230 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 name is Ms.Stella Bell and on this day one year ago,I was where I am now,at work.I work in Little Rock,Ar.and reside in North Little Rock.I came to work at 6:a.m. as usual.My daughter,Tia,who resides in Dallas called me around 9:a.m and said "Mama,do you know that a plane has hit the side of the Trade Center?Not being aware of what was really going on I replied"what is wrong with that pilot?Is he drunk or sleep?Then she called me back and said "they have hit the other one.That's when I really began to panic.I was unable to see because I was nowhere near a t.v..When I finally returned home from work and began to view what had happened,I was ecstatic.I began to cry and call everyone I could.To this day,I am still emotionally disturbed whenever I hear or see anyone or anything connected to this tragedy.I have grown from this and I know deep within my heart that man does not hold my future,only God can determine what the day will bring.I am totally committed to Him.I pray that everyone will try to get closer to God and receive Him as their personal Savior.He rules over Heaven and Earth.No weapon formed against Him shall prosper.This is how I approach each day.My birthday is only sixteen(16) days away.My daughter is also born in this month,Sept.4.How could we ever 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 story2717.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. 192.28.2.17 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I just want to say that specail olympics maine is behind everyone who lost some one they love. on 9-11. from the people who are greeving to the nypd an nyfd also the tons and tons of people that helped out in any way they could. also to the volenteers and crews that dug out the bodies to the people that did the candle light services. keep the hope up keep the flame alive not burned out. hold it strong. we need peace in all countries!!!! peace love & unity also harmony. from a specail olympics athlete from maine sean curtis waterbro, me. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6825.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. 209.237.197.85 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 thought it was going to be a great day... The sun was shining so bright and it was my birthday. I was going to teach my first class ever... I was substituting at a school in Frankfort, Illinois. I was going to teach kindergarten. What unfolded was something I never expected. As I walked into the school another teacher came up to me and asked if I knew what happened. I had no idea what had taken place from when I left my house and I entered that school. All I could think of was I'm from New York. This could not be happening on what was supposed to be a great day. The little children who entered my class knew very little of what happened. They were just little faces wondering why we couldn't go outside. And there was very little I could say. At that time we thought it was better left till they got home. As lunch time came around I entered the teacher's lunchroom. And heard all the terrible news. I still couldn't believe what had happened. By two o'clock it was time to go. It had been the longest day of my life. I came home and was glued to the T.V. Nothing seemed real but it was all too real. Mindy Olivieri 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 story4659.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: September 11th I woke up on September 11th and it was a sunny, semi warm day. It felt like any other day really. I got on the bus and went to school. I hung out with friends in my first and second class. In the middle of third period is when I found out about the terrorist attacks. I left class to get a drink and a teacher was walking down the hall and saying something. At first I thought he was talking to me, so I asked him what he said. He told me to go and tell my teacher to turn it on CNN. So I hurried back to my class and told Mrs. Lamb to turn on the TV. As soon as we turned it on they showed the first tower in flames. I was very confused. I had no idea what was going on, to be honest I was a little scared to know what was going on. I wasn't sure I wanted to know. Then a newscaster came across the screen and said that a plane had flown into the tower. After hearing this, the first thing that popped into my head was the bombing in the twin towers in 1993. When class was over everyone in the halls were talking about it. I stepped into fourth period class and it was so quiet, which is very unusual for my art class. We sat there the whole time with our noses stuck to the TV. It was so sad. By this time the other plane hit the second tower. When the towers started to collapse I started to get teary. I still couldn't believe this was happening. I thought it was just a really bad dream. Then later on I heard that a plane hit the Pentagon and then one crashed in Somerset, PA. The plane that crashed in Somerset, PA from what I heard was supposed to come to Somerset, NY. It was suppose to hit our power plant, AES. During the next few days of school we watched over a nd over again the devastating disaster. Each time I watched it made me think to myself, wow what if that plane had hit our power plant? What would have happened to us? It was so important to watch the news every night and see what was go ing on and how people had reacted to all this. It still amazes me that someone can be so cruel and hurtful. After the devastating disaster, everyone, including me was very sad and had hopes on pay back for Osama bid Laden. This tragedy influenced people and we know that America became united once again. We pulled through it and now are trying to move because everyone is "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 story771.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. 2002-06-10 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 168.169.8.38 Notes Notes about this item. duplicate story posted 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 I was in Plaquimine Louisiana attending Edward J. Gay Middle School I was 9 years old.Well this orcurrents made me feel sad because all them people that lost their lives probly had a living and proably wanted to be here having fun with their family.well it had lil children that died in this occurent because they tried to help others and over 2000 people died. This occurents also made me cry. I fusstrated and confused.On that moring of September 11 all I can remember was when I was in Ms.Robinson class in the 4th grade.Well but still this occurents make me want to cry harder than what i cry when i cutting Onions. I would had a heartattack when I heard about this occurent. Isat down and told my mom what if that was us in this event."she responided that i would have killed myself over my chirdren, because I love you so very well.I could not this this occurents go I would have killed myself just thinking about 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 story20530.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2006-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.186.239.238 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 worked downtown in Jacksonville at the Southtrust Bank building. I was at work on the morning of 9/11/01 and was trying to get into a work mode. At the time I was 4 months pregnant with my son. I was walking past my boss's office and he stepped out into the hallway and asked me "Does your husband know about this?" I, of course, wondered what he was referring to and he showed me on his computer monitor a picture on the CNN website of the first plane hitting the WTC. I then went to my office to call my husband, who works for the US Secret Service, to see if he knew about it and what he thought. He very quickly told me that it was terrorist related and that he had to go. Not a whole lot of work got done that morning while all of the other events unfolded. What a tragic day! To top it all off, our building was evacuated due to a bomb scare. The owner of our company told us all to go home. I was glad that we were able to go home. I know that I wouldn't have been able to work the rest of the day anyway. 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 story5697.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: I remember it as though it were yesterday. I had awoken late that beautiful September morning. I remember walking from my home in the Bronx to the train station at E. 180th Street thinking "whatever train comes will determine my route today". I remember that my job was having a blood drive in the Financial Center that morning, and I had decided to donate. When I reached the top of the steps in the station, the number 2 train was just closing it's doors. Had I taken that train, I probably would have just made it to the Trade Center at the time of the first attack. I took the next train to my office at 222 Broadway. I found out later that that number 5 train would be the last to enter the Fulton Street Station that day. I recall being the native New Yorker that I am being a bit perturbed because people were walking so slowly up the stairs...the stairs that were directly next to the cemetary of St. Paul's Chapel. My back was to the North Tower. But upon reaching the top of the landing, I turned to see the North Tower ablaze. Since no information was available to me, I thought that maybe a fire had broken out in the restuarant (Windows on the World), and proceeded to my office. When I reached my office's reception area, the TVs were tuned to NY1 and CNN, all detailing the first attack as an "accident". I walked to my desk in disbelief. I began logging in to my computer, when I decided to call my sister (who knew my proximity to the Trade Center). After getting off the phone with her, I called my mother to tell her I was alright. During my brief conversation with her, I told her about the atrociities I was being witness to. You see, from my office window, I could see people jumping from the building to their deaths. Just then, my coworker came over to console me, when we heard the roaring sound of another plane. Out of fear, we ducked under my desk, when the loud "BOOM" of the plane slamming into the second tower scared the daylights out of us. We felt our building shake as though it were hit directly. With my mother still on the phone, I told her what had happened and told her I loved her. We stayed in our building during the first building collapse (the south tower). We feared that maybe another attack had occurred, so we went down to the lobby area. From the large glass windows and doors, we can see the huge plume of soot and ash englufing the immediate area of the collapse site. I remember the sun was blocked out and it became very dark in the lobby. Firefighters and police officers broke the glass doors to the Duane Reade pharmacy in the lobby to get bottles of water and towels in an effort to rinse off their faces. Then they were gone as quickly as they had appeared. We returned back to the 2nd floor to retrieve our belongings. People speculated that the North Tower was going to collapse as well, and we agreed that it would be best to wait it out. I'll never forget the sound of the North Tower collapsing. The best way I can describe it is as a deep growling sound. A deep rumbling. The smoke, ash and soot engulfed the area again. The darkness appeared once more. Our building shook. Then, it was over. We got ourselves together and decided to begin the long trek to our homes at around 11:30AM. We broke off into groups determined by where you were headed. I remember walking out of my building's lobby and being shocked by the debris. There was ash and litter literally ankle deep. The smell in the air was stifling. The air itself choked you if you didn't have anything to cover your mouth and nose. The only noise you heard was the fire alarm in a distant building and the occasional siren. People walked in a daze of disbelief, including myself. Since there was no transporation, we were forced to walk north. I walked that day from 222 Broadway on Fulton Street to 125th Street on Lexington Avenue. I don't remember much about that long walk. I recall hearing and seeing fighter aircrafts passing above the Empire State Building. I remember thinking "wow, that person was in my area" whenever I saw someone with shoes that had the unmistakeable gray ash. I made it home around the time that Tower #7 collapsed. My aunt Laura met me at the front door of my twin sister's apartment. I sat on my sister's couch for what felt like an eternity. My aunt called my mother downstairs to tell her that I had arrived home. My mother sat next to me on that couch, and I hugged her like I would never let her go. My aunt removed my shoes, and instructed me to go in and take a shower. I stood in that shower and sobbed. I sobbed for the lives that I witnessed being lost that day. I sobbed out of exhaustion. I sobbed out of relief to be home with my family. Today, on the 5th anniversary of that day, I sob again. I sob because I was one of the "lucky ones" to survive that dreadful day. I sob for all of those innocent lives that were lost. I sob for our past, our present and for our future....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 story20479.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2006-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 169.200.173.78 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: Interestingly, I had just started a job at an assisted living facility near my home, and on the morning of 911, several persons from the corporate office in Leesburg, VA were visiting our facility. Not everyone had arrived, so, many of us were just getting acquainted. At around 9:15, someone in to tell us that a plane had hit the WTC. A few staff members headed for the closest TV set located in the Memory Lane Alzheimer's unit. Soonafter, a woman from corporate ran back to announce that a second plane had hit the other WTC tower. By that time, we were in shock...slowly realizing that the first hit was not likely an accident after all. What really pulled my heart into my throat was when we heard that the Pentagon had been hit. By now, I was terrified. OUr cellular phones weren't working, and I could not access the internet---I wondered if perhaps it was a terrorist conspiracy to knock out all communications across the country. Terrifying visuals could wait, therefore, I did not seek out a TV set to see a replay of the second plane hitting the building, or of the two towers when they imploded. When I returned to my home at 4pm, however, I saw for the first time the devastation that descended upon NYC and Washington, D.C. For the next several days (maybe a few weeks,) I was glued to CNN and MSNBC. So much that, I became affected by the tragedy and sorrow...I was heartbroken for the victims and their families. As an aside,many elderly residents at Morningside house were quite aware of the 911 tragedy and compared it to the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. They were mostly quiet, and I believe, lost in their thoughts, reliving a terrible and momentous tragedy for all Americans and the world. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to offer my thoughts. 911 has changed America and I will never be the same again. Madonna Parent Waldorf, MD 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 story186.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. 205.188.193.47 Annotation Annotations to this item. Rumors Telephones and Cell Phones Television Coverage 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 was nine in the fourth grade. When I heard about this I was afraid that I was next. I felt sorry for these people. I saw that the plane crashed into the trade center. It had many people trying to get out but couldn't. On september 11,2006 over 2500 people died. I heard that the trade center collpised and even many more people were killed.I felt sorry for the people 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 story20533.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2006-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.186.239.238 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 started out my day like any other. I was listening to my favorite morning show on the radio. They were talking about a plane that had hit the World Trade Center, but they weren't sure if it was just an accident. I was extremely worried and curious so I went in to the other room where my Dad has a little TV. I told him what I had heard on the radio and then I turned on the TV. What I saw will be burned into my memory forever. It was the second plane crashing into the WTC, and it seemed like it was in slow motion. My Dad and I sat there in disbelief and I felt like a scared little kid. We watched in horror as people started clinging to the outsite of the towers, some even jumping. Minutes later, the reports came that the Pentagon had been hit by another plane. I went over to were my Dad was sitting and he gave me a hug, tears streaming down our faces, mouths open in disbelief, and I said, "We're going to war." We sat stunned and watched the first tower collapse. It was like being paralyzed. I couldn't even think straight, everything felt so numb and strange. I remember going to work and listening to the updates on the radio at my desk. On one of my breaks, I walked to the Ford dealership across the street and asked one of the salesmen if I could take an American flag that they had flying on the antennas of the cars. He looked at me with melancholy eyes and told me, "Of course." I put it on the antenna of my car and let our flag forever wave. I remember it being a quiet day. Nobody seemed to utter a sound. Just low moans of shock and glazed-over looks. I remember picking up my best friend for lunch and we barely said two words to each other. We went to the Red Cross to donate blood, but there had already been such an overwhelming response that we were told to try back in a few days. I recall looking up at the sky and seeing our fighter jets proudly patrolling our country and it gave me a great sense of pride and hope. Mostly I remember feeling the bond with total strangers. Anyone you might've caught a glance with that day, that week, you knew they were feeling the deep hurt, the disbelief, the hope and will to go on, the American spirit, and all the memories that was 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 story8706.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-12-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.212.167.194 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 remember I had just gotten out of the shower at my house. My Mother yelled in at me and told me that my boyfriend was on the phone. I answered the phone and he asked me if I was watching the TV. I said no, and he said, "turn it on, your never going to believe this". I turned on the tv only to see both the WTC buildings on fire. I asked him what happened and he was telling me bits and pieces and then I yelled for my Mother to come watch. We stood there in shock because of what we were seeing. I stayed on the phone with my boyfriend who lived about 20 miles away from me, thinking how much I wanted to be with him and everyone else I loved because of the horrible things that were happening. We were scared, we were confused, we didnt really know what was going to happen next. I was pregnant with my first child then, and all I can remember is fearing for the life of my unborn baby. Not only for that moment, that day, but for when she was born, for the rest of her life. I was traumatized, and frightened. We watched all morning, and then heard on the news there was another missing airplane, feared to be headed for Washington. At that time they didnt know where the plane was from or anything, so we were scared. We then heard it crashed in Shanksville, PA, not far from here. It really hit close to home then. I'm still standing in front of the Tv with my bath robe on, and on the phone with my boyfriend. For the most part we didnt talk to each other, we were silent and saying "Oh my God, oh my God, this is crazy". We then came to learn that the flight that came down in Shanksville traveled right over our town on its first path before it turned around. And for all we knew, there were more planes out there, more terrorists, more things to come for that day, that week, who knew. We were terrified, as was the rest of the world. Our world stood still as did the rest of America's. The night before Sept 11, my boyfriend and I were laying on his porch swing in his front yard. His house was set in the country so it was peaceful and quiet. We were laying there looking up at the stars and all of the sudden we spotted 2 planes in the sky, they were heading towards each other. Not so much head on, but from the same direction, only we could see that it almost looked as though they were going to cross paths and hit each other. We watched and we were breathless as we thought they were going to hit each other. They looked to be the same evelation in the sky and everything. As we watched the planes, they didnt hit. But our discussion afterwards was how scary and awful that would have been. Then, the following day, September 11th, everything happened and we looked back on the night before and we were just like "Oh my God, how ironic". It was almost like we were meant to see that. The skies over Pennsylvania were almost warning us of the horrible things to come. We were so creeped out by the whole situation, and still so scared. The September 11th tragedy is in a way just like the assasination of JFK. Everyone who experienced it, and everyone who got the news about it that day will NEVER forget where they were when they heard the news, and what was going on in their lives at that time. It will live in our hearts forever as the day America's freedom was tested. The day so many had to die because of one man's sick and twisted world. A man who is so JEALOUS and PITIFUL. The people responsible for that horrible day are merely jealous, pathetic losers who will never have what we have here in America. They will never experience the glory that is living here in the USA. So they have to challenge us. Take away something so beautiful like all those innocent peoples lives, just to make themselves feel better about their PITIFUL, meaningless lives over there. Dont you just have so much hate for them? Well, so do I. But mostly, I feel bad for them. Because they are who they are, so HORRIBLE, so PATHETIC in their sad little meaningless lives, and we are America, so wonderful. Home of the brave, Land of the Free. And no one will ever have what we have. And no one will ever take that away from us. God Speed America. If we all stick together, we'll be alright, we'll accomplish 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 story6696.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. 65.149.200.44 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: "I HOLD IN MY HAND..." I hold in my hand a candle so bright, in silence I stand outside in the night. I think and I pray for all who have gone. The happy thoughts the people had before the plane they went on. Without a sound, I think of people missing and can't be found... The flame on my candle has such a warm glow I think of the people stuck down below. Even though loved ones are apart, I know in my heart- God will take them in a place so wonderful- called Heaven! America will never be the same again We need to be strong, We have the bravest men. We will always remember the 11th day of September. I am proud to be an American each and every day, God bless the U.S.A. !! We all need to be knowing We need to keep America growing. America, America, home of the free! No one will take it from us- for this is our home, our land, our country. I take my candle which I hold in my hand, may God bless America- where I am proud to be an American on this land I stand!!!!!!!!!!!! ------------------------------------------------- written by: Cherise and Michael Gilberto(11 yrs old) I thought you would like a copy of my memorial of 9/11- written by my son and I in sympathy to all the families who were touched by this tragic event. 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 story6495.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 129.174.27.149 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: The morning of September 11, 2001 is, like most Americans a time I remember with a combination of nauseating sadness and fear. As a member of the media, I was both able to be a part of the spread of information and witness the chaos as reports flooded in. I don't think I really put together what was happening until my partner called, realizing that as a member of the news corps, I would probably be one of the very few "essential personnel", unable to be with my family in the circumstances,. He wanted to say that whatever happened he loved me. There were several hours of tension as we waited for the continuation of what we thought was the inevitable barrage of terrorist activity spreading from the east to the west. We all came up with reasons why our area of the country may be a target, and why it may not be. Even in Toledo, several hundred miles from New York or Washington; I, and many of my co-workers and friends new people who were unaccounted for. I remember feeling both very alone and sort of supported by what I hoped would be some sense of usefulness. It's been a year, and I still am momentarily shocked at the events. I truly don't think that will wear off. The months after September 11 held more tragedies like the fall of the stock market and the companies that closed as a result, or the unbridled nationalism that threatened to squelch free speech or government criticism. I think back to early 2001 and 2000 and remember them as a halcyon period. 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 story6940.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. 208.16.183.14 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: I was getting ready for work...Stunned by the news, I numbly finished getting ready, then drove to the elementary school where I work as Secretary to the Principal. We all felt a profound sense of loss, particularly, because 'the enemy' was not easily identifiable. I also teach part time in the Arts, Humanities, and Communications Division at a local community college. In the Fall 2001 semester, I taught Inroduction to Human Communication. My students were a diverse mix of ethnic background, age, and political/religious interests, as is usual in undergraduate classrooms in California. All of my students expressed their horror about this event; class discussion enabled even normally shy students to express their views. A wonderful bonding developed among my students that continued to grow through the semester. I just felt that in our little corner of the world, a horrific event produced a wonderful classroom experience for my students and for me. Marlene Neun 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 story3000.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. 207.212.207.254 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 fast asleep in bed; sleeping in as I did not have to go to work until very late that day. The phone beside by bed rang and I struggled to pull myself awake sufficiently to pick it up. When I did, I heard my daughter say, "Turn on the TV." I was taken by the grave sound of her voice, normally so cheerful when she called. I asked, "What station?" She said, "Any station." The way she spoke was so compelling that I didn't protest, but hung up the phone, got out of bed and walked to the living room where I turned on the set. I don't know which channel it was on, but the picture was unreal. Planes crashing into buildings. Not like the scene in "King Kong" but very, very real. Large passenger jets crashing into the World Trade Center. It was sickening - stunning. I thought of all the people working there and all the families and friends who loved and needed them. I began to cry. 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 story6558.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. 66.81.182.24 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 remember walking into my SQ class with Mr. Trombley and saw Mrs. Tesich, sitting and talking both with sad looks on their faces. Then the bell for class to start rang and Mr. Trombley turned on the TV. Not a word was said by anyone. I remember the first thing I saw was a plan crash into the twin towers in New York. I saw so many people jumping out of buildings to save their lives. I saw many people crying and just running around everywhere. A few minutes before the bell rand, the TV was turned off and Mrs. Teshich began to talk. Mrs. Teshich was telling us all the background and history of the twin towers. As she spoke, her eyes bgan to water and fill with tears. Then Mr. Trombley took over and started to say that there were going to be some major changes in everyone's life. It seemed as if non one was taking this seriously at the time. I guess we really didn't get that he was serious. My life has not changed all tha much since September 11th, but I do know that for other people it has. One way that a person's life has changed is not many people want to fly on planes because they are afraid they could be killed. Just like the people on the plane on September 11th. Also people in the world are more nervous and cautious. Everyone used to just walk around and not be worried about everyone they see. Now, no one is trusted anymore. One other way everyone's life has changed is there are many threats and nobody can trust anyone. This makes us apart from one another. My life has only changed in a few ways. The way my life has changed is my parents are a little more protective of where I go. That's the change that really sticks out to me. I used to be able to stay our later and do a lot of things that my parents still let me do but they are always worried about me. My life has not changed that much because I am a kid and I don't know all that much about the twin towers. I think that may things and thoughts should be remembered about September 11th. Also, the firemaen and police that helped save everyone and clean up everything should also be remembered. September 11th, the actual date should become a holiday. Also all the of the children that lost their families when the twin towers went down should always be remembered. Everyone that helped out in this terrible attach should be remembered. It was a day we thought all peace would be broken and we thought of the world as a not-so-safe place, like it used to be. No, we did not fly a flag after the September 11th attack. Even though I wish we would have to show how proud we are to be American and nothing will ever change that. If we would've flown a flag an American flag, I wonder if something would've happened to it. Although all these thoughts come to mind, I still wish we would've flown an American flag. My feelings about the flag have changed somewhat since this tragedy. Now I look at the flag and I think more of what it really is, such as i used ot look at the flag and see red and white stipes and 50 white stars in a blue backround. Now I see all of america inside of the flag. My feelings about the flag have always been kind of low but untill September 11th the feeling have burst to a point where i really care about everyone more now that this tragec event has happened. 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 story1986.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. 2002-09-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.43.146.35 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: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 I was sitting in a friend's office at work, just about 9:00 in the morning, when we got word of the first plane crash via email from a co-worker, who was in our corporate headquarters in Cleveland for the day. We got to CNN's web site and saw a picture of the gaping hole in the first tower. We were trying to count floors to estimate how many people died. It was horrible to think about being on the plane. Then we thought about looking out your window and seeing a plane come at you. Suddenly word came (from others in the department) that there had been a second plane, to the other tower. By this point we could not get out to the internet - everyone was trying to hit CNN's web site, as well as the other news web pages. I called my best friend, and told her to put the TV on. She was home on maternity leave with her first child. I will never forget hearing her say "Oh my GOD, oh my GOD, look at that plane". She was looking at the video of the second plane crashing into the tower. Then she said "Look at that thick black smoke. Why are they showing the penatagon? Wait, the pentagon is on fire too!" From that point on, we were all in each other's offices for the next hour or so, huddled around radios listening to the news. No one could get work done. About 11:10 am a group of us went to a sports bar that had dozens of tv's, showing all of the major networks reporting the news. It was very somber. I was still in shock, in horror, amazed by the terrible things such as people leaping to their deaths from the buildings, and the buildings themselves dissolving, melting away into a billowing, monstrous evil cloud of dust. It was as though a volcano had suddenly exploded and was trying to swallow everyone in its path. There was a rain of papers. Business papers were fluttering everywhere. The gray ash was so deep, and the clouds rose so high into the sky. It was beyond comprehension. We went back to work, and I followed my normal routine of leaving at 2pm to go and get my children. My son's babysitter, was distraught over the presently un-accounted for Godfather of her own child. "He worked next door and he's the type of guy who would just help people." When I got home, I turned on the TV again, watching the same footage over and over, with new information added in, reeling every time the plane ripped into the tower, astonished every time the towers sank as though in quicksand. The mayor of NYC spoke and I cried when he made reference to all of the children whose parents wouldn't be coming to get them that evening. I cried and cried, and my seven year old daughter didn't understand why I was crying. I tried to explain to her that the plane had hit the building, and it was very sad, because lots of nice people had died. But she didn't understand. Mercifully, she was too young to have it seem real. Too young to understand that somewhere in the city two hours away were girls who wouldn't have their mommy coming home that night. I signed on to AOL and my friends were frantic about me. They knew I was in NY state but not where. I had actually given my phone number to one friend, S, and she had left a tearful message on my answering machine at home. She thought it was my cell phone and when she couldn't get through to me she didn't know if I had been in the city and killed. So I logged on and immediately my friends created a chat room just for me to talk, cry, and to "be with" my friends from all over the country. S was distraught, having been through the Oklahoma City bombing. Others worried about me having friends or family in the city. (At this writing the only person I knew was a former co-worker of several years before.) And my beloved Canadian and English friends were offering love and sympathy. The most gutwrenching thing in the days to come was the flood of individual faces of the people lost. The stories, of who was late and who was early, and thus spared, or lost. The signs, everywhere ... "Have you seen me?" put up by desperate relatives. My friend (another AOL pal) lives in NYC and works in Manhattan and sent a gripping email describing her day. We were so worried about her until we heard from her. (It was two days). Mass on Sunday was very hard for me. I walked in and right near where we always sit were the prayer candles. They were white, with red and blue candles forming the cross in the center. I started to cry then. I cried through God Bless America and the other patriotic songs. I went outside and saw close friends, and we all cried together. I had a painting that I had done, when I took a watercolor class in college. It was part of the flag, draped over a blue and white fabric. I put it in the front window -- it was there for the Gulf war, and now it is there again. I don't really know when I'll put it away. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1456.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. 2002-08-25 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.12.96.206 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 came from work at 2:30 pm German-time and I watched TV. Than I saped on other chanel and was shocked. I thought that isn't real, that must be a film. And then hit the second plain the tower- I can not discribe my feelings at this day! I watched the whole day. I just can tell my deepest sympathy to everyone who lost someone sweetheart. Your Jacqueline from Germany 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 story7471.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. 2002-09-15 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 217.110.132.148 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was living at 71 Broadway on the fourth floor with windows that faced north onto the churchyard of Trinity Church and the World Trade Center beyond. Both towers were visible from the bedroom and living room. My girlfriend and I had moved into the apartment at 4:00 P.M. on September 10, 2001. We had moved from 275 Greenwich Street, which is two blocks north of where the North Tower stood. The night of September 10th, I looked out the window at the two huge towers and wondered how long they would stay up (everything in New York gets torn down eventually and I had always thought they were ugly) and how in the world you would go about tearing down two 110-story buildings. It was just a coincidence, but a sad one. At 8:46 I was getting dressed for work when I heard a sound like a missile and then a loud thud. The thud sounded like a large truck going over one of the steel plates that cover repair work on the city streets. In fact, it sounded so similar and I have lived in New York for so long (my whole life) that I almost didn't turn to look out the window. In fact, my first instinct was to look up Broadway, towards City Hall, where I saw nothing. When I turned my head left, however, I saw a waterfall of paper streaming out of the side of the north tower. My first thought was that a small plane had hit, but I was suspicious that it was an attack because of the missile-like sound that I now know was the engines of a passenger jet. I ran downstairs and stood at the corner of Liberty Street and Church Street, at the southeast corner of the plaza that held the two towers. Papers were fluttering everywhere. It's something you don't really see on the television footage of the attacks; I don't know why. I picked up several pieces of paper, a bill, some information on employee insurance, some trading tickets and imagined that the people attached to these papers had been sitting a their desks one moment and then killed instantly the next. As I watched amidst the growing chorus of fire trucks and ambulances, I was startled by a very loud noise to my left. I looked up and very clearly saw the profile of a passenger jet plow cleanly into the side of the south tower. Although the footage clearly shows a huge fireball, I have no recollection of the explosion. I distinctly remember thinking that the attackers must have stolen the jets out of hangars somewhere (Dallas sprang to mind, I don't know why) and flown them empty. At that point I had no idea that anybody was on the plane I had just seen. The crowd I was in turned as one and fled to the basement of the Trinity Building, directly across from Liberty Plaza. In the basement there was the sound of some muted whimpering and weeping. I was surprised at how calm I felt. I immediately decided that I had to get back to my apartment and found my way through the basement and out onto Broadway. I got back into my apartment at about 9:10. In retrospect, we know that no more flights would crash on New York, but at the time I was concerned that planes were going to start raining down from the sky at any minute. I turned on the news and discovered for the first time that the planes had been hijacked and that I had just watched a group of passengers meet their death. I felt disgusted, like an voyeur or Peeping Tom who had no right to witness the intimate moment of their death. I called my parents, who live in Manhattan, and assured them I was okay. I paged my girlfriend, who was an emergency room doctor at Bellevue, and told her I was okay. As I was speaking with her, I watched bits and pieces of the tower fall. I didn't tell her, but I also saw bodies fall. I remember one in particular who fell backwards and I could see the arms flailing. Unlike the the debris, which was mostly exterior panels that fluttered on the way down, the jumpers fell straight to earth. At the time, I tried to convince myself that they couldn't be people; they were just metal. But I knew they were people. As I hung up the phone, I said to my girlfriend, "There are bigger pieces falling down now." After the jumpers, I didn't want to watch any more, so I focused on the television. Suddenly, I felt foolish watching the event second hand when it was all happening outside my window. I looked up at the south tower. The light and shadow on the east face suddenly changed and I realized that the top was collapsing. Looking at the footage later confirmed my impression of the time; the top of the tower initially started falling east and a little south - directly at my apartment building. The tower was something like 1,300 feet tall. I was not certain that I lived over 1,300 feet from the south tower. In panic, I did something so pathetic it is laughable; I closed my living room window. Then I ran into the hallway outside the apartment and waited for what I thought would be the impact of the south tower of the World Trade Center on my building. I did mental calculations. My building was decked in stone, having been built near the turn of the century. Would it hold up against a skyscraper falling. I heard screams throughout the building, muted by the apartment doors and the huge rumble outside. Of course, nothing ever hit. I later learned that the tower simply slid down on itself, but standing in that hallway I was convinced that I might die there or be trapped and injured. I had locked myself out of my apartment so I took the stairs down to the lobby. The glass doors facing Broadway revealed nothing. It was like looking into a filthy fish tank. People from the street started coming into the lobby covered with soot. We stayed this way for what seemed like an eternity but was probably only twenty minutes. A woman next to me sat on the floor and sobbed. A police officer in a uniform of blue trousers and a pristine white shirt suddenly appeared in the lobby. I have no idea how this officer was not covered in soot. I can't even remember if it was a man or a woman. The officer told us that the other tower was going to fall and that we all needed to get as far away from the tower as possible. There was some confusion as to which way that was (a lot of people had run into the lobby and didn't know where they were). I knew that exact opposite direction of the towers was down Broadway towards South Ferry and Battery Park. So I showed some people the way out of our building through the subway exit (which is in the lobby) and we made our way out onto Broadway and headed south. The soot was already about three or four inches thick on the ground and it was very difficult to see or breathe. None of us knew if the second tower had fallen. I headed south to Bowling Green and then towards Battery Park with the idea that I could breathe more easily if I could get to the shore of the harbor. At the very bottom of Broadway police began to direct the growing crowd up the FDR Drive. One memory that sticks out is of a woman standing at the bottom of Broadway. In her right arm she cradled bottles of Poland Spring water. In her left hand she held paper napkins. She was wetting the napkins and handing them to strangers to use as masks. I took one and have been grateful ever since. No idea who she was. I also felt startled everytime a bus moved by because I wasn't sure that another plane wouldn't come raining down on us at that point. I needed to call my girlfriend and let her know I was okay. She had done the same mental math about my proximity to the towers and wondered if it had fallen on our building and killed me. At the hospital, the took her into a family counselling room to help her collect herself. Every pay phone had a huge line. I decided to head for the South Street Seaport and find a phone with less people. I made my way to the back end of the top floor of the Seaport and found a bar. In the course of the next hour, I drank five pints of beer and smoked a full pack of cigarettes, but I felt nothing. In another moment of strangeness, the bartender worried about serving beer before the bar actually opened at 11:00. We assured her that today was probably okay for an exception. I spoke to a guy who had been on the 15th floor of the north tower when the plane hit. He'd been in the WTC in 1993 when the bomb went off and he did not hesitate to clear out. Another man sitting near me worked at the hotel at the base of the south tower. He had seen a man with both his arms severed. I called my office, but everybody had gone and I got only email. I reached my parents and told them I was okay. I paged my girlfriend, 07734 - "Hello" upside down on a pager. Nobody knew what to do at the bar. We watched CNN and MSNBC. At one point, the television was reporting that as many as 12 airplanes had been hijacked and were in the air. Finally, at 2:30 P.M., I tried to make my way home. Going across Wall Street, I saw the janitors at one building already cleaning the street in front. At that pont I remember thinking, "Someday, all this will have been a year ago, then five years ago and then ten years ago." 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 story2060.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. 2002-09-10 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.124.167.194 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: A year ago, I remember what was my first reaction that sunny day. I remember like yesterday because it was a beautiful sunny morning when all of a sudden I heard the noise, the commotion, the screaming, the fire, the sirens, the smoke, the people, and then the worst happen I saw the towers fall one by one. The devil arose within the smoke caused by the fire. I saw him there and I panic and ran to my shelter. I ran to the house of the Lord that was my first reaction. I looked for the Lord's comfort. I pray forgiveness for all human beings especially for those who did wrong and for the innocent ones. I prayed and thank GOD that my little angel still had her mommy to explain what happen. The hardest thing I ever had to do as a mother was explain to a 4 year old what had happened. My daughter has not forgotten that day and I will always remember my first reaction. The cycle of life is interesting my mother took me there when I was 8 years old because she worked there and then as an adult I took my daughter there. Life must go on and remember every day is a good day to tell those closest to you that you love them. I love you all and I thank you for being in my life as my family, brothers, sisters, friends, coworkers, and bosses . 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 story3561.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. 63.236.110.10