262 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: A group of 24 from Hemet, Ca. were vacationing in Branso, we had arrived on Saturday 9/8. On Tuesday morning, we all had gotten up early and left on a hour drive to a beautiful private park.-can't remember the name right now. Anyway, after the tour & lunch on the trail, we were back at the small general store/gift shop. When I noticed everyone had cleared out, I went outside and one of our tour directors was telling everyone about the events of the morning. I came in on the middle and couldn't believe what she was saying, and she kept interjecting, "this is not a joke, it really happened". I was concerned for my son (active Navy) & at the time was stationed in Millington, Tn. Fortunately, one of the members on the tour had his lap top. When we arrived back at the motel, I was able to e-mail my son and was relieved to hear he wouldn't be going anywhere at the time. Then all of us went to our rooms and turned on tv.--we all had trouble believing what we were seeing. Our next concern was flying home the following Monday. We were lucky that the airlines started flying again by that time, but, limited flights. We all experienced the baggage checks, & I mentioned to many of my friends when I got home, that I felt safer on that flight than I had all the other times I've flown. The security check was great. Thanks for "listening", L. Reed--Hemet, Ca. 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 story4272.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.188.6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On September 11,2001 at 2:10 when my teacher Mrs. Wood came into our classroom and told me and the class room that the WTC collapsed. When I got home to my house. My brother turned on the news and then it showed a big cloud of smoke. That was when I found out how serious the crash was. I did not really know too much on the World Trade Centers but after seeing the crashes, and seeing the buildings fall down, I was beginning to get scared because our school is a big place and they could do some thing to it. This changed my life in many ways. One is because my cousin's friend worked at the WTC. Luckily she wasn't in the building. Her subway system was broken by a crashed train. Another reason it changed my life was that my brother's gym teacher's husband was in one of the planes. His name was Brian Sweeney. He died and alot of other people did to. I think that everyone should be remembered that was involved in September 11.The people who should be remembered are the people in the planes, the people in the buildings. The firefighters should also be remembered . 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 story8505.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. 2002-10-18 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.60.58.139 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: On the morning of September 11, 2001, I had arrived at the university around 8:30 am. I was working in my office, preparing for my 10:30 ?History of Germany? class, when, at around 10 am, a colleague of mine (Randy Lytton) who had just gotten in and had been listening to his car radio on his way to GMU, poked his head into my office with the news that ?something really awful has happened in New York?listen to the news.? Already radios and computer screens were filled with events as they unfolded both in NYC and in Washington. I decided to bring in a boom box radio into my 10:30 history class. Even though the course?s subject matter was rather far afield from the drama of the Twin Towers and Pentagon, I felt it important to inform students of what was happening. A number of them had not heard the news at that point. In my class of about 40, I had several students whose parents or relatives worked at the Pentagon. I also had several students from Afghanistan?one of my better students was related to Masood, the Northern Alliance leader who had been assassinated only two days earlier by what was suspected to be Al Queda forces. When hearing the news about the World Trade Center and Pentagon air crashes, she rushed out of the room immediately. Two or three other students with Pentagon connections frantically attempted to phone their relations, to no avail since phone lines were apparently jammed with traffic. I simply kept the radio on until we all decided we would go over to the Johnson Center to view developments on TV. After class, I emailed students in my afternoon Western Civilization courses (History 100), alerting them to events and asking them to read the ?Funeral Oration for Pericles? from The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides which was particularly apt under the circumstances. I also quoted it in the email message: ?Then, again, our military training is in many respects superior to that of our adversaries. Our city is thrown open to the world, and we never expel a foreigner or prevent him from seeing or learning anything of which the secret if revealed to an enemy might profit him.? To be frank, I was worried about possible backlashes against foreign, particularly Middle Eastern students. I also went to my afternoon classes with the quotation in hand, in order to let students know that classes were cancelled for the rest of the day. Later on, the Western Civilization students mentioned how appropriate that felt the Thucydides quote to be. It was unfortunate but true that the events of September 11 allowed history students to see connections between the past and present they had not thought about or reflected upon before. For the freshmen Western Civilzation students in particular, the course now did not seem to deal with remote events and persons, but had meaning for them today. 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 story51.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. 2002-02-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 140.247.82.236 Annotation Annotations to this item. Afganistan/Mideast Arabs in U.S. Civil Liberties/Discrimination Students/Teachers DC:2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: The morning of September 11 begine like any other day. I was fighting through traffic on my way to work. Suddenly the morning talk show that I always listen to going to work was interrupted by a special news announcment. "An airplane had crashed into one of the world trade center buildings". As I heard this I figured it was an accident and that this was no big deal. The news announcement went on, "we do not know if this is an accident or if it is an terrorist act". I slowly pulled into my work my morning talk show was interrupted again. "A second plane has hit the other world trade center building". This is when I knew something was terribly wrong today. I walked into work and there was no one in my department. I looked around and saw everyone watching CNN in the conference room. The footage of the plane crashing into the first world trade center building left me speachless. Everything that happen that day seem so surreal. Looking back to that day I realize how vulnerable we are. A act like this could happen to us anytime and that we should appreciate each day and live our life to the fullest. 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 story456.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. 2002-04-23 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.50.157.122 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 job as a state investigator led me to be at a defense attorney's office near the Fairfax Courthouse interviewing a suspect with 2 other investigators. When the first plane hit the twin towers, an associate attorney came into the interview room and turned on a tv. We were shocked and said what a horrible accident. The thought of terrorism never crossed our minds. We continued the interview but left the tv on with no sound. As the interviewed continued we watched the tv from time to time and saw the second plane hit the twin towers. That's when someone said that was no accident. Soon after the Pentagon was struck. As our cellphones and pagers began to go off, I went to a phone to call my wife. My thoughts were in getting our son from school and getting out of town. Needless to say the interview was over and we each went our separate ways. I know most of my co workers went home to be with their families. I rushed home. I remember feeling a sense of fear I had never had before. The sense that home wasn't safe. My city wasn't safe. I contemplated leaving the area and camping out in the mountains. I wondered if that would be safe. As the minutes went by and no more planes fell. Things began to calm down, but they would never go back to the way it was the day before. I would later go to the Pentagon. I was in shock, seeing the destruction and the ruins. It was horrible. I remember feeling sad that I had never seen the World Trade Center in real life. I remember feeling a sense of overwhelming anger and hatred towards those responsible and those who allowed it. Everyone at the Pentagon had a look of shock on their face. The Pentagon police officers had blood on their uniforms. Finally I remember as uniformed soldiers brought out multiple bodybags and placed them on the ground. The soldiers wearing masks prepared to go into the Pentagon. I left before they came out. 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 story1822.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.100.243.190 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: September 11th 2001 has already gone down in history as a day that shocked much of the world. Much has been written and said about the events of that day and the days that followed. It seems perhaps futile to write anything more about what Americans now call "9/11." On the days that followed those horrific acts of terrorism I chose not to write anything about them. I was, like so many people around the world, lost for words to express my horror and sadness. I felt that anything I wrote would simply come out as words bathed in emotion and an anger at an unseen enemy. A year later and I am still not sure that anything I write on the subject would be worth reading. I wasn't there, I didn't know anyone there, I knew no-one personally affected. So my connection is distant to say the least. I feel like I don't have the right to feel grief and sadness over what happened in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. I don't want to be seen as one of those people who becomes dramatically inconsolable when someone they hardly knew dies. Most of what I felt and still feel about what happened has been hidden away, so that people don't feel that I am somehow trying to gain attention from someone's else's tragedy. Perhaps this is how most of the 'unaffected' were affected. For weeks after September 11th 2001 I had terrible nightmares involving hijacked planes and buildings. I often woke up in the middle of the night and simply failed to settle again. I would hear a jet go over head and do what I think many did in the immediate aftermath, look to see where it was and what it was doing. I live in the flight path of Liverpool airport and often see planes flying low on their approach to or ascent from the airport. For weeks afterward the sight of a low flying aircraft would send a shiver down my spine. Though it might seem odd to say, I can't really tell you why I felt such a connection to those involved in this dark moment of history. After all, people die violently every single day and most of the time we just sit there viewing it all in prime time detachment. It's the news, and as tragic, sad or horrible as that may be, it's still just the news. September the 11th was different. It seemed like everything else in the world just stopped. Everyone who was anywhere near a TV or radio was just transfixed, standing there helplessly watching an unimaginable act of evil unfold before their very eyes. I sat alone in my lounge and watched thousands of normal people die a gruesome death. I had a connection with America and New York, I'd stood on the roof of one of those towers, I knew from personal experience just how tall these towers were. By 2:30 UK time, they were gone forever. America was under attack, on its knees and all I could do was sit there and watch my TV. I felt useless. I wanted to help, but what could I do? For weeks afterwards we were bombarded with image after image of the devastation. Recorded telephone messages from people caught in the towers back to their loved ones were played, as were the exchanges between the terrorist pilots and air traffic control. Every aspect of the atrocity was played out in detail for us to decipher for ourselves, if indeed that was even possible. Eventually I simply couldn't take any more. I stopped watching the news on about the 14th. But the images of the planes hitting the building and of the desperate people taking the hopeless decision to jump from the burning towers still haunted my thoughts. I would close my eyes and they would be there. Eventually daily life returned to normal of course. In fact I remember being shocked as to just how quickly it did. But what else should I have expected. Tragedies happen, life goes on, that's how it's always been and will always be. Indeed it couldn't be any other way, but still, it seemed strange to me in some way. Eleven months later I visited the former site of the World Trade Center in New York, now called Ground Zero. I went there looking for something, some peace maybe. I wanted to find something there that would help me come to terms with all of this. Something that would make sense of the impact it has had on the City and on me personally. I am not sure what I thought I would find there, whatever it was, I never found it. Ground Zero was simply a sixteen acre building site in the heart of Lower Manhattan. Evidence of what had happened there was almost impossible to find. I felt no connection whatsoever, instead I just felt empty. I'd made the journey to Ground Zero to find something that in the end simply wasn't there, and if it wasn't there then I had no idea where it would be. A nearby church still had thousands of tributes covering its railings. I stood there and read some of the words now fading with time. A tribute to a Charles Edward Jones who had been a passenger on flight 11, the first plane to hit one of the towers. Words from firefighters from all over the United States speaking to their lost 'brothers.' A picture of a young man with a message next to it saying "Happy 24th Birthday Jimmy Quinn. We love you." One message read "Our Prayers are with you. I can't believe how hard this is for everyone. Always remember though that GOD is in control, he has a plan through all of this and we are praying that something great will come out of all of this. For we live through hope in Christ Jesus, he will take care of everything." Perhaps that's true, and to a point I envy those who have that kind of faith. To say God has a plan is all well and good I suppose, but the hijackers also believed they were carrying out God's plan didn't they? Of course, about the only person who hasn't mentioned September 11th is God himself. He has, as ever, remained silent on the whole issue, instead allowing man to twist 'his words' into something as disgusting and hateful as we witnessed that beautiful American Tuesday morning. It makes me all the more sad that in the places where there should perhaps be answers and peace, there are simply just more questions and excuses. If God is watching then I hope he was as sickened as I was. 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 story7533.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. 213.106.162.128 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: In Loving Memory Of Yamel Merino Oct.21,1976 - Sep.11,2001 On September.11, 2001 Our Nation Lost many loved one's that were very dear to us. On this tragic day a very dear friend of our's Yamel Merino 25, an EMT worker from METRO CARE was killed doing what she did best, saving people's live's. Yamel had an 8 year old son named Kevin, who she loved very, very much. She was very dedicated to her job, family and friends, she had a very warm heart and a beautiful smile. Yamel had many friend's on and off the job, but there was that one special friend and her bestfriend Sandy Santiago. Yamel and Sandy were partner's on the job for quite a while,they became very close like they were sister's ,they both had children who were the same age and did things together with there children. Sandy would alway's invite Yamel to family events, we considered Yamel and her Son as part of our family ,we alway's included them in everything that we did. On the morning of September 11, Yamel Merino was called to respond to the WTC attack, she was very excited. She called Sandy to let her know that she was on her way down there and Sandy's response was " YAMEL BE CAREFULL ". Merino had been one of the first ambulances responding to the plane crash in the north tower, Yamel was killed in the collapse of the south tower. As a black cloud covered the sky where many lives were taken, everyone stood in silence and shock. Later that day when Sandy heard the tragic news she just could not believe it, and didn't want to believe it. She felt like a part of her was missing, Sandy could not see herself going back to work but Yamel's mother told her that" Yamel would not want you to quit your job ". As day's, hours, minutes, and seconds go by it was like yesterday that Yamel was here, we don't want to consider her gone because Yamel will alway's be in our hearts no matter how far or near she is. Yamel Merino is and alway's will be a very special HERO to us. ! WE LOVE AND MISS YOU VERY MUCH ALWAY'S AND FOREVER IN OUR HEARTS ! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO 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 story7093.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. 2002-09-13 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.12.96.135 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: September 11 was in the second week of school, so I was still getting used to arising with the roosters. It wasn't until I was driving to work that I heard about the World Trade Center falling. I live in California, so I am quite removed from the horror. At first, my reaction was the same as when I hear of a bridge falling or a train wreck. But, when I arrived at work, I saw the horror on T.V. I called my husband, who had not yet heard about the events. He was the first person I could think of to call, because at that moment, I really needed to talk about what I was seeing. I cried, and then I went numb. I am a high school teacher, and it was my job to inform my first two classes of the day. How do you relate the awful events of that day? My students were in shock. For several weeks we opened the class period by discussing the new events stemming from September 11. I could see a definite difference between my 11th graders and my 10th graders. My juniors seemed to comprehend the seriousness of these events, and they seemed to understand that they were living out history. 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 story6693.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. 163.150.15.187 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was asleep in my dorm when one of the clock radio alarms went off to wake us up. I didn't do anything different just slowly started to get moving. The next thing I know is my roommate gets a strange email from his dad seeing if he was alright and that he couldn't reach him on the phone. All I remember is that it mentioned that something had happened. I then turned on the TV and the first thing I saw was the Pentagon billowing out smoke. Just sitting there in amazement I didn't know what to do. Finally, I picked up the phone and called my mother just to check in. She was worried about me because where I'm located is only about 15 miles from the Pentagon. She tried to get me to stay at my room for the time being, but I had to go to class to figure out what was going on and if it was even still on for the day. I left and will never forget something what happened next. You could hear the sound of a plane over head and at that moment about 30 people around me all stopped and looked up. It was obviously an airforce fighter, but to see the effect it had was unbelievable. Class was cancelled, as I had thought, so a friend and I went over to the Johnson Center and joined the giant crowd of people huddled around the TV to see 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 story1033.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. 2002-08-16 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 208.31.154.100 Annotation Annotations to this item. Military DC:2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I remember that, after the fog, a bright sunny day was going to be in store for us. I remember saying to my son, "Let's walk you to school today, it's so gorgeous!" I took my camera with me and snapped some photos on the way to my son's school. Realizing that time was slipping away, I made it back home to get ready for work. As I was saying good-bye to my husband, our neighbor, Leroy, said, "Hey, guys -- did you just hear? Some guy crashed his plane into the World Trade Center." "Probably some new pilot flying their Piper Airplane -- I hope noone's seriously hurt," my husband replied. I quickly kissed my husband and said, "That's a shame -- you know that guy probably died. But, I've gotta go to work -- bye!" At work, people were talking about a plane that hit the World Trade Center, but they all thought it was a small plane. Then, the phone call came. "Becky -- it was a jet that hit the World Trade Center -- and there wasnt' just one -- there were two jets!" my husband sounded nervous. "What were those pilots thinking? It may be hijackers, they don't know yet. I'll keep you posted." The pharmacy was abuzz with the news as it was happening. We were only an hour's train ride to Grand Central Station, and many people from the area would commute every morning into the city. My sister, brother, and his fiance all lived in New York City. I told my superviser, Shibu, that I was going to try to call them. It was the same situation: the phone lines were tied up. I started fearing for my sister in particular: she was a head-hunter and free-lance photographer -- would she try to take photos of the Trade Center, or would she stay at her apartment? I prayed for the latter. My husband called again. "Someone just crashed a jet into the Pentagon, Becky! If there's another plane, I want you to leave work, get Glenn at school, and come home." When word came that a jet crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, again the worriment hit, as my mother, father and eldest brother lived in Pennsylvania. What if they died without my saying that I loved them? The place where it crashed was no where near my parents. I looked at my boss and said, "I'm going home." I went to school, which was in lock-down, and picked up my son. We went to the store to pick up water, canned goods and other neccessities. When I got home, my husband and I contemplated taking the children and heading somewhere -- but where? I needed to speak to my family in NYC. Tears kept streaming down my eyes as I tried and tried to call my sister, my brother, and his fiance. I remember praying for God to protect them. Horror struck when we saw the buildings go down on live television. I cried and cried for those people who died in the carnage, for the people who quickly kissed their families goodbye, not realizing that it would be their last kiss with that person. I finally got ahold of my sister, somehow. I found out that she was going to meet someone at the restaurant in the WTC that morning, to ask how her job at Cantor-Fitzgerald was going. Somehow, she couldn't make it, and didn't go to breakfast there. Then, when the planes hit, a photographer friend came to her door, wishing to take photos of the World Trade Center with my sister. She refused to go; that was the last that she saw of her photographer friend. She also became very sad, saying that she sent so many people to their deaths, by placing them at businesses in the WTC. I told her that it wasn't she who hijacked a plane and rammed it into the World Trade Center -- it was a bunch of lunatics who thought they were doing something beneficial for their religion. My brother and his fiance were alright, physically, but mentally, they were drained. After the Towers fell, I couldn't leave the television. I watched every news program, crying with every show. My husband had to turn off the television. To this day, whenever I see something about 911, I either get drawn to it, or I have to turn it off, as the feelings associated with it are still so intense, even after five years. 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 story20722.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2006-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 71.204.201.181 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 4th grade when September 11th, 2001. I had just gotten up and gone downstairs and everyone was intently watching the T.V. I asked what had happened and my parents told me and I saw it on the screen. Needless to say, I was shocked, confused, angry, scared, and afraid at the same time. I stayed home from school that day to be with my family and be thankful.Any time someone would turn on the T.V. and flip through the channels, all you would see were the buildings falling. Over and over again. It was very sad to see all of the footage and to think about how many people had died. It was also sad to think that this act of terror is what we are now resorting to. So much for the 'talk it out' concept. 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 story20746.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2006-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.237.221.176 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: THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITTEN AND SENT TO ME ON 9/14/01. IT WAS WRITTEN BY MY SON WHO WITNESSED THE HORROR OF 9/11/01. "FROM BRIGHTNESS TO CHAOS TO DESOLATION" "ANOTHER MORNING LEAVING THE SUBWAY STATION ONTO ONE MORE WALK UP THE SUBDUED MORNING STREETS OF THE EMPIRE STATE CITY, EXPECTING A ROUTINE PATTERN, AS THE SECOND HOUR OF THE TYPICAL DAY PASSES, THEN, THE SKY SUDDENLY FILLS WITH OFFICE PAPERS. ONLY CONFUSION TAKES PLACE AS A CLOSER GLANCE REVEALS A GAP IN THE WORLD'S TALLEST CREATION FILLED WITH SMOKE, FIRE AND A HUMAN-MISSILE. THE SIGHT BRINGS AWE AND TEARS TO MANY EYES. TOO MUCH TO HANDLE FOR MOST AS THE ONLY HUMANE DECISION COULD BE TO LOOK AWAY. IF NOT TRAUMATIZED ENOUGH, A SECOND FLIGHT OF DISASTER DISMANTLES PART TWO OF THE CREATION AND MAMES THOSE INSIDE WITHOUT A CHANCE TO SURVIVE. ASIDE FROM METAL - HOPES, DREAMS, FAMILIES, FAITH, FEELINGS AND LIVES ARE SCORNED, BURNED AND DESTROYED. FRANTIC ONLOOKERS SCATTER IN ALL DIRECTIONS WITH ONLY THOUGHTS OF THEIR DEMISE IN A BALL OF SMOKE AND PIECES OF WHAT WAS THEIR MAJOR LANDMARK. WHAT COULD ONLY TAKE PLACE IN A MOVIE OR A BAD DREAM, HAS BECOME REALITY. SOME ESCAPE, BUT HARDLY ENOUGH CAN. THE ONES THAT DO SOON LEARN OF OTHER DEMONIC ACTS TAKING PLACE IN THE SAME HOUR. LEFT BEHIND ARE THE BRAVEST OF HEROES TO ENTER THE FLAMES OF HELL WITH ONLY THOUGHTS OF SAVING THEIR FELLOWMAN. QUIETNESS SOON FILLS THE INDESCRIBABLE, UNEXPLAINABLE DISASTER. ALL THE NATION LEARNS THAT THE TEARS AND ASHES ARE NOT ENOUGH TO HIDE THE LOVE, BRAVERY AND COMRODERY THAT IS SHOWN WHEN A FELLOW-AMERICAN IS IN DESPAIR." WRITTEN BY: GEORGE NOVITSKY, JR 9/14/2001 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story2736.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. 208.17.232.2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Back in August 2001, I decided I needed a vacation, so I planned a trip to my hometown in South Western Pennsylvania to visit my family and to Washington D.C> to go to Arlington Cemetery and visit my parents graves. My father was a pilot and Captain in the Air force and because of is outstanding service record, they both are buried in Arlington, a short distance from Kennedy. I have not visited Arlington, since my Dad passed away at 56 on July 4th, 1988 and had only visited my mother?s grave (she died in 1962) when we buried him. Being that my family has been pilots for United Airlines for the past 20 years or so, I have always flow United Airlines and I was going to fly to Pittsburgh On September 1st, and visit family for a week. My original reservations were to then fly to Washington D. C. on the 7th to sight see for a few days and return home on the 11th by way of United Flight 93 to SFO. I remember thinking when I made the original reservations?cool 93 that?s a good number, no problem on that flight, this will be a good trip 3 and 9 are my lucky numbers and some even consider them sacred. Thankfully, and this is one fight I really appreciate, while I was in PA, my husband and I got into a HUGE fight on the phone, about my being away so long. Instead of being the hard headed bitch I normally can be, when he tries to tell me what to do, I attempted to keep the peace and changed my return flight to the 7th from Pittsburgh and skipped going to Washington altogether. Now the other freaky part of this story that also hit me really close to home is that Flight 93 crashed about 25 miles from where I grew up. I was sleeping when everything first came on the news and my husband woke me up screaming New York Citywas under attack?.then the Pentagon?When they announce a crash in Southwestern PA and the map looked too close to my childhood home, so I immediately picked up the phone, called my stepmother to make sure she was ok. She not only heard the crash but felt it and could see the smoke from her house?.After a few minutes on the phone, it suddenly registered that the flight was out of Washington and when they announced United Flight 93 I ran to get the itinerary from my original flight, just to make sure I wasn?t crazy. Sure enough that was the original flight I was suppose to come home on. When I told her we both realized it could have been my flight, she saw burning in the distance. Even today, it makes my hair stand on end and I feel sick to my stomach to think about it, let alone get on a plane. I sit and wonder sometimes the old what if?Knowing my personality, I would like to think I would have been one of those who tried to stop them, I rarely face any challenge lying down and after all, I am notorious for freaking out on people who try to impose their own will on me. Yet there is also the side of me that faces the fact I would have been scared, and may have fallen apart. I will never know, but look at it as a personal warning about my own mortality, maybe even from my parents if you believe in that stuff, and I needed to change my way of thinking and attitude about what life is providing to me. I did not want to bring this up, as I told B a few months ago. So many brave people lost so much that day; my escaping is inconsequential compared to the immense loss others experienced. I found it to be a very personal, and a life-changing event. It did change my attitude towards life and appreciate each day and every person I love, and even those I do not. I try to see the good in everyone and look at each day as an adventure, quite possibly my last. I stop and smell the roses and consciously complete at least one act of random kindness to a stranger everyday. I have so much in life to be grateful for, and I try to remember that, stay humble, remembering that it could all be gone in an instant. Since Kyle will not discuss this, and since I am flying in the near future, and can?t talk to him about it (incidentally he won?t step foot on a plane) the recent terror warnings has me very scared. So I decided instead of letting my fear over take me I should find a way to let it out?.. There is a saying in AA I try to live life by these days ?But for the grace of God. go I?.? Thanks for listening??. 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 story10626.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. 2004-05-31 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.54.98.16 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 class about the time. We heard the tv and President Bush came onto television and said two airplanes crashed into the WTC. At first, I couldn't believe it. These scumbags attacked our country with the cowardice that makes them feel good. i stayed home from work that day to support my country. To me this country is the best damn country in the world. Freedom was attacked and now were going to get these punk who did it. Bin Laden is forgetting who he is messing with. George W. is the man who will get the country back in order and stop these idiots who attacked our beloved country. This country means more to me than some silly football teams and hot dogs.This country was under attack and now were not. This country means more to me because I'm a proud A merican who loves this country and does not want to see anything happen to it. Thank you for your time 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 story10246.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.208.82.97 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: September 11, 2001 - - Gerry Keefe My account has many similarities to others who witnessed the attacks that Tuesday, but unique to me. I am 38 yrs. Old, and live with my wife Kathy and our two daughters in Chatham, NJ, about 30 mins. from Manhattan. And I started this day on the 10th. My work as an insurance broker working from home since 1993, has recently become much more internet-based, and I hadn?t been on an appointment outside the house for many weeks. But on the 10th, Danny (an estate manager in Millbrook, NY) & I had finally picked the 11th as the day we were going to get together for a day of R&R from work (Millbrook is a beautiful country setting with wealthy estates at the foot of the Berkshire Mountains). We had cancelled plans to do this numerous times, but on the 10th Danny called to ask me to come up. I was excited to finally get a day out of the house, and the two-hour drive to Millbrook has always been mind-clearing for me. But as is always the case with the best-laid plans, a wrinkle developed when a client (James) called from Allentown, Pa. and asked if I would drive him to the airport A.M. on the 11th. This was a wrinkle because I always liked to get an early start whenever I drove the two hours up to Millbrook so we could have maximum time to hang out before the trip back. On the morning of the 11th, James was supposed to be at my house (where he would leave his car while he traveled) at around 8:00 am for a 9:30 flight out of Newark. But he was delayed by traffic coming in. By 8:20, I called Chris (his wife) to see where he was, and she told that he was probably in traffic. One memory I have before James arrived, standing in the driveway alone, was how beautiful the beginning of that day was. The sun was shining and the blue sky was cloudless. A perfect Fall day, and without a doubt my favorite time of year. I was very excited about traveling and enjoying the day. I thought the trip to the airport was going to be a footnote to that day. We left sometime after 8:30, and as we drove we discussed his new application for insurance and the items we would need to complete underwriting. Once out on Rt. 78 heading East, the World Trade Center Towers appeared as if at the end of the highway (It always reminded me of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz). But as we drove we were both suddenly aware of the smoke pouring from the side & roof of Tower One. I immediately reflected on years of watching smoke & steam rising from various parts of the City, and dismissed this. Than the sickening feeling that this wasn?t ordinary. As you approach Newark Airport, you really had a spectacular view of the Trade Centers looming across the Hudson River. Lower Manhattan is laid out as if you were Viewing it from an observation deck. And as we approached the ramp to the Airport, we switched on CBS 880 radio and heard that a small twin-engine propeller plane had most likely lost it?s way and struck the tower (I remember a man, early on, recounting how low the plane was as it passed over head). The contrast of the smoke rising into that crystal blue sky was sickening. But harsh reality was bearing down . . .in a split second we looked over and saw the huge fireball as the second plane struck Tower Two. We looked on in disbelief. Awestruck. The shock value insulating us from what had actually happened. And cringing to ward off the bite of reality as Tower Two began to hemorrhage smoke. All in a matter of seconds. We proceeded to the airport, where I dropped him off in front of Terminal C. He and I hadn?t really fully grasped what had happened. I can?t even believe it now. And as I drove off, I remember thinking that I shouldn?t have left him there. As I exited the airport, I crossed the overpass looking east down Rt. 78, directly at the Trade Centers. And they were completely engulfed in smoke that was trailing South. I stopped to look. I remember how strange it seemed that the column of smoke rose just slightly above the Towers before it made a beeline South. So we knew the wind was blowing hard up at the top, and fanning the flames inside. But somehow I could just distance myself from the horrors that must have been going on inside those Towers. ** I spoke with several people who stopped in their cars and we were in shock. I remember saying to one that ?tomorrow all that will be left is two smoking candles after the tops of the Towers have burned out? (the night before I had contemplated taking my video camera to Millbrook, but had decided against it, now I wished I had). I drove home, realizing that this was big and that I should record this for posterity. I arrived back at the house about 9:30, and put in a tape (I recorded for 6 hours until the tape ran out at 3:30 on Channel 2). I again tried to reach Danny, but the lines were all busy. So, I drove north, not realizing what had taken over our lives, and listening to CBS 880. They did a terrific job of covering this event. They play that Teletype sound in the background when they announce breaking news, and they were doing this every couple of minutes with updates. As I drove, you could still see the smoking billowing up on the horizon, and still that beautiful Fall day, stained by the most terrible of events. I called Kath, who was at work, from my cell phone. And when I finally got through to tell her what I saw, the news was still sketchy and we were still trying to piece together the details. I didn?t realize that all those people at Ground Zero were trying to reach their loved ones until a while later, and so I stopped using my phone so more important calls could go through. I tried once more to call Danny to see if I should still come up, but all the circuits were busy and I couldn?t get through. I stopped at a rest stop on the NY State Thruway to use a landline, and found it a beehive of activity. I literally left the car running in front of the building and went in (something you would never do in normal times for fear it would be stolen or ticketed). I went to use the phone and found long lines. I spoke to three other men about the still developing story as I waited, and when I did get to use the phone, it was still busy. So, thinking that going home was too depressing, I drove on to Danny?s. As I drove and listened to the news accounts, I remember feeling stunned. I looked around and saw other motorists crying in their cars. I waved to one woman who was in tears and she waved back (I just couldn?t stand to watch someone else suffering, especially not today). I could only imagine, along with the rest of the world, the loss of life in those Towers and on the ground. The suffering to come was going to be enormous, I knew that, and this was still just the beginning. At each Toll plaza I went out of my way to greet the plaza attendant and tell them, ?God Bless You?. Somehow nothing seemed out of the ordinary anymore. Everything, and any behavior that made one person feel a little better was worth the effort. When I arrived in Millbrook, Danny came running out with his rifle and yelled, ?Who is it!? ?What do you want!? and we had a big laugh. It was the tension-breaker we needed. Later, he and I stood quietly staring at CNN for many minutes without saying a word, and than tried to piece it together. When we went back outside, I remember how beautiful it was there. The reality of the day hadn?t reached the sky over Millbrook. You couldn?t see that vile smoke rising into the sky, or hear the sirens in the distance. No, here the sky was blue, the sun was shining, and it was warm and beautiful. I remember thinking that the whole world should be here now, seeing the world in the peaceful serenity we were treated to. But I also remember being afraid for the first time too. Feeling helpless, and afraid that my daughter?s Day Care center would send them home (as was happening to all the schools in Manhattan) and that I wouldn?t be available for them. But that thankfully didn?t happen. On the way home, I finally reached James and found out that he had just made it out of the airport before it shut down. He said that he entered the airport and it was very active inside. He put his carry-on bag on the security belt, and said that no one even looked at his bag as it went through security (the last act of complacency before terrorism changed everything). He said that he was sent running out of the airport with the announcement that the airport was closed. And in the ten minutes from when I dropped him off, until he came back out, 100?s of police had mobilized around the airport and all the cabs were being sent away. They were forbidden to take passengers, but James jumped into one of the last remaining cabs and they sped away with him in the back and his head down to avoid trouble with the police. He was all right, that was the main thing. And I felt very close to him, because we had witnessed this nightmare together. And nothing could dull that memory. As evening approached, it seemed like a year since the morning?s events. I drove to the highest point in Chatham (that ironically looks over a graveyard) to look East and see what I could see. And what I saw were 40-50 people who had come there for the same reason. They stood staring off to the East, and that troublesome smoke was still rising in an amazing volume up into the sky and still trailing to the south as it hit the upper winds. No one said a word. There were candles burning on the stone wall, and small flags had been stuck into the cracks. And for several minutes I felt very close to the people there. I stood for a long time staring at the rising smoke, contemplating what had happened. And trying to bring the events of the day into focus, but I still, even today March 25, 2002, can?t completely wrap my mind around what has happened. The next day Kath was off from work, and we read the morning papers and A.M. drove around the countryside talking. As we had lunch in our dining room, a fighter jet screamed over the house, and that really brought reality home. I thought of two things as we sat together that Wednesday. I remember Walt Whitman recounting how he and his wife had sat solemnly reading the papers the day after Lincoln was shot, without speaking. All day, sitting quietly, reading, having meals and contemplating the new world they were part of. And filled with incredible grief. I also remember Doris Kerns Goodwin recounting how as a vibrant young college student she had learned of the death of JFK, and thought how this was a turning point. That if this young, handsome man who was on top of the world could be struck down so suddenly, than what of the fate of the rest of us? That was the day she, and this was the day that we, realized for the first time, our own mortality. Before Sept. 11th, we were still young and believed that we would live forever. After that horrendous day, and the months since, we realize that it can all be taken away suddenly, terribly, and with no selection process to alienate the deserving. The common everyday ?Joe? died that day. No heroes in battle to the end, but everyday worker-bees who went off to work and were having coffee or checking their voicemail . . . before they realized that it was all over. And that instead of the big decision they used to have about where to eat lunch, or who can pick-up the kids after work, they were deciding if it was better to jump 1,000 feet to their death (and get it over fairly quickly), burn alive or wait for the building to collapse and welcome oblivion on their own terms. We all died that day. Innocence died that day. And it did not die in a humane and dignified manner. And if it can happen so quickly to a bunch of ordinary office workers, what fate awaits the rest of us? I?ve read 100?s of obituaries. on the memorial web pages, and seen their faces. And every family member or friend exalts these common people for their uncommon virtues. I was struck by how many were coaches, and Sunday school teachers, or volunteers in their communities. And I reflected that fact against the manner in which they met their ends and the work we all must do to reach their level of commitment to the people around us. As for the aftermath . . . . I put up the biggest flag I could find and hung it from the side of our house for 6 months, and we mourned the fact that Chatham lost 21 people who either lived here, or were born here. Msgr. Mahoney (the church rectory is next door to me) told me shortly afterwards that he had done a funeral for a Chatham man where only the jaw was recovered (and he was one of the luck few who had anything recovered to bury), but these things didn?t comfort. I go to church more now (I still remember the stunned looks on people?s faces that first Sunday after) and we remember John Farrell who was a local boy and childhood friend of my brother Chris. And I did send a Christmas Card to his widow and kids in Basking Ridge, and a letter to his sister Maureen, who I was good friends with in High School (although I never received a reply). And we made a contribution to the 9-11 Fund. But again, these things seemed functionary. I wish I had given more money to the Fund drives. I wish I had gone to Ground Zero that first day to help out, or given blood as so many did. And I wish I had been more concerned about what happened to James that first day, and I wish that it was easier to talk to family and friends about it, because that would help all of us deal with this life-changing event. Somehow all the petty worries seemed less. And yet some days, I can?t help thinking that those who were lost were the lucky ones. They died in horrific ways, and suffered unimaginable ends, but by 10:30 it was all over for them. There families, friends and all of us who lost our souls that day, but didn?t lose a family member, go on suffering. And we will go on suffering for years. We are a Nation suffering from survivor?s guilt. . Last night they profiled Peggy Alario from Staten Island on MSNBC, a woman who I saw on the Trade Center Tribute page that first week, and wrote a tribute to her. I revisited her tribute and read all the articles that were linked to that page, and I cried for her and her young family. They agonize more than most. She was the breadwinner of the family, and she wasn?t even supposed to be in the Trade Centers. She worked at One Liberty Plaza for Zurich Insurance, and was on the 105th floor of Tower One for an early morning meeting. So they have the added grief of this devastating hole in their lives and the cruelty of fate that she didn?t need to be there that day. At least others can rationalize that there loved ones worked there and could not have avoided being there when the planes hit. The bottom line is that there are a million stories out there. And the whole world saw the events as I did, and felt helpless. And it is impossible to admit you feel so very deeply about this because there are so many others who have suffered a much more personal loss than I have. So how can I be so selfish as to complain or grieve. Yet it hurts. I still think about it every day. I even notice when (after 6 months now) a day goes by without thinking about it. For a while I couldn?t watch the 4, 6-hour tapes I had made in the aftermath without crying, but now it seems strange to watch them with diminished emotions, and that brings even more guilt. That I?m beginning to forget this unforgettable event haunts me. My biggest fear is that this won?t impact me enough. That it won?t change my life enough, that I can make the changes that something of this magnitude demands. I fear that we will settle back into complacency and forget that all our lives were changed forever, and that our lives should have a positive corresponding effect, otherwise the bastards win. I remember the sight of that second plane crashing through Tower Two and seeing that missile come flying out the front of the building. And I reasoned that with the trajectory that it took and the way and timing of which it happened, that this most have been the cockpit, and I had the fondest hope that those bastards had survived the impact with the Tower and were still alive and suffering when they came out the other side and were rushing toward the ground. I leave this letter with the thought that so many people are suffering, and that the enormity of the suffering will be with us for the rest of our lives. But I hope that if God was watching that day that he made sure that Hell got a new lease, so that these people could burn there for a very long time. For although there suffering doesn?t diminish our own, it brings the world back into balance. It allows us to think that there is punishment for one?s misdeeds. God Bless Us ! N.Y.C, Washington, & Shanksville, Pa. - - - March 25, 2002 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1539.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. 2002-08-29 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.12.96.135 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Me and my little girl was at home watching channel 9 when the news cames across that the first tower had been hit by a plane, at first I thought there was another plane crash which I know happens. But as I was watching the T.V I seen the 2nd plane hit and I thought "OH MY GOD!" this can not be happening in the United States, where our people try to keep violent away. I started to cry, not because I had someone in New York, "because I didn't", I started to cry because of all the people that where involed, not just the dead or the dieing but the familys of those victims. Our FireFighter's, Policemen, and our's that where trying hard to keep people alive and find everybody there was. My HEART goes out to everyone that was involved in September 11th. And my HEART stills goes out to all the family's that lost there Father's, Brother, Sister, Child, Grandchild, Mother's and Grandmother's. Let FREEDOM ring and may GOD BLESS YOU ALL. GOD BLESS AMERICA! LOve from the Hancock's. 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 story6054.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.188.6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was working as a teacher that afternoon. I just had a break when one of the pupils came to class and told me that an aeroplane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I asked him if he was kidding because I couldn`t believe it. He said: "No, really, I`ve seen it on TV!" Then I asked him which channel he had been watching because I thought that he might perhaps have watched a programme which makes really bad jokes or doesn`t take things too seriously. He told me that he saw it on N-24 which is a 24 hours news programme so that I had to believe him. At that moment, I wasn`t really too confused. I went on with my lessons and wondered which mad people might have done such a cruel thing. However, when I was at home I saw the pictures of the attack on TV and I was speechless. I couldn`t believe my eyes. I felt anger and disbelief in the human race. How could anybody in the world be so brutal? I saw all those people running around in fear and horror. I heard the number of all those innocent people who died because of this evil and cowardly attack. The following morning, I had to write an exam but I realized that the exam wasn`t important anymore. This event showed me that there were worse situations than an exam. 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 story8102.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-24 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 62.104.223.83 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I will never forget the day or the million of emotions that ran through my body, when I first got wind of the horrifying news. All I could think about was my family and the many people who lost their lives that day. At first it seemed like a dream, but the reality set in after I had to walk to the Williamsburg Bridge from 59th street Columbus Circle. Once I saw the all the smoke in the air and the people crossing the bridge with their clothes covered in sut, tears stated to role down my face. Till this day I still cry when anything of 9/11 is mentioned. It left me with the feeling that New York or anywhere in the United States for that matter wasn't safe. This will be the second year anniversary of the the attack on the World Trade Center, bringing back all the hofffying memories of the past. My condolences go out to the families, even though I might not have known anyone in those buildings that day, I still feel the pain of your lost. 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 story9351.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-06-20 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 146.142.210.47 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was getting up to make breakfest for my husband when I turned on the tv when all of a sudden i heard someone say that thay had just hit the second tower I then I turned and around and sat down on the couch and didn't move i was frozen in my seat i just couldn't beleave what i had just seen and then i started crying so then i got on the phone an call our local blood bank to see if thay need blood and of course thay said yes i have a type o rh neg. so i went to the blood bank and gave blood tko hepe the survivers I knew that i could not make it to New York to help any other way. still to this day i have all the the survivers and the family of the one we lost in my heart . I lit a candel and put it in my front window this morning and at midnight i will blow it out and say a little prayer for each and every one who lost a loved one this day a yera ago . I also have my flag flying halfmass. so as we go on living on day at a time my the good lord takes us in his arms and protect us from any more harm. 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 story5621.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.209.38 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was just starting my work day at Kroger Food & Drug. The small TV monitor near the store's bank was tuned to CNN. At 8:46 eastern time, the horrifying news came that a jet had crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. It became very quiet in the store as fellow associates and customers listened to the terrible news. As I heard that the jet had slammed into the building, I thought that it had been an accident. But when the second plane had crashed into the south tower, I knew that both had been due to acts of terrorism. All I could remember is feeling a sense of shock and anger that something like this could happen in my country. Outcrys of anger, grief, and disbelief were heard throughout the store; people exclaiming that they could not believe what they were hearing, that it was not possible for such a thing to be happening on American soil. As the days passed, my shock faded, but my grief for the rescue workers, the victims, and their families remained as well as prayers for all concerned. I tried to do my part to help by donating money to the rescue effort. I wanted to donate blood, but I could not get an appointment; the wait was over two weeks long. I believe in reincarnation, so the terrorists who are responsible for this cowardly act have much to atone for. They will have to go through many lifetimes to make up for the incredible amount of negative karma that they have built up for themselves. We must never forget what happened on this day one year ago. Be certain, I will never forget. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story5358.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.24.79.95