277 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 was home with my 4 month old daughter, playing in her room when the phone rang. Usually, I'd let the answering machine get it, but for some reason I picked it up. My husband asked me to put on the t.v. I did and there was nothing. I clicked around until I found a channel that would come in. Just in time to witness the second plane hit the World Trade Center. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I felt it had to be a bad dream. I watched and cried with my daughter in my arms and my husband on the other end of the phone. He couldn't come home since he works for the gas pipeline that runs right along the Arthur Kill and up into the Meadowlands, Staten Island and Long Island. He was required to stay late because of fear that there may be more attacks. I felt helpless, scared and alone. I called my family and my parents, brother and his family all gathered here at my house. Just having my loved ones near gave me strength. My poor mother was re-living the events in Japan back in 1944 when, at the age of 11, she witnessed the bombing of Hiroshima. My mom was only 50 miles outside of the center. Fortunately, she was not injured. But she lost some friends and distant relatives. We all tried to console one another as the night wore on. We didn't know what else to do. We just sat and talked. I cried for 2 weeks after that. Especially at dusk when it would look like those poor people (if any survived) would have to go another night without being found. I had held out hope that more survivors would be found. I was wrong. Now, a year later, I am home with my daughter, trying to not break down as I look into those beautiful green eyes and wonder if the future really is bright for her. I can only hope and pray that it will. 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 story2779.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. 68.37.151.193 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 the first day of my last year of college. Being a Nursing Student, I had become accustomed to a lot of terrible things ... but nothing as terrible as the events of September 11th. We had just come back from a break when a fellow classmate had rushed into the classroom. She stated that America was under attack and that the World Trade Centers were 'gone'. Our professor left the room to see what was going on. She came back with an email that had been sent to all staff stating that anyone who was directly affected by the events or persons who were unable to continue in class were to be excused without penalty. All but one person in the class stayed, I think because we didn't understand or really know what was going on. I logged on to cnn.com during lunch and saw some fuzzy pictures, but nothing prepared me for what I saw on the television screen when I got home that afternoon. The minute I walked in the door I turned the television on and was shocked. In a matter of five minutes I saw the first tower being hit, the people screaming, the second tower being hit, the people running, the pentagon on fire ... then the towers collapsing. I just sat there and a feeling came over me that I didn't know existed. I was scared and sad and angry. I stayed up all night watching the news, flipping from one channel to the next, trying to get different points of view of what had happened. I watched in horror as the screen showed people jumping. I cried a lot that night. The next day we were in hospital for our clinical placements and our hospital had been put on alert for victims ? but we learned that morning that there were no more victims so our alert was taken off. That was all people spoke about. On the way home, I heard someone complaining that they were ?pissed? off that they had missed their favorite TV show because of all the coverage. I wanted to say, ?Don?t you understand what happened? How can you be so selfish? All those people are dead, thousands of people are affected, millions of lives will be changed and you are mad that your TV show wasn?t on?? But I didn?t. Instead I stared straight ahead and tried to forgive their ignorance. That night I was once again glued to the TV, watching the families as they posted pictures of their loved ones and people who survived telling their story. I think by the second night I had seen the planes hitting the towers and them collapsing well over a thousand times .. not just on TV, but every time I closed my eyes. The shock wore off a bit that night and the reality hit me. Our world was very different. People suffered terrible horrible deaths that were unimaginable. I cried harder that night than I had ever cried before. I knew that for each tear I shed, millions more were being shed by people across the world. Even though I was an 8 hour drive away from New York, the events had affected me so hard. I can?t imagine the pain the people of New York and Washington must have felt. For days, weeks, and months afterwards, I because obsessed with what happened. I had to know everything. I had to know about how the towers were built, I had to know about Osama Bin Laden, I had to know about the people who died, the people who survived, the Pentagon, the families, the women who were pregnant, the planes that hit the towers, the town in PA. People became worried that I was spending so much free time on what had happened. They didn?t know why I watching the planes hit over and over or why I was torturing myself with it. I didn?t even know myself. Not until about a week ago. I realized that I was trying to understand. I thought that by informing myself about what happened, I could find reason. Coming upon the First Year anniversary, I know now that there is no understanding ? there is no reasoning. I don?t think I have come to terms with that 100%, and I don?t think I ever will. As a nurse, we look at why things are happening and understand the events behind it. I had to admit to myself that even though we can heal people through understanding, we can?t always understand ourselves. I?ve watched many of the specials relating to the attacks and they are the same. The same sadness, the same anger, the same heroics ? but each time I hear a new story, I am in awe. I have a new found belief that there are amazing people who would give up their own lives in order to save others. On September 11th, I will watch TV, reflect, love my family and friends and send thoughts of solace out to those who were affected so much more than I. I will know that no matter how hard it is for me, there are thousands out there who are hurting even worse. I know that the world is a different place than it was one year ago, and I know that many more changes are in store for the whole world. They say that love heals all, but I know that it takes much more than that. It takes heroics, courage, intellect, peace, war, love and so many more things combined to make our world a safe one to live in. Through high levels of alert that hang over us, there are high levels of feeling connected. The world was brought together through grief and tragedy. Everyone is scared, but we are all scared together. I wish to express my deepest of sympathies to all those affected in New York, in Washington, in Shanksville, and around the world. We will never forget. ?Just as I was getting used to yesterday, today happened.? Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story2139.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-10 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.226.184.67 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 America was severely threatened on September 11th. Two planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City, a plane was collided into the Pentagon, and yet another plane was bombarded into Somerset County in Pennsylvania. When tragedy struck us, our lives were forever changed. Osama bin Laden is to blame for his role in destroying these people. He held such a great hate against the United States because of religion that he would do anything to harm us. He thought slaughtering many people?s lives and hearts was the best way to harm us. Then, the introverted coward hid away in one of his demented tunnels like a slobbering baby, with his trained bodyguards at his side to fight for him. He knew that if he did get caught, he would surely be done for. The World Trade Center was an important symbol for the United States. The individuals in the Middle East greatly respect soaring buildings. To them it shows admiration and credit. Hence, when they were looking for America?s weak spot to strike, they hit on the WTC because to them it seemed so great and they themselves wanted the tallest buildings, not for America to have them. They achieved this ruthless objective by hiring hijackers to capture control of the planes and fly them into the World Trade Center. The first Twin Tower was hit on the 80th story, followed by the second tower getting hit on the 60th story. Before these giants plummeted to the ground, thirty tons of fuel burned for 40 minutes. The sprinkler systems made no impact on the blazing inferno. Either did the asbestos, which was how fireproofing was done in the 60?s. They did their job, of course, but it wasn?t enough to help the World Trade Center. After the Twin Towers collapsed, everything around them was swallowed by an enormous dust cloud and deluged in ash. People fled into buildings as fast as their feet could carry them. The result of this terrible event revealed many deceased people. Not only people in the buildings died, but there were also people around them and passengers in the planes. The passengers, scared to death, prayed for dear life and called their loved ones at home for their last goodbyes. The commuters were aboard the planes for over 50 minutes. These people?s family and friends were greatly affected by this catastrophe. Even though I did not suffer the grief of losing a loved one, or know anyone that even worked in the World Trade Center, I too was touched by this disaster. When I was outside for a fire drill, I had no idea that thousands of people were jumping from 100 story buildings, only to hit cement, or being drowned in stuck elevators. The first time I heard of the horrifying news was when I walked into English class and looked up at the television. My first reaction was that I was shocked. It seemed to me that it came out of nowhere; I was definitely not expected anything like this to occur. I can even remember what I was wearing as I stood there dazed and taken aback. My outfit consisted of black pants and a red shirt. It broke my heart to see the teachers evenly discouraged by this calamity. In most classes, the teachers didn?t even bother trying to lecture us; instead, they turned the television to CNN and watched in horror as the World Trade Center fell down and smoke rose from the Pentagon. Only the day before, the World Trade Center loomed overhead New York City, and within twenty-four hours, they were nothing but a heap of rubble. Ironically, when disaster hit America, it did have some good effect on us; everyone pulled together. Whether it was comforting someone, raising a flag at his or her home, donating money, giving blood, or working up some major elbow grease at Ground Zero, everyone drew together. America will not always be the same, but without the help of firemen, policemen, President Bush, or your every-day companion, America wouldn?t be close to normal. I don?t know how the people that brought this catastrophe in to play could live knowing what they did, but I certainly will always remember it. I feel very fortunate that no one I know was embroiled in this event. It will always be a vast memory in my life, but not a fond 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 story768.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-06-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 168.169.73.41 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 teaching 8th grade math at the time in Camden, NJ. When the first plane hit the WTC, I was just finishing my prep period. As a teacher, you are isolated in your classroom and do not have access to news instantly. I did not know of the tragic events of September 11 until 11:30 am. One of my colleagues entered my room and asked if I knew "the news." I expected her to tell me that one of our students had been suspended. When she began to tell me of what has been happening, I was grief struck, like much of the world. I remember exactly what I was teaching and who was sitting near me to see my face turn ghost white. At that point, we were unsure if the attacks on the US were finished, I was worried about a possible attack on Philadelphia- just across the river from where I was. We dismissed school early that day. It was a fast drive home for me-- home to my loved ones. I was stunned. I was upset. I was horrified. I still am. I watch specials on television and continue to cry for those families who lost loved ones and I cry for our country. As a teacher, it was difficult to answer children's questions regarding the attacks, as I had no answers to satisfy my questions either. It was an experience we had to go through together. As a country, it is something we have all had to grieve with together and grow stronger from together. 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 story1636.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. 2002-09-01 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.158.2.201 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 stayed up on the computer all night,I went to bed seems like I just laid down When my son called me and told me that the USA was under attac! I didnt understand what he was telling me I thought it was an accident when he told me the world trade centers was hit But then he told me the Pentagon Was Hit I could not and I still (9/12/02) don't believe it! I can't believe that anything like that could happen to this country! But We are a Free Country, And the Taliban found a weak spot in our freedom and took advantage of it! GOD BELSS YOU ALL AND GOD BLESS THE USA! 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 story6971.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. 206.215.14.163 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 I was on my way to the doctor's office when I heard the news on the radio that the first plane had crashed into the WTC. When I got to the doctor's office and went into the waiting room, they had the TV on and I watched as the horrible day unfolded. My mom was coming from work to meet me at the doctor. When she walked in I just threw my arms around her and told her how much I loved her. We held each other for a long time. My heart and prayers go out to all the people who lost someone due to the attacks. I thank God every day for the men and women who are fighting for our freedom. We are the true winners in this war because we have shown the terrorists that they cannot destroy us or our nation and we will not stand back and watch this all happen. As I look back on the past year and see how much our nation has come together and how much patriotism has grown, I can't help but wonder "How can we not be SO Proud to be an American?" We are Americans. God Bless the USA!! 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 story5478.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: Last night I watched some of the footage from the September 11th terrorist attack on our World Trade towers one and two in NYC. I remember watching it live on the TV in our classroom at school that terrifying day. The whole class grew silent and no one talked for the rest of the period. We all watched the screen in awe as they showed the first and second plane hit the towers. In all my life I don't think I will see anything quite like what I saw that day. Watching people's reactions that were in New York City as it took place was unbearable. Everyone just kind of stood there in a loss for words. People running the streets holding up signs with their loved ones names on it and shouting out their names in a hope that they would have gotten out in time was grieving. The hurt all the families and friends of these innocent Americans are going through must be ridiculously painful. Watching people dive from 80 floors up in the towers and hearing the phone conversations of loved ones lasted words to a family member or friend was completing breathtaking and hurtful. I can't imagine the pain the all must be going though. Just watching the footage the week after 9/11 made be break down and cry. Today 9/11/02, our school did a Remembrance Memorial for all the innocent people who died that horrible day. Which are Men, Women, Pilots, Police Men, and Firefighters including all of the families that had to deal with the loss of a loved one. I hope that are Nation will not have to go something this grieving ever again, and I hope this helped us to rise up and stand for our Nation and be proud to be an AMERICAN. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story3105.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. 209.50.139.249 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: Ben Dominski Global 5/29/02 Final Project 9/11 Project On September 11th, it was a bright and normal day at Barker before the terrible tragedy took place. I was in school at Mr. Olsen?s 3rd period study hall when I heard the bad news that took place in New York City at 8:48 a.m. Out of the four planes that were hijacked, three hit their targets and caused about 3,200 deaths. The flights that hit their targets were Flight 11, which crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center at 8:48. Then Flight 175 crashed into the south tower at 9:03. Flight 77 hit the Pentagon at 9:45. The other plane crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania 80 miles away from Pittsburgh at 10:10. After we turned on the television, I watched in horror as the south tower collapsed at 9:59, then at 10:10 I watched part of the Pentagon collapse. The last thing I saw was the north tower collapsing at 10:28 during my 4th period class. All I thought about as I watched the towers collapse was all the people that were killed and their families that will never see them again. I also was thinking who could murder so many people and be happy about it? As the day went on I tried to think about other things so I didn?t have to think about the tragedy. In all my classes none of the teachers wanted to teach, they just gave us a free day. Everyone watched the news as the news anchor gave us the latest information on the terrorist attack. It was then that I knew that this would be an event that my generation will come to always remember. When I went home I saw the misery in my parents eyes as they watched the news for hope that the rescue team might find people that were still alive and for the United States to find out who caused so much misery and so much death. That was the first day that I actually wanted to watch the news so I could see for myself who did this. After about an hour of watching the news they still didn?t find out who caused so much pain. I went up to my room to be alone and think. About a half hour later my mom came up and told me that they found out who did it. I went down stairs to see what was going on and the news was saying Osama bin Laden had planned the attack. Weeks later as I watched American planes dropping bombs I thought how could the United States kill innocent civilians in cold blood. The attack on America has changed my life by I don?t have the same sense of security that I once had. Knowing that another attack or the same thing could happen again has made me more cautious. The attack has also made me proud to be an American. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story761.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-06-07 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 168.169.8.35 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: My friends and I were sitting in our Civics class when our guidance counselor came in with a disturbing message. She informed us that the World Trade Center had been hit by a low flying plane. Then we changed classes and ended up watching CNN for the rest of the day. As my friends and I looked on to the frightening site tears came to our eyes. And then we heard that the Trade Center had been attacked by terrorists and about 30 minutes later the World Trade Center had completely collapsed. When I got home from school my mother met me at the door crying she said that teroorist had hijacked four planes one crashed in PA, two hit the Trade Center in NY, and 1 hit the Pentagon. Immediately we rushed into the house to turn the TV on the story kept repeating itself with the collapse of the WTC, we watched it just about every day, for several months then they said that Bin Laden was behind it all, it showed videos of him and his plan to ruin the U.S. It's a day I'll 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 story1775.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. 2002-09-05 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 204.214.201.78 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Ya era hora de que alguien os diera un escarmiento. Ahora por fin sabeis lo que siente la gente cuando la bombardeais, o que os pensais, que cuando vosotros bombardeais a los demas, estos no sufren. Es un pena por los DA?OS COLATERALES. ?que mal suena eso cuando se refieren a vosotros, no?. Pues ala, ir a pedir m?s dinero para que os ayuden, como si no tuvierais bastante. 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 story1415.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. 2002-08-23 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 217.125.117.139 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: September 11, 2001 was suppose to be an ordinary day, with numerous errands to accomplish but instead it turned into a day of disbelief. As I sat glued to my TV watching the horrible scenes play out over and over I felt so afraid. I was so far from either New York or Washington or Pennslyvannia yet I felt as though I was there with those people, feeling their fear, disbelief, shock. I wanted to gather my children from school and keep them close to me. I cried for those people in New York, on the planes and the firefighters that would never make it out of the towers and for myself-crying that my feeling of safety and security would never be what it once was. I also cried for my children and all the other children who have to face a future now where a spineless enemy may attack other civilian targets without concern and they will be the ones called upon to defend this freedom that we all hold dear. God Bless this Country and our future generations! 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 story2530.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. 162.114.211.143 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 being on the Brooklyn Bridge when the north tower fell. It was all at once the most amazing and the most horrible spectacle I have ever witnessed. My heart and soul were pulled in several directions at once. I grew up in Tribeca, so of course I was concerned for my family and friends - but at the same time, I felt very unsafe standing in the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge walkway, and had already tried and failed to get into Manhattan to find my mother and grandparents. I was worried for them, scared for myself, and in shock from trying to comprehend the sheer magnitude of the atrocity. I was so stunned by the whole event, that I was unable to even cry until I was sitting at home watching the Yankee Stadium memorial 2 weeks later. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1512.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. 2002-08-28 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.152.162.115 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: My story isn't as interesting as somebody who was there at the wtc or at the pentagon who even as interesting as somebody who knew anynbody who worked at either of these places. However I would like to share it with you. It was a really sunny day as most days that have horrific events occur in them are. The bells rang telling all of the students at mvhs that it was time that they be in their second period class by now. My 2nd period, was french with Mr. Ament. My peers and myself, came in and saw the news on like always so we didn't pay any mind to what was going on. After everybody settled in, Mr. Ament turned the tv off just so we wouldn't get distracted. Everybody started on thier warm ups and then started talking like always untill Mr. A completed his own work. about 20 or so minutes after the bell rang, one of the administrators, came on ovetr the loud speaker telling everyone to reamin calm, that we would stay in school for the remainder of the day but that there would be no after school activities. We all kind of went what?? Whats going on? Mr. A said I don't know...hmm maybe if we turn on the news they'll tell us something. He ment the school news not the main news. (So because he had tunred the tv off on the chanel that the actual news was on, that was the chanel that was going to be turned back on.) But we never got to see the school news because cnbc was showing New York in a cloud of smoke and one of the mighty buldings that New York knows as a land mark had fallen. Tower one was falling followed closly by its twin...Tower two. Then around 10 or so news came that the pentagon was hit too. (And since the majority of the students who attend mv are military children) And before I knew it there was a mad dash to every single pay phone, subschool, office, etc etc to see if they could get ahold of loved ones. Notes were coming in from paretns, kids were being taken out, nobody could concentrate on work for sure. And the people who remained just had group disscusions, and or watched the news for the rest of the day. And even though the sun was shinning for all it was a dark, day for most Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8056.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-22 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.12.96.135 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: ON SEPTEMBER 11TH I WAS BEING HOMESCHOOLED AND AT HOME! I NORMALLY WOKE UP AT ABOUT 9:30 BUT FOR SOME REASON I WOKE UP EARLY. I WAS SITTING IN MY DEN, WATCHING THE TODAY SHOW (BECCAUSE I LOVE MATT LAUR) AND THEN IT HAPPENED AND I SCREAMED INTO THE KITCHEN TELLIONG MY MOM TO COME AND LOOK! AND SHE SAID THAT IT WAS JUST FROM A MOVIE AND THEN THE SECOND ONE HIT! AND SHE SAID WELL IT IS NOT A MOVIE AND MOM WAS FINE UNTIL THE PENTAGON HAD BEEN HIT AND THEN SHAE SAID THAT SOME THING WAS GOING ON! IT WAS SO SAD... I WATCHED IT THE WHOLE DAY AND WHOLE NIGHT! I WAS IN GREENVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA... Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story10678.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-07-04 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 167.171.9.189 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I am from Chicago,but was in Anchorage attending my daughters wedding. Yes, she was married on September 11th! Time in Anchorage is 3 hours behind the "lower 48", as they say, so we were awakened by the phone ringing. It was my daughter's future sister-in-law, calling from Oregon with the terrible news. We turned on the TV immediately, and sat in shock as picture after picture, and story after story was reported on the news. When, for security reasons, all travel was shut down,I was amazed at how fast the military closed off every means of travel to Alaska. The Canadian border, the planes, trains and cruise ships, besides the huge ocean liners were halted in their tracks.It may have taken about an hour for this to occur, but it felt like 20 minutes! My daughter was so upset, and she ordered the TV turned off! After all, it was supposed to be the happiest day of her life, and all I know, this was something happy to occur on this day. If you want good stories of where people were, some of the best are out of Alaska. Some bush pilots, for example, were out in the bush with hunters, and had no idea that anything happened. Thus 3 days later, they are flying their customers back to Anchorage, and they are escorted by F-14's! Because of different types of communication gear, they couldn't talk to or hear the fighter pilots......one man said "just keep waving and smiling" I am sure there are a million stories out there, and I hope everyone sends in theirs! Thank you for this opportunity, and "God Bless America!" Love and Peace, Nina Scaperdine Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story2946.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.123.112.90 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: when i heard about the devastating september 11th tragedy, i was at a friends funreral. i didnt beleive it at first, i couldnt beleive that something so terrible would actually take place in the heart of America. It was only when i got back from the funeral and saw the tragic news on television, that i realised that it was true. two shocks in one day, i couldnt beleive it. such an awful thing to do, words cant describe how horrific the attack was. im still trying to beleive that someone would do such a terrible thing, taking so many innocent lives. my heart goes out to everyone, the victims of september 11th will always be remembered in our minds and in our hearts. god bless Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8104.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-24 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 195.144.131.13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I had a six month old baby boy, and so I was taking a nap. My husband was on the road driving a semi. He had just gotten out of Driving School. The phone rang and it was him. I could tell by his voice that something was wrong. He said, "Turn on the news." Instantly I thought something had happened to my sister, who's in the AirForce. So I turned on the Television and it took about a full minute to realize just what had happened. I heard news reporters saying that the rate of deaths so far was more than Pearl Harbor. I didn't know anyone who could have possibly lived in NY, but my heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest. My eyes welled up with tears for those poor souls that were innocently murdered. I went into my baby's room and picked him up. All I could think is, "Those people had no idea what was coming. Could this happen to my family? Could my husband be delivering something and all of the sudden he's blowed to peices?" It was a terrifying moment. When I was a child, I remember my mother talking about the complete state of frantic panic that everyone was in. I didn't understand at all. I thought, "Well, that's what the vice-president is for." But on September 11th, I fully understood. Whether or not we had any connection to NY or not they attacted each and every one of our homes, hearts and lives. And to that I say, "They may had the stomaches to kill, but I do not. Our people came to America for freedom, not WAR." Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6682.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.209.38 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I remember that day like it was yesterday! It started out like any normal day. I made coffee watched the morning Today show. Took the kids to school and went back home. I left to go to my hair appt. which was around 8:30 in the am. I remember sitting in the chair getting my hair cut when we heared the report of the first air plane hitting the World Trade Center tower 1, at first we thought it was just a movie and then when we turned on the TV and could see what was going on and the second plane hit, WE KNEW it was not good. All you could think of was those poor people inside the buildings and how would they get out. At that point my hair appt was finished, all I could think about was wanting to go home fast and getting my kids and husband home to be together. On my way home is when I heard about all planes to be grounded and that the Pentagon was also hit by a plane. I was thinking to myself how could a start of a wonderful day turn out to be such a nightmare!! On my way home hearing about the planes I remember seeing a plane in the sky which was turning in unuasual way, it was heading back to our Greater Cincinnati Airport which is only a few miles away from where we live. Instead of going home because no one was there, I headed to my friends house who lives just a few blocks down the street when I got there we just hugged and cried and watched in Terror as the news kept comming in about the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon and the new news about flight 93 which had crashed in Pennsylvania which we later found out was also hijacked. Hearing this news made my friend worse because she is from Pennsylvania and she was worried about her family and friends who lived near where the plane went down so we tried to call her mother but could not get through because of everyone trying to reach loved ones. This day will always be in our minds! I don't think anyone human could ever forget this HORRIBLE DAY. In ending this I would love to say Thanks to all the wonderful people who help save people and who help with all their HEART. FOR YOU ARE THE TRUE ANGELS SENT FROM GOD!!!! GOD BLESS US EACH AND EVERYONE!!!!!! GOD BLESS THE FAMLIES WHO LOST THEIR LOVED ONES!!!!!! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6144.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.209.38 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On the morning of Sept. 11, the sun came streaming through the window of my Battery Park City apartment. I awakened to a beautiful morning in lower Manhattan. I could see all the commuters enjoying the mild climate and bright blue sky on their walk to work. Little did any of us know, as we began our usual routine, that in a few hours our sense of ordinary would be ripped at the seams and our lives would be forever changed. My husband, Sandy, had left our apartment around 7:30 a.m. that morning to drive to his work in New Jersey. I always slept in a little later, since I only had a ten- minute walk to my job at Chase Manhattan Bank (which was located two blocks east of the World Trade Center). Sandy and I were both computer consultants on assignment in N.Y. and were living in a corporate apartment located one block south of the World Trade Center. We loved the energy that surrounded that area. It was so full of life with all the people riding their bikes, walking their dogs, eating at outdoor cafes, and listening to free music concerts (many that took place right in the center of the World Trade Center complex). At 8:47 a.m. on Sept. 11, I was brushing my teeth in our apartment. Suddenly, I heard a loud blast and my television screen went blank. I thought it must have been a construction explosion until I noticed this unusual flickering of light outside my window. I took a closer look and realized that it was paper trickling down like a ticker-tape parade. I followed its path upward and saw a ring of fire around the top of the World Trade Center. I was immediately afraid. So, I went down to the lobby of my apartment building to find someone with information. Our bellman told me that a small plane had accidentally crashed into the North Tower, but I did not notice anyone acting too concerned in my immediate area. So, I went back to my apartment to quickly get my laptop and pocketbook for work As I headed out of the lobby of my apartment at 9:02 a.m., all of the sudden, the bellman quickly jumped to his feet and ran toward the door and the maintenance man came running out from behind me. We all three slammed through the door, and suddenly, I was swept into a mass frenzy of people running like you see in war movies when planes are swooping in dropping bombs. I grabbed the hand of the maintenance man and we ran together. Immediately, I realized I was hearing the quick crescendo of a jet engine. My brain had not put the pieces of what was happening together yet, but it felt as if I had stepped into a nightmare. As we were running across the street, the second plane came screeching over our heads. That screeching noise is one of the most vivid memories I have of that day. And, I later learned it was the result of the plane accelerating so fast that it would have soon exploded from the pressure. The maintenance man and I darted into a dry cleaners located diagonally across from our apartment building. There were about 25 other people in the dry cleaners with us. While the realization that another plane had flown into the World Trade Center crystallized in our minds, we all came to the terrifying conclusion that it was an act of terrorism. I did not know what to do, so I huddled on the floor with a young girl. She and I comforted each other as we waited to see what would happen next. It was a very vulnerable and helpless feeling. I rubbed her back, and she held my hand. She told me her name was Kiono and that she had been selling coffee inside the underground shopping area of the World Trade Center. After the first plane hit, Kiono had run outside of the building for safety. While we were in the dry cleaners, a line formed to use the direct phone line. All of our cell phones were dead. I was able to leave a message for my husband on his cell phone telling him that the second plane had hit and that I was safe inside the dry cleaners across from our apartment building. It was another 4 hours before I was able to contact him again. While I was in the dry cleaners, I saw people pacing back and forth trying to comprehend the situation. Some were staring in disbelief. Others were crying with a mixture of fear and grief. I remember one lady announcing to us that she was late for work and that all of her co-workers were on the blazing floors of the Tower. She was in such pain from emotion. I decided to get in line to try to get a phone call to my parents. As I was waiting in line, something made me look up on the wall. There, beaming down at me like a beacon, was a framed picture of Jesus. Among all the chaos, I felt a shimmer of hope and comfort. I remember pointing out the picture to a lady beside me, but it did not strike her as it had me. I never did get another call out to my family, so Kiono asked me if I would like to go to her apartment to make the call. She lived even closer to the World Trade Center than we already were; but I reluctantly started to go with her. As we walked outside toward her apartment, the crowd suddenly panicked and began running toward us. I do not know what caused the rush, but I assume debris was falling from the sky. At that moment, Kiono saw a friend and ran to him. She motioned for me to come with them. I had to make a quick decision. After a second of thought, I waived goodbye to Kiono and turned back to go to the dry cleaners once again. I had decided that the only refuge I had was on the floor under that picture of Jesus. I returned to the dry cleaners, but within minutes, a police officer came in and told us we had to get as close to the Hudson River as possible. So I listened, and immediately started off by myself for the bike path along the River. I felt extremely ?on my own? at that point. And, all I wanted to do was get to New Jersey and my husband on the other side of the Hudson. I could see the shores so close in the distance, yet it seemed so impossible to get there! I remember wondering whether a boat would come and get me, if I were to jump in and swim across the River. As I was wandering aimlessly along the bike path, I noticed a young couple and their daughter sitting on a bench. I was drawn to them, and quickly walked over and asked if I could sit with them. The husband told me to have a seat and then asked me my name. His wife said that she was scared, and I told her that I was also scared. The father very matter-of-factly told us that the terrorists had hit both towers and made their point. He said that the worst was over and we would be all right. He invited me to come with them to their apartment where we would pick up their car and drive to New Jersey. It was so comforting to hear his voice, even though I could still smell the smoke from the burning buildings. My mind started drifting back to the horror that had taken place. For a second, I caught myself envisioning the frightened passengers on the crashing planes and the helpless people burning in the flames. Quickly, something came over me, and I forced the thoughts from my mind. I knew that I must not think about those atrocities, because it would be too much for me to handle. I had to focus on things that were ?real? to me such as petting the dog that was next to me and telling the little girl that I liked her purple coat. I also tried to focus on the beauty of the rippling water in the Hudson River. Just then, the police came by and shouted for everyone to walk south toward Battery Park. The family and I began to follow the crowd south. As we were walking calmly toward the Park at about 9:45 a.m., someone in the crowd in front of us turned around and said that the Pentagon had been hit. My moment of peace had abruptly come to an end. Without knowing the details, I could not help but wonder if our country was losing control of its security. Once again, I felt as if I was in the target zone as war was erupting. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd in front of us, and everyone quickly changed direction. Someone shouted, ?Go north?. I was not sure what was happening, but the family and I turned around and went back in the direction from which we had come. I remember thinking that a bomb may have gone off in the crowd, but later we learned that debris from the burning buildings was blowing toward Battery Park. I wanted so much to think that the worst was over, but instead I kept wondering what was going to happen next. I felt so on guard and ready to react. Once again, I kept looking toward the shores of New Jersey?wanting to reach my husband so badly. At least I had the family there to comfort me. The family and I had begun to round the corner of the boat harbor at the World Financial Center, just 1 block due west of the World Trade Center, and I was fighting the temptation to look up at the inferno. The mother and I were holding hands as we anxiously walked along together. The father was about 25 feet behind us carrying his young daughter on his shoulders. I remember the mother turning around and telling her husband to hurry up. But, that would be the last memory I have of them. I do not remember letting go of her hand?or, hearing anyone scream. I don?t remember the sound of the falling building. The next memory I have is standing by myself on the sidewalk staring at a tidal wave of black smoke pouring around the top and sides of the building in front of me. It seemed to have no end above me. I remember seeing someone running in front of the cloud, and then being swallowed up in the blackness. I was suddenly jolted out of my motionless state, and I began to scurry like an animal trying to escape from the deadly cloud. I could not find anywhere to take cover, however. My natural instinct told me to run for the water; so, I ran as close as I could get to the edge of the boat harbor. I was very close to diving into the water; but, for some reason, I just dove on the concrete and pulled my dress over my head. If the time came when I could not breathe, my plan was to roll over into the water and try to rinse my mouth out. As I lay on the ground with my dress pulled over my head, I tried to spit the cakey layer of dust out of my mouth. Whatever I did, I did not want to lose any air that I had in my dress. I believed that it was all the air I would have to breathe. There was a ghostly quiet hanging over us until a man in the distance started to wail in agony. I do not know if he was hurt or just frightened, but I will always remember his voice. Then, another voice cried out in the darkness, ?Stay down! Breathe through your clothes!? The man?s voice sounded so in control and was comforting to hear. Although, at this point, I really thought my time had come. I kept thinking how I could not believe I was right there in the middle of this unthinkable nightmare. And, that this was the way I was going to die. I was so aware of my own thoughts as I laid there covered in darkness. But, I did not feel alone. I truly felt the presence of God and instinctively began to repeat phrases of the 23rd Psalm in my mind. ?Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.? Nothing in my life had prepared me for this moment, except for my faith in God. Even though I was preparing to die, a feeling of peace and acceptance came over me. I do not know how long I was on the ground, probably a few minutes. My thoughts were interrupted, however, when I heard a faint voice saying, ?Girl by the water.? I still remained on the ground until I felt a hand tugging my arm and pulling me up. I managed to get on my feet and opened my eyes. Amidst the gray surroundings, I could see the image of a young man. He started to put me on his back, but I told him that I could walk on my own. He then gave me his shirt for me to breathe through. Holding each other?s hand, we made our way through the thick, gray cloud. We could only see a few feet in front of us, but managed to find our way along the bike path. I asked the man if he was a policeman, but he said, ?no?. I then asked if he was the one shouting to us in the darkness, and he said, ?yes?. After a minute or two, it became easier to see and we finally emerged from the cloud about a quarter of a mile north of the World Trade Center. The man started to cough, so we tried to find some water. None of the water fountains were working, however. Incredibly, I still did not know the first Tower had collapsed. I believed that a massive bomb had exploded and caused the black cloud. An on-looker gave the man with me a bottle of water to drink; but, an instant later, we heard a rumbling noise. I turned around and in amazement watched as the top of the second Tower started to collapse. The man shouted to me to run as fast as I could, but I could not keep up with him. As much as I wanted to run, I could not go any farther. I stopped and asked a policeman if I could get in the car with him, but he said, ?no?. At that moment, a young man on a bike appeared in front of me. He was staring up at the crashing building in disbelief. With my knees bleeding, no shoes, and gray dust blanketing my body, I asked him if he would take me on his bike with him. No questions asked, he helped me onto the seat of the bike. I carried his backpack, while he stood up pedaling. As we started off, we both noticed a man giving me a ?thumbs-up?. It was the man who had helped me up off the ground in the cloud of dust. The young man and I rode his bike right up the middle of West Side Highway, while ambulances and fire trucks came speeding toward us. We darted around cars that were jammed at intersections, and made our way northward. Any other day, these moves would have been considered dangerous. But, we were more concerned with finding the quickest route away from the fallen buildings. Once we were a safe distance away from the scene, I became overwhelmed with the desire to contact my family. I leaned forward and asked the man to please stop. When we got off the bike, I told the man my name and thanked him. He said his name was John, and for a minute we shared our disbelief with one another. I then asked him to please help me find a phone to call home, because I was afraid my dad would have a heart attack if he did not hear from me. We stopped a couple of people to use their cell phones, but none would work. I tried to use a pay phone, but it did not work either. We finally decided to try a pay phone we saw inside a first floor garage. John stayed with his bike on the sidewalk, and I went in to call. After a few unsuccessful attempts, I heard a car slam on brakes near John. I ran over to him and we both witnessed four men jump out of the car and pull bullet-proof vests from the trunk. As the men ran off, we could see FBI written on the back of the vests. John and I looked at each other and agreed that we had better get out of there. We decided to go to his apartment on East 81st Street, which was about 6 miles from downtown. After John had pedaled me a good distance, he decided to get off and jog while I continued riding the bike. In order to get to his apartment, we cut across Central Park. I was amazed at how beautiful it was compared to the war zone we had just left behind. When we arrived at John?s apartment, I immediately tried to call my family. But, I could not get through to them. So, I decided to shower and change into some clean clothes that John let me borrow. I was not sure exactly what the dust was that covered me, so I scrubbed extra hard. When I got out of the shower, John and his roommate were watching the television reports of the disaster. They told me that all planes had been grounded, but some were still missing and feared to be hijacked. This news was very upsetting, because we could still hear jets flying over the skies of New York. I kept asking John and his roommate if we were going to be o.k. They comforted me, and told me that we were safe in the apartment. I could not help but wonder if World War III was starting. We watched the news reports on television for a while; but, when they started to show footage of people jumping from the Towers, I turned away. I felt it was too horrifying for me to watch. I continued to call my family over and over. Finally around 1:00 p.m., I heard my dad?s voice answer the phone. I told him how glad I was to talk to him, and began to describe the terrible events that had happened. My dad?s only concern was my location at that moment. I told him a young man on a bike rescued me. Immediately, he asked me to get his name and phone number. Then, he wanted to talk to him personally. After John introduced his self, my dad calmed down and then thanked him for taking care of me. Dad invited John to come and stay with our family at the beach any time he wanted. When I finally was able to talk to my husband, Sandy, he told me that he was coming to get me as soon as they re-opened the bridges and tunnels, but that it might not be until the next day. He said that if I could find a way out that night, he would pick me up and drive us to Delaware to stay with our families. It was such an unnerving feeling to be trapped on the island knowing that our nation?s security was in jeopardy. Around 5:00 p.m., John?s girlfriend, Naomi, came to the apartment. She had been teaching elementary school in the Bronx when the tragedy occurred, but was able to walk across a bridge to get back in the city. She told me that she heard the ferries were shuttling people to New Jersey. Reluctantly, I decided to set out to find a way to get to my husband. I said ?good-bye? to my new-found friends, and headed toward the West Side of the city. There were no taxis anywhere to be seen, and I had quite a distance to cover. It was pretty scary, because once again I was alone and did not know what was going to happen next. I noticed a church with a sign on the door that read, ?Please give blood?. I initially walked past, but decided to turn around. I could not leave without trying to help those who were less fortunate than me that day. As I walked up the steps of the church, a lady approached me and said that they could not accept any more donations until tomorrow. As I turned around to leave, a cab pulled up right beside me. Two men started to get inside, and I yelled for them to please wait for me. They did. When I got into the cab, the men told me that they were headed to the train station to catch a train to New Jersey. They were not sure how they were going to get home once they got to New Jersey, however. I told them that if we could stay together and use their cell phones to contact my husband, then we would drive them to their homes. I had lost my cell phone that day at the World Trade Center, so I had no way to call Sandy. We decided to stick together. But, when we arrived at the train station, all of the trains said, ?Delayed?. I felt very uncomfortable in the underground building with masses of people and asked the men if we could try the ferry. They agreed. Once we reached the ferry, we had to wait for about one hour. I was so relieved once we were onboard, and could not wait to be with my husband. There was a solemn silence among the passengers as we passed lower Manhattan and saw the smoke billowing into the sky. It was such a depressing sight to behold. When we reached the banks of Hoboken, New Jersey, we were forced to stay on board the ferry. No one understood why we couldn?t leave the boat, until we saw people dressed in white, protective suits setting up a de-contamination station. As we exited the ferry, we were required to stand under a shower while someone in a white suit sprayed us with water?at least I think it was water. I asked one of the workers why we were being decontaminated. She responded that no one was sure what exactly was in the cloud of smoke and dust, possibly asbestos. At first I was concerned, but then I reflected on the fact that I was at least alive. I was lucky enough to see the people I loved once again. The two men and I worked together to come up with a plan to reach my husband. It was very difficult, because access to all major cities was blocked. The New Jersey Turnpike was also closed. We finally flagged down a cab, which took us to Metropark, New Jersey, where Sandy was able to meet us at about 8:30 p.m. Sandy and I hugged each other like we never wanted to let go. It felt so good to finally be with him after everything that had happened. On the way to take the two men home, we learned that the older gentleman had actually been on the 37th floor of Tower 1. After we took the men home, Sandy and I continued to drive to Bethany Beach, Delaware. While we were driving, we received a number of calls from family and friends who were concerned about us. Once we arrived at my family?s hotel, we had an emotional welcome from my parents. They had saved an oceanfront room for us, and we finally fell asleep around 2:00 a.m. The next morning we arose to a beautiful sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean. It was incredibly surreal. And, we wondered if the day before was just a dream. Unfortunately, it was not. We spent the day visiting with family and friends and appreciating every minute we had together. It was hard to watch the grief-stricken people on the news wandering around with pictures of their loved ones who were missing. It was also sad to learn that five employees of my company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, had died on the hijacked planes. In the days following September 11, I have spent many hours reflecting on my own experience. It definitely made me realize how precious life is and how fortunate we are to live in the United States. Life is going on now; however, memories of that day will last forever? I will never forget Kiono who comforted me on the floor of the dry cleaners when the initial terror set in. I will never forget the family on the bike path that took me under their wing and calmed my fears. I will never forget the man who so unselfishly stopped to help me up off the ground when the dust cloud covered us and offered me his shirt to breathe through. I will never forget John who gallantly pedaled me, a stranger, six miles on his bike to safety and then graciously opened the door of his home to me. And, I will never forget the men who allowed me to team up with them to find our way back to our loved ones. Most importantly, I will never forget the constant presence of God who came to me and strengthened me in my time of need. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story10241.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.227.176.230 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: A Villanelle On Our Coming Victory U.S. marines are the men of our dreams. Helicoptered in, they're the sea on land; A thousand of them are the top of our team. A desert foothold, they are like cream In our coffee, marching to angels' bands -U.S. marines are the men of our dreams. South of Kandahar, they'll sew and seam Bin Laden's escape like a folded fan. A thousand of them are the top of our team. Mullah Mohammed Omar will beam Support like a rotted termite man. U.S. marines are the men of our dreams For they are going to the caves to steam And flush to the light bin Laden By a thousand Marines as the top of our team. Hiding cockroaches I grind with my pen. The terrorists'll be crushed by men; U.S. marines are the men of our dreams -A thousand of them are the top of our team. C COPYRIGHT 2002 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story628.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-05-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 146.96.95.21