published today. Amazing what a good idea and good timing can do. Point your browsers at: http://www.nwfusion.com/columnists/2001/0914kobielus.html Please read this proposal and its full context with all nuances. I'm not addressing the total universe of all possible threats. Just the shit we had to endure three days ago. The genesis for this idea was quite straightforward. It came to me yesterday almost as a "play on numbers": --The attack came on 911 --The solution is 911 More to the point, I was presenting to the other Burton Group analysts a proposal for my next report, on mobile application architectures. In the discussion, somebody mentioned the various roles of cellphones in this tragedy--both on board the hijacked planes and on the ground in the emergency-response effort. My mind quickly turned to the only phone that would be available to me, as a passenger who doesn't own a cellphone, in such an incident. The open letter to Bush just flew out of me in no time. This is my shortest turnaround ever (in my 15 years of writing for Network World) between submitting a column and having it published. Thanks for your consideration. Jim P.S. Here's a fuller personal perspective on this situation as it developed, per an e-mail I sent to some British musicians yesterday morning (KOBIELUS AFTERNOTE: referring to Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt of Everything But the Girl, but also sent to Stuart Moxham, Alison Statton, and Spike Williams of Young Marble Giants, Gist, and Weekend): Thanks for the word of sympathy. I'm in the Washington DC area. Fortunately, I'm unharmed, and none of my family and friends were impacted by these tragedies directly. But many others weren't so lucky. I suggest we all, in our own ways, say a prayer for the souls of those who lost their lives. And also for the souls of those responsible for these mass murders. May the former rest in God's eternal love. May the latter meet the harsh justice they so richly deserve, and may it be it be swift and certain here on earth. I should point out that this is the first time in NATO's history when the alliance has activated the provision of collective retaliation against foreign attacks to any one member. Just as every American of a certain age remembers what they were doing when JFK was assassinated, and of another age when they heard of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, this day--September 11, 2001--is now a bomb crater in every living American's life story. I want to give you a sense for the developing situation as I experienced it on Tuesday morning. I work from my home in northern Virginia, 10 miles due south of the Pentagon. My wife had already arrived at her job in DC, and my kids at their schools near our house. I was alone in the house. As I was sipping my morning tea, I saw on Yahoo the original news report about the first plane crashing into the first WTC tower. I immediately went over and switched on the TV near my office. I had all my windows open, since it was such a cool, calm, lovely morning. I'm sitting viewing the live TV feed from NYC, when I heard a clear and distinct boom in the distance. We live in a noisy area, due to ongoing highway construction, but this was clearly something else entirely. About 30 seconds later, the local DC newspeople came on and said something had happened at the Pentagon. That sent the creepiest feeling crawling up and down my spine. As details came in of the extent of destruction there, I knew that this clearly must be a coordinated terrorist attack. In the panic and confusion, the local news also reported a story that thankfully turned out false: that the State Department building had been hit by a car bomb. Fairly soon thereafter, the federal government suspended all civil air traffic indefinitely. Around noon, I couldn't take any more of the news. I got out and drove down the road to buy a new mouse for my computer (the old one had lost its fine precision pointing capability and was adding unnecessarily to my frustration and jitters). Driving down to the computer store, what I saw was a long line of military helicopters headed due north to the Pentagon. That was chilling sight. One of my younger brothers called from Michigan to see if "martial law" was in effect in the DC area. I told him there's no such thing as "martial law" per se in the US, but all authorities were clearly visible and on highest alert. My youngest brother called from southern California to let me know his company--an aerospace firm--had evacuated its offices near Los Angeles International Airport (the scheduled destination of a couple of the hijacked flights). We agreed that this was a pivotal moment in American history, and that the aftermath will certainly be grim. He urged me to send e-mails to all of our family and friends, which I promptly did. And I received prompt responses from many who were glued to their TVs. My sister-in-law in the Netherlands (who doesn't have a computer) called soon thereafter to see if we were OK. Her English is not good, so I explained the situation in her native Indonesian, and told her to tell everybody back in Jakarta that we're OK. Just a few years before, we called them to make sure they were OK (they're Chinese ethnics) during the race rioting in Jakarta that attended the overthrow of Suharto. My older brother works for the federal government right across the river from the Pentagon, and he commutes to his job through a bus/subway connection at the Pentagon. I immediately worried about his safety, and also how/when he would get home. My wife I knew was all right up in northwest DC, but again I worried about how she would get home, as police had closed the main north-south highway--I-395--which goes right by the Pentagon. But that's nothing compared to tragedy that has befallen our area. They're still digging out the rubble at the Pentagon, and have yet to recover most of the dead victims. It's estimated up to 800 people lost their lives in the Pentagon area adjacent to the helipad. And one of the hijacked planes originated from Washington Dulles airport, and it had many local residents on board. Many of our neighbors are in the US defense establishment, and many work in and around the Pentagon. We still don't know the extent of the neighborhood-level tragedy. Soon after the attack, one of my daughter's friends received a call at school from her parents, both of whom work at the Pentagon, assuring her that they were both safe. However, the elementary school principal refused on Tuesday to tell students what had happened, telling them they should go home and "watch it on TV." Naturally, nervous anxiety gripped all the kids. When my daughter got home, I had to stop everything and fill her in on all the details. And try to calm both of our nerves. Fortunately, my brother and wife made it home pretty much on time that day. We were all in total fucking shock, and watched TV till we couldn't take it any more. Seeing as how our daughter is a nervous sleeper under the best circumstances, we felt it best to let her sleep with her mom that night, while I struggled with my insomnia in the guest room. But I was impacted indirectly by the larger catatastrophe in NYC. For one thing, I had to cancel a consulting trip I had planned to Wall Street for this coming Monday-Tuesday. Soon after the WTC collapses, my client sent me an e-mail to tell me they're OK, but with the pandemonium we can safely assume that the technology workshop I was going to teach is postponed indefinitely. Chillingly, if I had scheduled the workshop just one week earlier, as the client originally suggested, I would have been in the middle of this. I had a reservation at the Millennium Hilton, which is right across from (the remains of) the WTC, and which is right now teetering on the edge of collapse itself. Also, we had two salespeople on the ground in lower Manhattan on Tuesday morning. Fortunately, they are both all right and were able to send e-mails telling us so. (KOBIELUS AFTERNOTE: Our VP of sales, Doug Allinger, had been attempting to schedule a meeting with prospective clients, Thor Technologies, in WTC Tower 2, 87th floor, for 9am the morning of September 11. Fortunately for him, the people he was attempting to meet were in California that day. The meeting never happened. Thor was annihilated (I haven't heard how many of their other employees stayed home and perished that day). And here's yet another unsettling twist. Last week, our company president was telling us about a software company he visited recently in NYC. He was impressed with their products and strategies. "And they have such a great view--they're in the World Trade Center." That thought has stayed with me through the whole tragedy. This company, and their name escapes me, was probably trapped and annihilated in the building collapses. Psychologically, I've felt like I'm at the center of both of these catastrophes. I'm sure many other people have similar stories of how the events affected them directly or indirectly. I just thought you'd like to get one American's perspective. I know many Londoners have tales to tell of New York friends and colleagues who lost their lives or loved ones, and who also fear for their safety from terrorist-hijacked commercial airline/missiles. All my warmest. Our goal should not be to get everybody in the world to love and revere Americans and US culture. Everybody's somebody's devil, and they'll hate you for what you are, with the only solution, in their minds, being your death. Under such circumstances, our goal should be to neutralize the possibility of hijackers commandeering commercial jet aircraft and repurposing them as missiles targeted at US buildings. With that tactical objective in mind, we can find effective countermeasures. We should leave matters of the soul aside and just focus on protecting our bodies. There's a time for every purpose. ***************** All for now. Love and courage, folks. Your steady correspondent, Jim ******************************************** And that's the end of my submission, re my personal experience of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. James Kobielus Alexandria, Virginia Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story233.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 141.156.223.6 Annotation Annotations to this item. Airline Personnel Economic effects Internet Personal connection to someone at site Police Officers Premonitions/Coincidence/Fate WTC, attack WTC, pre-911 WTC, worked in (ever) DC:2 Sep 11- Sep 21, 2001 Notes Notes about this item. move to emails Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: My Husband and I moved from New york To New Jersey to be closer to his job at Merril Lynch In Jersey City, which is just a ferry ride to the towers. He would travel on Tuesdays to the towers, on the ferry, for the weekly meetings held by Merril Lynch on the 21st or 27th floor of the north and south towers. On Sunday Sept.9th, the weekend before the 11th, he and I were in Manhatten to see the Broadway show "Rent". My hubsband was in a great mood so he purchased tickets for me the "Phantom of the opera" to see it on 9/11 as a surprise. I remenber taking the ferry across and looking at lower Manhatten looking at the awsome skyline that was truely breathtaking. These two surreal buildings were dominating the skyline. Nowhere could you get a view like this ...Nowhere. I was proud to be a New Yorker. On the morning of the 11th, my husband took a personal day. I can remember commenting how the day was absolutely perfect. Not a cloud in the sky. A perfect sky blue. On that thought, we decided we were going to spend the day in the city before going to the show. Take in some museums, brunch window shop and what ever the city could offer. I went on line about 8:15am and checked my email. I wanted to see if there were any special events happening in the city. At about 8:40, we get a call on the cell phone from my husbands ex- wife. She is frantic on the phone ..she is telling him to turn on the tv because the world trade center towers were being bombed..... Being BOMBED ??!! we thought we heard her wrong...As we turned on the televison set, the first tower was collapsing.......I instantly began to cry and I think my knees went weak and I dropped to the floor... My husband was speachless.......we didn't know what was happening. I had a strange and sick thought just after that,I said to my self " Well at least we still have one tower standing"... The next thing I remember was the 2nd tower collapsing. we only had a few TV channels that were coming through.. our phone lines could not get through to manhatten. We were calling our friends and relatives to account for them....the 2nd tower began to collapse. I was speachless.. breathless and over come with not just greif but fear. The reports came throgh and that the pentagon had been hit too. I thought this was it. Nostradamous was right! It's world war 3. I had to see it for my self. From my neighborhood, you can see the city. So I left my apt and walked 1 block over to see the sky line that I was just admiring 2 days prior, and saw the smoke filled sky of lower NY. It was one thing to view it on TV, but to actully see it happening before your eyes.....I can't even begin to express those feelings.my husband wonders what if he hadn't taken a personal day what would th outcome be. All the people we knew made it to safety but what they witnessed and told us of the falling bodies and debris coming from above was just too horrible to comprehend. Since 9/11 I feel like I lost a part of my family. not only for all the fellow New Yorkers that were lost , but the buildings had a persona all there own. They were the big brothers of NY. Watching all, being a center focal point, a place for cultural events to take place in the court yard. It was the neucleus of NY. It was one of The symbols for which NY was known for. Everyday I see the city skyline and there is a hole in my heart that aches to see the original skyline of NY. And It hurts to know that the families of so many lost love ones are suffering and struggling to get back to life ....but sometimes its too hard. One thing always rings in the back of my mind.... would I have been a widow if we didn't buy those theater tickets? Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story5891.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.188.6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was getting ready for work and had the morning news on when the flash of the plane hit the first WTC, initially it had been reported as a small plane. I used to be a Flight Attendant for a large commercial airline and from the looks of the photo and my experience I did not believe that really happened. Terrorism did not cross my mind until the 2nd tower was it, then I knew it was intentional. I am 34 years old with a 3 1/2 year old daughter and I cannot imagine that I would ever see anything like this in my lifetime. I had a grandfather in WWII and my father served in the Vietnam War so it now seems realistic that my generation would also experience a war. It becomes terrifying and so realistic and although life does go on, I would wish that people could become softer and treat each other with kindness, this I wish for our future generations. I believe in some way ever person has been touched in some way, it is very painful as we mark the Anniversary today. May our pride continue and a sense of peace surround us for the future and our loved ones. God bless America, it is truly the land of the free. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story3620.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.209.38 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was at work at Virginia Baptist Hospital and was returning to my office with a co-worker. The television showed the first tower on fire and I asked a third co-worker what had happened. She didn't see, but as we listened to the coverage, we saw the second plane hit the second tower. One of my co-workers yelled. Ir was clear to us that these were not accidents. A teacher of my youngest son, 13, called me and said he had not said hardly a word since the attacks. She said he had told her that his mom has many Middle Eastern friends and they were not the ones who did this. She wanted me to talk to him, which I did. And all I wanted to do was go home and be with my children, but as a hospital in proximity to DC, we were concerned we would have to stay, which we did not. I called an Iranian friend of mine in Tennessee who has been in the US since 1976. He has a wonderful boss who sent him home that day, for fear that someone would hurt him. I called another Iranian friend in DC who said that he and his family were safe. He said he was not worried about his safety, because alfter all, he has a tattoo and a Harley-Davidson so he truly is American! That is my prayer and my family's prayer, that we seek peace in the country and world. We need to remember that killing people in office towers is no different from killing people in desert villages or refugee camps, because killing is killing no matter what. Thank you Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story2696.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 204.152.32.26 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Me encontraba trabajando en mi oficina cuando recib? un llamado tel?fonico de mi madre cont?ndome sobre un accidente de un avi?n en las torres gemelas y a medida que me hablaba me relataba lo dram?tico que se volv?a la situaci?n. Quedamos estupefactos ya que no pod?amos creer lo que estaba pasando. Cre?amos que era una pel?cula pero no puede ser le gritaba a mi madre, fijate bien el TV, que seguro debe ser un avance de una pel?cula. Pero no, la verdad la supimos mucho m?s tarde y a medias. El mundo hab?a cambiado internamente en cada uno de nosotros con quien hab?amos estado en ese lugar. Todav?a hoy cuando estoy escribiendo esto me pone muy mal y promet? que volver?a a New York por lo que a fin de este a?o lo har? para, en cierta manera, rendir un homenaje a todo lo que qued? sepultado bajo los escombros, como ser personas, sue?os y el miedo de un mundo en guerra. Creo que el camino es la PAZ pero no soporto para nada la violencia encubierta bajo la religi?n o guerra santa. Los culpables de este miedo que sentimos deben pagar por lo hecho. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1360.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-08-21 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 200.45.238.178 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On the morning of September 11, 2001 i woke up at my usually, about 7:30 central time. I dressed for school and as i drove to school at 7:45 i had no idea of what was taking place in new york at that time. I got to school approxmiately 8 o'clock, and begin working on school assignments in the student union. I finished my work about 9:30, and as i was getting ready to go get something to eat, i walked out into an area where there was a great number of students gathered around a television set. A fellow student asked me if i had heard about this, i said heard about what? he said someone hit the world trade center with a plane, my first thought was that it was a terrible accident or some small private plan that got of course. i walked over and looked at the television screen. This was just after the second tower collapsed, and all i saw was a huge cloud of smoke and debris covering what look like most of lower manhattan. It look like the end of the world or something. I then knew that this was no small plane, and no accident. By this time the whole campus knew about what had happened, and everyone was talking about it. I continued to watch the television until i had to go to class. I went to class, and then went home, and stayed clued to the television for the rest of the day. It's been over a year since, and i don't there are any words to describe that day in my opinion, i'm at a loss for words when i think about, it was to enormous, the pictures, didn't do it justice. i can't even imagine the horror that those people had to deal with. I wasn't even in New York or Washington, and that day has totally changed me. I think about it everyday, and just can't even comprehend it. I do know that it is not something we can ever afford to forget especially for the victim's sake. I do know that no one should will for the 11th. So let us always remember 9-11-01! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8414.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 130.184.114.95 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: MY NAME IS MARLENE HAWLEY. I LIVE IN JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS, NY. I WAS ON MY WAY TO WORK, RUNNING A LITTLE LATE THAT MORNING, I EXITED THE SUBWAY AT 42ND STREET AND 5TH AVENUE. THE FIRST THING THAT SEEMED ODD WAS ALL THE PEOPLE STANDING LOOKING IN ONE DIRECTION, THINKING IT WAS A ROAD ACCIDENT I CONTINUED ON, I AM NOT ONE TO GAWK AT SOMEONE ELSE'S MISFORTUNE. I ARRIVED AT MY BUILDING AND ASKED THE LADY I BOUGHT MY COFFEE FROM AT THAT TIME, "WHAT IS GOING ON, WHY ARE PEOPLE JUST STANDING AROUND"? SHE REPLIED, "THEY ARE LOOKING AT THE SMOKE", I ASKED HER, "WHAT SMOKE"? SHE SAID, "A PLANE HAS HIT ONE OF THE TOWERS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER". I CONTINUED UP TO MY OFFICE AND ONLY ONE CO-WORKER, ROZ WAS IN THAT DAY. I ASKED HER, "JUST WHAT IS GOING ON"? SHE TOLD ME WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND FOR A WHILE IT JUST DIDN'T REGISTER. WE FINALLY FOUND OUT WE COULD LEAVE MANHATTAN IF WE WALKED OVER THE BRIDGE. FOR US IT WAS THE QUEENSBOROUGH BRIDGE, BOTH OF US LIVE IN QUEENS. MY CO-WORKER WAS WEARING HEELS AND WE TRIED AND TRIED TO FIND SOMETHING FOR HER TO WEAR BUT THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT. I AM NOT A BRAVE PERSON WHEN IT COMES TO WALKING OVER HIGH BRIDGES THAT SPAN WATER. HOWEVER, WE WERE ABLE TO WALK ON THE ROAD WHICH USUALLY CARRIED THE TRAFFIC INTO MANHATTAN, SINCE NO ONE WAS ALLOWED INTO MANHATTAN WE HAD THE ROADWAY TO OURSELVES. MY CO-WORKER, ROZ TAPPED ME ON MY ARM AND SAID, "LOOK AT THAT", LOOKING OVER MY RIGHT SHOULDER BACK TO WHERE THE TWIN TOWERS USED TO STAND WE SAW NOTHING BUT THICK BLACK SMOKE. WE WERE NEVER SO GLAD TO SEE THE, WELCOME TO QUEENS SIGN HANGING OVER THE QUEENSBOROUGH BRIDGE. BUSES WERE RUNNING ONCE YOU GOT OVER THE BRIDGE. MY BUS WAS THERE BUT MY CO-WORKER ROZ'S BUS WAS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND. SHE SAID SHE WOULD HAVE TO TRY AND CALL HER HUSBAND AND SEE IF HE COULD PICK HER UP. FINALLY, I BOARDED THE Q32 TO JACKSON HEIGHTS AND EVEN THOUGH I AM NOT PARTICULARLY HAPPY ABOUT THE WAY JACKSON HEIGHTS IS NOW, I WAS NEVER SO GLAD TO SEE IT AS I WAS THAT DAY. WHEN I GOT HOME I WAS GREETED BY MY COMPANION COCKATIELS, WHO SEEMED TO KNOW THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH "MOMMY", THEIR KISSES WERE SO SWEET AND THEIR LITTLE BODIES SO COMFORTING, ITS JUST THEM AND ME. I, OF COURSE, TURNED ON THE TELEVISION AND WHEN I SAW THE FULL REALITY OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED I WAS HORRIFIED. WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT THERE HAD BEEN SO MANY RESCUE PERSONNEL LOST I CRIED FOR HOURS. SO MANY BRAVE FIREFIGHTERS; POLICE OFFICERS OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK AND THE PORT AUTHORITY; PARAMEDICS; COURT OFFICERS SO MANY RESCUERS, GONE. I FOUND THE ANNIVERSARY OF THAT HORRIFIC EVENT MORE EMOTIONAL THAN WHEN WE WERE FIRST ATTACKED. WE NOW HAVE NAMES AND FACES TO GO WITH THE LOST. MY HEART GOES OUT TO EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE WHO LOST LOVED ONES AND FOR EVERYONE WHO WAS TOUCHED BY SUCH A COWARDLY ATTACK. I WAS PARTICULARLY GRATEFUL TO THE GOVERNMENT AND PEOPLE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM, IT MADE ME VERY PROUD TO BE BOTH BRITISH AND AMERICAN (MY ADOPTED COUNTRY), FOR THEIR SYMPATHY AND SUPPORT. I CAN ONLY HOPE AND PRAY THAT NOTHING EVERY HAPPENS LIKE THIS AGAIN TO ANYONE, ANYWHERE. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story5361.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.90.104.213 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was sitting in math class when a math teacher walked in and had told my teacher that the World Trade Center had just experienced something...we turned on tv to see that it had been attacked. 2nd mod had just ended and I stumbled into 3rd period to see the next plane hit live on television. It finally sank in, and my head felt like it started to spin...I was terrified. I sank in my seat and honestly, maybe as cliche as it sounds, I felt so alone. As we proceeded to our next class students begged to watch the television, but the teacher didn't want to experience the horror. Later in the period, the school later found out about how a teacher had ran out crying because she had loved ones high above in the towers. As English rolled around, I don't think I was ever that nervous...I called my grandparents and my mother to let them know I loved them. Watching the horror unfold, I could see the fear in the students eyes. I went home and I remember thinking about how small the arguements I was involved in were, and how significant life is. I wanted to hug everyone, including my arch enemy, because no one was an enemy that day, and for a long time, no one would be my enemy. I remember going home and saying prayers, holding candles, and sitting in disbelief. I was fortunate enough to not lose anyone in all of the attacks, however I am MORE then sad everytime I see the attacks reoccuring on the news. I love this country, sometimes I question it's motives, however I believe we will make it. I watched the terror occur at Methacton High School and I will never forget that. This situation reminded me of how my family talked about the Kennedy Assignation or the Walk on the Moon. I have sympathy for those who committed these attacks, and only god can decide what must happend. I pray even more for the families, the victims, and the continued missing. Love James Michael Leahy. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8712.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-12-04 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.82.101.146 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was at home, preparing to go to work. Our daughter lives out of the area, she called and said Mom, Dad, turn on the TV quick, a plane just hit the world trade center.We turned on our TV and our hearts dropped, right away my husband said this is an act of terrorism, and then the next plane hit. I just could not believe what I was seeing. I left for work about 7:30 AM, I work in a local bank, we kept the radio and TV on all day, everyone was in shock and our hearts went out to each and every person involved. I work for Humboldt Bank, by the next day our organization started a fund for the victims and their families, we did bake sales, speghetti feed, car washes, and had donation cans at every teller station and desk in all 9 of our branches through out Humboldt County. My father, now deceased, was a former fireman for 10 years, and a police officer for 16 years. I know he would of been right there to help in every way possible. Watching our policemen and fire fighters give their lives and just everything they went through esp. touched my heart, because of my Dad. I know he would of been very proud of all of them. I hope our country never has to go through anything like this again. Today was a day off for me, I watched and relived the whole thing, and again my tears were for all the familes. Judy (Pasquini)Ford and Randy Ford Fortuna, Ca. 95540 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story5423.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.12.96.8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: i have allready submitted my story....... i don't really want to add anything to it......... i just want to reach out.......... more than words can ever say more than the time that whiles away words cannot express the pain felt as the anniversary approaches again. each year that passes passes faster and each time i think my emotions i'll master but it isn't getting that much better though i keep putting thoughts down in many a letter. i try to share it to get it out, but still haven't grasped what it was all about my heart feels so much for those who are gone that i still have much trouble moving on. my memories and fears are still very clear and i still can not think without shedding a tear without reliving those moments again without feeling the pain and the strain. at this time of year my thoughts turn around to the souls of the people, those that weren't found my heart reaches out to their loved ones with tears and i wonder how they get through each of the years i feel for myself and the victims that time i feel by surviving i comitted a crime i thank god that this time it wasn't me but i also wonder should it have been. was i just lucky about my location was it luck i was at the end of vacation if it had been a day just before then i wouldn't be here to chatter and bore. i am thankful for every new day i've been given and am sure that soon my spirit will have risen but alas i am reliving again this year that terrible feeling that terrible fear. i wish i could turn back the clock of time and erase forever this terrible crime alas that is something that can not be done and let's face it in the end nobody won. i want to reach out to the whole of mankind and put a new idea in their minds. i want to tell them to think for a time of the good they could do instead of the crime. will we ever be able to just live as one and enjoy our company just to have fun we all love our lives and believe in our rights so let's try to understand and no longer fight. respect thy neighbour and live in peace and the rest of our days you may ease let nobody suffer these pains yet again and let not the tears flood like the rains. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story9424.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-08-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 62.252.52.235 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was at work, less 10 miles from where the Pentagon is located. I saw the second plane hit the WTC live on the news from my supervisors office. When the news got out that the Pentagon was hit, people in our office were given the choice to leave. I took the chance of being stuck in gridlock, and any other possible attack, to get my daughter out of school. I was so scared, growing up in the Washington D.C. suburbs, I visualized planes striking the various monuments that people who live here take for granted. I got to her school around the same time the plane struck the ground in Pennsylvania. I found myself to be overcome with grief because I knew her world would never be the same and I was sorry for her to live in such a world where such hateful people existed. I had to sit there in my car until the tears stopped streaming down my face. Once I got her out of class, I embraced her so tightly, she had no clue what was going on. I told her some very bad people had done some very bad things and I wanted her to be home with me where we could be together. Today, five years later, I feel like I still have not let go of that embrace. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story20730.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2006-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.238.165.17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: bonjour je vous ?cris de France ,juste pour adresser au peuple am?ricain ,une pens? et des pri?res ,bon courage.amiti?es . Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6417.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 129.174.27.149 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On THAT day, I was only a short distance from the WTC . I recall the day as unusually warm for September..and not a cloud in the sky..which was an almost surrealistic shimmering blue. After finally getting home..I wrote in my journal the next day, all that had happened. Here is the entry from 9/12/01 which is how I preceived it at the time. Later I took pics and continued to write. And today..I wrote it again..in synch with the times that will be remembered forever by many..I will NOT write that here...but only the initial recollection the day following... Wednesday, September 12, 2001 8:59:42 AM I didn't write yesterday because of the great tragedy that has befallen my country. I am having a hard time even writing it down..but I know I must. I just can't seem to get away from the emotions that are a result of all that has happened. I am having a very hard time praying..tho I know that ultimately, that is what I need to do. First of all, my WTC story... I caught the ferry at my usual time of 8:30 a.m. The ride from Port Liberte to the foot of Wall St. took just about 10 minutes. I remember looking at my watch because I've been trying to improve my walking time. As I was approaching Hanover Sq. Park ..about 8:45..a shower of debris began falling from the sky. I was sure it was a fire somewhere..but didn't even consider that it was what it was. The ash kept falling for the remainder of my walk to my office. Made it in record time! My hair was gritty with the fallen ash..and my white blouse covered at the shoulders. I took the elevator to my floor(10) and Kerene, our receptionist was on the phone. I let her know that something was going on, still thinking that there was a major fire somewhere. I booted up my machine, and dialed Scott (my husband..a post production editor for CBS News). As I was talking to him, there was an explosion..the time..now infamous was 9:03 a.m. I told him that our building was rocked.. "Yes..I can see it" he said. At that moment fear overwhelmed me. I yelled at Kerene that I thought it was time to get out. Told Scott that I was getting out..and hung up. I was never able to talk to Scott again until I got home 2+ hours later. Back at the office, I suggested that we go downstairs until we knew what was going on. Another co-worker, Larry was for waiting until we knew more. In the midst of the conversation the announcement came over the fire system "EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY". Kerene and I made our way to the fire escape and went down. Briefly checking on our fellows on the 6th Floor. I am most thankful that it was an easy 10 floors down. There was no panic..outwardly any way. I'm assuming that at the time, the majority of us didn't know exactly what had transpired. Having passed a TV, I had learned the the WTC was on fire..but didn't know how or why. Upon gathering in front of the building, fellow employees gathered with those that hadn't made it up to the office. It was there that I learned a bit more about what happened and asked if it was ok to leave. At the time, I was just thinking that I had to get home..and find out where my husband was, and if he was ok...and of course cell phones were useless. For a moment, I was drawn up Broadway toward the WTC..almost hypnotized. I think I was just following the crowd..or perhaps being pulled. We were free from work and wanted to see. The mass of people gravitating in that direction was amazing. A few seconds later, I made my way to the wall of a building and worked my way back down Exchange Place..the way I had come less than a 1/2 hour earlier. Going down Exchange Place/Alley to Broad Street, the debris was thick on the street and in the air. Smoke filled the sky above, that was only a short time ago, the bluest of late summer blue. I worked my way to Beaver Street and back toward Hanover Square Park..tears running down my face. I saw bodies! ..and bits and pieces of people and their lives. I don't know why now, and perhaps I'll never know, but I stopped and picked up some of the paper scattered in the park itself. I stuffed it in my purse and continued on down the street. Just as I was coming to the corner at Water Street, my cell rang. I was hoping it was my husband who I had abruptly hung up on. Instead it was my sister calling from NV. She wanted to know if I was ok...let her know I was on my way to the ferry and home..asked her to call everyone and let them know I was ok..and hugged and kissed. While waiting to cross Water St. I tried frantically to call Scott on the cell. Of course, it still didn't work. ..and even now I wonder how my sister got connected. Passing the building at 75 Water Street, there was a bank of public phones. I thought of stopping, but the 10 or so phones each had lines that were 5 deep with people..and there were some that were so anxious and scared that tempers were flaring. I continued down Old Slip toward South Street. Above me on the FDR I could hear the beginning of chaos. Before I reached reach Pier 11 (Wall St and South St) there is a fire station. on the west side of the street; Company 11 or 15..I can't remember. As I write this, on the third day, I wonder and hope and pray that I shall see them when it is time to return. There were always FDNY folks out there..washing the trucks or maintaining equipment. I don't recall what was going on at the time. I realize now that I was in shock. I reached the pier where my ferry departs. Pier 11 is a hub for a number of commuter ferries. When I arrived there was a mob. All I was truly concerned about was getting on my "normal" ferry back to Port Liberte and home. Very quickly NY Waterway ferries were arriving. The pier and landing barges were very crowded. Our NY DOT director was doing his very best to maintain a semblance of order. Unfortunately he was vastly outnumbered. Until that day regular ferry riders had referred to him as "the dock nazi". If you see him, let him know that I, for one, will NEVER refer to him that way again. I gingerly made my way down the (DOT forbidden) barge and was very near to where my boat would dock. This was at 10:30 ...nearly an hour after I had arrived at Pier 11. As a boat, hopefully mine, was pulling up, I could see down Wall St. There was a HUGE roiling dust brown, reddish cloud coming toward me!!! ..and the Pier. The barge started rocking and very quickly the great cloud was upon me. At about the same time, I could hear a jet that appeared to be flying overhead. Visibility was less than zero. Collectively, me and everyone around did a "duck and cover" I prayed like I'd never prayed before. I was certain that my time for heaven had come. Thankfully, that didn't happen. I later learned that our airspace was already safe. At the time, though, it was very frightening. Captain Mike of the Teddy Roosevelt announced what the cause of this great cloud was..one of the two towers had completely collapsed. At that moment, you could hear everyone praying...my God, my God, my God. I was back on NJ land about 11 a.m. The anxious faces of family members searching for loved ones confronted everyone as they left the boat. Cell phone service was out and our little peninsula seemed to me to be a microcosm of what was going on all over our country. As we dis-embarked from the boat..the shock was readily apparent. The fear and anxiety that we all felt..and still may feel, so much like news footage of wartime refugees. I got to my home a little after that. Thankfully, I live only a short walk from the dock. The phone was ringing. The first of many calls from my family. I quickly learned that I could receive calls but not call out. My son Eric was crying. All my family knows I work very near "ground zero"..as it has come to be called. For the next two hours I stayed by the phone. My husband was eventually able to get through. I later learned that he feared I'd been lost in the tower collapse. I immediately logged on to keep in touch with co-workers, email my client and learn all I could of friends that worked in and around WTC. Thankfully, my cable modem connection was still functioning quite well. Today, the third day 9/13/01, I am just about over the great shock of it all. My husband was able to come home last night. I am hearing of friends and their family members who were there. My co-worker and friend Kerene, who was with me at work that day, is anxiously awaiting news of her husband, a police officer. An online friend's husband is still missing. He worked in Tower One ...on a floor above 100. I heard today that former co-workers are safe. I am hoping to be able to go back to work tomorrow. I didn't realize until I hugged my husband last night, that I was probably..and still may be, suffering from shock! I slept for the first time since I woke up on 9/11/01. I look out the window today..and it is all sinking in..my beautiful skyline view is different..as is my whole country. God Bless America Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story3359.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.36.83.148 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was at home talking to a friend on the phone who told me about the first tower being hit by a plane. At that time we both thought it was an accident. So I went upstairs to see what was happening on the TV. By then the second crash had occurred. Shortly after that, the two people who clean our house came in saying they had seen the plane crash. I assumed they meant they had seen on TV one of the crashes on the Twin Towers. I was horrified to learn they were talking about the Pentagon. They actually saw the plane descend and hit the building. They are the only people we know who saw the Pentagon crash. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story9.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-01-27 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.244.213.128 Annotation Annotations to this item. Pentagon Telephones and Cell Phones Television Coverage DC:2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I heard about 9/11/01 from my father's sister. That morning, I went about my normal business. When I was half awake and still in bed, I over heard my clock radio alarm. My mind didn't register what happened. I didn't know about what had happen until 10 o'clock (central timezone) that morning. When my aunt called, she sounded worried. I got a little confused and asked what was wrong. She didn't answer my question at first. She wanted to know where Dad was. I said that he just flew to Denver the day before on 9/10/01. At this point, I still didn't know what was going on. I asked her what happened. She told me to turn on the TV, and I did. I was glued to the TV for the rest of the day. I had a doctor's appointment that day, but I was too scared to go out. I cancelled it. At first, I didn't really feel anything when 9/11. I was stoic. I went about my business as if nothing had happened. Now, I am feeling the pain of that day. I was 18 when 9/11 happened. Now I am 22. I have numerous magazines, books, bookmarked websites and a fictional movie based on 9/11. I have the 9/11 Commission Report. I am going through these things, and I am just now coming to grips with 9/11. I would call it delayed shock, but I don't know if that's the correct term. I don't know any of the victims personally, but I am still mourning for one of the victims that was on United Airlines Flight 175 when it slammed into the South Tower. His surname was the same as mine. His name was W. Menzel. He was from Germany. My family origins are from Germany. I am German, but I was born in America. Even though I have never been to Germany, I am still very proud to be a German. If though I don't know this man, I still consider him family. It took me several years to find out W. Menzel was on one of the planes. When I saw his name, I felt very sad. My belief is that if people have the same last name but they don't know the other person, they are still somehow related. They are just from another branch of the same family name. I didn't know this man, but it is very likely that we are somehow related even though it might be very distant. I still mourn his loss and I feel very sad for his family. This man, I feel, indirectly connects me to 9/11. May all the victims of 9/11 rest in peace. May the victims' families find comfort from their loss. May God forgive the people who caused all this pain and loss. God bless America and the world. Thank you. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story11259.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. anonymously Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2005-01-18 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.30.78.108 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: When I first heard that a plane had hit the WTC tower, I was just leaving class. At first, I thought that it was an accidental event. I thought that maybe a plane had come down and hit it. Then later, as I was driving home, I heard the real story on the radio. I was in extreme disbelief. I immediately started praying for all the people who were involved....those in the towers, those on the planes, their families...everybody. I was devestated. Who could committ such an act on innocent people I thought. That day will remain a part of my life, like every other American, I will never forget. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6210.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.34.139.112