210 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: The alarm clock went off at 6 a.m. local time, and I lay in bed, not quite awake, listening for the familiar music. There was a man speaking in a somber tone, and I didn't really pay attention until I heard something about the twin towers and a plane. My eyes opened, and I heard him say a plane had struck the tower. I remember thinking I had mistaken what he said, or that per usual some idiot here in Phoenix got the story wrong. I turned on the TV, and tuned in CNN. To my horror I realized the guy on the radio was not misinformed, it was real. I sat frozen in the bed, staring at the black plume rising from the tower. I am from the New York area, having been raised in northern NJ and visiting the city as a child about once a month. On July 4, 1986, I was atop the twin towers, an excited 17 year old girl waiting to see the fantastic fireworks as the Lady turned 100. I watched the smoke, remembering that day in 1986, and couldn't believe what I was seeing. What idiot had flown into the tower? How could you not see it? Why not crash land into the river? These thoughts raced through my mind, and I was pondering the fate of the pilot and airline responsible when the second plane hit. My mind stopped immediately. Absolutely no thoughts came. The world stopped. I swear the air in the room froze, as if every atom in the universe had suddenly ceased to move, if only for that one second. I couldn't breathe. I wanted to scream and throw up all at once. "Oh My God!" filled my mind. Several other words sprang in too, but I will not mention them as children may some day read this. I knew this was no freak accident. We were being attacked. I grabbed the phone and called my father's house in Boston. Somewhere in the chatter I had heard the plane was from Boston, and my father travels extensively. My stepmother answered the phone, and I blurted "Where's Dad?". Nice. No hello, no how are you, just where's Dad? "At work" she said, and a bit of the panic released me. "Is he on the ground?" I asked, and she said "Yeah, why?" I was stunned that she didn't know. I was 3000 miles away, and I knew. But I guess I wasn't working at the time. I told her to turn on CNN and that 2 planes had flown into the Twin Towers, and one was from Boston. We hung up shortly afterward, I honestly don't remember what else we said. I just knew my Dad was on the ground. I couldn't take my eyes from the images on the TV screen, not even to leave the bedroom and go to the widescreen in the living room. I watched in horror as people jumped, I think I would have thrown up right then had I not been so stuck, so utterly paralyzed by the events playing out before me. I remember wanting to get my kids and bring them into the bed with me, to hold them tightly to me and never let go, but not wanting them to see this. My daughter had turned 5 the day before, and with the sadness only a mother can know I realized her world was forever changed. I knew mine was too, but for my children; 5 and 4, it was the worst wisdom I never dreamed I would know. Somehow, it was about 8 a.m., and I was to have her to kindergarten at 8:15. Having already decided to keep my 4 year old son home from preschool, I was torn about sending her. Preschool is really no big deal educationally, but kindergarten is the real deal. I wanted nothing more than to hold them both close, but an anger rose in me. By now the Pentagon had been struck, and the plane in Pennsylvania had also gone down. I was furious. How dare these bastards attack civilians, using the innocent for their cause! If you have a beef with the U.S., fine, attack a military target. I know it sounds awful, but that to me was fair game. Military people are trained for such events, well sort of, I don't think anyone was really trained for such an attack. But still, they are the arm of the U.S., the fighters. I could actually deal with the Pentagon better than the WTC. The Pentagon casualties, by the way, have been somewhat overlooked in my opinion, perhaps because it was a military target and as such a little less horrifying for the public, but not so for the families of those servicepeople. I finally decided to send my daughter to school. Somehow, through it all, I felt that if I was too afraid to send her to kindergarten, that they had already won. It may seem to some that I was playing favorites; keeping my son home but sending her off to school, but I wasn't really. By the time I was sending her to school, he only had 30 minutes left of his preschool session. So it really was more of a "why bother" with him. When the first tower fell, the tears welled in my eyes. I remember them streaming down my face, and my son asking what was wrong. They had never seen me cry. I searched for the way to tell him...after all he is 4 and this was a complicated and terrible thing I had to tell him. I simply said that some bad men crashed planes into some buildings and a lot of people died. What else do you tell a 4 and 5 year old? After the first one went down, there was the waiting game...would the second go to? As we all know, the sad answer was yes. My aunt lives in Manhattan, and I thought of her. I knew she was far enough away that she wasn't involved, but I thought about how terrified she must be, how alone she must feel. I wanted to call, but was sure the phone lines were jammed, and I didn't want to tie up a line the rescuers might need. I waited until the evening, by then my mother had heard from her and relayed the information to the rest of us. She was scared but unhurt, almost deafened by the sirens that raced past her window all day. I have often wondered if she has written anything about that day, I would love to read it, but I feel that is her stuff, and if she wanted us to know anything about her experiences, she will tell us if and when she is ready. Where I grew up in NJ(I am actually a New Yorker, my birth certificate says Bronx, NY although we moved before I was one)there is a road called Skyline Drive. It goes over a mountain, and on clear days, the skyline of NYC was quite visible. I remember 15 years of going over that mountain, always looking for it, because New York was where it all happened. How many dreams I had of the city, of my future there. How many adventures I had in the shadow of the WTC, skipping school with my friends and hopping the bus into the city, exploring the streets and drinking underage. Now, it lay in ruin; the black smoke replaced by the gray veil of dust. My heart broke, the pain and sorrow matched by my rage. Surprisingly, I did not fear anything happening here, even though Phoenix is a large city, we are in a state that has no real target other than a nuclear power plant and the Hoover Dam. I could see the reasons for the targets, they were symbols to the country. Arizona has no major symbols, and crashing a plane into the Grand Canyon really wouldn't do much; it's already a big hole in the ground. There are certain images in my memory I don't think even Alzheimer's can remove. People jumping from the towers, the flames at the Pentagon, the masses of people running away while the firefighters and cops and whoever else ran in. The loneliness of the medical personnel waiting for the casualties that never arrived. That was the scariest I think, there were no injured really. Only the dead. The ironworkers running to the site to help with the rescue effort, through the gray cloud that had decended on the streets. The way everything looked in that haze...like the moon had dropped a ton of it's surface on lower Manhattan. The flag raised by the firefighters. The look on President Bush's face, a mix of horror and fury. His eyes were amazing, the pain in them, the compassion, but underlying the coldness of a man determined to find justice. Tony Blair, the Prime Minister of Britian, simply but powerfully stating that whatever we needed, we had from his country. I watched all day, and the next weeks to follow. I remember feeling a bit numb, shell-shocked if you will. I think we all did. I never did give blood. There was no need. The injured were minimal, it was the dead that was overwhelming. I recall the gestures from the nations of the world, the good gestures. The American national anthem being played at the gates of Buckingham Palace. The tons of flowers placed at our embassies in Germany, Russia and countless other countries. I also remember that bad...the celebrations in the streets in some Arab countries. The bin Laden home video of his jubilation at the success of the attacks. The smug look on Saddam Hussein's face, though he wisely said nothing inflamatory at the time. I think we'd have bombed him into oblivion if he had. America is an incredible country. As we delved into a type of warfare no one had ever seen before, it was amazing to see how we reacted. We screamed for vengence against our enemy, now identified as al Qaeda, and we cried for the starving children of Afghanistan. We bombed the mountains, and dropped food to the people. Our children raised millions to feed their children, our women protested the treatment of their women, and we came together in a way not seen since WWII. Flags were impossible to find, red, white and blue was everywhere, and people said hello to their neighbors, some for the first time. My children stopped asking me about what happened. I guess they understood as much as they could, on the terms they could understand. Until July, 2002. Every year, I return to Boston in July, to visit family and escape the desert heat for a few weeks. My "mission" on these trips is usually centered around fishing, and although I did fish this past trip, that was not my number one agenda. I had to go to Ground Zero as it is now called. It was not a question, I simply had to go. It was the third week of July when I got to New York, visiting family in NJ. I made the trip with my son. My daughter decided not to go in to see "the big hole where the buildings once stood" as I explained it to them, but my 4 year old wanted to go with me. We drove in across the George Washington Bridge from interstate 80. When I first glimpsed the skyline through the trees, and saw the empty area where the towers had once proudly stood, my eyes filled. It was real. It had happened. They were gone. I blinked the tears away and continued across the bridge, driving down the Hudson to what I knew was going to be awful. We rounded the curve and I saw the netting on the buildings still standing but damaged. The netting was to prevent debris from falling out onto the street. Every building had it. It looked like funeral veils. The emptiness of what had been the plaza was enormous. As if someone had removed the nose from a face and left it empty; it was that pronounced. There was no doubt that a central feature was missing. I started to cry, right there in the highway. My son asked if I was crying, to which I sniffed, " A little". A man in a car next to me was looking at me. New Yorkers have the reputation of being hard, callus people. Not this driver. His eyes were full of compassion, and he nodded ever so slightly, as if to express understanding of my feelings. He knew. He knew too well what I was feeling. We parked a block away and walked to the site. My son's little hand held tightly to mine, and although he was excited to be in such a big city, with large intersections and tall buildings, he seemed to sense that this was a solemn time. Maybe he picked up the vibes from me, or maybe he just knew. He's a sensitive little boy. We followed the people. It wasn't a mad crowd, just a steady stream of pedestrians all headed in one direction. The city was quiet. Having been here many times, I was surprised at how subdued the noise seemed. Hardly any horns blaring like they always used to. It seems the city knows this is a sad place too. We walked up the street, passing the vendors with the FDNY T-shirts and other things. When we turned the corner to where the towers should have been, my body stopped. My heart stopped. My lungs stopped. The only thing still working were my tear ducts. I picked my son up and held him to me, and we finished the last 100 feet in silence. When you step out to the viewing area, the openness is what strikes you. It's not supposed to be. It should be jammed with people and buildings, just like the rest of the city. But it's just open air. There is nothing there. Nothing. We approached the edge, where the crater is. All I could say was "oh my God" over and over again. I must have sounded like a babbling idiot, but those were the only words I could find. I had seen the CNN updates for 9 months now, I knew what the hole looked like, but I was not prepared. The vastness of it. How empty it was. I held tight to my boy and sobbed into his shoulder. He simply hugged my neck and lightly patted my shoulder with his fingers. I thank God he was there. I cried hard for several minutes, looking into that empty ground. I couldn't speak, my voice had left me. All I had was my grief. First it filled me, then it flooded out in my tears. When at last I had regained myself, we walked down a bit further. My son asked me where the big hole was. At first, I didn't understand, but he asked me again, and then asked if it was down by the trucks. Then I understood. He was looking for a hole, like he would dig in the back yard. I told him that the trucks and cranes were IN the hole, that's how big it was. He looked at the hole again with new understanding, and quietly said "Oh." I think that's when he got it; how massive this area was. I think he was surprised, and although he is only 4, I think he really did understand. Then he asked me why all the grown ups were crying. I told him it was a sad place where a lot of people died. He asked about the bad men and the planes, and if they were all dead. I told him the ones in the planes were all dead. Then he asked me if there were any more bad men. I choked back the tears and said "Yes." It broke my heart to tell him that. It killed me that I had to tell my 4 year old that the world was not a safe place anymore. It hurt to say it. And then I got angry. I looked out to the river, and realized that's where they came in from. It was a fury in me: I wanted heads on a platter. I wanted to rip the heads from the bodies they perched upon. I wanted their blood, and I would accept it on my hands. I wanted vengence. After a moment, I looked back down into the hole. The sadness returned, replacing the hot rage with the loss. So many gone. Needless victims of some madmen with a cause. The tragedy washed over me, soothing my wounds with a peace. It sounds strange, but that's what I felt. Peace. As if every one of those 3,000 people were standing with me, understanding my hurt and anger and fear and frustration. My guilt and horror. My helplessness. And it was OK. I could feel all that at once. It was OK to feel all of it. When we left, I felt lighter somehow. I remember how clean the bottom of the hole was, as if the workers there had swept it, understanding that this was hallowed ground. And it is. It is the grave of almost 3,000 men, women and children. It needs to remain sacred to us. I know something else will be built there, but there must be a place for them. I remember the cross, it's still there. The one from the I-beams, formed when the towers fell. It still has the black swag over it, though now somewhat faded to a charcoal gray. It's still there, and I think it should stay. So, where does that leave me? Wiser than before, sadder than before. I think the price of wisdom is some sadness, for the knowledge we gain is hardly ever without cost to either ourselves or others. But I am more hopeful as well. I see my children, all children. They have lost the "safety" we once knew in this country. But they have gained some things as well. Knowledge of this nation's unity in our diversity. That is what makes us so strong. We are the mutts of the world, a mix of everything, and mutts are the most durable animals. We have a long road ahead of us, this war will take us to places we have never imagined, and we will see horrible things. But we will also do so much good. Think back to the children feeding the children. When that much compassion is present, how can the world really be such a bad place? The children will teach us the most, if we only stop to listen. They are the ones faced with this future. Let's help them make it a good one. Compassion, love, caring about others. Let's take these lessons from the horrors of September 11th. It's easy to hold the anger and hatred. Let's take the harder road of hope. 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 story1071.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. 2002-08-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.83.67.16 Annotation Annotations to this item. Ground zero- at or about Memorials/Vigils (location or person) Politics and politicians Television Coverage Victims U.S. retribution DOMESTIC 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 close to 9 AM in the morning and I was sitting at my cube at our Dulles campus and I was creating a PO, when my co-worker across from me said that a plane just crashed into the World Trade Center. I knedw immediately it was terriots! I told him if they are hitting there, than they are coming our way. We work fairly close to the airport and the planes fly overhead all day long. I remember calling my husband who was at home with our baby daughter and asking him if he was seeing what was happening in NY on the TV. He didn't even know about it because he was watching the History channel. He turned the channel just as the second plane was flying into the second WTC building. It was horrifying what he was seeing happening right before his eyes. I wasn't seeing anything in real time because I was at my desk, so I would see it on the various sites that I could get onto. The internet was locking up and the phone lines were so busy you couldn't get through after a while.Everyone was frantic and wondering what was going on and what should we do. I wanted to leave and be home with my family more than ever in my life. Then, the Pentagon was hit and that was when everyone decided it was time to get out of here and go home. It was a nightmare getting out of the office, people were so frantic that it became a traffic jam in the parking garages. But, at this time, no one knew where it would end, if we were next. I finally got through to my husband on the cell phone, when he told me about the plane in PA crashing into the ground. He said they thought it was heading for DC. I then was frantic like everyone else. I didn't know if the person in the car beside me or in front of me was involved. What if they starting having cars blow up. It was horrible and seem like forever for me to get home and hug my daughter and husband. My son was stil at school and I fought with the decision to go get him out of school or not frighten him and leave him there. I knew he was safe for the most part, but it bothered me not having him with us. I really cherish my family each and every day. I think about Sept. 11 all of the time and it makes me so sad. I cry, I cry for the babies who lost one or both of their parents, I cry for the parents who lost their child or children, and so on. It is so devastating and for what? What did this prove? These people never did anything to deserve this. GOD BLESS THE VICTIMS AND THE HEROES OF THAT DAY!!! 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 story3058.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 will never forget.......getting ready for work that morning, going to the kitchen to refill my morning coffee....as I passed through the living room I caught the first news flash......live pictures of the first tower ablaze ...... as I watched in horror..... another plane hit the second tower..........I can not explain the overwhelming rush of feelings that engulfed me......in minutes there was more bad news.....the pentagon....a plane down in Pennsylvania......terror.....destruction......a feeling of vulnerability that I, as a proud American Citizen have never before experienced. A deep knowing that life as I knew it was forever changed. I remember the days and weeks that followed.....the newly awakened compassion and patriotism that was evidenced in the behavior of each and every American.......everyone took the time to be kind, to smile at a stranger, to be a considerate driver, all were able and willing to lend a helping hand without being asked.... My prayer is that we will all remember and honor the memory of those who were lost with our continued compassion, patriotism and our dedication to the preservation of freedom..... May God Bless each and every one of you..............and may 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 story4331.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. 68.7.239.227 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 11, 2001 I was teaching 6th grade in an inner-city Lansing school. After first period I had two free periods for "teacher planning". I received a phone call at 9am from a fellow teacher telling me to turn on my t.v. immediately. I turned on my t.v. to see that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. My first thought was, "what a horrible accident." And that's when it happened, the second plane was coming in fast, and seemed to be aiming for tower two. I watched in horror as the second plane hit and more smoke rose from the two towers. I kept thinking, "the people are ok, they'll get out, the police and firemen are there." I kept telling myself this because I had friends in New York. But then even more horror came as both towers fell one at a time. I do not remember how I taught the rest of the day, I just knew I had to get through the day so I could go home and find out my friend's fate. I was unable to get through to New York all day, so was frantic to call their parents in my hometown. When I made my first phone call I learned my girlfriend was safe, she was home at the time of the attacks, and a huge sigh of relief escaped my body. But then I learned that my second friend, Bradley Hoorn, never escaped the 93rd floor of Tower One. The entire company that Bradley worked for (Fred Alger Management) had suffered devasting losses. Everyday I think of Bradley, and wish I had had the chance to say good-bye. He was such a wonderful young man, only 22, and had so much promise. It angers me still to know he was taken away so soon. Now I wear a bracelet with Bradley's name so that he is with me everyday. I only wish I had had the chance to say good-bye and tell him I love him. 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 story4158.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. 168.184.78.4 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: Soon after 9/11/01, I contributed my story to the 9/11 Digital Archive. At that time, I wrote that "someone had written a message in the concrete dust on a burned-out car at ground zero: 'THIS WON'T STOP NY'". Five years later, I'm glad to see that the attacks didn't stop New York. It's true that reconstruction at ground zero is not where many would like it to be, but there are bright spots: The 7 WTC building has been rebuilt, mass transit is running, and New York City's economy is booming. On a personal note, my family has moved from Brooklyn, N.Y. to the New Jersey suburbs. My wife continues to work near ground zero, while my firm has moved uptown near Grand Central. We still feel very much in the crosshairs of terrorists. I am saddened by the partisan bickering regarding the war on Islamofascism. After witnessing the attacks, not only did I know instantly that Osama bin Laden was responsible and that we would have to invade Afghanistan, but I very soon realized that in a post-9/11 world, there was no way that the status quo with Iraq could be allowed to continue. I recall talking with others who felt the same way. Predictably, both the sense of unity felt within the country and the "goodwill" from other countries was short-lived. They would have evaporated regardless of the actions taken by the executive branch because, unfortunately, that is the nature of unity and goodwill in these circumstances. I am also saddened that so many appear to have allowed 9/11 to disappear from their consciousness. It is not healthy to dwell on past trauma, but it is beneficial to take heed of history and be vigilant. It does a disservice to the memory of those murdered if we shirk our responsibility to remain on the offensive. A civilization that is ambivalent about its own survival will not survive long in the face of an existential threat. Perhaps the hundreds of thousands who were present in downtown Manhattan that day have an "advantage", if you can call it that. Being an eyewitness to an atrocity sears your memory in a way that television and other mass media cannot. For better or worse, I will never forget, and my anger has not waned in five yearsI expect it never will. When I hear stories of young men and women who were spurred to join the armed forces because of the attacks, I utterly understand that impulse, and I often wish I were a younger man. I feel my only direct, non-monetary contributionone day of carting water and other supplies to recovery workers in September 2001was insufficient. In our new hometown there is a memorial at the train station, engraved with the names of local residents who lost their lives in the attack. I have seen similar ones in surrounding towns. They remind me of the many similar markers one sees across the country, commemorating those fallen at the Somme, Normandy, Chosin, and Khe Sanh. There is, of course, one important difference: Those lost on 9/11 were not soldiers on a battlefield. They were defenseless. They never expected, when they said goodbye to their loved ones that morning, that they would be slaughtered in the first battle of a long war. Terrorists are not noble. They are not justified. And they are not freedom fighters. They are depraved, immoral, and inhuman. During the marking of the fifth anniversary, there was much talk of "hope". It is my hope that the civilized world maintains the will to eradicate the Islamofascists' threat to humanity. Appeasement, an attractive but dangerous illusion, will only lead to tragedy. 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 story20859.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. 2006-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 71.250.160.38 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 a clear, beautiful, sunny Central Florida day. I remember clearing breakfast dishes and making lists of important errands to get done. My husband, who was retired and home, was watching his usual "Fox and Friends" morning show when the news broke. We sat there watching the TV as the second plane approached the second tower in disbelief. I immediately screamed, "No! This can't be happening." My immediate thoughts were of the thousands of people that normally would be working in the building. After all, up North, doesn't everybody go to work at 7:30 or 8:00 in the morning? They sure did when I lived there 31 years ago. Needless to say, I never got my errands done that day. As a matter of fact, I didn't leave the house for 4 days. We ate whatever was in the house. We were litterally glued to the TV. Today I pray that those people who have lost their lives shall not have died in vain and that justice will be served. 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 story6602.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. 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: On September 11th I had got that morning and sat in silence, reading a book, until I went to work that afternoon. So I had no idea what had happened earlier in the day, on the way to work I listened to cd's so I didn't hear the news stories on the radio. I remember when I was driving into Enid noticing all the cars lined up at the gas station's and wondering "What's going on? Did I miss something?" When I got to the convenience store I work at the cars were just starting to line up at the pumps. A friend of mine was in line waiting to get gas and she called me over and asked me if gas was really going up to five dollars a gallon. I told her no not that I was aware of and asked her if something had happened that I didn't know about. She said her mom called her and told her to buy gas it was going to go up because of something that had happened, but she didn't know for sure what. I finally found out from my boss and the other customers what had happened. I remember thinging "They're joking right?" and "How can this happen?" I just couldn't believe it. And we had people lined up 3 or 4 blocks down the street waiting to get gas. And I just stood there in awe at the sight of all these cars lined up and my boss in the parking lot directing traffic so there would be no fights. All night I kept thinking "This is a nightmare". Some of our competition did raise their gas prices and we didn't, so our lines got a little longer for the first 3 hours of my shift all I sold was gas and customers tried to keep my updated on the new information coming out of New York. I hope to never see anything like Sept. 11 happen again. And I'm proud to work for a company who in a time of crises didn't take advantage of people and I am Proud TO BE AN AMERICAN! God Bless the families and friends of the people lost. We 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 story5817.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. 64.250.206.187 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 hardest part of September 11, 2001 for me was trying to explain to my 5 year old son what had happened. He did not understand why people would willingly fly airplanes into buildings. The only thing I could think to say to him was that the terrorists hated our country so bad, that it did not matter to them if they died in the process of killing Americans.I wanted to be as honest with him as possible, but at the same time I did not want to petrify him too bad.I saw an interview with Lisa Beamer not long after the attacks where she said how she told her sons that their father was killed in an airplane crash.She told them that many airplanes fly everyday, and that a crash is a very uncommen thing to occur.I explained this to my son as well, just so if we would have to fly on a plane in the future, he would not be to scared. The courage of Lisa Beamer and the thousands of victim's family members like her, gave me more strength in helping my son cope with the attacks. 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 story6393.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. 65.173.148.50 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 asleep when the news was blaring that planes had been used as bmombs to destroy the world trade centers in New York and the pentagon in Washington and I was totally unaware of what was going on in the world until my three year old had come into my bedroom and said "Mommy the planes crashed New York and there is a big fire on T.V". At first I just said "Thats nice hunny just watch your cartoons until mommy gets dressed and comes out to the living room"I did not think much of it at first, but I just got up out of bed and got dressed and began cooking breakfeast for us, then as I was standing there in the kitchen I had heard it for the first time and the news had reported that indeed Two planes had crashed into the trade centers in New york and one into the pentagon and I was horrifed at the news I had heard. And as I watched as many americans did I was scared to death of what would happen next so as I sat there with my three year old on my lap holding him close and trying to explain to him why someone would to this to us. I had never felt my heart sank that way before. It will always be a day that we as america should and would NEVER FORGET. To all who lost a loved one that day may they live in all our hearts forever and may we never forget what they gave for us to be hear today. To the heros who risked thier life I am eternally gratefull and honored to be called an AMERICAN and to the men who did this you better know we will never fall as a country or a socitey no matter what you try to do to this wonderful place we call home. Kristina Healy Carson City, Nevada 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 story5949.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. 198.81.17.171 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 a normal day, so to speak. I had completed all my morning classes that I reluctantly attended, written down homework that I hoped didn't block up my evening, then stopped at my locker before going to lunch. At this point, lunch was the highlight of my day. The whole day seem normal and okay, until recess. There was a rumor going around about a plane crashing into one of the World Trade Centers. My friends and I heard it from a few people, making the whole story more believable. People were scared and frightened, huddled in groups and talking in hushed whispers during recess. Many were crying and scared, going to teachers for help. Some people didn't even believe it, as if the rumor was changed and extended so much that the whole point was erased and written in a more dramatic way, and stretched the truth until nothing more could be added. I can remember asking to myself and others, "Why?" Later, I had realized that I wasn't the only one who was doubtful, concerned and mostly confused. During recess, we guessed the answers to questions we didn't know. The biggest question was "Why?" I had no idea. Who would want to hurt the lives of innocent Americans? I couldn't come up with any answers. No one could. It wasn't until science class that we began to get answers. The teachers couldn't explain everything, all they could say was that it was serious. That day, we were to have had a science test, but because of the day's events, it was postponed. Eventually, we found out all the important details in a grade-wide announcement by Dr. Tait, our principal. She explained some vague details, but, like the teachers, she had no answers to our many questions. When I got home, I received more information while watching the news. At last, the information finally sunk into my head. It was horrible. That night, some of our events were changed. My brother had been invited to his friend's birthday party at a Somerset Patriot's game. His birthday was on September 11. As soon as I had come home, the party had been cancelled because all baseball games were stopped, and his dad was stuck in New York. Luckily, no one was hurt. It made me think about how this day will survive in our minds, how it will force us to remember the horrible scenes. It even affects my birthday, which is in the beginning of September. But most important, I feel so happy that know one I know had been hurt. I mourn for all the people who were lost in the terrible tragedy. I've realized this is going to change my life. It already has. Even to this day, I still remember what happened on September 11. All the things that used to be important to me are now not as important. There are a lot of people worse off than I am. Now I will be prepared for anything. 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 story179.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. 2002-03-07 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.247.251.68 Annotation Annotations to this item. Students/Teachers DOMESTIC 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 live in the west coast, and the 9/11 attack did not effect me all that much. After the attack though, I saw a change in the nation. I saw that the weak became strong, the strong became heros, and some heros would be remembered forever. 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 story8226.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. 2002-10-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.79.81.237 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: As a school teacher I was at work on the day of the tragic event. My students and I were outside for a Physical Education class when upon returning to the building I was informed. I was first informed by a fellow teacher. Then, as I sat down in the staff room to eat my lunch, many other teachers were already there, gathered around a TV watching the terror unfold on a nationwide news station. They and I watched solomely as the news broadcast replayed the events over and over. Once returning to my class, several students were discussing the issue because some of their parents worked in the City of Boston. Those students were being retrieved at the school by the other parent (for fear that the child would be upset, not knowing if the parent who worked in Boston was safe and okay). This sparked a reaction from other students, to my suprise, to want to unify themselves as Americans. They wanted to come together to show their unity through song and gymnastics. A song was chosen to fit the project "We Fall Down but We get Up" (by Donnie McKurkin), as a well coregraphed and rehersed gymnastic project was developed. The girls and boys worked together, with some guidance from myself to put this musical production together using pyramid building skills and gymnastic skills which was visually moving. They have since done this 4 minute presentation for others who have invited them. I think their presentation would be a great asset to the archive of this historical event in America's history. Children love watching it but also adults. 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 story6760.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 husband who was working third shift at the time, called me at work after he got home & was watching the news to say that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. He knew my boss had a TV, but it was not hooked up to the cable, I made my boss aware of what happened & we got the cable hooked up so that we could see what was happening. By then they were showing the second plane hitting, then the towers falling. A few fellow employees came over and watched in awe as we all could not believe what was happening. I thank the President and the Senators, and the House on how well they all handled the situations the days thereafter, as they all came together as one. Which we Americans need to continue to do. I pray for all the families and friends who lost loved ones. You will always be in my prayers that God's strength and glory will see you thru this. 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 story3705.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. 209.100.80.2 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: At 8:45 am on September 11, I was having breakfast with two friends at a restaurant at Grand Central in midtown New York, several miles form the World Trade Center. Just as we had finsihed paying the bill, at about 9:00 am, we heard an announcement over a PA system advising us that "due to an incident at the World Trade Center, this building is now CLOSED. Proceed to the nearest exit immediately." This seemed like such a strange announcement, that no one reacted right away. About 5 seconds later came a second announcement, "We repeat, proceed to the nearest exit IMMEDIATELY." With that, everyone quickly got up and left. We headed to the north exit on to 45th Street, where we started hearing stories that the WTC had been bombed. We walked over to Madison Ave, where we could see downtown to the WTC and see it in flames. At that moment, the second plane had just hit. Throngs of us just sat watching the towers and a TV monitor in the window of a nearby bank. After about an hour or so, people walking uptown from the WTC area started appearing in midtown, their faces and clothes covered in dust and debris. It was almost like a scene out of Night of the Living Dead. The rest of the day was spent giving blood, watching the horrible events unfold across the country and trying to figure out how to get home to Westchester County, since the roads and trains had been shut down. We also shuddered every time we heard one of the F-16's fly overhead, not knowing if it was the next attack. The following morning, September 12, I took my normal train into Grand Central. The Terminal was almost empty, except for the numerous soldiers with their automatic rifles. As I walked out onto the street, I was struck by the absolute silence. Normally, there would be thousands of people scurrying about getting their newspapers and coffee and heading up to their offices. Not that day. As I walked out of the station, there were exactly two people on the street, me and a woman heading to work. We looked at each other, gave each other one of those "what's gong on here?" kind of looks and started to walk up Madison. As I looked back at her, she was crying. It was a surreal scene. A similar mood prevailed for a couple of days. By Friday afternoon (9/14), we first started to feel a sense that some of the normal noise of the City was beginning to return. Overall, it was what the attack did to the noise and energy level of the city that I'll remember most 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 story2499.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. 208.36.92.194 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 listening to my music on the radio, when the announcement came across the radio about the world trade center. It was so terrible to me, my mouth hung open, and I was in total disbelief. I shouted to my manager to come out of her office to hear what I just heard. We both stood there in a trance not knowing what to say or do, My manager then went to Walmart to purchase a T.V. set so we can actually see what was going on with the world. We just could not believe what we were seeing. It was a very sad day that day. Tears streaming down our faces, It was just sadding. 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 story4016.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: My first inkling that something was wrong was when we returned from breakfast to hear a voicemail from my sister-in-law asking us not to go downtown that day. She heard one of the towers was on fire. I immediately turned on the tv and heard about the first plane. As I was watching in horror, the second plane hit. As realization dawned, so did the horror of what I was seeing. It made me physically sick. I was in a hotel in mid-town with my two small children as my husband was attending a conference a few blocks away. But we weren't tourists. We both grew up in NY, went to Stuyvesant, worked in the city and had both passed through the trade center on our commutes before we moved to the west coast 2 months prior. This was an attack on a city that was near and dear to our hearts. Not knowing what to do, I waited until my husband came back. Being the boy scout that he is, he sent me out to get food and supplies. I walked out on Lexington and looked up at the surreal sight of smoke billowing out of the towers. What hit me was how normal everything was, with the exception of the towers in the background. It looked like business as usual. Did they not know what was happening? I saw a few people on cell phones look up at the scene and cover their mouths, but otherwise, everything else looked pretty normal. Still sick to my stomach and not thinking clearly, I returned to our hotel room with a box of granola bars. We decided that it would be better to walk up the 20 blocks to my sister-in-law's apartment than to stay in the hotel. We packed what we could, waited for my sister-in-law to join us, and soon joined the mass exodus of people walking uptown. It was a very quiet journey, given how crowded the streets were. Every now and then we saw people covered in soot and some with bandages and casts. Once uptown and settled, my husband and I split up to hunt for groceries. My husband went to 2nd avenue while I went to 3rd. He made the right choice. It took me almost 3 hours to buy an armload of groceries. There were no carts or baskets left and the line snaked through the entire supermarket. People on line with me were just the most supportive. One man with a blackberry sent emails for those who could not reach loved ones by phone. Many people helped to carry my groceries and held my place in line when I needed to go back to the apartment to feed my baby who was still nursing. The cashier let me go when I was short of cash since credit cards could not be validated. That day, I saw New Yorkers as they really are. Needless to say, we were not able to fly back as scheduled the following day. In fact, we could not leave New York until that Saturday. In those intervening days, we felt helpless, like the rest of the nation, and weary from the tension of all the bomb threats, sirens, and jets flying overheard. My three-year-old saw more than I wanted him to see or understand. He asks why all the color fell from the buildings and would more planes crash into skyscrapers. The other day, he saw smoke in a field and asked if a building fell down. I'm upset about the loss of childhood innocence. I'm upset about the lost colleagues, neighbors, and childhood friends. But I think what is the most upsetting is the lack of conscience in those who thought that an act such as this can be lauded or justified in any way. 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 story1830.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. 2002-09-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.74.245.148 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: We were going through the regular schedule of events that day in AP Calc. We had put all the problems in last night's homework set and were getting ready to go over them. Then, a student from the neighboring classroom came rushing in, saying, "turn on the TV, a plane just hit the World Trade Center." A student from my class quickly went over to the TV and switched it on. For the next hour the class as a whole sat in disbelief of what our eyes were seeing. I remember initially being shocked at the news, but don't think I really grasped what was going on till hours later. Students with tears in their eyes were passing my classroom in the hall, but I did not yet feel so emotional that I felt I was going to cry. The rest of the day all my other periods were also spent glued to the TV, hoping to catch breaking news the second it happened, but still I felt that yes, it was a terrible tragedy, but also like it wasn't something that affected me. I almost felt guilty as other kids broke into tears, while I just sat there. It was later on that night that my emotions came over me. It still wasn't because I felt that the event was a personal attack on me, but because of the effect it was having on people that it did touch personally. Later that night, the news focused more on the families that had members who were still missing. It broke my heart to see children holding pictures of parents that dropped them off at school, but never returned to pick them up. Of recently married men, who feared the loss of their new brides. Of mothers waiting to her of their child's survival. But all these people could do was wait. Wait to hear the good news or bad. Wait to shed tears of joy or those of sorrow. Wait to learn if evil had stripped them of their happiness. It took this, the sight of people in sorrow and anguish, to make the events of September Eleventh seem real. Without human emotion, events, even as great as the attacks were, don't take on their full effect. Someone could have done the same thing to those buildings when they were empty and stimulated much less of a response. The most powerful way to attack someone is through harming their loved ones. The destruction of material things is nothing compared to the destruction of life. 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 story3060.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. 209.50.139.249 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: September 11th didn't seem real at first. My alarm clock was set on the radio so the first thing I heard was "ladies and gentelmen, this is a terrible, terrible day." This seemed humorous to me, since I was not ready to wake up and go through the normal routine to get to jr. high school. I acutally laughed. I was so drowsy that I thought the news report was that a two person plane had crashed into a hill. I had woken up to a terrible, terrible day. I pressed the snooze bar on my clock. Ten minutes later I was downstairs trying to find my backpack in the living room. My older brother was sitting on the coffee table staring at a smoking building on the T.V. screen. My father was buttoning his shirt and staring at the T.V. too. He said "the world trade tower was hit by a plane." It was such a simple statment. My first thoughts were: where is the tower? how could a plane have had such bad aim? how did it hit? As the news played and replayed the images of a plane flying straight into a tower I realized it was a commercial plane. Like the ones at the airport. At that moment I thought " At least it is too early for anyone to be at work! It was only seven a.m. after all. But wait... my mind froze. There was a time change from here to New York. It must be about three hours. That would make it about ten in New York. Ten was way past the start of the work day. Suddenly it hit me, there were people in the tower! Someone might have died this very second! And another! And another! Every muscle in my body seiezed up, like the time I touched a electric fence at horse camp a few weeks before. Oh, this wasn't funny at all anymore. The news man on the radio had been serious. I had laughed that moment while someone in the tower might have died. I had to keep moving though. I was running late. As I ran back up to my room, I grabbed the telephone. It was early, but I knew my friend would be up. She answered the phone. "Have you heard what happened? Oh, it's Meghan." "uhhhh... Meghan? What are you talking about?" "Just turn on the t.v., any news channel." "okay..." "bye, see you later." I had to tell someone. She was coming to pick me up later anyway since we carpooled together. When she knocked at my door, she said "I saw what happened! can you believe it? there where people in there!" She had come to the same conclusion as me. Shock. Though that school day, rumors flew as other kids heard bits of news. Thousands of people worked in the tower. Another one had been hit! Was not an accident? A plane hit the Pentogon! The towers collasped! Another plane crashed in Pennslyvaina! All the teachers had watched the news on a television in the librey. Every computer was focused on CNN News website. Though out the day, I felt helpless. I couldn't tell what was true and what was a rumor. When my social studies teacher told us in 6th period that yes, the towers had collasped I wasn't sure what that meant. I thought that a few floors had collasped. Not true. None of the rumors or facts regersered until I saw the T.V. again after school. I really wanted to see what had really happened to make the teachers's eyes look red and puffy. Why was my older brother's school canceled? What had caused one girl's mom to come home early from work and give her a ride home from the bus stop? She was worryed about leaving her daughter at home alone until nine, she said. When you are so far away from the tragety, the t.v. answers all your questions all too well. Evern though we weren't allowed to, my friend who carpooled with me and I ran downstairs as so as we got to my house. Oh yes, this was real. A picture is worth a thousand words. Business men and women coated in dusty suits running down a street as a cloud of the world trade center chased them. Some had blood gushing down their white faces. A cloud of smoke covering Manhatten. Fire fighters blocking people from running toward the towers to save loved ones. Footage of bodies falling from windows. The thuds as they hit the concrete. It was as the whole world came crashing down with the toweres. The world had become a Hollywood set. But it was real. Thousands had died. My mom came down and turned off the t.v. and my friend left. Slowly a year passed. September 11th never ended though. It was relieved today. I got over the shock. Life went back to normal at school. But things like flags on cars, Proud to be an american signs, and being pulled out of line in the airport and having my bag sifted though remind me. It seems like an invasinon of privacy to be swatted down and asked to remove my Roxy sandels at PDX. It is strange to see the whole school wearing red white and blue on the first anniversary, today. I can't help thinking that someday this will seem like Pearl Harbor to children in 20 years. Just another holiday. No real meaning to those who where born after it. Whether 9-11 is made a holiday or not, people will still remember where they where when they heard or experenced the day that changed American's perception of the world we live in. How lucky we are to live in this country! I will always remember that and September 11th. 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 story5695.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. 66.167.52.81 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: I woke up at about 8:00 a.m. central time and immediately (as on most mornings) jumped out of my rig to use either the tire or the restroom. The situation wasn't too urgent so I opted for the latter and headed to the building and through the driver's door. I was hauling foam roofing insulation to K.C. and it needed to be there that day before 4:00, so I called the customer sometime after I finished my business. A woman answered the phone and quickly put me on hold. After a few minutes she came back and told me I should go find a T.V. "I've got a foreman in Manhatten on the other line", she said,"He says a jumbo jet just crashed into one of the twin towers". I said I'd call back later and ran to the fuel desk. "REMOTE!" I shouted. I wasn't really concerned with the dirty look I got. "NOW, NOW!" I demanded, "The World Trade Center's just been hit by a plane!" I slapped a ten on the counter (people tend to walk off with remotes) and ran for the driver's lounge with half a dozen drivers right on my heels. We got there just in time to watch the south tower pummeled by a huge plane. One driver started to weep. He lived just miles from the WTC, he told us. They just kept replaying and replaying the north tower's collapse. And just when I started thinking, "Jesus, don't these journalists have any shame? I don't want to see this again!" I realized with dawning horror that I was watching the south tower collapse. I was priveleged to glimpse the national reaction to these events from a truckers perspective. I saw racism everywhere. And I saw it confronted by bravery at almost every turn. I was there when a man from southern Alabama put his body between a Muslim woman and a racist driver. I did so myself when forced to see the mistreatment of a man wearing a turban in Knoxville. I didn't get home to my wife until three weeks later. Fargo never looked so good. And althought I miss the road, and the pride of driving a red, white, and blue Mack truck, it would be the last three weeks I spent parted from her. Life is too precious to spend away from those we love. 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 story258.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. 2002-03-16 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.116.46.204 Annotation Annotations to this item. Civil Liberties/Discrimination Patriotism Television Coverage DOMESTIC 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: Born on September 23rd 1965, I was looking forward to my 36th b-day,&,other than having lost both my grandfathers, one on September 17th of 1995 & the other in March 2000,I wasn't prepared to see another tragedy,this one being of a more National spectrum. I had turned on the TV,in California,at 5:30A.M.,&,as usuall,watched CNN. The news being reported at that point wasn't really big,but,at that time,I didn't know the news would be ASTRONAMICALLY HUGE in comparison to "gas Prices falling","Wall Street has an off day". The anchors at CNN had just returned from a commercial break, & BAM,I hear one of them saying 'Breaking News Out Of New York Involving The World Trade Center!!!"....well, I had figured that Mayor Guliani was about to make a speech.But, when this anchor continued by saying "The WTC has beeen impacted by a plane!!!" I lost it!!. In My head I'm thinking "What The....",cause it was so unbelievable. As I watched the news story, the phone rang off the hook,as people I knew were calling to ask if I was watching the story on TV.I told them I was & to call me later if they wanted to talk about it. 2 hours into the story, right after the second building was hit by a plane. I got so emotionally out of wack, that my relatives were the first people I called. Most of them were either listening to it on their radios,on the way to work, or watching CNN like I was. Now, I am into Karaoke as a hobby,& ,when the WTC,the second building, was hit, I called my close friend ,and karaoke buddy, to see if he was going to Karaoke in the next few days. He4 said He would be there &,like me, be doing patriotic tunes,each one in memory of those who had parrished,& those who were being deployed to,as President Bush says "Hunt Down & Punish" those responsable for this horrific crime against Americans. By the end of the day,I felt mixed up inside. It was like a bunch of emotions had just been stitched together to create one MAJOR reaction. Since Then,I have been doing nothing but living my life to the fullest,in such a way that shows those brainless jerkoffs that YOU CAN KNOCK DOWN A BUILDING IN THIS COUNTRY, BUT YOU CAN'T KILL THOSE WHOM BELIEVE IN THIS COUNTRY!!!!!! 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 story9485.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. 2003-09-07 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.68.174.117