202 20 70359 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 on my way to school and when I got in class i heard we were going to the church because at the time i was gonig to private school and on the campes is our church and school college,so we all walked to the church and they let us know what was going on and they asked if we all cuold just pray for what happened and for our country.So we prayed for about 2 hours and prayed for our men and women in the military. Friends and I cried because we have brothers,cousins,aunts,uncles, and friends in the military. I didnt think I was going to take it as hard as I did but to tell you the truth it was a vert hard time for me. 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 story11036.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. 2004-09-13 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 206.171.160.106 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 had just walked into the house and saw the second plane crash into the second tower,Just like other's who were watching I couldn't believe it!.I sat there thinking this was a wake up for the US.I need to tell you where I'm coming from I'm a christian,that's why I think it was a wake up call to America.We have never been attacked and have our citizens killed mass destruckion.How fast the churches filled up people praying on there job sites,students praying in school,pledging alligence to the flag of the United States of America one nation under God,even in Congess they stood united Republicans and Democrats arm and arm singing God Bless America,both parties standing behind the president.Is it like that today? they might be today but what about tomorrow?how many people who filled those churches are still going? and how many congressman our standing by backing up the President today? can we still pledge alligence to the flag? can we have prayer in school? My prayer is that America wakes up that without having a relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and stand against all the immorality and repent of our sins we have a lot more to fear than terroism.This probly won't get printed but I least I gave it my best shot. Thanks Timothy Salsedo 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 story5960.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: My name is Arlene Bennett and I am 60 years old. As I reflect back on the remembrace of this historical event of 911, it just seemed like yesterday. It all began when my older daughter, Bonny Carmody called me to tell me the startling news of the first crash around 8:45 AM on September 11, 2001. She wanted to alert us of this tragic event and also expressed her concern about her husband, Captain Doug Carmody who is a US Airways pilot. She was very worried about his safety and where he might be at this time (later, Doug called to tell her and their two children that he was safe, thank God!). After her phone call, I immediately turned on the TV and watched in horror the second attack on the WTC, then the Pentagon and the crash in PA. I called my husband and other family members to alert them and watch TV as well. During the live broadcast and the viewing of these "horristic" attacks, we were all in a state of shock and mourning for days. We often prayed and had outbursts of sobs and tears for all the victims in the WTC, Pentagon, Crash, Firefighters, ER Rescue Teams and others who perished in this terrible event. How very brave and gallent were the rescue workers who strived to save the victims and for the passengers on the plane with the last words ringing out "lets roll" to prevent another fatal attack on the capitol. There was a foreboding of war and it seemed that these were some of the darkest hours spent in America and it was a time of great mourning, suffering, and grief for our Nation. Yet, as true Americans, we knew we would not stand back and let this happen without a fight to defend our country. My family greatly admired our President Bush for his fortitude and admirable leadership during this terrible crisis as well as the other highly outstanding leaders especially, Mayor Giuliani of NY, and also VP Cheney, and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. There really aren't enough words to convey our feelings for the loss during this epic tragedy. However, we were very uplifted by the surge of the American spirit and patriotism shown by US citizens as well as people around the world for their kind offerings in tribute and remembrances. Our own local community rose to the occasion. We had flags flying high in the air and symbols of America everywhere worn or shown. We held church services and special ceremonies with many ministers and guest speakers. We volunteered to help where needed by giving blood or praying with a relative or service person. I felt that The National Prayer Service at the National Cathedral held on September 14, 2001 in Washington, DC was a most inspiring and uplifting service and one of the finest ever to be broadcasted to the Nation. Our President Bush, several former presidents, and other dignitaries gathered in recognition of a National Day of Prayer and Remembrance for victims, family members; rescue and medical team workers of NY, Washington, and PA (plane crash) that was caused by the terrorist attacks. Several patriotic songs and devotional music were played as well as special remarks by leaders of several different faith groups. The eloquent words of Rev. Billy Graham were especially heartrendering. This service was very consoling for our family and Americans during our time of sorrow and grief. It gave us much needed solace and a spiritual sense of inner peace. Even following the terrorist attacks, we as Americans, remained strong and resilent during the wake of these attacks. We preceeding with the task at hand to reach out to help others and give contributions where needed. I believe, The Presidental Address at the joint session of Congress on September 20, 2001 was one of the most inspiring and memorable addresses in history. President Bush pledged to pursue the terrorists around the world and called on us to be patient in what would be a protracted operation, and called upon other country leaders to cooperate with us. President Bush gave us much needed guidance and inspiration to overcome this dastardly hit on America. I also believe, this event was a wake up call for it awakened the American hearts and spirit that perhaps was hidden away. It seemed to give us renewed strength and courage as a reminder that we must maintain the defense of our country and not to ever take it for granted. And, more importantly, it taught us to be one Nation, under God, a Nation greatly diversified but united. As our forefathers pledged, defended, and died for this Nation based on the principles of our Constitution, we too must always protect and preserve its freedom from tyranny and oppression. 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 story7121.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. 208.224.174.71 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 had just gotten off the 4 train at wall street when the second plane hit. i was hanging at the back of the crowd waiting to go up the steps because i was recovering from a broken kneecap and still couldn't manage steps well. all of a sudden, the whole crowd on the stairs jumped in shock -- and turned to come back down the stairs. no one knew what was going on. some folks stayed on the platform, others changed their minds and went aboveground. i figured that something was happening on the street -- i thought, someone with a gun? a horrible truck accident? -- so i turned to walk up the platform to enter my building from underneath. then a woman came running through the station -- tears streaming down her face -- screaming hysterically that a plane had crashed into the world trade center and that people were jumping from the building. it was one of those frozen moments. i couldn't completely absorb the information. my brain began moving slowly. the only thing i knew to do was to GO HOME. i walked to the underpass to cross to the uptown side of the tracks -- hoping to catch the next train. as i was slowly going down the steps, one at a time, people started running through, screaming -- get out of manhattan! go to brooklyn! by that point, my brain had slowed to a reptilian speed. my thoughts came slowly, like very patient tickertapes across my mind. i thought -- is the uptown train not running? i turned around to head back up the stairs, one by one. slowly. but my knee ached and my brain thought, you need to go home. without any kind of logic, i decided to simply believe that the uptown train would arrive. i turned around again and headed down the stairs. when i made it to the uptown platform, there were a few people waiting. which relieved me. i sat on the bench. it was about 9:15. as i waited, more and more people streamed onto the platform. agitated, upset, panicked. i realized i had to tell someone that i wouldn't be able to run. so i turned to woman next to me, and said, you know, i can't run. then a guy arrived on the platform -- he had a videocamera, and had shot footage of the burning buildings. i was cold all over, and my brain slowed down even more. the kind of slow-motion shock that helps you survive. after some long minutes, the train finally arrived. we all got on. but people were getting off the train, and all my brain could think was this is wrong. the subway conductors had no inkling of what was going on aboveground -- people were getting off the train, heading toward work. all i could think was: this is wrong. i stood up and blocked the doors so they stayed open, made eye contact with the conductor, and shouted as calmly (but as loudly) as i could the only words i could think of. "GET BACK ON THE TRAIN." i said it over and over again. i couldn't think of any other words to say. people looked at me, saw i was serious, not crazy. some turned to get back on the train. one of them was a cocky young blond wall street kid in a nice grey suit. he was irritated, said -- "but i don't work in the trade center." i remember saying, "just go home. find out what's happening. go to work late." another was a young african kid, who'd been on his way to college in staten island. he said, "i should get off the train. i need to get on the c train (which runs underneath the towers) i need to go home to brooklyn." i said, "come with me to brooklyn on the l, and we'll figure out a way to get you home." he did, and i was glad for the company, because i was still worried about needing to run. once we were on the l train, headed out of union square to brooklyn, he relaxed -- he could take the l train to near where he lived. but he was worried about his mom, who worked downtown somewhere. i still think about that, and i hope she made it home that day. when i arrived back in brooklyn at 9:45 -- people were lined along my block -- standing on the sidewalk, in the street -- just staring at the burning towers. the nice chinese woman who runs the laundry couldn't move her hand from in front of her mouth. her daughter's high school was right by the trade center. (she got home safe.) my friend elizabeth was sitting on my stoop, crying, because she knew i had been down there. the building where i worked was diagonal to the trade center. it was impossible to comprehend what was happening, why she was so upset. i had no clue that i had escaped grave danger. i was in a kind of shock. it took weeks and weeks before it sunk in. had i been outside, had my timing been different. my injury saved me, made me protect myself, in a very basic way. i was upstairs, in my third floor apartment, calling my grandpa in ohio -- saying "something terrible has happened in new york. and i'm all right. tell anyone who calls you that i'm all right" -- when my old italian landlord called up the stairs with terror and panic in his voice, saying that that one of the towers had fallen. no one could have imagined that they would fall. it was simply not possible. we huddled that day, a bunch of friends, glued to the tv in victoria's apartment. trying like crazy to get phone lines out to make calls. waiting for the internet service to be restored. silent, staring, panicked, terrified. my birthday was three days later. some friends of mine, just the ones who live close by, went to dinner with me at a sweet little restaurant in the neighborhood. my friend victoria arranged for a fancy birthday cake, which was a total surprise. the whole restaurant sang happy birthday to me. i burst into tears. to be alive, to be with friends in a candlelit restaurant. the whole world as we knew it, 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 story199.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. 2002-03-08 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 162.84.144.91 Annotation Annotations to this item. Struggle to get home NY:2 Feature 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 WERE SITTING IN OUR LIVING ROOM WATCHING THE TODAY SHOW, WHEN THEY BROKE IN AND TOLD US THAT A PLANE HAD HIT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, I THINK THE SHOCK OF IT WAS SO UNREALISTIC THAT NOONE HAD PANICKED (THE TV PEOPLE THAT IS AND MY HUSBAND AND I, AND BACK IN MY MIND I WAS LIKE, IT'S OK, MAYBE NOONE IS IN THE BUILDING, I WAS JUST THINKING THESE CRAZY THOUGHTS OF HOPE BUT ALL OF A SUDDEN I COULDNT BELIEVE WHAT I WAS SEEING, ANOTHE PLANE CRASHING IN FRONT OF OUR EYES INTO THE OTHER TOWER, I HAD THIS TERRIBLE SHIVER OF REALITY THAT SOMETHING REALLY TERRIBLE WAS HAPPENING AND IT BEGAN TO SINK IN, WE WERE DEVASTATED THAT THIS EVENT THAT WAS UNFOLDING WAS INFACT VERY REAL AND IT IS JUST SOMETHING THAT WAS BEYOND ANY COMPREHENSION OF THIS WONDERFUL COUNTRY WE LIVE IN. AS WE WERE WATCHING I HAD THIS AWFUL LUMP IN MY THROAT TRYING TO HOLD BACK THE TEARS FROM THE REALITY THAT THERE MAY BE MANY PEOPLE THAT JUST GOT KILLED, MY GOD TO THIS DAY THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE TRULY ON HOW WE FEEL FOR THE PEOPLE THAT DIED AND THEIR FAMILIES, WE ARE DEVASTATED AS IF THEY WERE AND WISH WE COULD TAKE AWAY THEIR PAIN. I CAN ONLY LEARN FROM THIS TRAGEDY THAT NO MATTER HOW BAD WE THINK OUR SITUATIONS ARE THAT THEY ARE TRULY PETTY BECAUSE WE CAN MAKE THINGS BETTER WITH FAITH AND HOPE AND PERSEVERENCE, THESE PEOPLE CANT, ONLY TIME CAN HEAL THEIR PAIN AND SOME MAY NEVER HEAL FROM THAT AWFUL AWFUL DAY. THANK YOU FOR HEARING ME, PAMELA PARKS 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 story4972.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. 24.218.147.103 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 am an employee of General Motors and a Lieutenant and EMT-B for Argentine Township Fire and Rescue in Linden, MI. I was on second shift on 9/11/01 and had gotten up at approximately 8:45 AM that morning and was watching my daughter, Hunter. My wife called and told me to turn the television on. I could not believe my eyes. I knew in my heart at that moment that, if given the opportunity, I was going to New York to help in any way I could. I stopped at our fire hall on my way to work and received permission to go from our Chief, Richard Sargent.At that point, I was quite confident there would be rescues instead of recoveries. I also received permission to take any EMS supplies I thought we might need. A representative from our police department came over to the hall and handed our Chief a request from the Port Authority to all trained EMS personnel to respond to the Meadowlands for staging. We had just recently hired a firefighter named Tom Smith. Toms father was a FDNY firefighter assigned to Squad 288 and Haz Mat 1. His name was Kevin Smith and he perished in the collapse. His body was recovered 1/10/02. Toms brother, Brian Smith, is a FDNY EMT who was injured in the collapse. We spent time at Fort Totten researching the status of Kevin and Brian Smith. After loading splints, cervical collars, oxygen, saline and other EMS supplies, Tom, Julie Lennox and I departed Michigan at 10:00 PM on 9/11/01. We arrived at the Meadowlands at 8:30 AM on 9/12/01. After checking in with staging and having our credentials checked, we were given a police escort down to Ground Zero. I could not believe the destruction, the fighter jets and the smell. There were papers everywhere and fire trucks destroyed everywhere we looked. We checked in at the command post at West and Vesey, along with hundreds of other volunteer and paid on-call firefighters from all around the country. Our first day was spent working the perimeter and helping unload trucks and tasks of that nature. We spent time in the American Express building and about 1:00 PM it threatened to collapse as we were standing on the sidewalk outside of it. Thousands of fire and EMS personnel ran for their lives. It turned out to be a false alarm. On 9/13/01, I approached the District Chief who was running the command post and explained to him the story of firefighter Smith and his missing father and how important it would be to us to receive a meaningful assignment. I knew there was great concern about freelancing. I believe his name was District Chief Pfeiffer. He told us he would do his best. Because I had two inexperienced firefighters with me and Tom had the additional stress of his father being unaccounted for, I knew I had to be careful in terms of what they were allowed to do. At about 2:00 PM on 9/13/01, I went to the temporary morgue. There was body bag after body bag being loaded into refrigerated trucks. I was helping out with this task when a District or Battalion Chief came running into the American Express building screaming for EMTS because they had found some survivors outside the Winter Garden area. I identified myself as an EMT and was asked to follow him into the rubble, along with other EMTs, doctors and paramedics. A bucket brigade of ironworkers, firefighters and others was formed to remove the rubble from this area. A civilian casualty was recovered and the hopes of finding survivors were dashed after two hours of removing the debris by hand. There was still no room to bring in the heavy equipment at this point. I was able to make contact with my firefighters to get them at least involved in the debris removal process and was successful. The firefighters at Haz Mat 1 / Squad 288 were extremely gracious to us even as they mourned their losses. I believe there were eleven of them from that house unaccounted for. They allowed us to stay there and were really supportive of Tom. The response from the public as we walked out and drove under the underpasses on the freeways of New York City is something I will never forget. It brought tears to my eyes to see the outpouring of emotion from the American people. I left Saturday because I had taken this time off from work without pay and needed to get back. On the way back, my wife Heidi and sister-in-law Erica and I stopped in Pennsylvania for lunch. I was extremely distraught and was not able to eat. An elderly gentleman with a European accent noticed the FEMA New York City Search and Rescue shirt I had on and came over to thank me. I said thank you and was overcome with emotion. He bought our lunch. FDNY had also requested that no more fire units respond unless specifically requested. FEMA and many USAR teams from all over the country were now involved in the recovery process. The FBI, FEMA, Secret Service, ATF, and National Guard among others, were all deployed to this disaster. This was a crime scene. I am proud to say I was there and did my small part to help in any way I could. Lieutenant Joseph M. Ludwig, Jr., EMT-B Argentine Township Fire and Rescue 9048 Silver Lake Road Linden, MI 48451 (989) 271-9680 E-mail: lieutenant62002@yahoo.com 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 story20630.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. 66.188.54.198 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: Michael Harrison, Mansfield High School An American loves America!!! This is the place where fear, anger, hatred, sorrow, disbelief, courage, etc... comes from. It is a place no one knows better than yourself. The one place you turn to to make the right and wrong decisions of your life. It is none other than your heart! There is no other part of the body that can express and surpass so many obstacles. It is the part of the body that can destroy you, and at the same time, make you stronger than you've ever been. It tells you the difference between good and evil, right and wrong, love and hatred and by experiencing these courses, they make you who you are. No matter how you may choose to dress, look, feel, speak, listen, even if you have the worst attitude anyone has ever seen,.. an American loves America! The one place where millions of people dedicated their lives to helping those who could not, and to die for the innocent, those are called Americans. People who strive to put an end to all corruption and bring peace to all, those are Americans! We all live in fear and chaos and somehow... together, we make it a place where many can live and be happy because, we love our country. There have been many attempts by others who tried to destroy us and split us apart from one another.. but, they were always and will always be unsuccessful, and they are the ones who continue to make us stronger (even though they haven't realized it yet). The true strength of The United States of America lies in the hearts of all of us! When we combine our strengths, we become so strong, that we become intertwined with one another so that we keep that strength! "That which does not destroy me, only makes me stronger!!", I believe every word of that,.. do you? If you don't, look at a family... see how much closer we are to one another, and at the same time,.... SHARE IT!! Share the love we have for each other and you will make yourself and many others stronger than before. We have been blessed by God, and it is this blessing that puts and spreads the evil in men's hearts. It angers them, but we don't care about their anger, we care about the innocence of others. I address this message to everyone,.. LET THE HATRED IN YOUR HEART GO, AND CHERISH THE MEMORIES IN YOUR HEART FOREVER! I have dedicated my life to helping the lives of others because, I love each and every person living on this very planet (good or evil) a person is a person and, a person has feelings and realizing this, I found out that anyone can change. Even if you doubt that, listen to this verse "Through with God, nothing shall be impossible!" God is good to us and he will always be. We are his children and we must treat each other with love because, we are all brothers and sisters in the eyes of him. I pray everyone will find and harness the love within them, and trust in God as well. Trust me, he will guide your hand and with him, nothing shall hurt you. With love for all, Michael. 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 story6747.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. 207.221.78.104 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: It?s been more than a year but I can still see the image of the twin towers collapsing. I was in my Spanish class the day of the attack. I just took a quiz in my Precalculus class that morning and the day was going pretty well. I then went to break and talked to my friends for a while. After the break, I went to my Spanish class. I was one of the first people there so I just sat on my desk. The final bell rang and my teacher, Mrs. Brand, wasn?t there. Five minutes later, she finally got there with this blank look on her face. I could never forget that look. She?s usually the kind of person who?s always happy. This time, however, was different. She went straight to the television and turned it on. The first thing I saw was the sight of the World Trade Center burning. Then below it said, ?Plane crashed in WTC.? That was an unforgettable sight. I thought it was a small plane like a charter jet or something like that. The first thing that went into my mind is that it?s probably just an accident. After watching it for 15 minutes, a second plane hit the other tower. It was just purely unbelievable. Then one of the reporters on T.V. said that America is under attack. It then hit me; I thought it was Iraq attacking us. I didn?t think it was Afghanistan. After watching a few more minutes of the attack, they then said that a plane had crashed in the Pentagon. One of the girls in my class stood up and started crying. She went to my teacher and told her that her father works at the Pentagon and that she?s worried. Mrs. Brand asked her if she wanted to call home and use her cell phone. She did but nobody answered. She wouldn?t stop crying and the sight of it made me sick to my stomach, just thinking that someone?s going through that much pain. She was taken to the hall to calm her down, and a few minutes, she did calm down and she went back to her seat. I saw people walking in the halls fearing that their loved ones might be dead. I don?t really remember how I really reacted to the attack. All I know is that I felt like I dreamed it. It was so unreal. I saw American flags everywhere during the next few days, weeks, even months. I was happy to see such support for our country but at the same time, it saddens me that we waited for something like this to happen before we realize that we live in a great country. It?s been a year now and I?m tired of seeing people show patriotism for ONE day, and then forget about it the next. It?s pathetic and upsetting at the same time. If you?re really happy to be an American, show your love and support for your country year-round, not once a year because you see other people doing it. But this attack made us realize that we?re lucky to be alive. This should never happen again. 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 story7764.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. 2002-09-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 151.188.17.4 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 working as a cook for a nursing home, and my mother (who also works there) came into the kitchen and said that there was an accident in New York. A plane just hit one of the towers. She came back in about 5-10 minutes later and said it was no accident, another plane flew into the other tower. My manager, coworkers and myself just held each other and cried and prayed for the lost, and the survivors. When i got home, all I could concentrate on was the news, I sat and cried and cried with my family, and we all prayed for the loved ones that were at lost, and all the children that had died. I was really scared when I found out about the Pentagon and then Pa., still today it send cold chills rushing down my spine. I did not know any that had lost their lives, but I still pray for all the families and victims. For at least the next few weeks, that is all I would watch, just trying to understand WHY, this happened to our great country. Thank You, V.B Ga. 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 story9779.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. 2003-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.33.159.94 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 get the chills everytime I re-think about this day! I was in bed that morning, I am in California - 3 hours behind New York. I remember waking up to something holding me face down on the bed. And I felt pain...lots of pain....I was really scared! I don't know what it was and I had never expierenced this before. All I could do was shut my eyes and pray. Pray for what I don't know....then I started crying uncontrolably...why...I did not know...still praying.....about 30 minutes later my boyfiend, who had already left for work that morning, called and said turn on the television...somethings going on in New York!!! I did...and I can only assume that I was expierencing things from that day. Since that day I have not expierenced anything like that. I do not mean to offend anyone with this story, because I have never spoken of this to anyone until now. 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 story7934.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. 2002-09-18 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 63.203.102.60 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 when one of my coworkers received a phone call from his wife telling him that something strange was going on in New York during a live TV show that was being aired at the time. She told him that a plane had hit one of the Trade Center Towers. At the time, I thought it was only an accident or a flight miscalculation of some sort. Then, she excitedly called back and said that another plane had hit the second tower. We hurried to the TV in our conference room to see what was going on. It still didn't register with me at this point that it was anything other than a freakish accident, or a bad bit of disaster epic being created for the movies. As the news continued on, we all came to the realization that these definitely were no accidents, but aggressive acts of terrorism, and we were sickened by what we were viewing as we watched the screen intently. Some of us cried during that time as I remember. I couldn't help but think of the people in those buildings, and of the desperate and helpless families who had to witness this event as it was unfolding before their eyes, aware that their loved ones may be trapped inside. It was a sickening thing to watch, and still is for me. That was my personal experience of that tragic day on September 11, 2001. My only hope is that it may never happen again. 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 story1899.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. 2002-09-08 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 63.147.11.146 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: On that day in 2001, I was teaching a classroom full of first graders. I had just taken them to their music class and was walking down the hall when another teacher pulled me into her room and said, you have got to see this. For some reason, she had her TV on while her class had gone to their special. We saw the smoke and then we saw the second plane hit. As the morning went on, the teachers would whisper to each other in the hall the latest news. I decided to tell my class what had happened in so many words. I told them some bad people had caught some buildings on fire in NYC. I pulled down the map and showed them where that was. I was going to leave the details for the parents to explain to them, that was for them to share and help their children understand, not me. They would have all heard it by the time school started the next day anyway. I will never forget the worried little faces on those children. Now, the kids in my class were barly even born on that day, some of them have no idea what happened. So, I sit here on the fifth anniversary after just having shipped my husband off this morning to his first deployment for a year to the middle east. Remembering that day and remembering why he has gone to serve his country. Everyone says, oh what a day to go. I say, it reminds us why he is going and leave it at that. That really makes someone think. So, here I sit, thinking about the huge chore ahead of me, the kids, thinking of him, the first time to leave home for over 2 weeks, and this time it is a year! I think about all of those families who lost loved ones and won't get them back, in even a year. I thank them for being strong and for their sacrafice. Remember, everything happens for a reason and in it's own time. 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 story20675.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. 69.221.124.216 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 suppose my experience was like any other. I remember feeling my day was so dull and so redundant that I would accept any change in my day, and by the end of that day, I prayed endlessly for everything to be the same as it was before. I was just leaving chemistry with my friend, Peterson, and we had entered the science hall, which was unusually packed and filled with excited students. I overheard shouts about the World Trade Centre, and had heard that it had even collapsed. Peterson and I had our doubts. the people that were shouting these things weren't exactly credible sources for the sum of 1+1, nevermind current events. I immediately thought back to a few eyars ago, when a radio duo by the name of Opie and Anthony had played an April fools joke and had reported that (now former) governer Paul Cellucci had died. I tossed the thought of a Terrorist Attack out of my train of thought and pushed the doors open into the main hall. But upon entering the main hall...the look on everyone's faces. the terror, the confusion. Peterson and I looked at each other, and I said, "...they're not kidding." Without even thinking, we rushed to the closest teacher department, which was the math department. There were 4 other teachers in there, all of whom who would've screamed at us to get the hell out under any other circumstances. But that day, they didn't even look at us. All seven of us were huddled over a tiny radio, and that's when I heard it: "At about a quarter to nine, a plane hit the world trade center, followed shortly by another that hit the other tower. Not long after, both towers collapsed, filling all of the surrounding area with an impearmiable fog and the askes of what is undoubtably the fragments of the dead." Peterson and I went to MAth right after, and announced the news to the class, and shortly after, the school recieved something I hoped my generation would avoid. the Principal's announcement. The principals of 1942 announced it. the principals of 1962, 1969, and now, 2001 have announced it. I was afraid to hear it, to come to the full realization that my country was in peril, that my country is under attack. I didn't eat that whole day. I just sat in front of the TV's in the library, watching. I sat on my bed in front of my TV, watching. I couldn't turn away for weeks. Who did this? Why? What did we do? What are we doing about this? When can I laugh again? I soon found out that I had lost no one, and at the time, the death estimation was 5,000, and an extreme guilt overcame me. That day I decided to write a play about september 11th, and now, I have started it, and hopefully, when I get out of college, I'll be able to put it out and send everyone my own interpretation and emotion during that day. But my biggest hope is that everyone will remember that sense of unity during the months following september eleventh. I remember thinking it odd that it was a tuesday. I remember the flags everywhere. I remember putting out my candle. But most of all, I remember hearing that national anthem in UT stadium, and seeing grown men; tough, gritty, hard grown men from Texas, staring intently at that flag with their chins held high and hands held proudly over their hearts, singing. And I remember that feeling of pride that came over me, and it was then, that I immediately knew that we had won. 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 story1929.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. 2002-09-08 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.61.32.207 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 story starts in my third period class at Irving Middle School. I was in math class with Mrs. Cable, my math teacher. Then all of sudden the door burst open, and a lady whom I didn?t know, came in and spoke to Mrs. Cable in a really low whisper. Then she ran from the room. No one really knew why she did, but we didn?t care?at the time. A few minutes later an administrator came in and took us out to the ?teen living? room, which had this living room area with a TV. When we got there, Mrs. Cable was there, along with both of the ?teen living? teachers. We all got in, and were all very confused at what was going on. We had no idea. It was like, 10:30 or so by now. Mrs. Cable was silently crying. Then she all of a sudden bursts into tears, and when everyone tries to ask her what was wrong, another teacher spoke up saying, ?Nothing, nothings wrong?. Then Mrs. Cable broke out and said, ?They are going to find out sooner or later.? She proceeded to tell us about the plane that hit the World Trade Center. Then she told us of the plane that hit the Pentagon. All of sudden a boy named Josh stood up and screamed, ?NOOO MY DADDY?S IN THERE?. And began saying, ?I need to call my mom. Let me call my mom.? But she wasn?t there. I can still remember the panic of this kid. By this time tears were streaming down his face. And he was trying to run. Where too? Who knows? Home presumably. But the teachers wouldn?t let him leave. All this time he was screaming, ?Daddy, I want my daddy.? After lunch I went to my Science class. Mrs. Novak who was my teacher kept saying, it doesn?t matter; we need to work on science. You can watch it when you get home, but no one was paying attention to a word she had said. The only thing we cared about was the chaos that was going on in New York and DC. Finally, we won, and she turned on the TV and to our dismay we found out that another plane had hit the other Tower. It was devastating. Only now do I realize what an impact that has had in my life, and on the lives of the people around me, especially my dad, a retired army LT Col. He had several friends who were in the Pentagon when the plane hit, and one close friend who was opening the door to his office when it hit, and he was blown out. The door saved his life; he was the only one in his office to survive. 9/11 was defiantly a tragedy. Those who did the attacks should be punished, but now only God can punish them, but I know he will forgive them. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. I remember smelling the smoke from my house, which is less than 15 miles from the Pentagon. It was awful?. 9/11 we will remember 9/11 we will remember 9/11 we will remember 9/11 we will remember 9/11 we will remember 9/11 we will remember 9/11 we will remember 9/11 we will remember 9/11 we will remember 9/11 we will remember Justin Brooks age 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 story10870.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. 2004-09-10 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 151.188.16.21 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 at my desk when I heard the first plane hit, although at the time I thought it was a car backfiring (we usually have the windows open and hear a lot of street noise). About 2 minutes later a female coworker came in and said a plane had hit a tower. We are on the 26th floor and could see the towers by looking directly over city hall, we had no buildings in the way. As we watched the papers falling and the smoke being pulled over towards Brooklyn 2 female coworkers left; and I remember that most people left in the office were saying that it could not have been an accident. In typical NY fashion 4 guys (me included) were huddled at a window looking out and up at the WTC; one said that he was going back to his desk to get his coffee and another went to answer his phone. While the 2 of us left at the window continued to watch we saw the second plane come right up out of the south and disintegrate into a huge fireball, I don't remember hearing anything, just one second the plane was impossibly close to the building and the next it was gone. We looked at each other and knew that these were definitely not accidents. I then went back to my desk and spoke to my cousin in midtown and my mother who was living in London at the time; I tried to call home (Queens) but couldn't get through. I called my cousin in midtown again and told him that we would be leaving soon and asked if he could continue to try my wife. We received word that we had to vacate the building; my immediate boss and I (the only ones left) shut down all the computers, lights, and anything else we could think of because we could sense that we might not be back for a while. Outside I stopped to have a cigarette before I started to walk all the way uptown to cross the 59th Street bridge (I live in Queens and figured that Queens BLVD would be the best place to get picked up to get home). On the way uptown I walked along Broadway right in the middle of the street, after a few minutes I stopped turning around to look at the burning WTC. I remember seeing people coming out of stores with little disposable cameras and heading down to the WTC, but they didn't look like rescue workers or photojournalists...About the time I reached 35th Street I tried my wife again (no service), and then my cousin who worked on 47th Street, I needed to rest. When he wasn't there I got a little nervous (turns out the whole city was being let go, but I didn't know that yet). While I was waiting on line for the phone to try my wife one more time (I now have a cellphone) some guy started shouting "One tower has fallen, one tower has fallen". I didn't want to believe him and I kept telling myself that the crashes had been so high up on the towers that it wasn't possible, but when I walked into the middle of the street and saw only one smoking building I knew things had gotten worse. I walked to about 48th Street and tried Queens again, and then I started to cross the bridge...that was the worst, seeing this big gaping hole in the skyline when you were used to seeing everything so symmetrical, and all the smoke washing over Brooklyn. I got to Queens and walked along Skillman Ave. until I could call my wife; about 20 minutes later she picked me up and we went home to watch what was happening. I was not able to go to work for almost 2 weeks, and when we did get back to the office we had some cleanup to do; phone service was restored about 3 weeks after we came back. I have not been to the site since that day, although occassionally I still stand at that window and look out in that direction. 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 story9335.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. 2003-06-03 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 208.27.111.121 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 son was in kindergaten, he was doing the weather for his class on 9/11, everyday for a week he would get up and watch the weather so that he could report it to his class, I was in my bedroom and my son said mom turn on the news, a plane hit a tower, i said what do you mean, i turned on the news and sure enough he was right, the first plane just hit the tower, to this day my son still remembers what happened, god bless all of the familys and friends of the lost ones, they will never be forgoten, amen 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 story3223.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. 130.13.106.81 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: SURVIVOR OF WTC 21ST FLOOR, TOWER 1 Thanks for your concern for all of us. We got out just in time after the second airplane hit Tower 2. (9/11/2001) The plane went completely into the building allowing all of the survivors (us) included, to rush across the street, north of the Financial Center. We stood there for a short while watching the towering inferno. I saw people jumping from the gash of Tower 1. All of the USS staff exited the building safely and are alive. <Note that 9/11 = 911 code-emergency> Stepping back to the beginning, approx 8:45am, I was looking for a file to support an expense on our July reports. Suddenly, I heard a muffled explosion with echoed report, rocking the tower at least a foot, back and forth, like an amusement park ride. I was thrown against a desk. All filing cabinets slid open. I tried to close them but there were too many. Roger said later to us that he thought that the tower was going to fall. It didn't, allowing us to exit to the stairs, but not until I turned off my computer properly, and coming back again in my office to get as many towels I could get to cover our faces, on the lightly Smokey stairwell. I forgot to douse the towels with water, but it was better than nothing. Amazingly I thought we were going to come back sometime, like in 1993. It was hard to think, to take anything out with me. Going down the stairs, we went through water coming from the sprinklers and ceiling cascading down the stairs. People suddenly stopped moving down and I thought the worse, as I thought there was bomb damage below us and we were going right towards it. I was full of anxiety in my thoughts. We started to move again and finally I saw daylight, out from the stairwell door on the plaza level, overlooking the elevators. There were bodies near the 1993 Memorial on the plaza outside. The huge windows were all cracked with gaping holes. We then were following each other slowly down the still moving escalator, people screamed to go down faster toward the WTC Marriott Hotel entrance. We were led to the then SAFE, at the time, Tower 2, as mentioned above. (The second airplane hit Tower 2 at the same time we were about to exit to the street). Diane ahead of us actually saw the second airplane hit the center. She was right under it. Ron broke up from us to try and locate our other staff members, Crystal, Olga and Maritzela. There were shoes on the ground facing away from the WTC, left behind by someone and all kind of things in the rush to get away. We then went to Rogers apartment building, but only Roger was allowed up to his apartment. Eileen, Diane, Mark and I were asked to leave the lobby. We went to the small park behind the building. We could see only one half of Tower 2. It was burning, (another building was in front of it). Because of that obstructed view, when Tower 2 collapsed, it looked like it liquefied and started pouring down, getting lower by steps all the way, like a decreasing waterfall. The sound was like Niagara Falls, from the vantage point of the Maid of the Mist, at the base of the falls in Canada. I will never forget that sound, that rumbling sound. The black acrid smoke chased towards us like a freight train, leaving no time to think of what to do to beat it. There are 10 foot plus walls around the open park area. I did not want to jump due to my recent bipass operation. At this time I did not know where Diane, Eileen or Mark were, I could not see anyone, like a nuclear winter. It was an every man for himself rule at this time. Ron never came back with us. Later I found out that he was OK. The air was getting dark with ash and smoke. I went left to the wall, and saw a table on the ground below. I went over the wall onto the table. I could not see, except for a partial outline of a door frame. I grabbed the frame and pulled it open against people on the other side trying to shut it, to keep the dust out and to limit the people who could get in, lest the room fill up with dust and smoke. This was a restaurant underneath Rogers building!! I stayed alive for the third time, I thanked God that I was spared again. There actually was a cruller on a dish in front of me. Just me! I felt strange, but I took a piece of it. I thought of everyone else and their ordeal. All was not over. We were given water and napkins to soak with water. One man was injured and was being treated on a table. Firemen walked in and asked for anyone with medical experience to volunteer and also wanted the restaurant as a Command Post. The dust was subsiding and all of us were asked to leave. I took another folded napkin in a basket near the door, to find out later it still had a knife and fork wrapped up in it. I found out later that Mark, Diane and Eileen were picked up by a Fire boat and taken to Jersey City at this time. I started to walk down the waterside walkway to Battery Park. I reconnected with Roger. He was caring for an 89 year old woman from his apartment. She stayed with us on our trek down to the Ferry Terminal area. We never made it. Tower 1 collapsed with the same furious sound as Tower 2. It looked like a volcano. The smoke and dust was pouring towards us. We kept on walking. I was behind Roger, barely seeing his shoes to guide me. Our faces were looking down to the ground for protection from falling ash and debris, sometimes walking blindly into the bushes nearby. Lucky for all of us, this time, the smoke and ash started to go south away from the waters edge but towards the Ferry Terminal Building. We saw Coast Guard, Fire boats and the New York Waterway Ferries from NJ come to rescue us. They lined up behind the bulkhead railings. Taking on one person at a time, in the middle front of the ferry, WOMEN AND CHILDREN first. I commented "Just like the Titanic". People agreed seriously. Rogers new found friend was taken aboard first. I had to be picked up firemans style and placed on the deck. I was given first class treatment by the deck hand, checking on me later to see if I was all right. We were taken to Jersey City. Walked to all hotels to no avail for a room, ending up at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel. Later that night, Roger got 3 rooms with the help of an HSBC employee that also let us use her phone in the hotel conference room. The hotel was holding, honoring, reservations for non arriving passengers from the airport even though all flights were canceled. My son picked me up, traveling from Connecticut. The bridges to Staten Island were opened again on 9/12/01. A military jet flew by, breaking the sound barrier toward NYC. What a moving sight at this time! We are at War.......... Home again and alive and well.................. God Bless America!!! Richard P. LoPresti United Seamen's Service, Inc. Chief Accountant Suite 2161 One World Trade Center New York, NY 10048 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 story273.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. 2002-03-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 165.247.31.165 Annotation Annotations to this item. Environmental/Health Impact Firefighters Ground zero- at or about Personal connection to someone at site Rescue/clean-up workers/volunteers Struggle to get home WTC, attack WTC, worked in (ever) NY:1 Feature 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: getting ready to go to the airport,when the neigbor said a plane crashed,watched the tv,and was shocked,had to stay for days,before i could leave out of Dulles,it was so heart wrenching,i am a veteran,it still affects me, i hurt so much for those lost smeone 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 story10137.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. 2003-09-23 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.252.131 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 7 1/2 month pregnant with my son and was working at our local Head Start Preschool. I was getting up at 4:30 a.m. at that time to make it work at 6:00 a.m. to open the center. It was right before recess when our supervisor came in and pulled me to the side. As we unpacked books, he said, "A bomb has hit the world trade center." He was always joking about everything, so I said, "You're kidding, right?" As serious as he could get, he looked me in the eyes and said, "I'm not kidding. The pentagon has been hit, too. Everyone is on a state of alert." I couldn't believe what I had just heard. It was my duty to inform everyone else of the events. He received a phone call while he was at our center. He then told me that it wasn't bombs. It was airliners with passengers on them. I could do nothing but gasp in disbelief. I was overcome by grief as well. All of the innocent lives taken and at the time, we had no clue why. I pulled our head teacher off and told her and then the other assistant. They were in shock. We had to appear as if nothing were wrong for the sake of our children. I had a doctor's appointment that day in which I had to journey to downtown Dayton. I was hearing that certain streets were closed around the city buildings and federal buildings. As soon as I started for Dayton, I called my mom on my cell phone. I asked her what had happened. That's when I heard the entire story. The Pentagon had been crashed into by a jet liner carrying passengers. A plane had crashed in Pennsylvania and was thought to have been heading for the White House. Two planes had crashed into the World Trade Centers in New York and they had both fallen to nothing. It was like the world had gone mad. Time seemed to stand still. When I arrived at the doctor's office in Dayton, they television was on in the waiting area. That's when I saw the images for the first time. Everyone in the room sat with their mouths gapping open in total astonishment. I felt my heart drop and my first thought was for all of the lives that had been lost that day. I thought, "I wonder if anyone that died was pregnant like me? I wonder how many are acutally dead? Who could do something like this? I wonder how many children have been left without loved ones? I wonder if anyone will be found alive?" So many questions that would take months to answer. Although I lost no one near and dear to me in the 9/11 tragedy, I still feel a loss for all of those that did. I can't imagine what this past year has been like for them and my prayers and sympathy will be continually with them. GOD BLESS THE U.S.A. 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 story6914.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. 209.143.34.38 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: It was my freshman year, I remember waking up extra early that morning to finish wrapping my friends birthday present, she was turning 16 that day. I had a DVD playing in the background when my mom woke up and told me to turn on the news. I didn't understand why they kept showing the same footage on every station. The situation didn't make sense to me until my first period that day at school. Walking into the building, it was like one of those silent films from the old days. It didn't belong in a high school. Then we had the morning anouncements on the TV in my math class. a group of friends and I sat watching as they explained what they could. Then it hit me, the video footage I was seeing, was the last seconds of hundreds of lives. There's just, so much that I can't describe, it's a feeling that you always remember. I think it was my generation JFK, or Marting Luther King Junior moment. But the silence was occasionally broken by sobs from my friend who had a sibling that he couldn't get a hold of. I remember in one class some kid was joking around about it. The teacher didn't say a thing when someone punched him. It's a horrible experience watching the videos, and hearing the silence broken only by anguished cries of those who are losing loved ones. I think part of humanity died that day. It had to have, for something like that to happen. 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 story11356.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. 2005-03-29 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.237.110.151