228 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: My story isn't as interesting as somebody who was there at the wtc or at the pentagon who even as interesting as somebody who knew anynbody who worked at either of these places. However I would like to share it with you. It was a really sunny day as most days that have horrific events occur in them are. The bells rang telling all of the students at mvhs that it was time that they be in their second period class by now. My 2nd period, was french with Mr. Ament. My peers and myself, came in and saw the news on like always so we didn't pay any mind to what was going on. After everybody settled in, Mr. Ament turned the tv off just so we wouldn't get distracted. Everybody started on thier warm ups and then started talking like always untill Mr. A completed his own work. about 20 or so minutes after the bell rang, one of the administrators, came on ovetr the loud speaker telling everyone to reamin calm, that we would stay in school for the remainder of the day but that there would be no after school activities. We all kind of went what?? Whats going on? Mr. A said I don't know...hmm maybe if we turn on the news they'll tell us something. He ment the school news not the main news. (So because he had tunred the tv off on the chanel that the actual news was on, that was the chanel that was going to be turned back on.) But we never got to see the school news because cnbc was showing New York in a cloud of smoke and one of the mighty buldings that New York knows as a land mark had fallen. Tower one was falling followed closly by its twin...Tower two. Then around 10 or so news came that the pentagon was hit too. (And since the majority of the students who attend mv are military children) And before I knew it there was a mad dash to every single pay phone, subschool, office, etc etc to see if they could get ahold of loved ones. Notes were coming in from paretns, kids were being taken out, nobody could concentrate on work for sure. And the people who remained just had group disscusions, and or watched the news for the rest of the day. And even though the sun was shinning for all it was a dark, day for 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 story8056.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. 2002-09-22 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.12.96.135 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 WAS BEING HOMESCHOOLED AND AT HOME! I NORMALLY WOKE UP AT ABOUT 9:30 BUT FOR SOME REASON I WOKE UP EARLY. I WAS SITTING IN MY DEN, WATCHING THE TODAY SHOW (BECCAUSE I LOVE MATT LAUR) AND THEN IT HAPPENED AND I SCREAMED INTO THE KITCHEN TELLIONG MY MOM TO COME AND LOOK! AND SHE SAID THAT IT WAS JUST FROM A MOVIE AND THEN THE SECOND ONE HIT! AND SHE SAID WELL IT IS NOT A MOVIE AND MOM WAS FINE UNTIL THE PENTAGON HAD BEEN HIT AND THEN SHAE SAID THAT SOME THING WAS GOING ON! IT WAS SO SAD... I WATCHED IT THE WHOLE DAY AND WHOLE NIGHT! I WAS IN GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA... 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 story10678.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. 2004-07-04 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 167.171.9.189 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 from Chicago,but was in Anchorage attending my daughters wedding. Yes, she was married on September 11th! Time in Anchorage is 3 hours behind the "lower 48", as they say, so we were awakened by the phone ringing. It was my daughter's future sister-in-law, calling from Oregon with the terrible news. We turned on the TV immediately, and sat in shock as picture after picture, and story after story was reported on the news. When, for security reasons, all travel was shut down,I was amazed at how fast the military closed off every means of travel to Alaska. The Canadian border, the planes, trains and cruise ships, besides the huge ocean liners were halted in their tracks.It may have taken about an hour for this to occur, but it felt like 20 minutes! My daughter was so upset, and she ordered the TV turned off! After all, it was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, and all I know, this was something happy to occur on this day. If you want good stories of where people were, some of the best are out of Alaska. Some bush pilots, for example, were out in the bush with hunters, and had no idea that anything happened. Thus 3 days later, they are flying their customers back to Anchorage, and they are escorted by F-14's! Because of different types of communication gear, they couldn't talk to or hear the fighter pilots......one man said "just keep waving and smiling" I am sure there are a million stories out there, and I hope everyone sends in theirs! Thank you for this opportunity, and "God Bless America!" Love and Peace, Nina Scaperdine 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 story2946.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. 65.123.112.90 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: when i heard about the devastating september 11th tragedy, i was at a friends funreral. i didnt beleive it at first, i couldnt beleive that something so terrible would actually take place in the heart of America. It was only when i got back from the funeral and saw the tragic news on television, that i realised that it was true. two shocks in one day, i couldnt beleive it. such an awful thing to do, words cant describe how horrific the attack was. im still trying to beleive that someone would do such a terrible thing, taking so many innocent lives. my heart goes out to everyone, the victims of september 11th will always be remembered in our minds and in our hearts. god bless 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 story8104.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. 2002-09-24 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 195.144.131.13 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 a six month old baby boy, and so I was taking a nap. My husband was on the road driving a semi. He had just gotten out of Driving School. The phone rang and it was him. I could tell by his voice that something was wrong. He said, "Turn on the news." Instantly I thought something had happened to my sister, who's in the AirForce. So I turned on the Television and it took about a full minute to realize just what had happened. I heard news reporters saying that the rate of deaths so far was more than Pearl Harbor. I didn't know anyone who could have possibly lived in NY, but my heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest. My eyes welled up with tears for those poor souls that were innocently murdered. I went into my baby's room and picked him up. All I could think is, "Those people had no idea what was coming. Could this happen to my family? Could my husband be delivering something and all of the sudden he's blowed to peices?" It was a terrifying moment. When I was a child, I remember my mother talking about the complete state of frantic panic that everyone was in. I didn't understand at all. I thought, "Well, that's what the vice-president is for." But on September 11th, I fully understood. Whether or not we had any connection to NY or not they attacted each and every one of our homes, hearts and lives. And to that I say, "They may had the stomaches to kill, but I do not. Our people came to America for freedom, not WAR." 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 story6682.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: I remember that day like it was yesterday! It started out like any normal day. I made coffee watched the morning Today show. Took the kids to school and went back home. I left to go to my hair appt. which was around 8:30 in the am. I remember sitting in the chair getting my hair cut when we heared the report of the first air plane hitting the World Trade Center tower 1, at first we thought it was just a movie and then when we turned on the TV and could see what was going on and the second plane hit, WE KNEW it was not good. All you could think of was those poor people inside the buildings and how would they get out. At that point my hair appt was finished, all I could think about was wanting to go home fast and getting my kids and husband home to be together. On my way home is when I heard about all planes to be grounded and that the Pentagon was also hit by a plane. I was thinking to myself how could a start of a wonderful day turn out to be such a nightmare!! On my way home hearing about the planes I remember seeing a plane in the sky which was turning in unuasual way, it was heading back to our Greater Cincinnati Airport which is only a few miles away from where we live. Instead of going home because no one was there, I headed to my friends house who lives just a few blocks down the street when I got there we just hugged and cried and watched in Terror as the news kept comming in about the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon and the new news about flight 93 which had crashed in Pennsylvania which we later found out was also hijacked. Hearing this news made my friend worse because she is from Pennsylvania and she was worried about her family and friends who lived near where the plane went down so we tried to call her mother but could not get through because of everyone trying to reach loved ones. This day will always be in our minds! I don't think anyone human could ever forget this HORRIBLE DAY. In ending this I would love to say Thanks to all the wonderful people who help save people and who help with all their HEART. FOR YOU ARE THE TRUE ANGELS SENT FROM GOD!!!! GOD BLESS US EACH AND EVERYONE!!!!!! GOD BLESS THE FAMLIES WHO LOST THEIR LOVED ONES!!!!!! 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 story6144.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 the morning of Sept. 11, the sun came streaming through the window of my Battery Park City apartment. I awakened to a beautiful morning in lower Manhattan. I could see all the commuters enjoying the mild climate and bright blue sky on their walk to work. Little did any of us know, as we began our usual routine, that in a few hours our sense of ordinary would be ripped at the seams and our lives would be forever changed. My husband, Sandy, had left our apartment around 7:30 a.m. that morning to drive to his work in New Jersey. I always slept in a little later, since I only had a ten- minute walk to my job at Chase Manhattan Bank (which was located two blocks east of the World Trade Center). Sandy and I were both computer consultants on assignment in N.Y. and were living in a corporate apartment located one block south of the World Trade Center. We loved the energy that surrounded that area. It was so full of life with all the people riding their bikes, walking their dogs, eating at outdoor cafes, and listening to free music concerts (many that took place right in the center of the World Trade Center complex). At 8:47 a.m. on Sept. 11, I was brushing my teeth in our apartment. Suddenly, I heard a loud blast and my television screen went blank. I thought it must have been a construction explosion until I noticed this unusual flickering of light outside my window. I took a closer look and realized that it was paper trickling down like a ticker-tape parade. I followed its path upward and saw a ring of fire around the top of the World Trade Center. I was immediately afraid. So, I went down to the lobby of my apartment building to find someone with information. Our bellman told me that a small plane had accidentally crashed into the North Tower, but I did not notice anyone acting too concerned in my immediate area. So, I went back to my apartment to quickly get my laptop and pocketbook for work As I headed out of the lobby of my apartment at 9:02 a.m., all of the sudden, the bellman quickly jumped to his feet and ran toward the door and the maintenance man came running out from behind me. We all three slammed through the door, and suddenly, I was swept into a mass frenzy of people running like you see in war movies when planes are swooping in dropping bombs. I grabbed the hand of the maintenance man and we ran together. Immediately, I realized I was hearing the quick crescendo of a jet engine. My brain had not put the pieces of what was happening together yet, but it felt as if I had stepped into a nightmare. As we were running across the street, the second plane came screeching over our heads. That screeching noise is one of the most vivid memories I have of that day. And, I later learned it was the result of the plane accelerating so fast that it would have soon exploded from the pressure. The maintenance man and I darted into a dry cleaners located diagonally across from our apartment building. There were about 25 other people in the dry cleaners with us. While the realization that another plane had flown into the World Trade Center crystallized in our minds, we all came to the terrifying conclusion that it was an act of terrorism. I did not know what to do, so I huddled on the floor with a young girl. She and I comforted each other as we waited to see what would happen next. It was a very vulnerable and helpless feeling. I rubbed her back, and she held my hand. She told me her name was Kiono and that she had been selling coffee inside the underground shopping area of the World Trade Center. After the first plane hit, Kiono had run outside of the building for safety. While we were in the dry cleaners, a line formed to use the direct phone line. All of our cell phones were dead. I was able to leave a message for my husband on his cell phone telling him that the second plane had hit and that I was safe inside the dry cleaners across from our apartment building. It was another 4 hours before I was able to contact him again. While I was in the dry cleaners, I saw people pacing back and forth trying to comprehend the situation. Some were staring in disbelief. Others were crying with a mixture of fear and grief. I remember one lady announcing to us that she was late for work and that all of her co-workers were on the blazing floors of the Tower. She was in such pain from emotion. I decided to get in line to try to get a phone call to my parents. As I was waiting in line, something made me look up on the wall. There, beaming down at me like a beacon, was a framed picture of Jesus. Among all the chaos, I felt a shimmer of hope and comfort. I remember pointing out the picture to a lady beside me, but it did not strike her as it had me. I never did get another call out to my family, so Kiono asked me if I would like to go to her apartment to make the call. She lived even closer to the World Trade Center than we already were; but I reluctantly started to go with her. As we walked outside toward her apartment, the crowd suddenly panicked and began running toward us. I do not know what caused the rush, but I assume debris was falling from the sky. At that moment, Kiono saw a friend and ran to him. She motioned for me to come with them. I had to make a quick decision. After a second of thought, I waived goodbye to Kiono and turned back to go to the dry cleaners once again. I had decided that the only refuge I had was on the floor under that picture of Jesus. I returned to the dry cleaners, but within minutes, a police officer came in and told us we had to get as close to the Hudson River as possible. So I listened, and immediately started off by myself for the bike path along the River. I felt extremely ?on my own? at that point. And, all I wanted to do was get to New Jersey and my husband on the other side of the Hudson. I could see the shores so close in the distance, yet it seemed so impossible to get there! I remember wondering whether a boat would come and get me, if I were to jump in and swim across the River. As I was wandering aimlessly along the bike path, I noticed a young couple and their daughter sitting on a bench. I was drawn to them, and quickly walked over and asked if I could sit with them. The husband told me to have a seat and then asked me my name. His wife said that she was scared, and I told her that I was also scared. The father very matter-of-factly told us that the terrorists had hit both towers and made their point. He said that the worst was over and we would be all right. He invited me to come with them to their apartment where we would pick up their car and drive to New Jersey. It was so comforting to hear his voice, even though I could still smell the smoke from the burning buildings. My mind started drifting back to the horror that had taken place. For a second, I caught myself envisioning the frightened passengers on the crashing planes and the helpless people burning in the flames. Quickly, something came over me, and I forced the thoughts from my mind. I knew that I must not think about those atrocities, because it would be too much for me to handle. I had to focus on things that were ?real? to me such as petting the dog that was next to me and telling the little girl that I liked her purple coat. I also tried to focus on the beauty of the rippling water in the Hudson River. Just then, the police came by and shouted for everyone to walk south toward Battery Park. The family and I began to follow the crowd south. As we were walking calmly toward the Park at about 9:45 a.m., someone in the crowd in front of us turned around and said that the Pentagon had been hit. My moment of peace had abruptly come to an end. Without knowing the details, I could not help but wonder if our country was losing control of its security. Once again, I felt as if I was in the target zone as war was erupting. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd in front of us, and everyone quickly changed direction. Someone shouted, ?Go north?. I was not sure what was happening, but the family and I turned around and went back in the direction from which we had come. I remember thinking that a bomb may have gone off in the crowd, but later we learned that debris from the burning buildings was blowing toward Battery Park. I wanted so much to think that the worst was over, but instead I kept wondering what was going to happen next. I felt so on guard and ready to react. Once again, I kept looking toward the shores of New Jersey?wanting to reach my husband so badly. At least I had the family there to comfort me. The family and I had begun to round the corner of the boat harbor at the World Financial Center, just 1 block due west of the World Trade Center, and I was fighting the temptation to look up at the inferno. The mother and I were holding hands as we anxiously walked along together. The father was about 25 feet behind us carrying his young daughter on his shoulders. I remember the mother turning around and telling her husband to hurry up. But, that would be the last memory I have of them. I do not remember letting go of her hand?or, hearing anyone scream. I don?t remember the sound of the falling building. The next memory I have is standing by myself on the sidewalk staring at a tidal wave of black smoke pouring around the top and sides of the building in front of me. It seemed to have no end above me. I remember seeing someone running in front of the cloud, and then being swallowed up in the blackness. I was suddenly jolted out of my motionless state, and I began to scurry like an animal trying to escape from the deadly cloud. I could not find anywhere to take cover, however. My natural instinct told me to run for the water; so, I ran as close as I could get to the edge of the boat harbor. I was very close to diving into the water; but, for some reason, I just dove on the concrete and pulled my dress over my head. If the time came when I could not breathe, my plan was to roll over into the water and try to rinse my mouth out. As I lay on the ground with my dress pulled over my head, I tried to spit the cakey layer of dust out of my mouth. Whatever I did, I did not want to lose any air that I had in my dress. I believed that it was all the air I would have to breathe. There was a ghostly quiet hanging over us until a man in the distance started to wail in agony. I do not know if he was hurt or just frightened, but I will always remember his voice. Then, another voice cried out in the darkness, ?Stay down! Breathe through your clothes!? The man?s voice sounded so in control and was comforting to hear. Although, at this point, I really thought my time had come. I kept thinking how I could not believe I was right there in the middle of this unthinkable nightmare. And, that this was the way I was going to die. I was so aware of my own thoughts as I laid there covered in darkness. But, I did not feel alone. I truly felt the presence of God and instinctively began to repeat phrases of the 23rd Psalm in my mind. ?Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.? Nothing in my life had prepared me for this moment, except for my faith in God. Even though I was preparing to die, a feeling of peace and acceptance came over me. I do not know how long I was on the ground, probably a few minutes. My thoughts were interrupted, however, when I heard a faint voice saying, ?Girl by the water.? I still remained on the ground until I felt a hand tugging my arm and pulling me up. I managed to get on my feet and opened my eyes. Amidst the gray surroundings, I could see the image of a young man. He started to put me on his back, but I told him that I could walk on my own. He then gave me his shirt for me to breathe through. Holding each other?s hand, we made our way through the thick, gray cloud. We could only see a few feet in front of us, but managed to find our way along the bike path. I asked the man if he was a policeman, but he said, ?no?. I then asked if he was the one shouting to us in the darkness, and he said, ?yes?. After a minute or two, it became easier to see and we finally emerged from the cloud about a quarter of a mile north of the World Trade Center. The man started to cough, so we tried to find some water. None of the water fountains were working, however. Incredibly, I still did not know the first Tower had collapsed. I believed that a massive bomb had exploded and caused the black cloud. An on-looker gave the man with me a bottle of water to drink; but, an instant later, we heard a rumbling noise. I turned around and in amazement watched as the top of the second Tower started to collapse. The man shouted to me to run as fast as I could, but I could not keep up with him. As much as I wanted to run, I could not go any farther. I stopped and asked a policeman if I could get in the car with him, but he said, ?no?. At that moment, a young man on a bike appeared in front of me. He was staring up at the crashing building in disbelief. With my knees bleeding, no shoes, and gray dust blanketing my body, I asked him if he would take me on his bike with him. No questions asked, he helped me onto the seat of the bike. I carried his backpack, while he stood up pedaling. As we started off, we both noticed a man giving me a ?thumbs-up?. It was the man who had helped me up off the ground in the cloud of dust. The young man and I rode his bike right up the middle of West Side Highway, while ambulances and fire trucks came speeding toward us. We darted around cars that were jammed at intersections, and made our way northward. Any other day, these moves would have been considered dangerous. But, we were more concerned with finding the quickest route away from the fallen buildings. Once we were a safe distance away from the scene, I became overwhelmed with the desire to contact my family. I leaned forward and asked the man to please stop. When we got off the bike, I told the man my name and thanked him. He said his name was John, and for a minute we shared our disbelief with one another. I then asked him to please help me find a phone to call home, because I was afraid my dad would have a heart attack if he did not hear from me. We stopped a couple of people to use their cell phones, but none would work. I tried to use a pay phone, but it did not work either. We finally decided to try a pay phone we saw inside a first floor garage. John stayed with his bike on the sidewalk, and I went in to call. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I heard a car slam on brakes near John. I ran over to him and we both witnessed four men jump out of the car and pull bullet-proof vests from the trunk. As the men ran off, we could see FBI written on the back of the vests. John and I looked at each other and agreed that we had better get out of there. We decided to go to his apartment on East 81st Street, which was about 6 miles from downtown. After John had pedaled me a good distance, he decided to get off and jog while I continued riding the bike. In order to get to his apartment, we cut across Central Park. I was amazed at how beautiful it was compared to the war zone we had just left behind. When we arrived at John?s apartment, I immediately tried to call my family. But, I could not get through to them. So, I decided to shower and change into some clean clothes that John let me borrow. I was not sure exactly what the dust was that covered me, so I scrubbed extra hard. When I got out of the shower, John and his roommate were watching the television reports of the disaster. They told me that all planes had been grounded, but some were still missing and feared to be hijacked. This news was very upsetting, because we could still hear jets flying over the skies of New York. I kept asking John and his roommate if we were going to be o.k. They comforted me, and told me that we were safe in the apartment. I could not help but wonder if World War III was starting. We watched the news reports on television for a while; but, when they started to show footage of people jumping from the Towers, I turned away. I felt it was too horrifying for me to watch. I continued to call my family over and over. Finally around 1:00 p.m., I heard my dad?s voice answer the phone. I told him how glad I was to talk to him, and began to describe the terrible events that had happened. My dad?s only concern was my location at that moment. I told him a young man on a bike rescued me. Immediately, he asked me to get his name and phone number. Then, he wanted to talk to him personally. After John introduced his self, my dad calmed down and then thanked him for taking care of me. Dad invited John to come and stay with our family at the beach any time he wanted. When I finally was able to talk to my husband, Sandy, he told me that he was coming to get me as soon as they re-opened the bridges and tunnels, but that it might not be until the next day. He said that if I could find a way out that night, he would pick me up and drive us to Delaware to stay with our families. It was such an unnerving feeling to be trapped on the island knowing that our nation?s security was in jeopardy. Around 5:00 p.m., John?s girlfriend, Naomi, came to the apartment. She had been teaching elementary school in the Bronx when the tragedy occurred, but was able to walk across a bridge to get back in the city. She told me that she heard the ferries were shuttling people to New Jersey. Reluctantly, I decided to set out to find a way to get to my husband. I said ?good-bye? to my new-found friends, and headed toward the West Side of the city. There were no taxis anywhere to be seen, and I had quite a distance to cover. It was pretty scary, because once again I was alone and did not know what was going to happen next. I noticed a church with a sign on the door that read, ?Please give blood?. I initially walked past, but decided to turn around. I could not leave without trying to help those who were less fortunate than me that day. As I walked up the steps of the church, a lady approached me and said that they could not accept any more donations until tomorrow. As I turned around to leave, a cab pulled up right beside me. Two men started to get inside, and I yelled for them to please wait for me. They did. When I got into the cab, the men told me that they were headed to the train station to catch a train to New Jersey. They were not sure how they were going to get home once they got to New Jersey, however. I told them that if we could stay together and use their cell phones to contact my husband, then we would drive them to their homes. I had lost my cell phone that day at the World Trade Center, so I had no way to call Sandy. We decided to stick together. But, when we arrived at the train station, all of the trains said, ?Delayed?. I felt very uncomfortable in the underground building with masses of people and asked the men if we could try the ferry. They agreed. Once we reached the ferry, we had to wait for about one hour. I was so relieved once we were onboard, and could not wait to be with my husband. There was a solemn silence among the passengers as we passed lower Manhattan and saw the smoke billowing into the sky. It was such a depressing sight to behold. When we reached the banks of Hoboken, New Jersey, we were forced to stay on board the ferry. No one understood why we couldn?t leave the boat, until we saw people dressed in white, protective suits setting up a de-contamination station. As we exited the ferry, we were required to stand under a shower while someone in a white suit sprayed us with water?at least I think it was water. I asked one of the workers why we were being decontaminated. She responded that no one was sure what exactly was in the cloud of smoke and dust, possibly asbestos. At first I was concerned, but then I reflected on the fact that I was at least alive. I was lucky enough to see the people I loved once again. The two men and I worked together to come up with a plan to reach my husband. It was very difficult, because access to all major cities was blocked. The New Jersey Turnpike was also closed. We finally flagged down a cab, which took us to Metropark, New Jersey, where Sandy was able to meet us at about 8:30 p.m. Sandy and I hugged each other like we never wanted to let go. It felt so good to finally be with him after everything that had happened. On the way to take the two men home, we learned that the older gentleman had actually been on the 37th floor of Tower 1. After we took the men home, Sandy and I continued to drive to Bethany Beach, Delaware. While we were driving, we received a number of calls from family and friends who were concerned about us. Once we arrived at my family?s hotel, we had an emotional welcome from my parents. They had saved an oceanfront room for us, and we finally fell asleep around 2:00 a.m. The next morning we arose to a beautiful sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean. It was incredibly surreal. And, we wondered if the day before was just a dream. Unfortunately, it was not. We spent the day visiting with family and friends and appreciating every minute we had together. It was hard to watch the grief-stricken people on the news wandering around with pictures of their loved ones who were missing. It was also sad to learn that five employees of my company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, had died on the hijacked planes. In the days following September 11, I have spent many hours reflecting on my own experience. It definitely made me realize how precious life is and how fortunate we are to live in the United States. Life is going on now; however, memories of that day will last forever? I will never forget Kiono who comforted me on the floor of the dry cleaners when the initial terror set in. I will never forget the family on the bike path that took me under their wing and calmed my fears. I will never forget the man who so unselfishly stopped to help me up off the ground when the dust cloud covered us and offered me his shirt to breathe through. I will never forget John who gallantly pedaled me, a stranger, six miles on his bike to safety and then graciously opened the door of his home to me. And, I will never forget the men who allowed me to team up with them to find our way back to our loved ones. Most importantly, I will never forget the constant presence of God who came to me and strengthened me in my time of need. 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 story10241.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. 2003-12-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.227.176.230 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: A Villanelle On Our Coming Victory U.S. marines are the men of our dreams. Helicoptered in, they're the sea on land; A thousand of them are the top of our team. A desert foothold, they are like cream In our coffee, marching to angels' bands -U.S. marines are the men of our dreams. South of Kandahar, they'll sew and seam Bin Laden's escape like a folded fan. A thousand of them are the top of our team. Mullah Mohammed Omar will beam Support like a rotted termite man. U.S. marines are the men of our dreams For they are going to the caves to steam And flush to the light bin Laden By a thousand Marines as the top of our team. Hiding cockroaches I grind with my pen. The terrorists'll be crushed by men; U.S. marines are the men of our dreams -A thousand of them are the top of our team. C COPYRIGHT 2002 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 story628.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. 2002-05-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 146.96.95.21 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: My name is Irv (Tiki) Rolon I,m a cosmetic patcher for cement products working for the Bricklayers Union in Rochelle Il. I grew up in Williamsberg Bklyn until I was eleven then to adulthood in Flushing Queens. I had just arrived at the Jobsite, at Pearl City Il. when my wife Connie called me on the cellphone and told me an airplane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. Imediately I turned on the truck radio and what I heard shocked me, disturbed me, and emotionally touched my heart. After listening for a while I needed to go to do my job. At the work area all the radios were tuned to the news stations ansd we all heard what had happened not only in New York but also in Washington D.C. and in Pensylvania. I was standing on a ladder when another worker came to tell me the news, I told him I had heard as well. He asked me your from New York aren't you? I said yes. He continued, You probably know some of the people at the scene, I said yes probably. My heart sank and I wept qietly to myself. Even now I still feel the pain of all those people and my beloved America. God bless this land. I now realize how fragile we all are. God save us. When I got home and was able to share with my wife and children the events of the day, and actually watched it on TV we all silently cried to ourselves. 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 story1223.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. 207.112.224.10 Annotation Annotations to this item. 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 can remember to exact detail what happened September 11, 2001. I was walking back from class to our main building on campus, and in the common area there was a big screan TV, and of course since it was on I stopped to look... as I did me and the other people watching, saw a replay of the first plane hit the World Trade Center Tower, my class just got out at 9:00a.m. I stood there frozen, speachless. When I pulled my self together, I walked back to my dorm and as soon as I got in I turned on my TV, thinking this was not happening. Soon enough after processing the plane flying into the the first WTC, I watched the second plane crash into the other tower. It was unimagineable, you can't put into words what is going through your mind. Seeing replay after replay of the plane going into the towers. As I was watching Peter Jennings, hes saying "if this hasnt' been enough grief, tower 2 has just collapsed...," then it was tower 1. Not only did New York get hit but also did the Pentagon and western PA. The thing that hit me most was the unity the Nation brought together. The members on the capital steps singing God Bless America as a whole, and the red, white, and blue, that was all over the country, to me I Am Proud To Be An American! 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 story4014.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. 147.31.4.4 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: My story is not an important one; I was one of the very lucky ones that did not lose a loved one, or friend. I was the American that woke up one morning and put on the t.v. and saw such trajedy and devasation. I watched and cried for days in disbelief. I was a stay at home at the time and I sat paralyzed wondering if I should get my one child from school that day. I was born in the 70's so I am a part of the generation that did not directly deal with other historical devastations such as Vietnam, WWII etc. I was naive to think that I never would see or be affected by such a trajedy. My heart and prayers go out to every single individual that has been personally affected by this terrorist attack. I feel honored to be an American and to be a part of such a wonderful country. I am grateful for all the firefighters and rescue workers that lost their lives to save others. I feel for all the wives that lost husbands, husbands that lost wives, children that lost parent(s), parents that lost children, and the dear children that perished. If a positive has to come from this I firmly believe that the positive is that we banded together as a country and as a nation and the love and support flowed from all, this has forever changed me and the way I view life; I am a more grateful person because of it. 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 story4803.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. 67.25.209.229 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On the morning of 9-11 I was on my way to work when I clicked on to Z100 and heard the morning crew confirming the first plane hit the WTC tower. I thought it was a really distasteful joke and was about to call them on my cell to ream them when I received a call from my fiance who saw it in NJ. I went to work and tried to getonline turned on the radio and proceeded to cry like a child since I knew people were killed and then heard tower 2 was hit...that's when I lost it and just left work to rush home and try to find a way to pull myself together. I didn't actually see this unfolding until 8PM that night since i had no TV set near me. I couldn't even speak when I sw it- my heart fell to my knees and I with it. All I remember is rocking back and forth crying hysterically knowing this was when America was being attacked without mercy. My neice 2 yrs old held my face in her hands and said you're ok, you're ok and wiped the tears from my eyes. As I looked at her- her innocent eyes, I thought she'd never know what this was like. It wasn't until 2 days later when I realized she had ; my fiance told her he was going to work and she said "where the buildings are falling down?" I looked at her big hazel eyes and had no idea the effect of all the news, tears, conversation and events had actually had on her. I held her close and explained it to her- this was the worst thing I'd ever have to do. Explain terrorism, patriotism and death to a 2 year old and even now, she expects a plane to hit the buildings. Life isn't ever going to be the same. I can't imagine the amount of time it woild take to heal. I still cry uncontrolably, and can't finish my scrapbook since the pain is far too great to handle. That day was the worst day of my life- although I didn't lose friends or family- I lost brothers and sisters I never knew...God Bless Us as we overcome and stand united!!! 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 story5003.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. 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: On September 11th I was at school just walking into Mr. Bellonte?s English Class. I walked in and saw everyone mouths open, staring hard at the television. I looked up and saw 2 giant buildings smoking. My jaw dropped and I looked around thinking it was a joke or a movie that my teacher had put on for us to watch for class. Then I asked my friend Chris Poss what happened, he said that the Trade Centers had been crushed by a plane. Now I thought at first that he was joking but then my teacher informed me that it wasn?t. My heart sank, I though for sure this was going to start WWIII. The things I saw that day will be imbedded in my mind until the day I die. The Pentagon, also became a target. Thousands of innocent died. Fire Fighters trying to save lives suffered the same fate too. My life has been changed forever, I wish that Bin Laden would have reconsidered his decision. Even though I lost no one in the accident, that doesn?t mean that I don?t feel for other peoples losses. I now look out at the stars and wonder if it?s a satellite or a mega ton warhead flying across the sky. President George Bush has been trying pretty hard to put everything back in order. I understand that George Bush has put at least 10 billion dollars in funds to catch Bin Laden but we haven?t caught him yet which is beyond belief. That should have been more then enough money to catch one man. If not we should have spent the money on weapons powerful enough to blow him out of his desert home land but weak enough not to effect too much of Afghanistan. This man is very well dangerous and I think it would be smart to catch him dead or alive. He has killed over two thousand people, and we shouldn?t stand for that. Now that it is May 28th 2002 I think things have calmed down a lot since the bombing. I believe that we should live our normal lives with our heads up and without fear. He has done his worst and he will never get the chance to do anything like that stunt he pulled on 9/11. Security has been tightened ten fold and there is a lot more suspicion with travelers. People have become very prejudice towards Arabian people. Its quite disturbing how people could just go and hurt innocent people. In conclusion I would like to say that I feel for the losses of all those people and that I felt the pain and anguish that the families felt when they know they are missing. If I could I would go back and turn everything around that happened on 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 story733.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. 2002-06-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 168.169.8.35 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 11, 2001 started like any other day. I was 11 years old and had just started 6th grade. It was the second week of school I think. I got up and my mom drove my brother and me to school around 7:45am. School started as usual. My teachers didn't tell us what was going, but it was obvious that something was wrong because all of a sudden everyone was going home "because they had doctor's appointments". My parents didn't pick me up early so I just assumed everything was alright. It wasn't until school got out that I found out exactly what was going on. My parents picked my brother and me up from school, which was really odd because they both worked until 5:00 or 6:00 most nights. I remember getting in the car and asking my Mom, "What are you doing here?" She had this look on her face, I can't even explain it, but I knew something was wrong. Then she said, "We've been attacked." On the way home she explained what had been happening, and when we got home we turned on the TV. It was so surreal watching the news and seeing what was happening. My family just sat in the living room and watched the news for the rest of the 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 story20854.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. 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: We were getting ready to start the lesson.Then my teachers cell phone rang.My teacher was very annoied by the call because she was at work. It was her son so they talked for awhile. My teacher hung up the phone and told us what her son had told her.A pane was hyjacked and crashed into the World Trade Center.At first I thought it was just an accident and chose not to think about it.We sat in the room talking about what happened while my teacher went to get a T.V.She bought it in and turned it on and the picture was 2 burning buildings. My techer started to say what work we had to do. the tv was in the back and out of the corner of my eye I seen the towers fall.So i yelled "They fell" the whole class was terrified.My teacher told us to calm down and work on making our mummies.She was at the office and we relly did not feel like working.Now a year later most of the people here put it behind them but no one will ever forget 9/11/01. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6249.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. 209.175.105.14 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: A letter I wrote to my family on September 11, 2001. Dear Family, It is 4am and I can't sleep. I have to go to work tomorrow but I can't sleep. What happened today was the most horrific tragedy that any of us could have imagined. I can't imgagine ever feeling the same about our safety here in the U.S.. I guess this is what it feels like to live in less fortunate countries where terrorism is something they live with. For so long we felt invincible and untouchable. Today was the first time I thanked God that you have all moved away from New York. And that Aunt Reggie was not in the city on this tragic day. My heart bleeds for the people who were lost in this mess. All the fire fighters and cops, and all those people who are still hoping to see their friends and family members again. I am wondering what it will be like for you to come home and see the skyline forever changed. I am wondering what it will be like for me to see it for myself. I don't think I will be going to see it for a while. It is too sad. I have tried to call Dad and Aunt Jo but couldn't get through. So I stopped trying to make long distance calls. I was able to call locally and was able to reach Mom. I wonder if Alexi and Dave will still be able to come back to the U.S. from Bahrain? I am sure Dave has a lot to do now. I wish Dave all the safety in the world. I hope he will not be needed in any battles. I always knew that our city could be a target for this kind of thing. But who would think that anything this huge would happen? Thank God I don't know anyone that was working in those buildings. But I know many people who had friends there. Work today was awful. I was sitting at my desk when Kevin called me with the news that a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. I got off the phone and found the first person I saw and told them what I had learned. They told me to go to the conference room where the news was showing on a television. As I watched the flames coming from the first building I never imagined what was coming next. I was shocked as the second plane crashed into the next tower. I prayed to myself that everyone would get out of the buildings. I was certain at this point it was no accident and that we were being attacked. When the first tower fell I just remember crying. I knew that many had died at that point. When the second building fell I was in shock. I was holding my breath waiting for another attack. I was worried about my boss who was in the city that day. But we soon got a call from him as he walked out of the city over one of the bridges. Everyone around me in that room was in shock. Some people were crying others ran out of the room to make phone calls. One girl was hysterical saying her cousins were N.Y. fire fighters. It was just awful. As we learned about the Pentagon attack and the plane that crashed in the field and we tried to digest what was happening. We stared at that television waiting for the next unbelievable and unthinkable event to happen. We got to leave work early. I tried to find an American Flag somewhere on my way home. I was having no luck. I felt bad that it took this tragedy for me to buy a flag. I just felt a need to get one. I went to many stores. Than I saw a guy outside of Sears. He had a big flag tied to the back of his truck. He was also holding a small flag in his hand. I asked him where he got it. He said I got it in Sears but it was the last one. He said "Here you take it". I did and thanked him. I held it out the window all the way home. People blew their horns and gave me thumbs up. As I sat at a light in front of a school there was a Mother walking with a her young daughter. Her Mom pointed to me and said to her "look the American flag". And she waved to me. A man marched up and down Deer Park Avenue holding a big flag and yelled to me to join him. I didn't, I had to get home. The best thing about our flag today is that it made people smile. It made people realize that we are Americans and together we will stand. After I went home I headed to a blood bank. The line was so long. The blood bank was in the same strip mall where the Aide Auto Store used to be. And the line reached all the way back to the Melville bowling alley. People kept on coming. We put our names on a list. They couldn't handle the amount of people who showed up. The spirit was good. People comforted each other and really pulled together. Many people donated water, orange juice and cookies to the blood bank. They handed it out to the people on line. As we stood there, a car drove past us with 2 young guys and one of them yelled "kill the Arabs!" Nobody cheered. I want to cry but I know it won't do any good. It is so sad. I am left just hoping that this is all over. I want to tell you that I love you very much. I don't think there will be any more of this. Kevin and I had dinner with our landlords. They were very upset too. Tom is a teacher and started to cry when he explained to us what it was like having to tell his students what had happened. Many of their parents work in the city. You could see the smoke all the way out here on the Island. Tonight the sky is so clear. I am left with a horrible feeling that this is not the end. I pray it is. I just want to share with you what it was like to be here. I feel that even though it is the most horrible thing that could happen. The people here are joining together. It is amazing thing to witness. I love you and will talk to you soon. Love, Gina 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 story7711.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. 152.163.188.6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: i remember my mother waking me telling me something terrible had happened, i thought maybe one of our pets had died, she showed me to the TV and i saw the image of the planes flying into the towers over and over again. i had to shower and prepare for school but couldnt turn myself away from the TV. i went to school and everyone was talking about it, one person held a cardboard sign saying "the world is ending". all my teachers spent half the lesson talking about it, and when i came home it was plastered on every TV station 24 hrs a day and remained that way for 3 continuous days. 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 story11305.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. 2005-02-20 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 203.54.137.77 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 weather was perfect, blue skies and sunny. A beautiful September day in New York. I walked to my local high school to vote in the democratic mayoral primary and then continued to my job in lower Manhattan. Everything was quite normal until my bus got out of the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel. Over the radio came an announcement that a small plane had hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center. The traffic was now backed up so I decided to get off the first stop, which is Battery Park (about six blocks from the WTC). The top of the North Tower was burning. I immediately called my sister at work, who had a TV in her office. I stayed on the phone with her as we both watched the North Tower burn. I could see the flames getting bigger. All of a sudden I see a plane coming from my left, over the Hudson River. "What was this plane doing?" "Where does this plane think its going." "He's flying too low". I watched in horror as it banked to the left, picked up speed and slammed into the South Tower. I stood frozen, then everyone around me began to scream and cry and run for their lives. I never felt so scared in my life. My hands were shaking so badly. A young guy came up to me and asked if I was alright and walked with me for a few minutes. I thought that we were going to be attacked by more planes. I even though that maybe bombs were coming. Everyone headed toward the Staten Island Ferry, hoping to get on a ferry and off this island. That ferry never came. Things quieted down and no more planes came so and I decided to go to my office. The streets were littered with burnt paper, shoes and pieces of concrete. My building is two blocks away from the WTC. I got inside my building just minutes before the South Tower collapsed. I was on the 4th floor when the North Tower collapsed. Someone screamed, "Get away from the windows, take cover, get under a desk!!" "The North Tower just collapsed". I don't remember thinking that I could die, but I do remember my body shaking. Thank goodness our building was not damaged, just extremely dirty inside and out from the dust. The air cleared enough and I left my office around 3:30. Downtown was deserted. Everything was covered with gray dust. On the ferry home to Staten Island you could see all the smoke where the WTC once stood. That was a very upsetting thing to see. I was lucky. I did not see the real horrors of what was happening at the WTC and I did not lose any loved ones. It's now eight months since the attack and I still get a sick feeling every time I hear a low flying plane. 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 story630.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. 2002-05-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 199.169.240.132 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was sitting in my moms car and we had no idea what was going on we had turned up the radio and they had said that our country has been attacked and I was just sitting thier waiting for them to tell us that every one is ok and then they said the tragic they said that alot of people had been killed I was scared for the people and their familys I really dont know what it is like to lose a loved one but we came close but I just wont to tell the people that had lost their loved ones that I am sorry for what happend to their family and just to let them know that they are in a better place and they will always be waiting for you up their. Thanks for reading Love Always, Jennifer Lisenby 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 story8980.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. 2003-01-20 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.138.47.130 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was sitting in class when the teacher's aide came and called one of my classmates into the hall. They spoke, and the girl came back in crying. My teacher turned on the TV just in time for us to see the second plane crash into the Twin Towers. I lived only 20 miles from the crash site in Shanksville, PA. They dismissed school for the rest of the day and I went home to my mother's. I spent the next week expecting a plane to drop out of the sky and come crashing down on my head. 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 story11132.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. 2004-10-27 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 207.255.13.88