250 20 70359 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I woke up early that day to get my daughter ready for preschool. I turned on the television right after the first plane hit the World Trade Center. They didn't even know if it was an accident or terrorist activity. I called my husband, who was in Florida on business, and my sister to alert them of what was going on. Both of them thought I was a little crazy that day. I then watched in horror as I saw the second plane hit a second building. It was live, and I just wanted to jump out and grab the plane to keep this from happening. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing. I remember feeling so sad I could hardly breathe. I continued to get my daughter ready for preschool as I had decided that it was best for her not to see this tragedy unfold. My neighbor was watching a different station, and called me to say that the Pentagon had been hit. At that point, I lost all sense of security. If they can hit the Pentagon, then no one is safe. I cried for hours that day and for many days after that. The best thing that came out of this tragedy for me was that I began to help in the fight back. I joined a group to send "goodies" and letters to our military. They need our support in fighting this war against terrorism. May God bring us together and bless those that have lost loved ones as well as bless those that are fighting for our freedom and safety. May the United States of American stand united. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story4231.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. 12.237.95.112 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 already at work that morning, sitting at my desk doing paperwork. My middle daughter called and said, "Mom, a plane just hit the World Trade Center." I remember thinking oh no, a plane has had engine trouble and gone out of control. Terrorism and being under attack never crossed my mind at that point. I shared the news with some other colleages and went to the small breakroom where we have a television. I couldn't get a picture on it, because it is used only for VHS viewing. I left the office and went a few blocks over to my Mother's house. I needed to see what was going on. I had just walked into her living room when the second plane hit the other tower. I said, "Was that a replay?" But we knew as we were standing there that it wasn't, there now two towers on fire. I began to pray in my heart, Oh God, please help these people to get out! All the time thinking, why is this happening? I returned to work, and tried to concentrate on the task at hand. We had managed to get a television set up to watch the day unfold. My heart was breaking for New York City. The people and the city didn't seem that far away anymore. I guess I felt like many Americans that day, I wanted to help, but there was nothing I could do except pray, and I did continously for the next several days. In the days that followed, I will never forget the bond that was felt throught-out our community and even the rest of the Country. Being from the South, it seems that were almost always arguing and debating one thing or another. But for the first time in my 41 years of life, all of that was laid aside, and we were truly "..one nation, under God." I have to say that it was the best, most peaceful feeling I have ever experienced and I remember praying, "Jesus ,please let this unity grow stronger and stronger." I think the events and tragedies of 9-11 have changed us all in one way or another. We are never going to agree on alot of things because we are such a diverse nation, (Thank God!). But we can all agree that we are proud to be called Americans, and we'll stick together to keep the freedom given to us by God and fought for by other great Americans! 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 story6189.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.144.228.12 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: When I first heard about 9-11 I really could not believe it until I heard it on the radio in one of my class. When I was thinking about it came to me I forgot that my grandfather works there so it hit me pretty hard and I could not wait to get home and call to see if he went to work that day and if he was ok. It was a miracle because my grandfather did not work that day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story2517.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 208.31.154.100 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 being at my machine when I heard from one of my coworkers what had happened. She asked us if we were at war and I said not that I know of. Israel and Palestine were at war. She told me that the WTC had been attacked. Of course I did not believe this and was like no way. This can't happen to us. At break my coworkers and I sat down as they brought in the tvs. I saw the first tower on fire. Then not long afterwards I saw the second plane hit. I just sat there in shock not knowing what to think. I thought that this was all a dream that I would wake up and it would all be over. This was something out of a movie not real life. I went back to work. A little while later came back for lunch and the towers had already collasped. I still think about it from time to time and what I was doing and where I was. To this day I still can't see those planes hit the those towers. People jumping out of the buildings so as not to burn alive. Cried for the people who did not make it. The families who lost loved ones. To me it is very important that we as Americans continue to live our lives and not let the terrorists win. We must rebuild as was to show our determination our defiance. To give up is to let the evil win. America is strong, Americans are showing a newly rebuilt patriotism. September 11th was a day when America cried, but also became much stronger and closer. Heroes were born, courage was shown. We as Americans must be a beacon to the world, show them that there is still hope in a dark and evil world. I wrote this poem a long time ago but it is what we as Americans need to do. LIVE EACH DAY Live each day like a task Live each days as if it were your last Live each day knowing who you are Live each day knowing you wil go far Live each day knowing what you want to be Live each day and see the things you want to see Live each day and soar like a bird Live each day to be heard Live each day as if it were your own Live each day knowing you are not alone Live each day like a task Live each day as if it were your last. Shari Mong 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 story7547.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. 205.188.209.38 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On september 11, 2001 it was a beautiful day like any other going to school on a boring tuesday,i remember that i had this huge assignment to do and it was late so i'm doing it in 2nd period when the t.v comes on and the principl comes on the intercom and tells us that the world trade center has been hit by a plane, everyone froze like they couldnt talk or anything. i felt a total numbness throughout my body. i couldnt even imagine anything happening like this, i thought i was fake like a movie. all that day every body was like a zombie people were crying and it changed the way we look at things. but i think we will all get through this terrible time. 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 story6108.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. 156.63.116.140 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: We were getting the children ready for school that morning when I looked up at the television to see a plane crashing into the first tower. I called my son in to look and we stared in disbelief. We had no clue it was a terrorist attack, because the image of a tiny airplane crashing into a building on my tiny television just didn't seem like an airliner to me until later. I couldn't believe some pilot could not miss a huge building like that. When a second one crashed into the other tower and the reporters started talking about terrorists, I had never heard of Osama Binladen. As the story unfolded of all those brave people on the planes and the rescue people in New York, I was mesmerized and couldn't leave the vicinity of the television. I washed all my windows with the television blaring loud enough to hear every report. I have about 10 eight hour video tapes all recording the events as they unfolded each day for the next two weeks. It was a beautiful fall day here in Utah. It was so hard to believe the suffering all those involved were going through. I got on the internet and began to make a scrap book of the images there. I was touched to tears to see pictures of people all over the world stopping and crying for us as a nation. As our President rallied and spoke to us, my pride for us as a Nation swelled. I am proud to be an American. How blessed we are to be a God-loving Nation. I want that American Pride to stay with us. I try to fly my flag every day. I have a wonderful neighbor across the street who flies her flag each day as well. To see all these wonderful towns and cities all over the nation flying their flags. Flags adorn cars and buildings reminding us of how lucky we are to be such a strong nation. How blessed we are to have such a military as we do. I thank God for our blessings and continue to pray for the families of the victims. God Bless America. Anita Hahn 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 story1600.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. 2002-08-30 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 166.70.4.244 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 regular Tuesday morning I got up and got ready for school like I normally would do. I left for school a little late that day because I saw a few friends of mine in the morning and we were just standing around talking about the last nights sports and stuff like that. I got on the train and got off at 8th avenue as usual, I was going to get on the A train which is express but after one stop the train stopped and they said that we must evacuate the trains because two planes had hit the World Trade Center. I did not know anything of any terrorist attacks, when I first came out of the train station. All I saw were two black clouds of smoke and heard nothing but sirens. But it still did not hit me what was going on so I proceeded toward school not knowing what was going to happen. I got about two blocks from the trade center when I saw tons of debris falling from the building and I also saw people just plunging to there death it was the worst sight I will probally ever see in my life. People were still trying to get closer and I remember walking with two kids my own age and a man from the FBI telling us "If I were you guys I wouldnt try and get any closer cause he could hear the explosions from inside and he thought the tower was going to fall soon." Then the unthinkable happened. The south tower fell and people were runnning everwhere in a panic, so I just ran north with the crowd I was not close enough to get covered with debris like you saw on tv. The next thing I thought of was to get out of there fast so I continued to walk north along the river watching the faces of horror on everybodys face. When I got further away I remember looking back and just seeing one tower and I could not believe it then just remember hearing everybody scream as tower one fell down and all the people were screaming. I then walked to Jacob Javits Center where my father works. When I got there I saw a couple of my father's friends that I had met a few times and I saw my mother hysterical crying cause she knew I was in the area When I asked where my father was he was walking downtown looking for me. I remember hearing his voice on the nextel when he foundout I was saw there was a sound of releif as he walked back to be with me and my mom. When I got home that evening I remember going outside with all my friends and looking at the huge clouds of smoke and I dont think it hit any of us what actually happened. Yet we were all in shock of what was going on. 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 story603.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. 2002-05-15 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 198.83.125.95 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 around 6:45 on the eleventh of September. I was getting ready to leave for school when my mom called me into the bedroom to watch TV. She said to me, "Sarah, look at this. A plane just crashed into the World Trade Center in New York." I looked at the television and started to watch the news for a minute to see what she what she was talking about. Every channel was filled with coverage on the incident. I watched for about less than a minute, turned, walked away, and continued getting ready for school. I don't know how, but at that moment, I didn't think much of the situation. I know that in my mind I was thinking of how stupid people can be, how many plane crashes there have been in the past, how many tragedies there have been, how much sorrow our history has contained, and most of all, how many problems our country has had. I thought to myself, "Just another accident." But little did I know, It was one of the biggest "accidents" our country has ever seen. I continued on with my morning routine and walked out the front door ten minutes later to go to school. Everything looked typical at school. That is, until I walked into my history class. My teacher informed all of us on what had happened in such a sad and serious tone. It was then that I realized how big of an impact the crash had made. It was then that I realized that this could be the start of a war. I was scared. Instead of thinking about all of the crazy things that people in the world have already done in the past, I started to think about my family and the future. I thought about my four brothers being drafted into the army. So many thoughts were racing in my head. I was terrified, frustrated, speachless, clueless and angry. I was furious at the thought of one person planning to create such incredible damage. I felt so helpless here in California. I didn't know what to do next. I didn't know how to react. All I could do, just like every one else, was sit and wait. Wait for the president to guide us, wait to hear more information, and wait to hear even a reason. And that's all I did do. Throughout the week, everyone was glued to the television. Instead of being taught about the past in history class, all we did was talk about history being made in the present. Although I was not directly affected by the attack, I know that I will never forget the impact that September 11th made and how it has changed our country. We all see how it created complete chaos and destruction, but it has also pulled an entire country and its people together. Many heroes have been made from the attack and many people have come out of the ashes stronger because of it. September 11th is a day we shall never forget. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8250.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.79.81.241 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: i was sitting in 2nd period and my teacher turned on the television the last 5 minutes of class and that's when i first heard about it, but i didn't know what was going on at the time. so i walk into third period french and i am watching the tv and i saw the planes crashing into the twin towers. i saw the first tower fall, i gasped. i saw the second tower fall, i cried. i watched the tv with absolute horror. someone finally told me what happened and i thought to myself who would want to do that to so many innocent people. i cried so hard for the people who died and gave their lives for those in need. i felt horrible at the same time though, because i realized how lucky i was to have a family and friends and all i complain about are the simpliest things that are not going to affect my life in a year from now. there are no words to express how i felt that september day. but i do pray for the enemies. i know it is hard but i know that God will take care of it. i love the U.S.A. and WE ARE NOT COMING DOWN!! -Caitlin Weatherly 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 story8009.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. 2002-09-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 151.213.233.226 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 mid-way through my pregnancy September 11, 2001. As I watched the television coverage of the horrifying events of that day, I wondered what I was doing bringing a child into a world so full of war, famine and disease, hatred, violence and intolerance. As the day progressed, I was also witness to more of what our world, and specifically our country, has to offer -- courage, generosity and compassion, inspiration, hope and love. I vowed that day to teach my child to accept people and beliefs other than her own and to respect our country and cherish the gifts we sometimes take for granted that come with being 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 story5666.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. 12.248.132.33 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 third day of basic training for the United States army started off like the 2 before it, very early and with lots of yelling. That day I was scheduled to do KP, kitchen patrol. The drill sergeants marched us down to the dinning facility and we got our assignment for the day. Being one of the bigger guys I was put on the loading dock, which is not really a good job because you are out side and away from the radio in the kitchen. This may not sound to important but when your in basic any contact with the outside world is a very big deal. After a long morning unloading 2 eighteen wheelers and a small cargo truck, I decided it was time for a break. The first thing on my mind was food but lunch was not going to be ready for a while so I decided to sneak back to the sinks and listen to the radio for a minute. After listening to the new Brittany Spears and wishing that this was a TV not a radio, the dj cut in with some ? breaking news?. He announced that a plan had crashed in to one of the world trade towers. The first thought in my mind were so far from terrorism that I figured it must have been some guy in a propeller plane who?s GPS failed. On that note I thought it was a good time to go back to the loading docks and get back to work. About an hour later I went back inside for lunch. When I walked up to the table I noticed that everyone was whispering to each other and not eating. Now this may sound like a normal lunch break to you but in basic talking during a meal is not exactly smiled upon. That?s when I saw all of the drill sergeants where outside talking, this really got my interested in what was going on. The next 2 minutes or my life where something to remember, I was told by the others on KP that the plane that hit the world trade was a 747, not a propeller plain, and that the second tower had been hit 30 minutes before. For once in my life I was speechless. My mind went racing, who would do such a thing, was anything else going to happen. In the hours that fallowed we heard about the planes that went down in the pentagon and Pennsylvania. After KP was over there was a formation of the entire company out side our barracks at which we where told of all the news the drill sergeants had at that time. Any one from NYC or D.C. got to make a 2 minute phone call home to check on loved ones. Being from Northern Virginia I got to make a call. I was fairly sure my family would be ok because none of them worked at the Pentagon but I still wanted to make sure. My conversation was not more then 30 seconds, my mother said that they where all fine and asked if I was ok, I said yes and then the drill sergeant took the phone out of my hand and told me to go inside. The feeling of relief was amazing. The events of 9/11 will never feel real to me. After that day we heard nothing about it for the remaining 4 months of training. I did not even see one picture of the events till Christmas that year. When ever I see replays of it now it?s like I am watching a movie. I keep expecting some hero to come in and save the day, but that never happens. I ended up serving in Iraq with the 3rd Infantry division during the initial invasions of Baghdad. It seems ironic to me that I an event that shaped today?s world and hand such a personal impact on my life seems like bad movie when ever I see it. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story11197.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. 2004-12-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.227.210.139 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 suppose to be getting ready for my morning class at Texas Tech University, but the previous night I had decided to give myself a break and sleep in. When my roommate came into my bedroom to wake me up just because my father was on the telephone for me I was a bit frustrated about having to wake up, but that all quickly vanished when he told me what was going on. He said that they were watching Fox News and heard that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I jumped out of bed and ran to the television just in time to see the second plane hit. Chills hit my body and my father and I quietly said goodbye so that we could focus on the news. I sat there all morning long through the breaking coverage and my heart sank as I watched the great towers collapse into a heap of rubble and dust. The images and words of that day will forever be etched into my memory. Never will I forgot what happened on "that morning without reason." 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 story90.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. 2002-02-27 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.216.41.146 Annotation Annotations to this item. 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 remember it was a very calm morning and I sent my girls off to school, and went to work. I remember sitting at my desk and a coworker came running in to my office area and turned on the T.V. She had said a plane had just crashed into the twin tower, as a born NewYorker I stopped what I was doing and just watched in horror as the 2nd plane crashed into the 2nd tower, Ijust started to cry and said oh God what is happening. I have my family in NY and they work in lower manhattan, I tryed to call on my cell phone to see if all were safe but, could not get through I could not complete my days work along with my other co workers. One of my coworkers daughter worked in the worldtrade center, and she was trying to find out if she was in the bulding at the time of the horror. She later learned that her daughter was late getting to work ,and thank God for that cause it saved her from an untimely death, as for others they were not as fortuate to escape the horrfic disester that was to follow. I do thank God that I later found out my son experienced the terror in the streets but, God so good was able to get to safey. My thoughts will always be with all who have lost loved ones in this terrorist attack. I also want to give much thanks to our Emergency workers from our courageous firefighters, police officers, medical workers, and all the people who didn't even think of saving themselves but, saving those around them. God Bless Them All. I also moved back to NY since then. MY home is where the heart is and that is here in NY, with my family. Life is precious, and we as a nation will go on and be stronger and we will not fall. The End. 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 story4712.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: The morning of September 11th, 2002 began as a normal everyday routine. I woke up...took my shower and got ready for school. The same morning conversation between my friends and I before the first bell rang. I went into my homeroom classroom and the news was on, just as it was every morning. At first i payed no attention to the news because it was a regular newscast. However, ten minutes into homeroom...breaking news flashed across the screen. "This just in...the south tower of the world trade center has just been hit by a plane." I wasnt in too mugh shock because i thought it was just an accident. I mean this could happen...a plane flying too low and accidentally running into one of the tallest buildings in the world. Come on..that sounds pretty thinkable. But not to long after that, i saw yet another plane fly into the other tower which was being broadcasted over the television. Still the reality hadnt hit me. I didnt know what to think. Was it all just a cruel joke? Or was it real and someone really attacking us? I felt no pain, no anger, no sadness. Just nothing. Then i remembered that my mom lived about a block away from the towers. This is about a quarter mile. Thats about one lap around a regular high school track. Thats when the fear began to rush in. The fear for everyones life that lived in New York. Not only my mom but all of her friends that i met when i visited there. All within a short walking distance to the towers. Frantically i tried to remember her phone number...but it just wouldnt come. I almost broke into to tears, but i knew i couldnt in front of my friends...it would just make it worse. The bell rang to dismiss us from class and as i walked out of the room i could see that most of the students didnt even know. After all our teacher was one of the only ones that left the news on during homeroom. They all walked to their groups that they hung out with and it seemed that the news spread like the plague. Within a minute and a half the whole 8th grade body knew. Most didnt even understand the importance of the event. As the first period bell rang we all walked in...and that was when we all found out that the pentagon had been hit as well. Then we all got really scared. We didnt think that the terrorists would want to go around hitting every little town but we aren't too far from the capital and that didnt make us feel any better about the situation. As the day went on can remember that no one had that worried look in their eyes...why? Well mostly just because the principles didnt allow the teachers to turn on the tv's...they were trying to hide us from the real and valid truth that america was under attack. Some kids got picked up from school and by the end of the day only half the school was present. Once the bell rang at the end of the day everyone was ready to go home. Most wanted to go home so they could find out what all had happened. Me... I wanted to go home to call my mom. Once i called her she told me that she was fine and i had a major sigh of releif for the moment. Then she told me she watched to towers fall. She saw them collapse. I sat there in disbelief trying to imagine what a site that would have been. Believable? Maybe. Saddening? Ya, that too. Heart Wrenching? Completely. I didnt know what to think..but before i went to bed i said a prayer for all the people that had died and for all those that were alive but buried under the wreckage. I said a prayer for the police officers and firemen who risked their lifes to save other. Those are the true souls of America. Of that we should be proud. One day when i grow old and tell my grandchildren about my experience on the history making day...i will be able to tell them they should be proud. Proud of what each individual soul did, and proud of what America as a whole did. Pulled together in the time of need...thats what it means 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 story3514.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. 207.193.126.63 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I am Scottish and I was on holiday with my sister in Orlando on September 11th. We were staying in an apartment and had gone out to sit by the pool that morning. I was reading and half listening to the radio. When I heard it reported that a plane had hit the WTC I assumed it was a light aircraft but I said to my sister "Are you listening to this?" We both abandoned our books and moved closer to the radio. As the news came through that planes had hit the other tower and the Pentagon we just listened in complete shock and disbelief. I remember hearing a reporter who was in New York getting more and more upset to the point where she was actually crying and the other presenters were trying to calm her down. There was a small cinema in the club house so we followed the other guests inside to watch as it was showing the news. Everyone just stood watching in complete silence as the first tower collapsed. It was a very surreal experience to be standing in a cinema in my bathing suit watching such a tragedy. I felt sick and I couldn't stop shaking. We went back to our apartment so we could call home but we couldn't get through. We switched on the tv just in time to see the second tower collapsing, a woman who had witnessed people jumping decribed what she had seen then my mum called and when I spoke to her I just said I cant believe this is happening and started crying. All day we watched tv until we felt we couldnt stand it anymore but we couldn't stop watching either. Being in the US at that time gave me a greater appreciation of the shock and grief that the country suffered as well as the enormous courage, strength and dignity that followed. I am proud that we are standing "shoulder to shoulder" with you in the war against terror. 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 story8722.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. 2002-12-08 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 172.180.59.121 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I almost feel as though I shouldn't be writing anything on this page for the simple fact that I wasn't there. I didn't see those people falling to the ground below. I didn't lose anyone in the tragedy, but in a sense we all lost brothers and sisters. The brothers and sisters that the good Lord above granted us. I've read a couple of the stories and have cried through all of them. It's a tragic thing. I can't imagine any one of God's creatures, whether you believe in him or not, having so much hate for another person or group of people that it would cause an event that shook up our great nation. It brings tears to my eyes thinking about it. I do, however, want to show all who read this that even though many of us weren't there, we ALL felt the horror of those who watched this tragic even first hand. Here is how I found out. There was a really odd feeling going through the halls of the high school that morning. The light chatter that's always there when something major happens. I get into the classroom where about 5 or 6 other students have already come in and are talking about it. The T.V. gets turned on only minutes after it'd had happened. The smoke alone coming from the building was enough to make me sick. Everyone stood/sat there in complete horror as their eyes were glued to the black smoke billowing from the building, tarnishing the bright blue sky. With the hole that could be seen in the side of the building, it was pretty obvious that a plane had hit it. Couldn't tell what kind of plane, for sure, but you could tell it was a really good sized one. "A plane has hit the wtc???? What, what's going on?" I remember one girl asking in complete disbelief. "Did they mean to do it? Did they not see the towers??" It took a few minutes to realize the very question she'd asked. I looked at her and asked "How do you miss a building that is a hundred and some odd floors tall? How do you NOT SEE a building that tall???" A guy in the room then joined our conversation. "They were trying to hit it. They meant to hit the tower!" That alone made tears come from my eyes. I was sad, but couldn't completely comprehend as to why. I was sitting there staring at the T.V. seeing what was going on, but none of it was registering. How could it? It didn't make ANY SENSE! Then as if the whole room was coached on it, a gasp and then a large handful of "Oh MY GOD"'s filled the room. I looked up in time to see the second plane plummet into the second tower. My jaw dropped and all I could think was "Oh my god. What the hell is going on?" Seconds later came the explosion from that building. As if that wasn't enough. It was obvious that there were "things" falling from the building. Some you could tell were chunks of building the others you didn't want to come to the realization that those weren't chunks of building. Those were someone's sister, brother, father, son, daughter, aunt, uncle, neighbor, cousin. The point, they were someone to someone. That wasn't enough. The horror that had been blanketed throughout the room and surely through the high school. Someone brings in the fact that a plane hit the pentagon. That was even harder to believe. "Are they related? Is it the same people? Did they mean to do it? Who is behind all this?" The same questions that everyone else had. We sat there for 45 minutes and asked the questions that (for some of the questions) even today after almost 8 months, are still being asked. I still can remember as if it were yesterday the horror, sickness, nausiated, sad, angry, confused feeling that I had that day. The coverage of the attacks seemed to get more and more graphic. The class buzzed about it until we heard the beeping of the intercom. "As I'm sure you all now know, the wtc and the pentagon have been hit by planes. We aren't sure if they're terrorist attacks or what's going on, but I'm sure we'll know soon enough. I'm pretty sure that classes for today will not be the same, as I'm sure that after something like this nothing will ever be the same. As we learn more about this tragic and devistating hit on our country, our pride, and our confidence, we must be assured that WE are safe." That didn't seem very appropriate at that time. Safe. What did that really mean? It just didn't fit in this situation. I was watching the T.V. the entire time. I almost couldn't take the sights of watching the brave men and women of NYPD and FD of NY rush in to save the people that they pledged to protect. I had to turn away, but I couldn't. The sirens of the trucks and the cars, it made such an eerie feeling. I sat there and thought about what was happening. All those people who had lost their lives. And their loved ones. I carried pictures of mine. My mom and the boyfriend that I love as much as the day is long and the sun shines bright. In the minute chances that our high school out of a billion and a half places would be hit next, I was petrified with fear. I shed a few tears when I heard the voice of before come over the intercom. "This is Mr. Barnhill again. In light of this happening, I would like everyone to take a few minutes and bow their heads and take a moment to pay respects to those have been taken." This we did with great honor. I remember going home that afternoon and waiting patiently for my mom to get home. She came through the door and all I could do was hug her and cry. She did about as much crying as I had. I couldn't believe it. I told her I love her and thus hugged her harder. I couldn't imagine losing her. You know it's really funny. You don't realize how much something means to you until one day you see those who aren't as fortunate. You start to really think about things. You watch your words to other people. You say thank you and I love you to the ones that really count. In light of all this, I hope that we as americans realize that we aren't invisible. We are humans as are the other some odd billion people on this planet. I hope we remember those who have fallen to an untimely departure and keep them and their families in our hearts. That we as americans, when put to the test, unite as one, and fall as one. 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 story565.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. 2002-05-08 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.192.176 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: Sep. 11, 2001 - I used to work for a state-funded children's insurance program. I got into work at normal time (which was a couple of minutes late) and the office was already buzzing. I paid no attention since I worked with 80% women and there was usually always a gossip buzz about something or someone. As background chatter, I heard someone say that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. My first impression was a small single occupancy plane accidentally clipping a building. I didn't really give it a second thought until I saw a co-worker crying. I walked up to my friend David and said something like, "Anna is being a drama queen. Some moron can't fly a plane...big loss." Then David replied, "Did you not hear what just happened? It was a jumbo jet...as in American Airlines or Delta." I immediately froze. I then asked, "Where did they say it crashed?" My mind had not yet made the towers connection. "In New York you idiot! The two big towers that stand out like sore thumbs?!" I think my next reply was- "HOLY SHIT." As we started looking for someone with a radio the buzzing got louder and louder. No one knew it was an attack just yet. Minutes later my entire department was huddled in a single cubicle where someone had a miniature television set. We sat there in silence as we listened to the cookie-cutter voice explain in sketchy but horrific detail what had just occured. The image was surreal. Smoke billowed from one of the twins like a charcoal painting. My mind could not picture a huge airliner crashing into the skyscraper. How on earth could that have happened. A drunk pilot? A computer malfunction? As my head grew dizzy and I tried to find a rational explanation, the explanation came in the form of the second plane. I almost cried out. The women surrounding me took my screams and amplified them. All of a sudden, nothing was real anymore. I was at home in bed, having one of those dreams where you wake up and go to work only to wake up and realize it was all a dream. Only this time it was a nightmare. PEOPLE. That was the next thing my brain would allow me to think. There are people in those buildings. They are all dead now. Or dying. Oh my God. Oh my God. What the hell is happening. The voice on the television said "...we are under attack..." That was when I realized how much of a foolish country I lived in. I was surprised but not surprised. We thought we were untouchable. I'm not sure if that will make sense to anyone but me but it's the truth. Chaos ensued at the children's health insurance firm. Crying, phone calls to friends who worked there, worry of more attacks, but most of all questions. What? Why? Who? HOW??? Everything was in turmoil. No one felt safe. Some people left to go home. Amidst all these horrible things happening we had no idea that there was still more to come. When cowards crashed into the Pentagon a short time later I have to admit...I thought we were all gonna die in a huge nuclear explosion. With Bush as president and the given circumstances I thought for sure we were about to nuke the hell out of someone. The news about the Penn. plane came as a grim awakening to the fact that even the White House wasn't safe. All these things were overload for most people. Too much happened in too short of a time. Even now, a year later, people can recall exactly what they were doing, exactly where they were, and exactly what was said on September 11. I'm one of them. In a world where people like John Lennon, Martin Luther King, and John F Kennedy are killed for being great human beings, people should realize that there will never be world peace with so many different cultures, ideas, beliefs, and bullies. 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 story3247.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 woke up with a migraine headache...called into my office to tell them I would stay at home, I turned on the Today show with the sound down....laying in an otherwise dark and quite room...I was watching Katic Couric and suddenly she grabbed at the mic in her ear and they showed tower one smoking...I thought...Oh no! not another lets blow up NYC movie clip!...but her face looked different..and bit pale with alarm...her body language changed....this was my first indication of the horror...I turned up the sound and in about 10 minutes I was instantly terrified that I was alone I started calling everyone, my kids were in class...so I called my office and did play by play over the phone for them as things unfolded and the situation got worse and worse...I started praying for all the people who were in the towers, then tower one went down. At that very moment I felt so terrible my heart went through the floor and I think I cried for about a week after, I felt so very helpless, powerless and oh so angry. Not in My NYC, in My USA...this home that Black Americans like myself and so many others had to struggle and rage against just so that we could call this land our own, and the many who have died to protect freedom in this land....I cried for all of that, and then I marveled at the sacrifice and the spirit that lies just below the surface of all human beings to do whatever we can to help each other when it is needed the most. A nation of different people with different everythings...but we really are awesome beings, us Americans just below the surface... 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 story850.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. 2002-07-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 156.56.11.249 Annotation Annotations to this item. Patriotism Television Coverage DOMESTIC feature Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I am OK; really I am??? no I am not. Never in my wildest dreams I thought I would be part of the most devastating action in the US history on civilians. It was just another day, bright blue skies, and a gentle breeze in the air a beautiful September day. It was 8 am and I was having breakfast by my kitchen window, buster (my dog) as usual was crawled up on my feet waiting for me to take him out for a walk. The radio was on and as usual Ron Cuby was getting on my nerves with his extreme liberal rhetoric. But hey that?s what makes this country great, he can say all the wrong things he wants and I can say all the right things I want. Freedom and opportunities is what attracts thousands of immigrants to the shores of this country some in-dangering their life to make it across the border. I always knew somehow that I would be coming to the United States, since I was little growing up first in a small town near Rome, then in a new neighborhood in Rome whenever asked what will I do when I grow up my answer was always the same, I will be moving to the United States Of America and I will be an Architect. Dreams only in America can they became true. It was about 8:30 on September 11 and Buster and I were in the yard he was chasing a bird and I was looking up at a plane flying unusually low over the Hudson river, I could hear the roaring of the engines as if it was next to me. It reminded me of the plane that took me to New York, I was just a teenager then traveling alone to my new world, I was scared because it was my first time on a plane, It was big and loud but everyone on board was friendly and made my crossing a pleasant one. The plane took off from Rome and flew to Lisbon first and there it took on additional passengers, a nice man got on board and he sat next to me, I had my guitar with me and he said if I would play something for him, so I did, then he asked if he could play and I handed him the guitar and he played many songs till the captain announced our arrival to New York. Once in New York, my Dad (he came with my Mom one year earlier to set up a home for me and my two sisters) came to pick us up, he drove across the Triboro Bridge so we could see the New York skyline. It was beautiful the towers weren?t built then but all the others recognizable landmarks were in place. The sky was clear and the air was warm just like this September morning, it was almost 20 to 9 now and I was in my car getting on the Taconic State Parkway heading south, I was heading to East 79th street were we were working on 3 apartments for a successful Money Market manager for a leading New York firm. As I was driving I put the radio on to listen to the traffic report when I heard a report that something had just hit the world trade center, At first I dint think anything of it, I said to myself. ? It most be the anniversary of when Orson Wells was reporting aliens landing in New Jersey, so I dint pay attention to it, no way that a plane could hit the world trade center, but then as I was driving I could see that something was drastically wrong. People were pulling over to the side of the road to listen to the news; traffic started to move extremely slowly and by looking at the faces of the people inside the cars you could sense the horror in their faces. I had to make a stop to my attorney?s office that morning before I could continue to the city. When I got upstairs to his office, people were crying some upset, that?s when I was told that the second tower was hit. Then we knew that it was not an accident but this was an attack on America. I left the office and headed downtown, I was on the Bronx river parkway near the Bruckner expressway when I heard that the Pentagon was now hit. The police was closing every crossing in and out of the city, this was the first time that I realized that we were vulnerable. I was worried about my brother in law and his crew, I thought that other attacks would come so I was calling him on the cell phone to tell him to find a way to get out of the city because there were other reports of bombs in other buildings. Somehow he was able to make it out late in the morning. That day was a dark day for me, I needed to go down to ground zero and help but I could not cross into Manhattan, so I turned around and went home, there like millions of Americans I was glued to the TV hoping for good news, but mayor Rudy was talking about the possibility of tens of thousands of fatalities. In any one day the world trade center complex had 50,000 people and the timing was right for a disaster, close to 9 a.m. The networks were showing over and over the critical pictures of when the towers were hit and when the collapse happened, We were at war we were being attacked, some old timers equated this attack to pearl harbor, on that beautiful December Sunday morning. That night I could not sleep; I was watching TV till the next morning. Finally at about 6 AM I decided to try to make it into the city, but my brother in law convinced me to stay out of the city, I needed to help or at the very least show my support, so I talked to a few people and convinced them to march with me on South Broadway starting in Yonkers with flags and find our way down town, we were all set when we realized that we would need some sort of a permit to do that since we would be marching in a public street, so I went to Radford street and went to the public affairs office of the Yonkers PD and told them what we wanted to do, they were all for it but then asked us to reconsider the plan because that would mean that once we got in the Bronx The New York city police department would need to assign personnel to escort us, and at the moment New York didn?t have extra personnel to assign to the parade. So I looked at the woman sergeant and said you are right better plan this for another day. That day I was frustrated because I was listening to the news and prediction were bad and they were already talking about the loss of hundreds of fire fighters and Police officers, and they were bringing in national guards and state troopers, I knew then I had to go. The next morning, Thursday September the 13th at about 5 a.m. I made it across Broadway between the Bronx and Manhattan, I drove down the west side till I got to 23rd street and then went on an inside street and made my way down town till I got to 14th street were I encountered a road block, a state trooper asked me for my ID and wanted to know why I was trying to go down to ground zero. I told him that I worked in construction and I was an architect and I am sure they can use me at ground zero. At first he was reluctant to let me by, but then he said, ?Son go in and be careful when you get down there, things are not settled yet. At that moment I felt such a joy to be able to drive thru, I drove to within a few blocks to ground zero and parked the car, then I walked with my construction helmet on and new gloves in my back pocket down west street were the road was lined with hundreds of people yelling ?God bless you ? ?Thank You?, I didn?t know what that meant till I saw fire fighters and police officers coming out of ground zero full of white dust, I walked past the cheering crowds with my head held high and went into ground zero, with all the people there and construction equipment moving around, it was unusually quite, people talked in a low voice, no doubt that if someone was trapped and could scream you could hear the cry for help, the remains of the towers was only a few story high, where did it all go, 2 towers each 110 floors, where did they go? If the concrete and furniture pulverized what happened to the people that were trapped inside? I could not make out the remaining pieces of the buildings, it took a while before I could get my bearing, it felt as if I was in the middle of a bombed city during World War II in Europe. Oh my God, I was never in a war zone is this what it looks like!!! Smoke was still coming from the rubble, fire fighters were spraying the area with water and construction crews were all along the perimeter of the collapsed buildings removing debris. There was a group of volunteers pinning American flags on people?s backs, They put one on me and I went in and joined a crew of iron workers clearing rubble from a shaft that went down to the garage levels, The shaft was about 30 feet high, so we put ladders from the top down to a concrete beam and then another ladder from that beam to the floor below, It was dark and there were reinforcing rods all over making it impossible to get thru, when all of a sudden a young iron worker and his Dad came down with a torch and cut the steel out of the way, after about 30 minutes we had a safe avenue to follow, when we got to the parking level below we were walking in about 1?-0? of water, we made our way to an area were I thing there were shops but I wasn?t sure, we heard voices, and then saw some flash lights shinning, in my group I had about 10 guys and we were exited that we had found people alive, we started to scream and call ?anyone there??, is anyone there?, and then we would hear ?HELLO?, we could not go too fast because there were chunks of concrete all over the place and parts of the floor above in many areas was down, when we came face to face to the people we thought we were rescuing, turned out to be fire fighters that made their way thoughts us from the other side. We looked at each other at first with joy then confusion then disappointment, we didn?t know whether to be happy or sad, We had not found anyone; we looked at each other and we all new we were disappointed. The firefighters told us that they had checked that area and there was no one there, to go back the other way. We crawled thru another shaft and it was time for us to come out for a while, up above everyone was busy moving rubble in a bucket chain, It was 9 am by now and we were sitting next to the collapsed bridge that crossed west street, we were tired, medical personnel was going around checking everyone?s eyes and washing out the dust from the concrete from the eyes, part of the bridge girder crushed a few fire trucks, Police cars and some private cars, in particular a pick up truck the cab was crushed were the entire thickness was now only about 18 inches, no one new if there was someone inside yet, till they brought a police dog and it turned out that no one was in the car. We all smiled and started to give each other high fives, till one guy said ?they?re pulling someone out? a body was found deep in the ruble and was in a bag draped with an American flag. As the fireman walked by me I could smell death, I know what death smells like, a few minutes later another body was pulled out, the same smell. As the bodies passed past workers everyone would stop and put the right hand on their hearth, some would say a prayer some would just weep, young and old, across from me there was this big man with tattoos all over his body with a red banner on his forehead, white beard longish hair in a pony tail, tears coming down his dirty face, you could see his lips tremble and his fist clutched. An old timer (fireman) which looked just like the fireman next to President Bush when he made his famous remarks, ?we hear you? was on top of the bridge and asked for a handful of guys to start removing rubble from that area to make it easier for the iron workers to cut up the steel in pieces, how ever he said dogs have detected bodies buried here so be careful. Everyone was working hard no one wanted to find a death person we all had hopes, maybe I will find someone still alive. Maybe I will be able to save someone. An area was already cleared and no bodies were found, it was late afternoon by now but you could not tell because there was so much dust in the air that the sun could not get thru. Iron workers started to cut peaces of big thick girders that were bent like a pretzel, My god the force that most have took to bend that still, how can anyone survive that? Where I was working I could smell death, the same smell from the earlier bodies that were pulled out, that was the same smell of my father when he died. That was just a few years ago, he had a tumor in his stomach that was pushing against the main artery down to his right leg, he was admitted in San Cammillo hospital in Rome, he had to be taken there from the hospital in a small town about one hour away from Rome, My cousin was the ambulance driver and on the way to Rome the ambulance broke down, and had to wait for a tow truck to take them to the hospital in Rome. The health care in Italy is at the same level of a third world country, I cant understand how we can have some of the best medical schools in the world and yet the worse medical care. My dad was hospitalized in Rome for about 9 months, that was during operation desert storm, at that time everyone was afraid to fly but I took advantage of the cheap fares and every two weeks I would get on a plane and go see him for the weekend. He was in a big room with about 20 other people, he would smile when he saw me walk in and turn to his friends next to him and say ? that?s my son he comes from New York every two weeks to see me? he was proud of me then he would complain to me about the nurses but would beg me not to say anything to them because they would take it out on him when no one was around, He was my dad and I never saw him afraid, he wasn?t afraid of the tumor but he was afraid of the nurses? My God! when I was there many times I would stay overnight with him I would sleep on a beach chair next to his bed, we would talk and from time to time I would clean a wound on his back that would not heal. It was a hole about the size of a half dollar, everyday getting a little bit bigger. that?s were an experimental pacemaker was placed to help blood flow down to his leg, and for 10 years it had worked, but now it wasn?t helping anymore so the doctors decided to take it out but the wound would not heal, if that wound would not be cleaned daily you could smell the foul of death. Finally in July the doctors told us that they had to cut the leg from the knee down, after talking to my sisters and mother we decided that if we wanted to keep him around a bit longer we had to give the doctors permission to cut. At noon Saturday in July the operation began and by night fall I was able to see my dad, his leg was bandaged, I stayed with him thru the night and from time to time put a wet cotton on his lips, he would open his eyes look at me and his lips would tremble and tears flow down his wrinkled face. Just like the ironworker at ground zero. The next day he would complain that his foot hurts, the foot that was no longer attached to him. Oh God please help my Dad, there were times I could no longer hold it in so I would go outside in the court yard and weep like a baby, I didn?t want to see him suffer. Back at ground zero we would work hard to search for what we now knew would only be body parts, I wasn?t ready for what was coming next, I wasn?t ready. No one was ready, From the smell I knew that just a few inches under that mess there were bodies, we started to dig faster and faster till I pulled out a foot, a men?s foot, the right foot of an older man, it could have been my Dad?s foot, I pulled the foot out and held it close to me, the fireman shout out, ?don?t look at it, put it in that bag, don?t look at it.? I couldn?t put in the bag, not yet, I said a prayer, I took the flag that was pinned on my back and wrapped around the food, I could see the bone and the muscle, I could see someone trying to run away from that devastation, he had almost made it, he was almost out, he almost lived. I can only imagine what that man went thru, running across the bridge from the world trade center to the financial side, running and screaming, other people must have been with him, as he ran and looked back he most have seen the tower come down, he must have seen the floors of the worlds tallest structure come down on top of him, he was only a few feet away from the end of the bridge, only a few more feet, Dear God help me, just a few more feet, and then the walls of the bridge must have closed on top of him with such force that the parts we were finding were clean cut. Did he suffer, or did God take him away before the steel crushed him. Almost 3,000 souls were taken that day, they all became Gods angels, looking down on us and guiding us thru these difficult times. My Dad pasted away on valentines day, he is my guardian Angel, I was there when god said to him ? it?s time?, it was one of the many weekends that I spent with him, this time it was different, he wasn?t waking up, he was in a coma, he was home with us because the doctors said that there was nothing also they could do for him and it was only matter of time, so it would be better if he was at home. The room smelled of death, no matter how many times you cleaned the wound you could see the inside, his body was rotting but his hearth didn?t want to give up he wanted to live, just like that man running away from the falling building, I dint know if he knew that we were there, but when I put my finger in his hand I could feel him holding it, maybe it was my hope, I don?t know but I could feel his grip. My sister would feed him chicken broth he would swallow but he would not open his eyes. Finally that evening at around 9 pm he was breading heavy, my sister called me and said that this was it, it was time, she knew that when he started breathing like that with a deep sound as if he was gasping for air, it was time. And just a few minutes past midnight with me holding him he took his last breath, I held him close to my hearth, just like I held that foot close to my hearth, that foot was someone?s son. Someone?s brother, someone?s dad, he could have been my Dad. I could not let it go just as I could not let go of my dad, I held them both, Oh God please help me, don?t make them die, God grant me this wish. Then the fireman held me and took the foot draped in the flag and we put it in a bag and took him away. My Dad was in my arms when my sister gently said ?Enzo its time, we got to get Dad ready? say good-bye, its time. In my town we didn?t have a funeral homes, so it was our responsibility to get the body ready for the funeral. We called for a casket, and my sister and I dressed my dad in his best suit, crisp white shirt, and beautiful red tie, We were careful we dint want to wake him, we didn?t want him to suffer anymore, I had to make his tie for him. I put it around my neck and smiled and made a beautiful knot, Then I put it around his neck and adjusted it, I was scheduled to fly home the day my Dad died, so I didn?t need the thicket anymore, so I put it in my Dad?s coat pocket, that was his thicket to heaven. His eyes and mouth were partially open and I dint know what to do, so I took some clear tape and taped his eyes closed and took a hank chief and rapped around his face to keep his mouth closed. The casket arrived and we put it next to the bed, gently we placed my dad in the casket just like that foot was placed in the bag, we put his shoes on his foot and the other shoe next to his body, and we waited for dawn, at about 7 am I took the masking tape away from his eyes and hank chief off his face and got him ready for the funeral. A few minutes later we were told to clear the area because an ironworker was trying to cut a beam. And as I was been helped down from the bridge, someone lost his footing and pulled me down, I fell about 8 to 10 feet down to the roadway below, I felt a sharp pain on my head and shoulder, I was gently removed from there and brought to a make shift triage where I was stabilized and then transported to Saint Vincent hospital for x-ray. At about 4 am I was released to my family and was asked to arrange for an operation on my shoulder to repair the damage in a hospital near me. Americans became united in the hunt of those responsible in this terrible act, on the news there were reports that the Italian prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had said that Italy would not join the coalition that president Bush was putting together to fight the terrorists in Afghanistan, I was ashamed and mad at the same time that my mother land was not helping my adopted land, I tried to call the Embassy here in New York but could not get trough, so I decided to take my American flag and my Italian flag and go down in person, to show them my displeasure. When I got there I double parked my car and walked in the building with the American flag draped around me and the Italian flag in my left hand, and returned my Italian flag, my right arm was in a sling and the physical pain at that moment was gone but my hearth was in agony, I could not believe that my native land was not supporting us, I didn?t want to give up my flag. The people at the embassy tried to calm me down and explained that what was being reported was not true, Italy in fact was helping us in the fight against the terrorists, in the lobby of the embassy reporters had gathered to see what was going on and asked me questions about how I was injured, after a while I asked for my flag back and went home. The next morning I got a call from my Mom in Italy upset thinking that something horrible had happened to me, it seems that I had made the front page of the local Italian paper explaining what had happened to me and what I had done at the embassy. I am OK; really I am? no I am not. Enzo Ardovini 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 story10688.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-07-13 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.116.141 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 school at Northwest School of the Arts in Charlotte, NC. I was in the second period of the day when we heard people yelling things down the halls. We turned on our televisions and watched the news. We then had class change and continued watching it. Next thing I know we are going to the Librabry to watch it as a whole. Then I get a slip saying my mother was there to pick me and my brother up fopr the day. I later found out that th reason she pulled us out of school so early in the day because the Nation's Bank building was being threatened for the next target of the day. My school is about ten minutes away from it. We stayed home and watched the news for the rest of the day and listened to it all the way home. The next day my mother was hesitant about letting us go back to school, because there were still threats against The Nation's Bank building. I will remember that day forever. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story4683.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. 198.86.17.38