244 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: Poems Falling Up I saw a maple drenched in gold. The wind was tickling its inside, wrestling loose a great batch leaves. They lingered for a moment in mid-air, dancing round and around, and then drifted upward, reminding me of souls. 9/30/01 ? Life Cereal The other morning I looked down at my Life cereal and for a moment every piece looked like a broken bit of building ? a pile of flooded rubble. And ? dear God ? this one half-bitten piece reminded me of that one edge of building still left standing. It was the same crooked, jagged shape. I swear I?m not crazy. 9/30/01 ? Now I thought I?d moved on or at least put up the shields. But then we were driving ? outside was dying ? While Guns ?N Roses sang "Knockin? on Heaven?s Door." This white autumn light filtered through the clouds and shrouded the hills. Through the fog for a moment I saw everything. Life stabbed me. "This is how it is now," was all I could think. This is how it is. As the concrete ran beside me and the trees flew by. 10/29/01 ? Looking Up We spotted the low-flying, single engine plane at the same time. "Terrorists," Chris said matter-of-factly a moment later. I already thought that, I replied. Beat you to it. Then I wondered: is this the new normal? The new absurd. Not just the fear, but how effortlessly we?ve accepted it. 10/29/01 ? At the Anthrax Update The strangeness of it struck me about halfway through the meeting. Here we were, ears pricked and pens poised, hanging onto every morsel of fact, as Dr. Rauch, the "bioterrorism expert" taught us about inhalation anthrax, smallpox vaccine, and the threat to our nation?s water and food supply. I looked over at John Whittaker, manager of the Mail Room. One day we had screamed over the phone over which of us was responsible for ordering envelopes. That seems so long ago, don?t you think, John? I asked him silently. He was busy taking mental notes on how to protect his staff from strange white powder. Does anyone think this is crazy? I wanted to call out. Does anyone else think this is a very long, bizarre dream? On the other side of the room, I heard a familiar voice. I looked over and saw her. "This keeps me awake at night," she was saying. "I?m scared health care is next. I?m afraid to come to work here. Are we safe?" The last time we?d talked, I?d been sitting on the exam room table, shivering in a gown. Her son was going to play in a golf tournament. She had laughed at my hypochondria. Chris, Chris, Chris. Is that you? I wondered. You can?t be afraid. I?m the one who?s always afraid. Say you?re not scared. This can?t be, that I want to walk across the room and console you. None of this can be, but yet, it seems to be Even though I?m looking for the cameras, waiting for the scene to end, once someone calls "cut!" 10/31/01 ? The Fireman It?s Halloween. Cold and rainy. There?s a helicopter overhead. Maybe it?s nothing. Down the street this house flies three American flags over their graveyard, webs and skeletons. A little boy dressed like a fireman sloshes through wet leaves and tries to beat the dark. 10/31/01 ? The Video There was nothing to be afraid of, really. So why was my heart pounding as I pushed the flimsy tape into my VCR? Why fear a removed moment? Before it all happened on September 11, early that morning Chris had been on some floor of the hospital filming residents for me. And now seven weeks later we?d finally found the tape. The footage was amazingly mundane ? Two woman and one man, standing over charts, talking. Five mere minutes of tape. Yet I watched with absolute fascination I watched like I was God. You don?t know what?s going to happen, You don?t know what going to happen. Seeing them laughing and sipping coffee, this sadness crushed me. I wanted to go back. I wanted to warn them. I wanted to scream or shake them or just whisper please. Enjoy every one of these last weightless little moments. 10/31/01 ? Game Seven There?s this voice in my head screaming "What are you doing!?" It?s the bottom of the ninth and I?m biting my nails, praying the Yankees win. This goes against 26 years of ingrained tradition, against everything that flows in my blood. Am I really doing this? I feel as if it?s someone else watching and hoping against hope for them, Someone very different than the person who almost bought a Yankees suck T-shirt at Fenway Park last May. Oh. It is me. 11/7/01 ? Quabbin Reservoir You can?t come in, the sign tells us. You can?t walk beneath the ancient maples, down this winding road to the green of a town that died long ago. My dad first took me here when I was small. I?ve walked back several times over the years, drinking in the silence and beauty, slightly haunted at the site of cellar holes and empty paths. But now we can?t come in. They have to protect the water. I stare beyond the gates for a moment, shivering in the breeze. Then we drive away. 11/14/01 ? All Over Again A plane fell out of the sky again the other day. It?s amazing how you can resolve to let go of something, how you can be so close to letting it grow fuzzy in your mind rather than reliving the details, when you get jolted back in a matter of seconds. My racing heart and the blaring television and smoke pouring from the New York sky ? All over again. The only thing that?s missing is surprise. 11/14/01 ? The Ticker "Did they always have the ticker?" Dan asked as we stared at CNN. News tidbits danced across the blue strip at the bottom. I followed them until I grew dizzy. Dan mouthed as he read. "I don?t know," I answered, gazing at the screen. Neither of us could remember. 11/21/01 ? Wondering It?s gray and misting outside and I feel a little sad. I?m wondering if they?re out there, whoever they are, just waiting. Are they waiting for us to start living again? I was reading this article awhile ago. A New York police officer was weeping, asking "How could they do this to our beautiful city?" That?s what I?m feeling, thinking about the faceless "they." How could they do this to my country? I?m not the type to clench my fists in defiance and vow that the American spirit will not be crushed. Let?s be real. We?re broken. I know we will get better. I just wonder about the scar. 11/29/01 ? Fog In the thick fog the city has disappeared. Is this how it is for New York? People keep looking, saying, I know this was the spot, but already the memory is murky. The fog is one thing, but to search on a stunningly clear day and to still see nothing ?what is that like? I can?t understand, so I stand and squint in the mist and try to imagine. 11/30/01 ? Today This morning the Today show began with more news of war deaths and bombs and searches for evil men. At Ground Zero, above the rubble, they lit a Christmas tree and then a menorah. On the screen, a red-cheeked baby girl who lost her dad looked up at the lights. Behind her, men in yarmulkes sang songs that resonated in the still, cold night. I tried not to cry as I buttoned my coat to leave. At the news desk Ann Curry shuffled her papers and looked to Katie Couric. "The news is just so sad today," she said. Stepping out into the morning, I felt warmed somehow. I think it was ust knowing someone else understood. 12/10/01 ? Where We Were September 10 I don?t believe in ghosts, but I feel them as my feet pad down this softly-lit hallway: shades of an earlier me. Laughter lingers in the corners, along with all that ceased when this hallway was christened: "where I spent the afternoon before." This ordinary place is doomed in my mind: never a mere transition to another room, but rather, another life. ? What I Made Watching the Yankees in the World Series on Classic Sports, I play a secret, silent game. If I let now fade into the background, if I turn up the volume and have the murmur of the crowd surround me, then I?ve brought the city to life again. And I can recapture that blissful, simple joy of only worrying the ball will not be caught, or leave the park. I attach myself to this distant October evening. I close my eyes and feel: the crack of the bat and the nip in the air; people hoping, the towers standing watch, and the sweet smell of dying leaves. ? Road Trip When the war began, we were driving in western Kentucky on a Sunday morning. Home was a thousand miles away. Even the light seemed a stranger, the way it softened the edges of everything; the way it poured across the fields. We listened to the radio, leaning unconsciously forward, closer to the crackles. Strange thoughts tumbled around in my mind. I longed for the ocean. I could see us on the map; too much land on either side. Were we trapped? Running away from or to something? I kept stopping inside to check if everything was real, because I could, in the background, hear my own voice: "Mom, you know I had this dream? And we were driving in the middle of Kentucky for some reason. All of this crazy stuff was going on. We were bombing someone. I think it was the end of the world." But no, there was the cool of window glass as my cheek pressed against it, and the sour taste of orange juice on my tongue, and the crumpled up newspapers under my sneakers. We were really here. What to do then? I busied myself looking for road signs. I marveled at bizarre jungle vines growing along the endless strip of highway. And when we stopped briefly at a gas station, something mildly funny sent me into hysterics. I let myself laugh more than the moment deserved. I teetered on the edge of that thin line between laughter and tears, chasing away the strangeness, chasing away the fear. 4/9/02 ? 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 story644.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: I was a 5th year senior at James Madison University on September 11, 2001. In preparation for student teaching, we all had to come back for a few weeks of classes before entering the classroom. I remember exactly where we were, exactly what we were doing...we were in Roop Hall, in SPED 402. The class started at 8 am, and lasted until 10:30. Every day we took a break at around the same time. That day, we took a break a little before 9 o'clock. There was one girl who always called her mother during our break. She went to call her mom while the rest of us went to get snacks and take restroom breaks. She ran into the room like she was on fire...she was in tears and yelled to us that a plane had flown into the WTC. Of course, we didn't believe her. How could something like that happen to us??? We are a strong and powerful nation!! Our SPED teacher let us out of class immediately, and I would swear that almost every education student was in the education library watching the coverage. Within a few minutes, we found out about the 2nd plane and the plane that had hit the Pentagon. My heart almost stopped when I heard about the Pentagon. My aunt works for the Pentagon, and I felt panic and fear run through me. I cried for what felt like an eternity. It wasn't until a few hours later that I found out she was okay. We still had one more class to go to that day. That professor wasn't as nice as the other one. He still held class, and expected us to pay attention and still work well. Girls cried in the classroom, guys sat quietly. No one felt like being there. We wanted to be at home, or at least with friends watching the coverage. Even after class I still had to go to work. I worked in the main dining hall on campus. I arrived to work with red, white, and blue ribbons on hand. We passed them out to all of the staff, and even gave them to some of the students as they came in. It was overwhelming to see the patriotism that hadn't been on our campus before. We held a candlelight vigil that night, and many students donated blood to the local hospital. So many students donated that we exhausted their supply of bags!!! That was me on 9/11/01. It was an unforgettable day...I'll always remember where I was and who I was with. In fact, one of the guys in my class is teaching at the same school as me, he's in the next room! 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 story2477.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. 151.199.192.207 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On September 11th 2001 2 planes crashed into the Twin Towers & The Pentagon. It killed many people including the passengers aboard. Alot lost ther mothers & fathers during this tragic terrorist attack. I feel sad for all the childreb that lost so much or so litlle of their family. Many FireFighters & Police men also lost their lives trying to save the innocent people that were at stake on September 11th of 2001. This was an attack that we never saw coming nor ready to happen at all. A rough year has passed on since the tragic terrorist attack and we think we are prepared for this if it does happen again or attempted to. We have improved airline security and will be ready incase they decide too. Let's Just Hope They Don't ! Jason Weigand 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 story3360.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. 156.63.41.73 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 11th began brilliant and clear as we watched the sun rise from the American Airlines terminal, over Boston?s Logan Airport. Our flight was due to take off at 7:00 am. We were about to board a flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico with a connection to Aruba for our 28th visit to the island. Sitting in the waiting area trying to wake up with a cup of coffee, we watched as a ?red eye? flight arrived from Los Angeles at the next gate to the one from which our flight would leave. About 40 people disembarked from that flight and disappeared into the crowd. It was at that time that we noticed that the same aircraft would be turning around and heading back to Los Angeles at 7:45 am and would be known as American Airlines Flight #11. We sat and watched as the waiting area began to fill with people waiting to depart on both the San Juan and Los Angeles flights. We noticed people gathering in the same waiting area who would board Flight #11 but did not pay much attention to their faces, except for two individuals. One was a young woman in a wheelchair apparently traveling alone, assisted by an airline attendant. She had an obvious injury to her ankle and had a small carry-on bag and a pair of crutches. The attendant wheeled her to a stop near the gate and helped her into a regular chair. The young woman gave a polite and very sweet ?Thank you? to the attendant. I paused to look at her for a few moments wondering if I should offer to help her with her things, but decided against it since she seemed to be handling things well. A few minutes later, a young gentleman, very American looking, strolled over to where we were sitting, and took a seat next to me in the waiting area. He looked directly into my eyes but didn?t say anything. I didn?t think too much of it. (Later that same day, my husband and I would remark that this young man acted somewhat suspicious and walked into the waiting area with absolutely nothing in his hands?no baggage of any kind, briefcase, notebook, bags or paperwork.) Within a few minutes, our flight was being called to begin boarding and we walked down the jetway never to look back again. We thought no more of this period of time, for it was just like any other time waiting to board an airplane for any other trip we have been on. By 11 am that same day, we landed at San Juan, Puerto Rico, ready to change planes and continue on our trip to Aruba. We disembarked questioning why there had been no usual announcement of where to meet our connecting flight, so we checked the monitors for information. The monitors indicated that all flights into and out of San Juan airport had been cancelled. We thought this strange and walked to the American Airlines service desk to ask for information on when our flight would be departing. We stood in line for 45 minutes with several people ahead of us who were trying to arrange connecting flights to their destinations. We found it strange that the ticket agents weren?t able to help many passengers with their flights. Others around us started calling their offices, homes, etc. to notify people of their flight changes. Word started circulating that there had been some kind of airplane disaster involving the World Trade Center in New York. We were hearing all kinds of stories and rumors. Aircraft had crashed into the Pentagon, the US Treasury Building or Camp David, the President?s Summer Retreat. My husband and I both could not believe what we were hearing! What was going on here??? What was happening??? We frantically dug our cell phone out of our carryon luggage and tried calling one of our daughters back in NH but to no avail. Alas only an answering machine! I left a message just to say we were safe and where we were at that moment. We continued to wait in line at the airline?s service desk when a supervisor announced that the San Juan airport was being closed and evacuated. Everyone was given a list of hotels in the area with their appropriate phone numbers. We were to call a hotel, reserve a room, pick up our luggage, and leave the airport immediately! The airport was now closed and we could no longer ask any further questions. We were all very scared! We did not know what to expect next. Everyone was directed outside the terminal where taxis were waiting. There was another hour of waiting for a taxi to take us to a hotel. Each taxi was filled with people according to the location of the hotel where they had made reservations. Although most people didn?t really know what was going on, thousands were being moved out of the airport in a relatively organized fashion. Through all of these events going on, the airport never disclosed to any of us what was happening in the United States at that moment. When we arrived at our hotel, we were told that the hotel would be charging ?distress rates? instead of the usual nightly rates because of this horrendous disaster going on and the number of people stranded in San Juan. No one knew when the airport would be opened again. No one knew when we could continue on to our previously appointed destination. As soon as my husband and I were in our room, we turned on the television to CNN and realized that the U.S. had been attacked by terrorists and that hundreds if not thousands of people had been killed. What was going to happen next? Where were these terrorists going to strike next? We continued to watch the news broadcasts while we dialed each of our six daughters at home to let them know where we were and that we were safe, at least for now. We didn?t know how long we would be stranded in San Juan and did not know many more details at the time. We were stunned, shocked and damn scared!!! This could not be happening to the United States, a country where we all took for granted that wars just did not happen here. It was now Tuesday evening and we called the airport for updates on our flight while watching those horrible and ugly events that had occurred that morning in NY, Washington and Pennsylvania. It was not until the next evening, Wednesday, that American Airlines finally confirmed that our flight to Aruba would be departing San Juan, Saturday afternoon, September 15th. My husband and I had to get out of the hotel room, get away from all those horrific events being replayed over and over on the TV and try and get on with our disrupted vacation. It was extremely depressing to watch! When we did finally venture out into town, we found there were a pair of armed police officers with bulletproof vests located on each street corner in the city. Security officers, police and military personnel were everywhere. Cars entering parking garages were being searched underneath for anything suspicious looking. Armed security personnel were in the Marriott Hotel lobby preventing anyone without a room card from entering the elevators. During our unexpected four day stay in San Juan, we stayed at two different hotels, ate at several restaurants, shopped in a number of stores and found everyone was extremely pleasant and went out of their way to help those who were stranded. It was very helpful to know that people were coming together and helping one another. When Saturday finally arrived, we were told to arrive at the airport at least 3 hours before our flight was to depart. There would be increased security everywhere!!! With thousands of other stranded travelers waiting to check in for various flights, the airport personnel seemed to be doing a good job at keeping the lines moving and we got through the check-in and security procedures in about 1-1/2 hours. Due to a shortage of airline crew, our flight was delayed by about three hours. It was very nerve-wracking to actually board the plane that day after all that had happened in the previous few days, but we knew we had to get on with our lives. Our worries were constantly being alleviated by airline personnel. I insisted on shaking the pilot?s hand just to relieve some of the stress I was feeling at that moment about flying once again and was assured by him that we would arrive safely at our destination. When asked by the flight attendant if I cared for a cocktail or some sort of beverage, I immediately responded with a ?YES? just so I could calm my fears somewhat. We arrived in Aruba later that day and proceeded to continue with our vacation plans. During our stay in Aruba, people everywhere were very pleasant and went out of their way to help us. The government of Aruba planned a beautiful memorial and prayer service for all Americans living and staying on the island. Many Aruban clergy offered prayers and words of encouragement. A local Arabian choir sang America?s and Aruba?s National Anthems along with several familiar hymns. A resource center for stranded visitors had been set up at the Sonesta Hotel offering free telephone and email services and other assistance. Most hotels offered special rates for those stranded. The Aruban people again showed their caring and friendly personalities to everyone in this difficult time. We returned from Aruba on schedule with no further problems, but?Life would never be the same again. It will never be the same again for anyone here in this country or I believe, in this entire world. Will we fly again some day? I believe we will, but we will never take these airline flights for granted again. We will look more closely at our fellow passengers from now on and will try to be more aware of our surroundings. Life will never be the same again for anyone in the United States or anywhere in this world. GOD BLESS AMERICA! Karen E. Booth Hillsborough, NH P.S. It has now been one year since these tragic events happened. During all this time we have learned that the young gentleman who sat next to me at Boston's Logan Airport and who had looked directly into my eyes was indeed, NOT a terrorist but instead was a victim of Flight #11. I will never, ever forget that young's man's face for the rest of my life. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1820.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.61.224.231 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 on that morning, or actually I don't remember, the announcement coming over the loudspeaker that the World Trade Center in New York had been attacked. At that time I was in a class that didn't have a loudspeaker, so when I went to my next class, I was lost in the conversation. I thought everyone was talking about a movie; it was so hard to believe that the symbols of New York had come crumbling down. There were rumors flying around about how many more planes were in the air, and where they were headed among other things. Fear was in the air as people left campus early to get out of the city as soon as possible. I remember seeing the fighter planes circling above as a reminder that this was actually happening, it was real. Seeing those helped bring this event into reality, one that was still hard to grasp. 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 story5308.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.60.155.73 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: My husband, 18 month old daughter, niece and I were visiting San Francisco from Washington, DC to attend a wedding. We had arrived in San Francisco several days prior to the wedding to explore Napa and Sonoma. We had plans to visit a winery that Tuesday. My husband awoke first and I came out of ouroom to find him kneeling in front of the TV shaking his head. I asked him what was wrong and all he could say was that "they bombed the World Trade Center and the Pentagon". I sat and watched the television in disbelief. A sick feeling came over me and I needed to hold my daughter. I went into our room, picked her up and kissed her sweet cheeks. After laying her down I remember breaking down and crying. I could't stop the tears. I opened up my Bible and prayed. I knew that families were grieving deeply all over the country. I asked God to comfort them and to bring me peace. I felt overwhelmed with fear. Fear for that day, fear for my country, fear for friends and family, but most of all, fear for my daughter. What would her future look like. I continued to pray and then made calls back East to find out if our friends and family were all safe. I then began to see how very blessed we are and to thank God that he kept so many safe that day. I can only imagine the grief of those who lost loved ones. My prayers continue for them and I vow to never forget the sacrifices made for me, my family and especially our future. The wedding went on and our friends are happily married in spite of the terrorist. They may have hit us hard, but they can never take away our freedom, dignity, and most of all our ability to love deeply. God Bless America! We are survivors. 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 story5275.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. 141.156.183.160 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 still remember this day, junior year of high school. I was on my way over to my academy class in Chantilly. I remember hearing someone tell me ?A plane just hit the World Trade Center!? I didn?t know what to think at the time. Was it a joke? Did it really happen? Who did this? How much damage was done? Were people injured? Killed? I didn?t really have enough information. When I arrived at my class the television was already on and several students already watching. There were scenes of smoke and many other things. The World Trade Center was hit, then the Pentagon was hit, then the World Trade Center was hit again, all in what seemed like a very short period of time. That hour and a half went quickly and I was on my way back to Westfield High School. I had English next, with Mr. Butterfield. He told us ?A lot of what you see today is unedited and you will most likely not see again.? He was right. Several of the students remember seeing footage of people jumping out of the buildings trying to get to safety, it was disturbing to see. To be honest, I don?t remember what happened next period. I do remember the widespread feeling of anxiety and depression; it was all a little overwhelming. There were news stories on all day, on every channel, endless coverage of the event, seeing the same few seconds of footage over and over again. Remembering the feeling when the buildings eventually imploded. The day didn?t seem to end, nor did the widespread anxiety or depression. That is my memory of 9-11. Arti. 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 story10392.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. 2004-01-28 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 172.159.139.231 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 selling tickets for a Middle School Dance at in the school main corridor. A frantic teacher came by and said one of the World Trade Center tower's had been hit by a plane. I thought it had to be an eccentric, pilot who was disoriented in a small plane that had lost his bearings and mistakenly hit the tower. I learned later that it was a major airline that had been hijacked. Then I heard the second tower had been hit. I left the school to go home and watch the news coverage at home. Not sure whether to leave my children in school or gather them up and take them home. I felt like chicken little and the sky might be falling. Or as if I was in an Orsen Wells narration. For certain, I knew the world as I had known it for 43 years would never be the same. 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 story1802.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 168.28.96.142 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 in a staff meeting that morning when the wife of one of my associates called to tell him that a plane had hit one of the Trade Center Towers. I immediately called my cousin, I knew that she had a television where she worked and would be watching. I asked her what was going on, she told me what she knew, then as we were talking she started yelling "Oh my God, Oh my God" and when I asked her what was going on she told me that she had just watched, live, the second plane crash into the second tower, she was in tears. From there we closed the office and went home. All the way the radio stations were keeping me informed of what was going on, part way home the first tower collapsed, as I pulled in my driveway, the second tower collapsed. I ran into the house, turned on the TV and watched in horror as they replayed everything, the burning tower, the second crash, the first, then second tower collapsing. Sobbing, I called my husband, he told me he had been watching from work a well and had seen all. While I continued to watch, I wondered how I was going to talk to my daughters about this horrific day, because I knew there would be lots of questions. And there were. The school my children attend did a stellar job of handling this. My youngest was in elementary school and they essentially did not say anything to them until later in the day that way they could come home and ask their parents questions and watch. My oldest, who was a sophomore in high school, was amazingly mature about it, it seems they watched things unfold during classes and allowed the kids to ask all the questions they needed to, kind of a crisis management session. But when they got home, they still had questions. How do you explain to your 10 year old, why a country and people we have done nothing but help, thinks we are evil and wants us all dead? How do you explain that there are 3000 people who will never be seen again? My family and I watched the coverage for almost a solid week, like everyone else in the country, hoping always hoping that one more person would be found alive but losing hope with each passing day. Eventually you come to grips with what happened and know that in many ways innocence has been lost, we have now become jaded. But we also pulled together as a nation as no one had ever thought we would and one year later that has not changed. God Bless this great nation in which we live and the people that help keep us safe. 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 story2775.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.65.209.142 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 day started off like any other day. I was getting ready for work when the telephone started to ring. It was my mother asking me if I was watching the news. I informed her that I wasn't that I was listening to a music cd while getting ready for work. My mother stated that a plane just hit one of the twin towers. So I turned on the television and watched one of the twin towers with a big gaping hole in it. I told my mom that it was a beautiful day in New York, how can someone hit the tower? I can understand if it was foggy or rainy but it is a crystal clear sky. My mother and I talked for a few minutes wondering what kind of malfunction happened on the plane. Then I told her I had to go a finish getting ready for work. I was just about to turn off the television when I saw the second plane hit the other tower. Then I knew that our nation was under attack. I sat in horror over what I just saw. I kept thinking am I dreaming this? When will I wake up from this nightmare? I called my mom right away and we both could not believe in what we just saw. After a few minutes of staring at the television I realized I will be late for work. Riding in my car to work was done in a daze. Thank God that I only live a few minutes from work. Once there, my co-workers and myself were watching the television in our lounge. I finally went back to my desk to find my telephone ringing. It was my best friend asking if I knew what happened. I told her about my morning experience and that I couldn't believe that it did happen. While I was on the telephone with her, one of my co-workers came to inform me that the Pentagon was just hit by another plane. I told my friend I will call her back and I went back to the lounge to watch another American icon in flames. In my mind I was thinking, "Oh my Lord, what next?" Then it happened. The towers started to fall. These massive buildings which I thought were indestrucible were now no more. Then we heard about another plane that went down in Pennsylvania. Then the rumors started. I work for our local government and started to hear from not just the everyday Joe on the street but also my coworkers....Will all goverment agencies be next? I live on the coast...will they bomb the port? Before we went to lunch, we all prayed for the victims and our nation as a whole. While driving on my lunch hour I realized that no one was flying at all. Usually on any given day I would see something flying in the air. On that day it was silent....nothing was flying. After work...to be honest I didn't do much that day...I went to visit my family. We discussed the day and what will happen next. Then I went home. Alone. To my empty apartment. All day long I held the tears at bay. I got through the day with no sign of emotion. I immediately but on the television and saw the congress and senate together in harmony singing "God Bless America"....thats when it happened. I started to cry. Not just a few drops of tears but a heart wrenching, gut-clinching sob. I cried myself to sleep that night, hoping against hope that what happened was nothing but a dream. Unfortunately it wasn't. It 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 story7494.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. 66.76.103.119 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 day started out normal with a good breakfast. After breakfast i started school. Since i was home schooled i could take a break whenever i wanted so after about 2 hours of school i decided to take a break and watch some televsion. I turned it to comedy central and about ten minutes or so the show went off the air and cnn came up. The next thing i saw was the wtc in smoke. At first i believed this whole deal where a plain hit the building to be an accident. Within the hour when i saw a second plain run into the other twing tower i was in shock. I had never seen anything so horrifying. It was just so unreal. I couldnt believe that anyone would have the nerve to do such a thing to the United States. Later when i saw the buidlings crumble this whole thing just seemed impossible. How could a small group of people do this to the most powerful nation in the world? Mostly i just felt vengence. I wanted to take out everyone responsible for killing my fellow americans. Although i couldnt do anything about it i will never forget the date 9/11. 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 story9222.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. 2003-04-26 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.119.33.170 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On September 11th, 2001 I was sitting in my third period college English class when we found out about the tragic events that had happened not even 45 minutes earlier. We were horrified and did not know what to think. I was in absolute and total shock. I had no clue what else was going to happen. My heart and prayers go out to all of the victims and the victim's family of the September 11th attack. There was too many people that died for no reason. Now our children are left without father's or mothers, or the parents lost their son or daughter. People are still greiving today a year later. 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 story2273.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.18.33.4 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: It had to have been the most beautiful of days that morning. Not a cloud in the sky and warm for September. I had just gotten to my desk when I hear a rumble, similar to thunder, the light flickered on and off and then silence. I turned and looked out the window and saw burning debris falling from the sky.I grabbed my bag and headed for the stairs. On the way down, along with many others, we talked, laughed, unaware of what was happening, all the while thinking we would be outside for a bit then we would go back up once whatever happened was cleared up.When I came out of the doors onto the plaza level and looked out, I knew I would not be going back up anytime soon. Large chunks of burning debris littered the plaza. I ran to the other side to look out onto Liberty Street, to see the cars in the small lot across the street, blackend and burning with debris all around them.I called my husband to tell him that I thought a bomb had gone off in tower 1 and that I was fine and on my way out of the building.That was the last time I spoke to him until 2pm that afternoon. We were ushered out into the mall and instructed to go out one of the exits onto the street and continue as quick as we could away from the building. Once out onto the street, (Liberty) I was standing in the middle of the road, trying to get a line out on my cell to call my mother when I heard a sound, similar to a rocket;a whistling sound that started off high pitched then became lower, followed by an enormous explosion. I was maybe 40-50 feet away from my building, Tower 2. Everyone around me started to run. I made it across the street and managed to squeeze myself into a small cranny in between the fire house and the store next to it, which had construction awning built above it. Thank god for that because it kept me from being hit with chunks of the building as well as pieces of the airplane (within eye sight was a burning seat buckle).I went into the Liberty Street Cafe where the workers were trying to find a key to open the back door to let us out through as there was no way we were going to go back onto Liberty as there was debris falling periodically.Once out, we were instructed to go into the school on Greenwich. There were were put into the auditorium and told we would be safe in there and would not be allowed to leave until the police said it was safe.After about an hour, let led us down two flights of stairs, back up another and out the back way and were told to get as far away as possible. Head towards the water, we were told.Me, being from New Jersey, and having had spent 5 1/2 years working in that building, had no idea where to go!My path train took me right inside, and I spent almost every lunch hour, working or eating in the building. Sure I'd been in the surrounding area but that was it!With the path down, I had no idea how to get home.So, like hundreds of others, I stood on Greenwich Street, 2 blocks away, just staring with disbelief, watching the smoke, watching the people jumping. That was when the building started to go.I turned to a woman next to me and yelled, "Run." Fortunately, there was an office building not far from where we stood and we ran inside. We ran to the other side of the building and threw ourselves on the floor.We felt the building shake and heard the loud rumbling.We turned to look through the glass doors onto the street and watched the day turn into night.We watched people, piling up at the doors, being trampled.Men stepping on women, banging on the doors to be let in but they wouldn't unlock them.I couldn't do anything but cry.People who worked for the building yelled for us to go to the basement, as we would be safe there so we did. There were 15 or so of us down there. They gave us water and wash clothes to clean up with and told us to wait for a few minutes and we could go up one at a time to use their office phones to call our family to tell them we were alright. Once upstairs, that was when I learned that it was a terrorist attack from a radio someone had playing on their desk.I tried my husband but couldn't get through so I called my mom.As soon as she said my name, I cried;really cried.I was alive but what about everyone else?I gave my mom instructions to call the rest of my family and I went back down to the basement as I was afraid to leave.Good decision.Within minutes, the second tower fell.Once again, the building rumbled and dust began to fall from the ceiling but it stood strong.It wasn't until weeks later that I realized how lucky we were that the buildings collapsed into themselves instead of falling over. Not that it takes away from the pain of the thousands lost but thousands more would have perished.Approximately an hour after the last of my beautiful buildings fell, I started to feel the need to get out.I just picked myself up, wet a wash cloth, and headed out onto the street.It was deserted except for a petite, oriental woman with a insulation mask over her nose and mouth.I remember thinking to myself, "How odd? Why is she scooping up the powered concrete and half burned papers and putting them in her bag?" Now I know.I headed away towards the Staten Island Ferry, not looking back.I boarded a ferry, clutched a life vest to my chest and cried.My husband managed to get a call in to me at this point and he was crying so hard I didn't know who it was.I checked my messages on my cell phone.I start to cry even today just thinking about them.The panic and pain in the voices of my family is too much to bear.I wandered around Staten Island for around 2 hours.Every mac machine was out of order, my cell phone battery had died and every payphone had a line a mile long.A police officer gave me $10 when I asked him how to get home to New Jersey with no money.I bought a pack a cigarette's, ( I had quit years ago)took the change and called my best friend (also a coworker) who lived in Staten Island to see if she made it home and if she could come get me.Her stepson came to get me while they called my husband to let him know where I was.He couldn't get to me as they had closed all the bridges and tunnels so he had to cross over the bridge on foot where I met him on the other side.I cried when my husband held me.The only thing I wanted to do was go home and sleep.Needless to say, a good nights sleep alluded me many, many months. Two weeks later, we were relocated to Water Street;1 year and 3 months to the day later, I was laid off.Strange how things changed so much after 9/11.All those people, with whom I shared, maybe a passing glance or a small smile with, on my way in to work for 5 1/2 years, are gone. I didn't know them. They didn't know me. We just shared the same space for all that time.We were family in a way. Those two beautiful towers our bond and I will miss each and every nameless face that smiled back at me or glanced my way, every day for as long as I live. 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 story9207.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. 2003-04-23 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.80.219.154 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: INTERVIEW WITH NANCY DUPREE, AN AMERICAN WOMAN WHO'S BEEN LIVING IN AFGHANISTAN SINCE THE LATE 50S, AND CURRENTLY RUNS AN AID ORGANIZATION THERE. ( This interview was recorded by Ricardo Lobo at the Pakistan/Afghanistan border for the video documentary "The Twin Towers of Islam", an investigation into the ordinary Muslims' reaction to the 9/11 events ) " One of the first things I thought when I saw the pictures of the World Trade Center, I said : so much hate, the depth of the hate that caused this, it?s unbelievable that someone could hate so much, to plan carefully for so long. Where?s that hate coming from? That?s what we have to get at. We are just creating more hate. We are arrogant. The West is arrogant. We look upon the rest of the world as something to play with, to manipulate. I don?t think that what happened in New York was totally against the United States. It?s against the symbolism of global trade, global disdain for the conditions of other countries." 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 story791.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. 2002-06-18 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.144.206.177 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: Well I was in History Class and we had a sub so I thought I would be slick and turn on the T.V to watch some news but when I turned it on I saw something I would not exspect, It was a plane that hit the one of the twin towers, then about 5 minutes later I still was watching it and then another plane hit the world trade center. After all that I wanted to know if anyone I know was in the Twin Towers because I didn't want to hear about it if they were because that would be to much for me that day. So all I did was go home and watch the news and went to bed about 5 hours earily just to see if would all go away tomorrow but it didn't. 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 story2231.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. 151.188.37.252 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: ON SEPTEMBER 11 2001 WILL FOREVER IN OUR MEMORIES AS ONE OF THE DARKEST DAY IN THE HISTORY .FOR WHENE I AWOKE ON THAT DAY HAD IKNOWN IT WAS GOING TO TURN OUT LIKE THIS I WOULD HAVE JUST RATHER HAVE STAYED ASLEEP. BUT FOR ME AND MILLONS OF AMERICANS COAST TO COAST THATS NOT POSSIBLE CAUSE I HAVE A 6 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER AND EVEN THE WORST THING CANT KEEP ME FROM BEING THERE WHENE SHE GETS UP SHE DOEST UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED ALL SHE KNOWS IS THAT UNTIL THIS MORNING LIFE WAS GOING GOOD SHE DOESNT UNDERSTAND THAT 30 MINUTES BEFOR SHE GOT UP FROM HER PERFECT DREAM SOME BAD PEOPLE TOOK THOUSANDS OF MOMMYS AND DADDYS AWAY FOR NO REASON AT ALL .YOU SEE IM A SINGLE MOTHER AND KNOW ALL THOSE WHO LOST THERE LOVED ONES HAVE TO LIVE WITHOUT NOT KNOWING WHAT THERE FUTURE HELD SEEING THERE CHILDREN GROW UP REMEMBERING WHAT THEY SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT DAY TO EACH OTHER RELIZING THAT TIME IS VERY PRECIOUS AND DONT WAYSTE IT.MY HEART GOES GOES OUT TO ALL WHO HAVE LOST AND ALL WHO SUFFERD.YOU GUYS ARE THE TRUE HEREOS FOR BEING ABLE TO NOT LET THOSE BAD PEOPLE KILL YOUR SPIRIT.YOU ARE FIGHTERS AND WILL SURVIVE THIS AND ALWAYS KNOW WHERE EVER YOU ARE OR WHEREEVER YOU MAY GO YOUR LOVED ONES ARE ALL WATCHING OVERYOU.AND EVEN TO THIS DAY MY DAUGHTER STILL CANT UNDERSTAND WHAT WOULD MAKE SOMEONE WANT TO HURT PEOPLE LIKE THAT.WE HONOR THE LIVES WE LOST BY LIGHTING OUR CANDLE&FLYING OUR FLAG CAUSE ITS WHAT AMERICANS DO. UNITED WE STAND 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 story3231.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. 65.146.18.5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I woke up on September 11, 2001 as if it were any normal workday. Got up the same usual time, drove the same usual streets to my job, and had my usual cup of cocoa with a smooth Marlboro Light cigarette a few minutes after getting to work by 8am. By 8:45am the nation, the world, came to a screeching holt of shock and for a short time disbelief of what was happening and we would be forever changed. I happened to be walking past a coworker of mine on my way to the restroom when he stopped me and said that a plane just crashed into one of the WTC towers. I instantly thought, "Wow, that is terrible!", but at another moment thought, "Well, that will surely be hard to repair." And from there I walked onward to my destination. Obviously, what I was told was not really sinking in. Only minutes later I heard about the second tower and how each collapsed. At this time the looks on coworkers faces along with mine I'm sure were pasted with shock, anger, and sorrow. We had a small TV in a back office where streams of people were coming in to stand or sit and watch the terror that was happening to NYC. My own feelings were mixed with fear, anger, and the BIG question: Why? I started calling all my close friends and family to just simply say "I love you" and be sure they were okay. I'm sure like myself, many other people in the Detroit area were wondering if terrorism would hit the Renaissance Building in downtown Detroit or the Chrysler Tech Center located north of Detroit. My brother was located in Norfolk, Virginia at the Naval Base and I worried terribly if he was okay. I tried calling him, but got no answer. I do remember thinking over and over, "This is just a bad movie and it will be over soon." Well, unfortunately it wasn't some fictional story displayed on a cinema screen. This was REAL. I have to say it really made me see life, the nation, and the world much differently. The area in which I live and work for many days and weeks after the attacks, were so unbelievably quiet. It was so surreal and eery. You could see and feel how the everyday drivers on the streets were caring more for the stranger in the car next to him than ever before. Drivers were more courteous to each other. But I will never forget the looks on people's faces as they try to go on with their daily lives. I've shed a lot of tears over this tragedy and will never forget the day I woke up on Sept. 11th. Even though its been almost 11months since the attack and as much reading as I?ve done and staring at pictures, I still cannot imagine the feelings and emotions of the people who were right in the center of all of this. I don't have any children yet, but I know when I do, this will be history I will be sharing with them. My many prayers and blessings to all the victims, volunteers, and families. God Bless America! Jodi 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 story916.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. 2002-07-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 216.115.73.6 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: September 11 was a confusing day. When the teacher said a plane crashed into the World Trade Towers I thought it was an accident. Then later someone told me it was a terroist attack I felt somewhat helpless just watching the towers burn. 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 story3646.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. 165.234.184.183 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?re All The Same ?You are in line to fill out your paperwork to donate blood,? boomed the small, bearded gentleman using the black electric megaphone. ?From this point in line, it will take you between an hour and fifteen minutes and an hour and a half to get to the counter to get your paperwork for giving blood. The good news is, it only takes about 5 minutes to fill out the paperwork and the bad news is, there?s about a 5 hour wait before you are able to donate blood,? he bellowed. ?Man!? I thought to myself, ?that?s a sure way to clear out this line.? To my surprise, no one moved. Instead, they just seemed to listen more intently to this Red Cross volunteer bark out instructions to the line. I suppose I wouldn?t have been surprised if I was observing this scene in some third world country that had just been devastated by a natural disaster such as a flood or earthquake, but this scenario was about as far from the Third World as one could get. I am sitting in the parking lot of the Fountain Valley American Red Cross building in the heart of Orange County, California where the upscale population won?t wait 60 seconds at the drive-through window at McDonald?s without demanding a coupon for a free Big Mac for their inconvenience. This crowd of people didn?t even flinch at the news they would have to wait six and a half hours to let a stressed, overworked Red Cross nurse stick them with a 2? needle and drain them of quick pint of blood. Today is September 11, 2001, and the smoke, dust and debris still hangs in an ominous cloud over the spot where the twin towers of the World Trade Center once proudly stood. As I watch this crowd of hundreds of people waiting to play some small part in the healing and recovery that must follow and event like this, I am sure this scene is being played out in thousands of other locations throughout America. These are Americans, the ones my dad told me about after he survived the attack at Pearl Harbor. I never really got it when I heard my dad tell the stories of sacrifice and commitment and how America was united, until now. As I listen to what?s going on around me, I?m even more amazed. I can only understand about half the conversations; the others are in Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean and many others I can?t speak or recognize. ?We appreciate you all showing up to give blood and I hope you?ll bear with us as we try to move everyone through as quickly as possible?, screeched the megaphone man again. ?We only have 7 beds and it takes about 15 minutes per person to give blood so we can take care of about 28 people per hour.? I was sure this announcement would weed out the faint of heart, but I was wrong. No one moaned or complained, or even shook their head in disgust at this news. I expected to see a barrage of cell phones being whipped out so they could call their attorney or congressman or someone to help intercede and speed them through this process. After all, we are Orange County citizens and how dare you make us wait or inconvenience us in any way. ?Free snacks,? squeaked a tiny little voice shaking me from place of deep thought. I was staring in the face of a blonde, pony-tailed 6-year old as she thrust a box of cookies, chips and granola bars into my face. ?Thank you?, I replied while grabbing a small bag of cheese nips. I watched this little American for the next few minutes weave her way through the crowd of the hundreds of us who had already filled out our paperwork and were now, just waiting for the time to do our part. ?You must be at least 18 years old and weigh more than 110 pounds; and if you have given blood in the last 60 days, you will not be able to donate blood today,? bellowed the fellow with the megaphone. Finally the crowd reacts. A 12-year old, freckled faced boy complains, ?It?s not fair, my mom said it?s OK?. Two pretty and very thin young girls drop their heads and slowly leave the group of friends they had been traveling in line with. A frail looking older Vietnamese lady slowly walked out of line toward the command center table set up by the Red Cross in the parking lot. As I followed her movement through the crowd, I noticed a group of college-aged boys dressed in the same type athletic wear. As one of them turned around, I could read Orange Coast College Baseball on the back of his shirt. It looks like the entire baseball team had decided to skip practice to do their part. In the crowd, there was an atmosphere of charged excitement subdued by genuine reverence for the situation we were facing. There were many animated conversations taking place but there were no outbursts of laughter or expressions of joviality. This crowd was energized with the resolve to do something that would benefit those impacted the most by this terrible tragedy inflicted upon the people of the United States. ?Cold drinks; does anyone want a cold drink? Dad, do you want some cold water,? came a voice I recognized immediately. It was my 21 year-old daughter who had asked me to bring her to give blood today, and was now making her way through the crowd of Americans with both arms full of the official Orange County Drink, bottled water. Following along behind her, pushing a shopping cart FULL of cases of bottled water, was the old, (not so frail after all) Vietnamese woman. She was leaning all of her less than 110 pounds of weight against the shopping cart as she maneuvered it through the crowd. I felt a surge of emotion as I rapidly blinked back the tears that were trying to force their way out. I remember watching dad do the same thing every time he told the story of America?s reaction to Pearl Harbor. ?Thanks Noelle,? I said, reaching for the bottle of Crystal Geyser. As I slowly drank the cold water, I surveyed the entire crowd once again. Everyone was so completely different, but exactly the same. From the Paul Mitchell hair stylist students who were barely 18 years old, to the hunched-over brown robed, Vietnamese monks to the tall, beautiful African American mom holding the hand of her 5-year-old daughter, we all were the same? Americans. Jim Blankenship September 11, 2001 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 story10013.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 129.174.27.206 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: It was a normal day, I was home with my three preschool children. I didn't even know that the first plane had crashed until my father showed up at my house and told me. I immediately turned on the t.v. to see only horror. I could not remove myself from the t.v., a part of the whole nation died that day, our feeling of security. My thoughts and prayers go out to lives that were lost and to the families of lost loved ones. This was something that touched everyones hearts, and our nation drew together to mourn. United we stand, and god bless America. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story4857.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. 205.238.244.191