320 20 70359 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: My wife was due to give birth September 11, it was rainy here in the Philippines then. While preparing things we would be needing for our stay at the hospital, I turned the tv on to catch the latest news. To my shock I was watching the aftermath of the first plane hit. Woke up my wife and witnessed the second plane crash. It was so unreal!!! I remember asking my wife "is this for real?". It was like a scene cut from the Independence Day movie. Being an "spy and military buff" myself, I was already theorizing. This is no coincidence...America is being hit from different directions simultaneously. That made me and my wife fear for my coming baby boy. We were expecting the worst. 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 story8542.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. 2002-10-21 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 129.174.27.131 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 the shower when my husband called me and told me to turn on the television, that a plane had hit the WTC. At first I did not take it too seriously because I thought that it had probably been a small plane. That it had been an accident. I stood watching the TV and was stunned when I thought I was watching a replay of the first plane hitting the tower. It was not until several days later that I realized that I had seen live the second plane hit. Then I pulled my shocked self together and tried to reach our son who had just moved to Lower Manhattan. No response on his cell phone, his wife's or their home number. I was not worried about our daughter in law since she would have been in class at NYU. But our son still had not started his program there. He had been enjoying his free time exploring the city, so he could have been anywhere. As it turned out, he was in bed. When he heard on the radio what had happened, he grabbed his cameras and ran to his corner from where the whole thing unfolded before his eyes. He was able he finally was able to reach a friend's cell phone in Chicago and his sister in Orlando who both then notified us. We spent a scary 2 1/2 hours not knowing where he was. I felt numb for the next week. I won't ever forget it. I felt dead inside, hopeless, looking around me not understanding how people could be planning house remodeling, weddings etc. It took awhile, but I finally got over the depression, but not the obsession of reading about what happened. So I don't. The night of September 11, we gathered at our synagogue to pray, to try and find some answer. The service concluded with our singing of "America, the Beautiful". Never in my life had that simple tune sounded so poignant, have the words meant more than on that night when our world changed forever. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1984.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.209.40 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was getting ready for school like I do everyday, and I whent into the kitchen to eat my breakfast. While I was eating my bowl of cereal my mom was watching The Today Show like she does everyday. The show was going just fine the first few minutes then they showed a small plane in the World Trade Center. I was and the people on t.v. thought wow what a bad aciddent someone ran into the WTC. Then a couple minutes later I saw a bigger airplane crash into the other tower of the WTC. At first I thought it was a replay of the first plane, but then I looked at the top right hand corner of the sreen I saw the word LIVE in big bold letters. I was in shock I could not belive it, then I knew it was no aciddent, someone is tring to send a message to America. My mom didn't say much but OH MY GOOSH!!! When I got to school all of my teachers were glued to the T.V. I didn't do much in school that day, we talked about it a little bit but we mostly watched T.V. When I got home it was still on every channel, but the main thing my dad told me was do not take life for grantied it is to short not to be living each day to the fullist. That was the main thing that changed me from 9-11. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story5558.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.12.96.206 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times My Account of the World Trade Center Attacks Chinatown, New York, New York, September 11th, 2001 By Erin R. Yoshino December 31, 2001 As I sit here, trying to find the words with which to describe the events of the last year, I know not where to begin. Much of my year was filled with your garden-variety hardship, heartache, and accomplishment. However on September 11th, the world was forever changed. Telling my account of the 11th, I?ve grown into routine and clich?, detached and automated, always sensitive, but never sincere. In our attempt to comprehend the sheer evil and terror of the Attacks, I tell my story to those who inquire. But I can never convey the magnitude of the moment, nor do I want to, for that one day in mid-September shook the very foundations of my world; to explain my account so as to do it justice would require that I divulge much of myself. I neither wish to be so candid with every person that asks, many of whom I don?t know very well, nor do I wish to recount my experience so thoroughly and so often as it is a painful one. So on this, the last day of the year of 2001, I will attempt to retell my experience in its purest form. I?m doing this mostly for myself. I?m afraid that one day I might forget what happened, the fear I felt, the pain I went through. And whereas there was a time when all I wanted to do was forget the hard times, it?s a part of me and I need to remember. September 11th was a Tuesday. My classes at NYU had just started the Wednesday before. I only had one class on Tuesdays: Italian at 11:00 am. At that time, I was working at the Borders at World Trade Center 5 as a bookseller. I think I was working almost 30 hours a week, which was a lot as a full-time student. I had been offered another job in the package room on September 10th, an incredibly boring job, but it was closer to home, I got off earlier, and I could do homework when it was slow (which was all the time). I had set my alarm for 9:00 am on the 11th in order to call my manager at Borders to rearrange my schedule so that I could work both at Borders and the package room. Just before my alarm sounded, I felt the building shake. Since it was so strong, the first thing I thought was, ?Sounds like a plane just flew into a building.? But yielding to better judgment, I figured a bird had flown into my window, or being a California girl, I figured it was an earthquake (although in my sleepy state, I forgot that I was in New York, where earthquakes are rare). So I rolled over and waited for my alarm to sound off. But instead of waking to the annoyance of my alarm, my cell phone rang and caused me rise. Knowing what time it was, I knew it was my dad, since none of my friends would call me at that hour and that the only person awake otherwise would be my father. After apologizing for waking me up, he asked if I had seen the morning news yet. I told him that I hadn?t and he proceeded to tell me what had just happened: a plane had just crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. In sleepy disbelief, I climbed out of my bunk bed and walked to my window. As my heart stopped the only thing I could say was, ?Holy shit.? My voice started to shake, but I wasn?t sure why, so I tried to hold it back. My dad asked that I call my mother to tell her I was okay. He told me he loved me and we hung up. As I trembled with fear, I plugged the television in and called my mother. She hadn?t heard the news; it was around 6:30 am in California. I told her what happened and as she turned her television on I heard her gasp. I felt another ?boom,? but figured it was the top of the north tower shifting and paid it no mind. At that point in time I didn?t know what to make of any of it, so our conversation was brief. I was a little teary, but once again, didn?t really know why, so I fought the tears back. After I hung up the phone I got my camera and I as I peeked through the view finder, I realized that the ?boom? I heard was actually a second plane that had left a burning hole in the south tower of the World Trade Center. At that time class hadn?t been cancelled yet, so I sat at my computer trying to type my homework for my 11:00 am class. But as the television blared the horrifying images that resided just outside my window, I couldn?t concentrate. There was talk of the planes being terrorist attacks, but I couldn?t believe that a person could purposefully do something so horrendous. I sat staring at a blank computer screen when I heard a huge, low, rumbling. I ran to my window to see the south tower crumble to the ground. I panicked. I tried calling my sister on my cell phone, but I couldn?t get through. So I grabbed the landline and dialed Brooke?s number, shaking the whole time. She answered the phone and I could tell she had been crying. In my teary voice, I croaked, ?Brooke?? She couldn?t recognize my voice and asked who it was. I?m not quite sure why I called; I was so confused that I didn?t have anything to articulate even if I could have. I stated the obvious: ?The World Trade Center just fell.? I don?t really remember what else I said, I just remember crying. I got off the phone and had decided that even if classes weren?t cancelled by that time I wasn?t going anyway. I had told my dad, when the first tower was hit, that it looked like the building shouldn?t be standing. He said, ?Well, we build ?em good here in the United States.? And so when the south tower fell, I was in complete shock. It caught me completely off guard and I was overcome with fear. Having composed myself to some extent, I received a numeric page on my cell phone from Adam. I sat in my windowsill, holding my knees tightly against my chest, staring at the one existing tower and the cloud of debris that surrounded it, as I called him back. His roommate picked up and just as Adam came to the phone the north tower began to fall. I became hysterical. An odd mixture of crying, sobbing, and inaudible speech left Adam begging, ?Erin, what?s wrong? Are you okay? Where are you? What?s happening? Are you okay?? I tried to explain what I was seeing, but he couldn?t understand me. ?Erin, slow down, what?s happening? Are you okay?? I finally managed to calm down enough to say, ?The second tower just fell.? He told me he knew, that he was watching it on television. I told him I was watching it from my window. In shock, I didn?t have much to say, but I told him that I was okay and that it meant the world to me that he had called. Sometime in all the commotion, I had managed to take a short shower. I love to take showers, so I thought it would make me feel better. However, the thought that I might have missed some breaking story on the news required me to rush through my shower and resume my place in front of the television. And at some point in time I went down stairs, eyes red and sore from crying, to tell the woman in charge of the package room (Olga) that I (obviously) wasn?t able to contact my boss at Borders and that my store probably didn?t exist anymore, thus freeing me to work at the package room. I?m not really sure when all of that happened and I?m not really sure why I thought that was a priority at that time. But as I entered the lobby I felt like I was in the midst of a war zone. Stepping off the elevator, people were crying, wailing, hardly able to walk, traumatized. The dramatic intensity of the scene made me want to return to the safety and security of my own bedroom. As I concluded my conversation with Olga, I passed a woman wailing, being supported by a friend of hers who walked her to an empty office to cry, and I stepped into the elevator. I hid my head in the corner as I tried not to cry. I got to my bedroom and remained firmly seated in front of the television. Just after the second tower fell, someone knocked on our door. My suitemate answered it and we were informed that we needed to evacuate the building immediately. They told us to go anywhere north of Houston Street; the NYU sports center had been set up for us if we didn?t have anywhere else to go. Then our R.A. came around, knocking on everyone?s doors, delivering the same message. I went to gather my things and in my fuzzy state of mind, I thought I was well prepared for what lay ahead. I loaded my book bag with all the things I felt were essential to an evacuation: my walkman (so I could listen to the radio), a bottle of water (since everyone needs water), 3 packets of peanut butter crackers (2 for me and 1 just in case I ran into my roommate, Winnie), my camera (to document my experience), my planner with all of my phone numbers in it, my cell phone, my wallet, and my sweatshirt. I walked down the 16 flights of stairs with some guy that lived on my floor whose sole desire was to get outside and light up a cig. I found myself once again in the lobby. As I stepped through the front doors, I looked downtown to see a huge dust cloud hanging overhead, dark and dense, something from a movie, like Independence Day. Having stopped to stare, I was ushered uptown as the entire southern tip of Manhattan was being evacuated. I started walking uptown, listening to the radio in a catatonic daze. As I made my way, I passed two women covered in ash and dust walking like zombies, unaware of the world around them. I passed dozens of cars with the radios blaring as crowds gathered around them. At every working pay phone there were lines of people that went around the block. I got to the sports center. There were counselors and first aid on the ground level along with missing persons boards, an information center and a phone bank. There were cots, chairs, and food on the field house level. I got there but was embarrassed of my puffy eyes, so I left and went to Washington Square Park. The park was full of people talking on their cell phones and staring downtown at the cloud of smoke. The voicemails started flooding in. I spent some time trying to return phone calls, but the Sprint network serving the Manhattan area was down since its antennae was on top of the north tower. I got tired of being in such a crowded area. So I walked to Bleeker Street where there was a courtyard-like area in an apartment complex. I sat, away from the crowds, in the beauty of the fall afternoon, making futile phone call attempts with wet eyes while I listened to the radio and the foreboding cloud of smoke migrated slowly towards me. I finally got a hold of Beanie, who had left me a voicemail message asking me to call her. The first thing she said was, ?Do you know how long it took you to call me back?!? Somehow Ruth got through on her first attempt, I spoke with her. Then in the afternoon, after hours of waiting and sitting and crying, I got a hold of Winnie. I told her where I was and she met me there a few minutes later. She came prepared with a bottle of water and a box of saltines that she had fought for in the supermarket in addition to the few school supplies that she had left the house with that morning. Then we got hold of Ed and he graciously offered us a place to stay when I told him we had been evacuated. So Winnie and I made our way to Kmart where we purchased toothbrushes then we met Ed in the lobby of his building. We got there and he said, ?I feel 1,000 times better now that you?re here.? I felt the same way. Winnie and I met all of Ed?s suitemates and they were great, so great in fact that I named them ?the Sweetie-mates.? We sat around watching the news coverage, we told our stories of where we were when it happened, and periodically one of us would leave to answer a phone call. They made us dinner and baked us peanut butter cookies. Ed?s friends from down the hall, these giddy girls, brought extra pillows and bedding for us. Kenny called me that night to see if I was okay. He said that the television was on when he left the house in the morning, but when he saw the burning towers he thought it was a movie, paid it no mind and went to work. But that?s really how it seemed, like a movie, it hardly seemed real. Later that night Ed let us use his computer to check our email. My cell phone was out of juice and I had left my re-charger at home so I wanted to let everyone know that I was okay even though they couldn?t get a hold of me. I was completely overwhelmed by all of the people that called to make sure I was okay, but when I checked my email I almost cried. People I never met, people I hardly knew and people I hardly ever spoke to had written me, in addition to my family and many of my close friends. Some wrote brief messages, like Mike, who just wanted to know if I was okay. Some wrote and said they were friends of my mother. They informed me that she loved me very much, that she was so scared for me, and that I should call her. I was so completely taken aback by their support, encouragement, and concern. So this winter, I was looking for Christmas cards and I ran across a box of square shaped cards that read, ?It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.? And although I can?t stand Charles Dickens, I don?t think that anyone could have said it better; it certainly was the worst of times, but it was the best of humanity that I had ever seen. The next day, we decided to go outside and get some fresh air, but as we stepped out the door we realized that was not going to be possible. A horrid acrid stench of burning chemicals filled the air and as we looked around us, people donned facemasks. So we grabbed some lunch fixings at the deli on 14th: turkey, bread, and mustard (for the Ed Boy), and decided to go back to the room to eat. 14th Street was home to a checkpoint station that spanned the entire width of Manhattan, where identification was required in order to proceed south of it. There were two others, one at Houston Street and one at Canal Street. The streets were eerily empty. Since most of the city was closed, especially that far downtown, no one was in much of a hurry, just aimlessly walking around, with no particular destination, purpose, or motivation. No one was pushing, no one was rushing, just strolling. The pressures of normal New York society had been lifted from their shoulders, and a weariness, an emotional tiredness, a mental numbness took its place. They walked with a different sort of edginess where every loud noise sent every head turning in search of its source, where nothing mattered, but everything did. Every plane (fighter jet) that flew overhead snapped every eye to the sky and every siren heard conjured tears for we knew what it was for. Winnie and I learned that we were allowed to return to our building at 4:30pm. We packed up our toothbrushes and jumped on the subway. Hoping to get off at Canal Street, we forgot that security was increased and that the subway bypassed all of the downtown Manhattan stations. So we patiently rode the train to Brooklyn, since we had nothing else to do anyway. The train was silent. No one spoke a word and everyone wore a tired look of weary eyes and steadfast frowns and as the train came above ground, every head turned to see the emptiness of the New York skyline. I was never so relieved to get back home. That night the glow of flood lights and smoke rose from the vacant hole where the World Trace Center once resided. The wretched smell filled our room. Winnie and I somehow wasted the night away and when we woke in the morning, she decided she was going to her aunt?s house. She would never admit it, but she was afraid of asking her aunt if I could come along. But her mom (her aunt?s sister) told me to go with her since I didn?t have any family nearby and so we packed our belongings and headed to Brooklyn. We hardly spoke on the train. Her aunt, uncle, and cousin greeted us. They spoke mostly in Chinese. Winnie did some studying, but I spent the first day with a textbook in my lap, reading the same paragraph over and over again, not comprehending anything, getting frustrated all the while. So I decided to go easy on myself for the next few days. I read a novel and watched countless hours of television. Inundated with images of the falling towers, of horrified faces, of wreckage and heartache, each day left me emotionally and mentally exhausted. By the end of the day, all I could do was sleep. Time had an odd feel to it: each minute seemed like an eternity, but each day seemed to pass in a second. Friday, after spending an entire day in front of the television watching the same news broadcast over and over, Winnie?s aunt and uncle handed us all candles. They walked with us, and the dozens of others bearing candles, down to the pier. Many had congregated on the pier in order to gaze back on Manhattan Island and mourn for those who had perished. People handed out free candles and red, white, and blue ribbons. They hugged their loved ones as I grew jealous that I was 3,000 miles away from those that meant the most to me, that the only thing I wanted, a hug from someone I truly loved, was the one thing I couldn?t have. As the crowd sang Eric Clapton?s ?Here in Heaven? tears came to my eyes. And as the Pledge of Allegiance was said and the Star Spangled Banner was sung, the words took on a new meaning. Soon we were ushered off the pier by the NYPD for security reasons. Returning home, I took my place in front of the television. As part of their regular broadcast, they showed the second tower falling one last time. I lost it. I snuck into the guest bedroom where I huddled in the corner on the cold tile in the masking darkness. I cried. I cried harder than I can ever remember. I called my mother, my sister, then my father, but none of them were home. I called my mom?s cell phone and when she answered I apologized for calling because I was making an analogue call. I tried to explain what was going through my head, but my speech was jarred by short, clipped breaths and periodic sobs. I felt guilty that I was so concerned with my studies when there were (at that time) 6,000 people who had lost their lives, just blocks from where I lived. I was so lonely, surrounded by people who not only didn?t speak to me, but who spoke among themselves in Cantonese. I was tired. I told her that the one thing that scared me the most was the sound of my own voice. Every free moment my mind found, between the constant stimulus of the television, the fighter jets, and the sirens, I replayed the cry/sob/inaudible speech that wailed from my mouth as Adam picked up the phone and the second tower fell. I felt guilty that he had to hear that. But the panic and freight that was demonstrated by that sound sent chills up my spine for weeks. I had never been so scared and that sound was a constant reminder of my freight. My mom kept saying, ?Oh, baby, I?m so sorry,? whenever she could understand me. And at one point I heard her voice quiver; that scared me. My mom was strong, she never buckled under pressure, but that night I heard her voice shake. She told me she would come and get me if I wanted: a sign that she was scared, because otherwise she would?ve encouraged me to stay. Although we were on the phone for a substantial length of time, I was not able to say much, so we hung up and I continued to cry. After awhile I called my sister?s cell phone and the same type of conversation took place: crying, crying, and more crying. I wanted to come home more than anything; I wanted to be in a place where life was normal, where the smell of the air, the haze in the sky, the sounds of the street weren?t all constant reminders of my darkest time. But I knew that would be difficult as air travel for the first time in aviation history was completely halted. My pride also interfered; didn?t want to seem like a quitter, ya? know? My sister encouraged me to stay and I agreed it was for the best. I wanted to tell her all the things that were in my head, all the things that were making me cry, but I physically couldn?t and I didn?t think I really needed to; I had the feeling she already knew. After I got off the phone I sat in the darkness, holding my knees, hiding my face, and crying. And for the first time I prayed; I prayed for the heartache to stop. I tried to keep a low profile, but Winnie found me. She dragged me out of the corner and sat me on the bed. She sat down next to me, put her arm around me and just let me cry. In her typical way, she didn?t try to draw any explanation out of me; she just let me cry. Besides, she knew why I was crying; it was the same thing that she would lose countless hours of sleep over throughout the next few months. But then it was time for dinner, so her aunt came to seek us out. She flipped the lights on and told me, in her broken English, not to cry. ?Stand up, we have to be strong, stand together, be strong fo? each other, stand up, stand up.? I thought she was saying, ?stand up? in a metaphorical sense, but she meant, ?Stand up. It?s time for dinner, stand up and walk to the table.? Later that night a phone call with her uncle sent Winnie into an inconsolable crying state as well. We were all worn down to our wits end, exhausted and waiting for the relief that never came. We stayed until Sunday and the rest of our time was spent in awkwardness. When we returned home, everything was hard. Everything touched a nerve but I could never cry; I was too tired to cry. Everything took on a new meaning. I was walking through Gould Plaza one morning as they prepared for Autumn Fest. A group of a capella singers rehearsed the Star-Spangled Banner on a makeshift stage. I stood captivated by the rich notes booming overhead; so beautiful they seemed to be those of angels. As they sang, ?And the rockets red glare,? each note struck my heart with such force that tears filled my eyes, although not one was shed. I was worn out. I kept thinking, ?Please let life get easier; I don?t think I can take any more.? But then W began Operation Enduring Freedom and talk of a draft left me terrified. Shortly thereafter Israel bombed Palestine after a series of Palestinian suicide bombings. Then tensions grew between Pakistan and India (both nuclear powers) when a Pakistani opened fire on the Indian Parliament. America delved further into recession, Argentina neared default and as this all ensued, letters full of finely milled Anthrax made their way through the United States Postal Service. And as my new job in the package room once seemed perfectly timed and ideal for studying, it was suddenly a dangerous job, adding more stress to my anxious state. It felt as though the world was falling apart around me. For months I couldn?t concentrate on anything for prolonged periods of time, which made studying pretty much out of the question. The smell still lingered and the glowing hole outside my window was a constant reminder of the 11th. Our telephone service was out, as was our internet connection. My contact with my friends grew scant. I spoke only with my family. My mom, sister, dad, and stepmother, were the only people I didn?t live with that I kept regular contact with. I didn?t feel like talking with anyone else. I didn?t want to burden my friends with my troubles and was annoyed by their inability to comprehend what I had been through. I wanted to be able to talk about ?normal? things, but the only topic of conversation that could hold my attention was the World Trade Center. I desperately needed my friends, but was too afraid to reach out for them. Jolene would call me about once a week and listen to what I was going through. She reached out to me and speaking with her helped the healing process. Beanie would call every once in awhile, but would always skirt around the issue of the 11th. Towards the end of the semester I heard from Adam quite a bit and I slowly realized why I needed my friends. But in the meantime, without school, friends, or work to occupy my time, I spent all my time with my roommates, avoiding the responsibilities of life. I turned to exercise for a while, did a lot of cooking and cleaning, read a lot of newspapers, watched a lot of news, and became increasingly interested in world affairs. As the city began to wake up out of its daze, patriotism boomed. Everyone fashioned red, white, and blue, a phenomenon that took my friends and I aback. Having never grown up in a patriotic period and being accused of having no loyalties, cares, or concerns for anything, I was surprised at how accepting and appreciative my peers and I were of this new found identity as Americans. I?m told this sort of expression took the whole country by storm as flag companies worked around the clock to keep up with demand. Jessica, who was studying abroad in Montreal, Canada, said that she saw a Canadian fire truck go by sporting an American flag. But as cheesy as it may seem, it was comforting to see such support, collaboration, and unity during a time when it seemed that everything in my life was so disjointed. A few weeks after the Attacks, the roomies and I went down to ?Ground Zero? to see the wreckage. The closest you could get was Broadway, so huge lines formed and street vendors whipped out their flags, pins, pictures, and scarves all donning patriotic themes. Everyone was fairly civil and respectful, but of course there were a few who treated it like an amusement park. One man instructed his daughter, whom his wife was wheeling around in a stroller, to smile as he took her picture in front of the World Trade Center remains. I saw my building. It was a hollow shell of a building. The steel beams were there, but they were charred and supported nothing; you could see through to the other side. On the ground level I could see a huge sign reading, ?Borders.? Even as far as Broadway, the buildings were covered in ash and debris. All the stores were closed. It looked like an abandoned ghost town or a movie set. Walking along the sidewalk, you could peer into the shops and see their merchandise covered in soot. One clothing store left everything in tact well after the clean up had begun in order to show people what it really looked like. It was unbelievable. I hadn?t heard from Jonathan since the summer, but was finally able to get a hold of him at the end of the semester. He said that Heather had come to New York and said that nothing was that different. I was so annoyed. Perhaps things appeared to be in order uptown, but there was nothing normal about where I lived. During every second of everyday one could find National Guard, State Troopers, and NYPD outside our building, at every corner. The smell, sort of a burning rubber scent, lingered for months. The day I returned to California, Governor Pataki announced that all of the fires at the World Trade Center had been extinguished; that was on December 19th. Every night the glowing hole sits outside our window. The semester was filled with reevaluations of my place in life. I went through several phases. After that Friday when I cried so hard, I didn?t shed another tear until a few months later. I had been getting so frustrated with my lack of motivation in school. So, when I found some emails that Adam and I had written each other last year when we were together it made me reconsider my priorities in life. I was so tired of everyday life being so hard; all I wanted was to be happy, to be in love, to have something to look forward to. Thus, the struggle over school seemed futile and trivial. It felt like life was too short for hardship and heartache; all I wanted was to be happy. I also went through a phase where I felt like I needed to make an impact on the world and that in order to do that I needed to be educated so I focused on school. I pulled several all-nighters as I tried to redeem the grades that I had let slip all semester. I worked myself ragged; but all said and done, I pulled my grades up. And in this process I decided on my academic focus: American foreign policy and its affect on the international arena. As winter break approached, I synthesized the two outlooks on life together to create a complex world for myself, where I wanted both to be happy, to make the most of each day, and to make a difference in the world. I returned home, shared my story, loved every second spent with my friends and family, and anticipated the coming semester. I had hoped this memoir would reflect more true to life the feelings, emotion, and hardship of my experience. However, as I read back through what I?ve written, it seems as cold and rehearsed as my automated verbal responses. But in the end perhaps there is no way to convey it in its entirety. But as the year comes to an end and a new one begins, I hold high hopes for what lies ahead. I believe that there will be peace, that we can be both happy and purposeful, that love is the most important thing in life, that there is still good in this world. I believe that what does not kill me makes me stronger. And although I would never wish for another September 11th in my life nor in someone else?s, it is a part of my life and it has been formative in shaping me. I?m excited about the future and the role I play in it. I?m excited about life and fun and growth. I?m excited about love. 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 story307.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-23 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 216.165.8.2 Annotation Annotations to this item. Economic effects Environmental/Health Impact Firefighters Foreign Policy Ground zero- at or about Patriotism Peace Students/Teachers Telephones and Cell Phones WTC, pre-911 WTC, worked in (ever) NY:2 Feature Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was on my way to school that day when I heard the shocking news on the radio about the attack that morning. At first I was very confuse, but then I became extremely terrify and wish that I could just leave school to run straight home where I would feel safe. When I finally got home though, the TV in our house was on 24-7,and watching the clips of the attack over and over again made me feel even more devastated. The following days of the attack were equally depressing because I was able to feel and share the tears with those who refuse to give up on searching for their love ones. I can't believe it had been a year now since that horrible. Even if it had been 50 years though since September 11th of 2001, to me, it will always be unforgettable. 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 story8333.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 198.81.26.177 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I can still remember everything said and done that day. I had to take my son who was 18 months old at the time for a check up at the doctors office that morning and we had gotten up late so the t.v. or the radio wasn't turned on. We were in the office when the first plane hit and on our way to get breakfast when the second plane hit the Twin Towers. I was still unaware that anything had happened when we finished breakfast, once we were in the truck I finally turned the radio on and heard for the first time that America had came under attack by terrorists. I tried to control the shock and fear that I felt so that I wouldn't scare my son but I couldn't I started crying uncontrollably and shaking all over I grabbed him from his seat and held him as tight as I could as I cryed and tried to comfort him. I had never felt the kind of fear that had came over me before and I didn't know how to feel even though I wasn't directly effected I was hurt and shocked that someone could do that to anyone and that it had happened on American soil. After I calmed down we went into a local store where they had every t.v. and radio turned to the news channels and you could feel the fear and sorrow through whole store. We left the store and went to my parents house where my father was glued to the t.v. and my mother cryed while listening and canning tomatoes when we pulled up my Dad ran out to the truck pale as a ghost and hugged both of us telling us that it was going to be okay. We sat together and watched in horror as they showed the sickening scenes over and over and told the death toll as the found bodies. I didn't go home till my husband got home that night and then we sat huddled together as a family listening to the reports on the radio. The next day was supposed to be a school day for me at Tri-County Technical College but some sick individual called in a bomb threat and with what had happened they were afraid to let us stay so instead of going home I went and gave blood for the first time in my life and although it may not have saved anyone in New York or Washington I felt like I had helped some who may have been effected by the attacks the day before. It is the one year anniversary and the nation is still in shock and mourning but we have all pulled together and became ONE NATION UNDER GOD, AND WE ARE ALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS. 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 story6229.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. 207.144.94.205 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 sleeping when my husband called me a little after nine on 9-11-01. He told me to turn on the news. I cried as I watched the towers fall and I thought of all of the innocent people whose lives had just been devestated. I didn't know how the rest of the world was being affected, but I felt like mine was coming to an end. I had just received bad news the day before that my husband and I were unsuccessful at conceiving a child again. Though we hadn't been trying long, when you are hoping for something so much it is hard when reality says no. In the midst of all the destruction and death I felt very empty inside. I was terrified that this attack would mean war and my husband would have to go. My husband was in the active army for three years just before we met. At the time of the attack he still had over two year in the inactive ready reserve. He can be called for active duty in situations like this. I did things as I normally would that day, but I hardly remember doing anything. I walked around in daze, waiting for my husband to get home from work. I called my parents and cried to my step-father. I remember bathing my dog and cat and spraying the house for any fleas that may have jumped on either of them. I remember riding with my sister-in-law to pick up her paycheck and there was no music on the radio. The DJ was worried about his parents before they live in Manhatten. But they aren't my memories. I feels like a movie that I have watched over and over again, but I still don't know what the ending will be. Today, one year after the horrible attack, I watch my baby daughter sleeping and I watch my husband sleeping and I thank God that my family is together and healthy. And I ask God to take care of all the babies born without fathers because of senseless violence and jealousy. And I pray for all the people who are still mourning their loves ones. Somehow we must find a way to heal from this tragedy. 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 story5836.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 was not here at Arlington House the day of the September 11th attack. I was in my apartment watching CNN when the Twin Towers were hit. I immediately called my friend and the Historian at Arlington House, Karen Byrne to inform her of what was happening. The nearest phone was located in my kitchen. I grabbed it and made the call while keeping an eye on the TV. I asked Karen if she knew what had happened. She told me, ?No.? Then I proceeded to tell her about the tragedy in New York. I was thinking that it was a Timothy McVeigh type of situation; an American who hated the United States. Karen and I were both asking the question, ?What?s wrong with these people?? She turned on the radio to see if she could pick up the news. At around 9:30, Karen said, ?Wait a minute, I see Joy running.? She put me on hold and then she said that she had to go. I looked at the TV screen. The reporter stated that a plane crashed into the Pentagon; the section closest to Arlington National Cemetery. I tried to call Karen again, but no one answered the phone. I was very worried. Things did not get better once I realized that an old housemate of man actually worked in the Pentagon. Even though we were not the best of friends, I needed to know that he was okay. He was fortunate enough to be away on busy at the time of the attacks. Then CNN reported that the Capitol was the main target. A new set of worries overtook me. I had lots of friend who worked on the Hill as well. My roommate is the defense reporter for Congressional Quarterly. He was on the Hill that day. He came to the house at around 10:30 with loads of other reporters. Our apartment became a regular newsroom. They were filing stories and calling their families to tell them that they were okay. We watched more of the news, then went to the grocery store for provisions. Safeway looked like a hurricane was about to hit with people stocking up on bread and water. I even saw Congress members getting cereal and eggs. And of course, everybody needed to buy alcohol. The stores were picked clean. I called my family and friends to tell them what happened. I had not yet felt the full brunt of what just occurred. I was running on vapors to keep me going. CNN was reporting that the Mall was on fire and I panicked. We all did. My apartment is a ten-minute walk away from the Mall. We calmed ourselves down and looked out back. No fire. No fire at all. The networks had begun to report any little rumor that came their way. We decided to turn off the TV. I had to go to work the next day. I saw grown men weeping behind their newspapers. No one said a word. Everything was fine until later on in the day. The smoke from the Pentagon was visible. And from our hill, you can see all of Washington DC and the Pentagon. I avoided looking in that direction. I had to drive that way while running an errand for my supervisor. I looked to my left and I saw the destruction. I almost lost control of the van. I couldn?t stop shaking. When I got back to work, I broke down. Karen and I went for a walk and talked about things. My life changed. Since then, I have noticed a difference in my attitude. I still have my wicked sense of humor, but my tolerance level has dropped. I tolerate all people from all backgrounds, but I cannot tolerate people who waste my time. Money I can get back, but I can?t get back my precious time. I want to spend it enjoying my life and the people in it. I have been the queen of communication now. I am sure my family is tired of hearing from me. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story154.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 165.83.228.102 Annotation Annotations to this item. Newspaper and Magazine Coverage Rumors Television Coverage Terrorism 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 Impact of 9-11 By: Christin Pasella One year ago on September 11, 2001, America was changed forever. It was a day of tragedy, a day of loving those close to you, a day of hate, and a day of sadness. When members of the Taliban hijacked planes and flew them into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a small area in Pennsylvania (Somerset County), the United States was more united than ever. We mourned together not only at home, but all over the country. We mourned for all of the thousands of lives lost on that sad September day, and for all of the people who had lost someone close to them. As I think back and remember this day, I think about the impact it has had not only on myself, but on my family, friends, generation, and on America. When this occurred one year ago, I was in my third period class and an announcement came on that said the Twin Towers had been hit. I really didn?t find this as such big news because I didn?t really know what the Twin Towers were. Then at lunch my friends and I were discussing it, and I got a really uncomfortable feeling. I didn?t really understand why someone would do this. When I got home from school my parents were home from work, and my brother was home from school, and the news was on. As days passed it began to affect me more and more. I felt more patriotic towards my country, by wearing red, white, and blue (a lot), and by really watching my words. I was really expressing my emotions to my family and friends. My family really helped me to understand better, while my friends and I kept busy. The reaction my family had was shock and sadness, but this day made it clear that bad things can happen even in America. In my opinion my generation, and America have been greatly affected by the Terrorist attack. We now have something to never forget. We are presently more united, patriotic, and appreciative of America and all we stand for. I think it has brought us closer together as a whole. When I think of America, I don?t just think of it as the country in which I live in, but as a part of my generation and myself. It has changed my life so I am a better person to America, and to all people around me. Now, when the clock reads 9:11, I no longer just wish that I will never have to dial it, but I take a minuet to say a prayer for all of the lost lives. I think it will be hard to forget this day, and we should not. We should always remember all of the lives lost that day, all of the many heroes who gave their lives in helping, and I should always remember to be the best American citizen I can be. 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 story6796.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. 152.163.188.195 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was nine months pregnant and staying over at my boyfriend's house when we received a phone call from my mother that a plane hit one of the towers. We turned the television on and soon after we saw the second tower get struck. Then, as you know, the Pentagon got hit and that immediately put us into shock. We couldn't belive that this was happening only thirty minutes away. I was just grateful that we were together that day unlike so many other unfortunate people who have lost loved ones. Eleven days later I had my son and he has been our focus and escape from all the horrible things that happened on September 11. So this morning,(Sept. 11, 2002)as difficult as it is for a one year old we joined in the moment of silence as we watched the news. My heart goes out to all the victim's friends and families you will be in our thoughts. 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 story5699.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 getting ready for work, a "normal" day. I remembering my mother telling me about it and watching it briefly on the news before I had to leave to work. The mall was slow and because of the events and out of respects we closed down the whole mall. I walked around the Idaho Falls greenbelt that day and newscasts were getting peoples thoughts and opinions.... what do u say to that? it was a terrible empty feeling in all of us. My love and prayers went out to those NY people and their families...I cried for weeks for the children that had lost their parents and people that had lost their spouces. WE LOVE YOU ALL and this has hit us as a nation like nothing else. I pray that we will always remember that day and show our love for our country continually not just in drastic times of terror. There wasn't much I could do 1/2 way around the country but my prayers will always be with NY.... THINKING OF YOU AND LOVING YOU IN IDAHO natasha ireland 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 story6730.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. 12.151.176.10 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: Adelaide, Australia. It was a tuesday night church meeting. I left the church and had supper at the home of my best friend. My wife and I drank our last teas and said seeya. We pulled away from their home and as is my habit I turned on the radio to keep me awake since it was an hours drive home. It was around 11.45 at night and every station was talking about the world trade center. I didnt know why..I thought maybe an earthquake? When we heard that a plane had struck the towers I knew I had to get to TV. I couldnt believe it. I pulled into a petrol station in the city of Adelaide. Taxi drivers were gathered around a wall mounted television as the footage of the first plane was played again and again to the disbelief of our local news reporters. I have never know a moment in history when I have felt so helpless. The taxidrivers and I exchanged looks. I was almost in tears. One of the drivers shrugged his shoulders, shook his head and walked slowly back to his nightshift. My wife couldnt believe it when I told her it wasnt an accident. We rushed home and I sat and watched the towers fall. I couldnt talk, I couldnt cry, I felt nothing. I wondered where the world was heading. My students were wondering the next day. My year 5/6 class held a round table discussion for 90 minutes. Our staff were shocked. Besides the death of my mother, that day was the numbest I've felt in my life. As I looked at my class I hoped for a better world. I hated seeing them confused - not understanding the motives of the men behind this atrocity. What else can I say? Time has passed and I have seen my share of villains. But I have also seen heroes. As a tough aussie male I rarely get sentimental or patriotic. But the bravery of police and firemen, nurses and teachers, the kindness of strangers - stirred me to wake up and be a better man than I was. I dedicate this personal story to the Australian lives that were lost on September 11th 2001. Gods richest blessings on America...on us all. 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 story681.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. 2002-05-28 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 198.142.231.26 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 can't remember any other part of that day up to that point. I know that I was in a code of behaviour assembly, going over the school rules. They paused the tape of our super intendent talking about something, and my prinicipal got on the PA system and told us that there had been terrorist attacks at the pentagon and the world trade center, and that anyone that had family members should come down to the office immediately for help. The rest of the day was a blur...I remember that moment so clearly though. I remember that at lunch time i went to the library computers to find out more, since details were not exactly forthcoming out of the school. The internet was clogged, and all i got was a small picture of the world trade center with smoke coming out of it. I went and showed my english class, and they bombarded me with questions, like i knew anything. On the bus going home, we were full of nervous chatter. We said that we would remember this like our grandparents remembered pearl harbor. We listened to the radio, and it mentioned that the towers had fallen. I didnt really believe it, but when i got home and saw the tv images, it became very real very fast. I think thats when i was the most scared, if ever i was. I spent that day and the next glued to the television screenm so much so that my parents were worried about me. Since then, things have returned to normal for the most part, but i still remember that day with remarkable clarity. 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 story9611.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 208.31.154.100 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On September 11, 2001 I was gettin ready for school. When I first turned on the tv I saw that a plane has crashed into one of the twin towers. I thought it was just an accident, until I was about to turn off the tv and another plane crashed into the other building. That was when I knew it was a terrorist attack. I didn't think much of it until I saw the reactions on the faces of the people that were there in New York. I never ever thought terrorism was this big of a deal until Sept. 11,2001. This day has changed my life and everyones elses 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 story8222.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.79.81.34 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'm a news writer for CNN International. I've worked for the various CNN domestic and international networks since 1985 (helping cover all major news events that have occurred in the world since the mid-1980s). On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I'd finished my overnight shift at 7:30 a.m. ET and gotten back by around 8:00 to sleep. At 10:40, I was sound asleep when my cell phone rang. It was my girlfriend calling me from her car while enroute to her workplace. She apologized for waking me but felt I probably wouldn't mind being woken under the circumstances, given the fact that she'd just learned from her car radio that the World Trade Center wasn't there anymore, the Pentagon was on fire and a car bomb had just exploded at the State Department (fortunately, I would soon learn the report about the car bombing was incorrect; unfortunately that would not be the case regarding the other reports). She told me the national calamity had been caused by several domestic passenger jets which had been hijacked that morning. Ironically, where I was at that moment there was no television because the residence had only been recently purchased and satellite TV service hadn't been installed yet (ironically, installation had been scheduled for mid-afternoon that day). So, there I was, in the television news business -- having assisted CNN in the coverage of all the major news events of the past 16 years -- yet there was no television for me to watch in those early stages of the most important event of my generation. Having immediately called work to be told that I wouldn't be needed there for a few hours, all I could do for those first minutes was make use of my own imagination -- trying to picture what had just happened. The theatre of my mind couldn't handle the task. It could not comprehend the number of deaths that must have occurred that morning, nor picture the city of New York without those two tall towers standing in the midst of lower Manhattan as they had for some 30 years, nor imagine that famous five-sided center of U.S. military strength in flames. My mind couldn't even conceive of how four American passenger jets could have been hijacked in the continental United States. It had been my flawed impression for years that a domestic hijacking in the U.S. was basically impossible -- airport security was impregnable, I'd assumed. I mean, when was the last time we'd had a domestic hijacking? It had to have been one of those nutty Cuban gunmen or crazy D.B. Cooper back in the early 1970s, right? Immediately, I began to sense that if all these things could suddenly happen in our country in one morning in the year 2001, then we as a people were probably facing deep, deep trouble. The import of this tragedy was clear. JFK's assassination in 1963 had reminded every individual of the fragility of life. We knew that if a young powerful man who had as much going for him as he had could be taken out so suddenly, then any of the rest of us could also die suddenly due to accident or design. But now, September 11 was teaching us that even huge masses of people could also be suddenly taken out -- I mean, literally, suddenly taken out with absolutely no warning. At least during the Cold War, we'd all known that we'd probably get about 20 minutes to prepare for death once it was announced that Soviet ICBMs were on their way to the United States. So, even since mid-morning last September 11, I've looked at my immediate surroundings in a new light. I now know that my familiar environments of home and work and other places can suddenly, quickly, and irreversibly be taken from me forever (assuming I am not taken too) with not even my receiving as little as 20 minutes' notice. Living with this new reality is dreadful but live with it we will. Brave Londoners had to live with their new reality imposed by Nazi Germany. We will do what this moment in history requires of us and, in the end, we will prevail. 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 story1029.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. 64.236.240.190 Annotation Annotations to this item. Television Coverage Terrorism DOMESTIC Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was sitting at my computer, eating breakfast and starting to go through my morning e-mails when a co-worker came into my office upset after hearing that a small plane (initial reports stated a small plane) had crashed into the World Trade Center. My initial thoughts were not of terrorism but of a flight that I had taken two weeks prior where I thought about how congested the city was and how catastrophic it would be for a plane to crash into such a densely populated area. I immediately went to MSNBC.com to see if I could find out further information. Word was travelling fast. As people were coming into our offices that morning everyone was trying to connect to a news website but my computer seemed to be the only one that could connect to a website. A crowd of people formed around my desk as we all watched for the latest update. Then the news that a second plane hit the other tower of the World Trade Center and everyone knew that this was not an accident. Someone set up a television in a conference room about 20 feet from my office. And as we all watched the first tower crumble to the ground the tears flowed freely as the enormity of what was unfolding in front of us sunk in. My children were in school that day and I raced to the phone to call the principals of their respective schools to find out what they were being told. They were not telling the kids anything. For the time being, my kids were safe and unaffected. Forever ingrained in my mind will be the picture of a Secretary coming towards me saying that the Pentagon was hit by a plane as well. Her fear was palpable. She was just showing it more than some others. While I did not know anyone personally who perished in the terrorist acts of September 11th the magnitude of our nations loss was life changing for me. I will never feel safe again. Living on Long Island in the few days after 9/11 was an uncomfortable time as well. All of the ways to leave Long Island were closed. All bridges, tunnels and airports were closed. The only way to leave would have been by boat. We were essentially "stuck" here whether we wanted to be here or not. I am grateful that I was at least with my family. Many people lost husbands, wives, children, parents, and other loved ones. Before 9/11, I thought that there were many things missing from my life. Now, I would gladly turn back the clock to enjoy the inner peace and fearlessness that I felt then. Perhaps someday I will feel it again. 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 story3062.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. 204.183.183.100 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: September 11 was a picture perfect day here in Manassas, Virginia. My original plan was to take my two sons, ages 4 and 2 on a ride on the Virginia Railway Express train from Manassas to Old Town Alexandria for the morning...and then come home for lunch. But, because the weather was so perfect, I decided to take them for a hike along Bull Run instead. We packed up some snacks and went on our merry way. During the hike we found turtles, saw a hawk, skipped rocks in the water, and ate our snacks at an old picnic table in the woods. I remember that as I sat there with my sons that I was so happy we had moved back to the DC area (where I grew up), because being able to so easily spend time in nature like this was something I had missed when we lived in hot, dry and dusty West Texas. It was one of the best mornings I'd had since we moved back and I was really happy. Because I had to get to the office after lunch, we packed up our stuff and headed home. A message was waiting on our answering machine. It was from my sister-in-law in Dallas who said simply that "her prayers were with us and that she hoped everything was o.k." My wife was out at exercise class and my first thought was that maybe she had had an accident and had somehow gotten in touch with her family...hence Gail's call. So, I called Gail back and asked her what her messag meant. She said, simply, "turn on the t.v." I turned on the television just in time to watch the second tower collapse. At first I couldn't understand what I was seeing, because the reports were so confusing. When I actually understood, that was even worse. I had stayed in the hotel in the Trade Center many times and could not wrap my mind around that massive structure actually collapsing. Over the next few hours, Susan and I tried as hard as we could to shield our children from the events that were rolling over us like a wave. Should we take the boys and leave? Should we stay put? In the end, we did nothing. It wasn't until two or three nights later that I was finally able to let my fear and sadness free...I spent close to an hour crying in a combination of despair over the tragedy anxiety over my need to protect the boys. After that I was able to begin to move forward again. But I'll never forget that day that went from perfect to completely awful. 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 story5.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. 2002-01-22 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 32.100.117.84 Annotation Annotations to this item. Television Coverage WTC, pre-911 DC:3 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: That morning I was gettig my kids ready for school. My boyfriend (Now fiancee) was getting ready to go on a business trip to texas. The news was on while we were all getting ready and caught a glimpse of an aiplane crashing into one of the towers we could not understand what was going on. I walked the kids to school, (it was a beaustiful Fall Colorado morning). The kids and I walked and talked. I kissed them good-bye and went back home. When I got back it was all over the news about the three plane crashes. My boyfriend went to meet the rest of his colleaugues to drive to the airport. By the time they were to leave the airport was closed. I pray and thank god every day that GOD brought Greg back me safely and this allows us to be married on New Year's Eve. I pray for every family that has lost some one, that they are at peacve with thier loved one gone, and know that those heroes who detoured the plane are in a beuatiful place with the lord. GOD BLESS AMERICA!! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story3455.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 198.81.18.173 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: Tirest Mulugeta In memory of September 11 As I watched the events of Tuesday September 11, 2001 unfold, I felt a great sadness for this country and to all the people who lost loved ones and friends to this attack. I've never felt this way before. For the first time in my life, I feel unsafe. As I was leaving my apartment, I turned on the news to watch the weather as usual and saw the first plane crash. I watched it with surprise thinking it was one of those accidents we been hearing once in a while. It never occurred to me that someone did it on purpose to hurt innocent people. Then I heard the newscaster screaming as the second plane smashed to the second tower. My mouth fell open when I saw the pictures that were on the TV. It was a scary and disturbing sight. Then the attack on Pentagon and the crash in Pennsylvania came on TV. I ran into the bedroom and woke up my sister and told her that two commercial airliners had been hijacked and had crashed into the WTC in NY because I couldn?t take it no more by myself. As I started telling my sister she jumped out of bed and start calling our parents because they lived close to Pentagon. The line was so busy, we couldn?t get through so we called everyone other people to check on everybody and told us that everything was ok. As hours passed by my sister and I, in our apartment, sat in the middle of the room afraid to move and watched the TV for the latest news. We even flipped from channel to channel to see if there was something that we missed. We were stunned somewhat in shock and looked at each other not believing as we watched the news developed in details. As I was watching and listening to the reporter I became angry at these faceless monsters that had disturbed my life. I am sure the people who did this have a reason to give up their life and destroy the others on their way, but I don?t think I will ever understand it. I believe it is wrong to be violent to make a point. They should have thought about another way to solve their issues. As a wise man once said for every problem there are more than one solution. I guess they picked the wrong one. When ever I hear death I think about those innocent lives and I keep imagining what it must have been like for the people in the tower who looked death in the face flying through the window. Ever since the attack things changed all over the nation. The security became tight and the people got fearful of getting into a plane. After the attack I remember how I felt hearing the airplane pass by let alone how scared I was to fly. I guess what I personally believe I have learned from this tragedy is to live every minute that I am given, and to give every moment that I live to accomplish God's plan for me here. And if I can say that there is some good that came out of this horrible event, I think it is that more people are aware that their lives need to be lived every moment of every day. And I think that it also has caused a lot of us to think of the people around us in a different light as well. We have realized that life is too short to fight over the little things in life. And I pray that this thought will stick with us for a long time to come. I will never look at things the same way again. I will never turn away my back on anyone again who needs my help. 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 story554.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-05-08 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 128.172.154.91 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 on maternity leave at that time. My son turned one month old that exact day. I received a call from my oldest sister and she told me to turn on the T.V. and look to see what had happened. I had never seen anything like it before in my life and I just couldn't stop watching it. When they would show the planes crashing right into the WTC and when they collapsed to the ground one right after the other. Watching it on television didn't make it real, it looked like it came right out of a movie where the WTC were just models and thinking it would still really be there in the morning. I remember feeling like my heart had dropped into my stomach and I looked directly at my son and started crying. I could not even imagine what it must have been like there in N.Y. Watching it on television was terrible but actually being there...I couldn't imagine what I would feel. For all those who lost their loved ones, my heart goes out to you and I hope that you will all find peace with your losses one day. God Bless America and all of you!!!! 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 story9606.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 192.193.210.29