333 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: On September the eleventh I was in my fith period classroom. When the plane hit I found out 20 minutes later.It was on the news all day. Some of my fellow classmates were crying because some of their family live their family live around that area. It was on the news all day. In every class thats all we watched liked for three days. It realy didn't effect me in a bad way. 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 story8147.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. 2002-09-26 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 151.188.37.252 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was at work had just started my shift when the news of the first plane came in I watched everything on the internet as it unfolded. My first reaction was to call the school make sure my children were okay. From there It seems that the image replayed for me in mind as I thought of those parents children brothers and sisters that pershed that day. As they prayed that there loved ones would walk through the door. 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 story6910.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. 64.12.96.8 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 work in Midtown Manhattan and commuute in from southern New Jersey each morning. I always knew that we were close to our destination when I spied the Twin Towers in the distance. On that fateful day, I was in a Howel conference room in Chicago, Il., having been called to a management meeting of individuals from around the country. Our morning session had begun at 7:30 A.M. Central time (8:30A.M. Eastern time) and our first speaker was just starting his presentation when one of our managers received a cell phone call from his son on Long Island. He related a story about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. I was quick to say that it must be a small private plane that veered off course, as every commercial pilot flying out of New York knew that the Towers were a no fly zone. When told that it was a bigger plane and the towers were on fire we quickly found a TV to see for ourselves. Tunning to CNN we were just in time to see the second plane crash into the Tower. To say we were stunned, is an understatement. We could not talk and an audible gasp is the only sound that could be heard in the room. Quickly we turned up the sound, got an overview of what had happened and began calling our offices in Midtown and Downtown New York. Trying to get through on land lines was almost impossible but we were finally able to reach our offices and our famalies via cell phone. Over a period of hours,we were able to ascertain that they were safe and other than the difficulties of the evacuation through the chaos of Downtown, no one from our firm was seriously injured. At that point, our thoughts turned to the necessity of getting home. I had been scheduled to leave Chicago on a 12:15 P.M. flight, to Philadelphia, but that and all other flights were cancelled. We spent two fruitless hours checking train terminals and bus schedule but no commercial ventures were running and they were unable to predict when they would be able to re-start.We turned to car rental agencies, but all of them were sold out or where not releasing cars for travel out of the Area. Fortunately, one of our number had a friend who was a senior VP at Avis and through him, we were able to acquire 6 cars that, at 4:00 P.M., were loaded up and headed out of Chicago for Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Philadelphia and New York. We all drove through the night, maintaining contact via cell phone. I was personally gratified to receive calls through the night from friends in cities such as Cleveland and Pittsburgh inquiring about us and offering us food and lodging for the night. We drove on, stopping only to fill our tank with gas. We listened to the news stations on a non-stop basis and were able to fit all the pieces together on our trip home. The trip was uneventful and all our cars made it to their destination safely. My co-driver, John Derham, and I would swap driving chores at each rest stop, but we were so wrapped up in what had happened that neither of us was able to sleep on the 13 hour drive home. When we arrived in the Philadelphia area, we headed for the airport( we had both left our cars there) and it was the eeries feeling to be the only automobile moving through the entire complex. The airport was closed, but fortunately, we were able to retreive our cars and head for home. It was wonderful to see my wife and son and to hear my daughters voice ( she lives in Midtown Manhattan). I knew that this feeling was being shared by thousands of us who had made it home. I cried at my good fortune but knew that many families were in tears because they had lost a loved one. I went to bed with these thoughts in my head but wasn't able to sleep. I got upshortly thereafter and went into our Office in Philadelphia to see if I could be of help from a remote location. What I really wanted was to be in Manhattan. On Thursday morning 9/13/01, I got on a bus headed for Manhattan and as I passed the point on the NJ TPK. where the Trade Center was visable, I was greeted with the view of a hugh column of smoke arising from the site. It was like a nightmare come to life and all of the pent up emotions of all of the passengers on our bus were released with tears for the dead and curses for the terrorists who planned and executed this horrible act. Today is 9/12/02. A year has gone by and I still see the images of the Towers evertime I look south from my office on 52nd Street. The bricks and mortar are gone but the emptiness is still there. I grieve, not for those who lost their lifes, they are surely heros and innocents who are now in heaven, but for the families they left behind and the rescue workers who still believe they could have done more. Their time of sorrow has not ended and they still need our help and comfort today. Pray for them, honor them and help them in any way you can. 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 story6174.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. 65.209.37.34 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: When I woke up on September 11, everything seemed like a normal day. I got ready for work, and before I left, I turned on the radio. The DJ was saying that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon. I just thought it was an accident. I went in and kissed my mom good-bye, and told her what I heard. We didn't think much of it. On my way to work, I turned on a news radio station and heard the whole thing. The World Trade Center, the ariplanes, the Pentagon. It was just too much for me to handle. I started crying uncontrollably and tried to drive the rest of the way to work without getting into an accident. When I got there, I immediatly turned on the radio and called my mom. She was still in bed, and when she heard me sobbing, she knew somethiing was wrong. I said "Do you have any idea what's happening?" After I told her, we just sat there in silence. Once I got off the phone, I tried to work and listen to the story over and over again on the radio. I work for the Fire Department, and everyone at my work seemed really upset. They all knew that our Search and Rescue team would be deployed to go to New York. I started thinking about all those firefighters in New York, and about their families. I couldn't concentrate on work, and I was allowed to go home. My fiance worked for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and all the employees were sent home to be with their families. We went to his mom's house and watched CNN for the rest of the night. Probably the rest of the week. It was really hard to accept. I couldn't believe anyone would do something so terrible. It was a rude awakening. One year later, I still feel like it just happened. I have a lot more appreciation for my family, my coworkers, and my religon. I know that if we stay united we can make it though times like these. 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 story3589.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. 198.50.1.4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: September the 11 I was in Alexandria va in Mount Vernon high school.What I saw that day was news everywhere in the school in every room there was a TV on. About the news the first thing I heard september the 11 was that USAMA BIN LADIN had some thing to with the disaster that happend.Also the september the 11 I felt really sad of those inosent people in New york city.And also we all know that it happend a year ago but people steel have that pain in all those people who died in New york city... 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 story2265.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 151.188.37.252 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: My husband ,Chris, two of our friends ,Wes & Christy, & I were taking a much needed getaway to relax in the North Georgia mountains. We needed the fresh air, as well as the peace & quiet. We shopped around in Helen, relaxed in the spa, rode horses, all of the things we enjoyed doing in order to unwind from our hectic lives. The plan was to wake early on Tuesday morning, September 11th, to repack our things & drive back to Atlanta. We were out of bed and rushing around in order to get on the road early enough to miss some of the traffic. After showering, I dressed & walked through the bedroom of the condo & glanced at the television. I saw one of the towers burning. I asked my husband what was going on, & he told me a plane had crashed into the building. As we were gazing in horror into the screen we saw another plane crash into the second tower, right before our eyes. My heart sank as I realized this was real & not some terrible dream I was hoping to wake up from. I ran down the stairs & yelled to the others to turn on the television. Christy immediately reached for her cell phone to call her parents to ask about her aunt & uncle who live in Manhattan & fortunately were unharmed we later found out. For more than an hour, we tried to reach our families to ask about friends & loved ones in New York, but the lines were mostly busy. We were able to reach someone finally, but there was no information to answer any of our questions. We didn't leave for home that day as we had planned. Instead, we stayed where we were in the event Atlanta was a target as well. The entire day, we sat in front of the television watching as the horrible events of that fateful day unfolded. Two days later, I learned that a friend from college, who had moved to New York & worked in the North Tower, was still missing. To this day, Adam's body has not been identified. I will never forget the fear, anger, shock & heart ache I felt on that day, watching as thousands of people, including my friend, die in such a violent way. The attacks were fueled by hatered & can never be removed from our hearts or memories. Our only source of comfort is the hope that one day the deaths of all the innocent & the heroic, will not have been in vain. May we forever remember those who were lost, & may we always be reminded of the image of the fire fighters hoisting the American flag above the carnage & wreckage, that proud moment when our flag rose into the sky as a symbol of patriotism, honor, respect & bravery. God bless all of those who lost loved ones on that tragic day, & may you find the peace to help you through every passing moment. Adam, you will never be forgotten. You will live on in hearts 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 story11735.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. 2005-08-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 216.130.129.13 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was only eighteen years old and in my very first semester of college when September 11, 2001 occured. I remember sitting in class, wishing I was at home in bed, when a student entered the room, whispered something to the professor and left. My professor then annouced to the class that a plane had just crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. My first thought was to wonder how could that have happened, I had no clue that it was an apparent attck on our nation. Once class was dismissed, many students gathered in the halls to watch the current news on television. I saw replays of the first plane crashing and then the second, it was then that I realized this was no accident, something very wrong was happening. I saw shots of people falling from windows and running through the streets. I was dumbfounded when I saw the crash site in Washington D.C., I had just been there about three months before and had flown in over that very building. The cameras then cut to the horrific site of the towers crumbling to the ground. All anyone could have done was pray that the people inside survived. In the days that followed the attacks, I began to see our nation's flag pop up in every yard in the city. People even had stickers and flags covering their cars. In a sense, I was glad to see that so many people had such a since of pride in their country and were proud to be an American. However, it also gave this sadness, knowing that it took such a tragic event and hundreds of lives to bring these feelings out into the open. It was something we, as Americans, should have acknowledged a long time ago. After September 11, I tied ribbons of red, white, and blue to the rear view mirror of my car to remind me of the great country we live in today and how different things might be if we hadn't fought for our freedom. With these ribbons, I also have a ribbon in yellow, so that everyday I will be reminded of the many heroes, past, present, and future, that have died for the United States of America. I hope that I will never again take forgranted the precious things that so many have fought and died for just so we can remain the nation we are today. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8601.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. 2002-10-30 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.214.192.3 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: I remember the day so clear. My fears of going into preterm labor vanished. My thoughts only on the pain and fears of the innocent victims of the terrible incidents. I was lying in my hospital bed for the 28th day. The nurses came in to wake me up to take me off the magnesium sulfate that was keeping me from having more contractions at only 28 weeks pregnant. They told me to turn the television on because we were being attacked by terrorist's. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! Almost minutes after I turned the television on, the 2nd plane hit the other tower. Just as many people, I'm sure, I can not explain the horror and fear that rushed through my mind. My thoughts were completely filled with this horrific sight. I was not thinking of the fact that I could go into full labor at any moment or that I would be going home the very next day. None of this mattered to me. The entire day of September 11th, my last full day in the hospital for preterm labor, I spent watching the television and reports of the terrible tragedies. I feel so bad for all of the victims and their families and close friends. I am angry that anyone could fathom to create such chaos and want to hurt so many people. What did we do to deserve this pain. I do know that we will come out on top and we will survive! 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 story8524.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-18 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 207.221.255.245 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: The morning of September 11th started out just like many others for me. I got up and was in to work around 6:00 am at the hotel I work at. (I am the front desk manager, and also am part of the hotel's medical emergency team.) Around 6:30am an elderly woman approached the front desk stating that her husband was having trouble breathing. I went to the couple's guestroom to assist with oxygen. While waiting for paramedics, she told me why they were in Denver. The couple was traveling with HBO promoting the series "Band of Brothers", which was based on an Army company in WWII. I discovered the gentleman I was assisting was one of the living survivors of that company. After the paramedics had taken the couple to the hospital, I returned down to the front desk only to discover the horror the day would bring. About 75% of the hotel's guests happened to be from NYC that day. I have never seen such widespread fear and anguish of the unknown. It was a very trying day, but toward the end of the day, I wanted to follow up on the gentleman I had helped early that morning. He was still in the hospital, but doing well. I was able to visit with him, and that conversation is one I will never forget. He talked of the horror of WWII, and the devastation war causes. I cried when he spoke of his friends who died to protect our country and our freedom so that we would face war no more. The man was Carwood Lipton, and the appreciation he gave me for our American soldiers is something no terrorist act will ever diminish, only strengthen. 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 story723.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-06-05 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.254.45.131 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: We were on our "annual" vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC, from our home in Central Ohio. We'd arrived in MB Sunday, September 9th; Tuesday, September 11, 2001 began as all our other vacation mornings: we woke, ate breakfast and prepared to head down to the beach. We typically don't turn the television or radio on in the morning -- our vacations "shut out" the outside world. But that morning, I grabbed our little itty bitty "mini boom box" to take to the beach, thinking we'd listen to the radio, oldies, talk radio, whatever. On the way down, two women in the elevator were talking, "This means war," and we had no idea what they were talking about. After setting up the beach blanket, etc., my husband started tossing the baseball to our boys, then ages 6 and 4. I sat on the beach blanket, enjoying the sun, and turned on the radio. As I sat, the story of what was happening in New York and Washington unfolded before my mind via a little 2" speaker, sitting on a blanket on the soft, sun-warmed sand of Myrtle Beach, miles and miles south of all the horror. I watched my family, cheerfully tossing a baseball back and forth, heard the gulls above, the crash of the ocean waves mixed with the sounds of awe, horror, sheer terror and screams coming out of the radio. Needless to say, we spent a lot more time that vacation watching the news, shooing the boys to the other room to watch Nickelodeon, than we ever would have. I tried hard as ever not to cry that week. I succeeded until after we'd returned from our "vacation". I feel my crying and watching news had an effect on our 4-year-old, who, after that exhibited some interesting personality quirks, which were new to him. I ached, and still do, for all those in NY and Washington, all the victims and their families. I revisit the web sites, the video sites, often. I will never forget what happened that day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story9378.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. 2003-07-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 206.148.92.158 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was a first-year teacher and new to the Northern Virginia area. In fact, I was on my second week teaching, and my third week living in the state. After we were done saying the "Pledge of Allegiance," our principal noted right before our daily moment of silence that a plane had collided with the World Trade Center. Immediately afterward I turned on the television in the room. We were instructed not to keep the news on and return to instructional time. But how could I? I am a social studies teacher. My students asked "What is going on?", and "What does it mean?" From our classroom, we could see smoke billowing from the Pentagon just a few miles away. Concerned parents were pulling their kids out of school, despite our lockdown status. I had few answers for the students. What I remember the most is the speechless shock we all had as my team teacher, the students, and I all sat around the television watching the events unfold, and taking time to say a few quiet prayers while I sat there. 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 story11428.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. 2005-06-03 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 206.158.3.10 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: I got to work at 8:55 and the staff was all upset, we ran downstairs to the tv. We called our clients down to watch and everyone was shocked, not saying much. I called my husband and daughter but my son was teaching so I couldn't tell him what happened. Then I had a client that didn't show up, so I sat with some of the staff and just stared at the tv. Then suddenly came the announcement that the plane that hit tower 1 was out of Boston, and it hit me that our friend was in Boston for the weekend visiting her brother-in-law. I jumped to the phone to call her husband to see what time her flight was. I had started working with him and we are long-time friends and they mean a lot to our family. I made small talk and casually asked Matt when Nina was due back, and he said she should be at Logan around that time. My heart sunk, and I asked him if he was watching tv. I choked back tears as he asked me what was going on because I was the 2nd person to call and ask about Nina. I told him about the 2 planes hitting the towers and that they suspected terrorism, and that 1 was confirmed out of Boston. He stammered and said he'd call me back and hung up quickly; my stomach was now in my throat. I looked at more of the staff that had gathered and I told them that Nina might be involved, and that I had to go be with Matt. They lived just down from the salon so I hurried to the house and Matt was on the phone as he answered the door. I told him that I couldn't wait and that I had to know that Nina was ok. He was trying to reach his brother and we went to watch the tv as he was trying all the numbers he had. As we waited, we saw the switch to the Pentagon, we couldn't believe our eyes. Then he reached his brother who had reached his office and discovered that Nina had arrived at Logan about the time of the crashes. Matt and I were so relieved and we started calling her family and his and all the friends that had called, knowing that Nina was at risk. Nina was told to leave the airport because all flights were cancelled, but no one said why. This was around 9:30 and it took until 11 for her to reach a phone to call home. Matt directed her to the bus and explained how to reach his brother's office, not knowing that she still did not know what had occurred. I returned to work but it was very hard to concentrate. People didn't want to leave the salon, they wanted to be around others. Parents were calling schools, I called my granddaughter's school to see what safety measures were being taken. We all struggled to make it through the day, not wanting to believe the horror we had witnessed. It was too awful to be true, it felt like a dream that we wanted to wake up from. It was 5:00 before Nina reached her brother-in-law and found out all that had happened. She said no one was speaking on the bus, it was just an eerie quiet. Cell phones went out when the tower went down, so communication was greatly reduced. It was a time when we were glued to the tv to see what was going on, but also a time when we wanted to shut the tv off so we didn't have to hear any more! Clients and friends were stunned, everyone hearing so many versions and then the news of the Pennsylvania crash added to our fears. No one knew when it would end, we just knew that we neede to be near our families. I missed calling my neice for her birthday that day, but she later told us that it was by far the worst birthday she ever had. She felt awful enough to be glad that no one called to say that she should be happy, she was just so sad for the world! We have all moved on, going through a year of emotion and experiencing fear and uncertainty. Such sorrow for the loss of so many people, talking with friends who lost friends and family. Yet giving in to the hopes and dreams that we all know help to shape our lives. I looked forward to the September 11 anniversary as a time to heal, a time to begin to put things into perspective and try to learn to deal with life's blows. And to try to understand that for everything there is a reason, and that God is there for us if we ask for Him. Through everything that we have endured as a nation, we must know that we will find the truth, we will know why things happened the way they did, and that God is the One to turn to. No matter how awful, there is a purpose that we are all here. So many wonderful things have happened as a result of 9-11, today being able to share my story is one of them. The world has seen us stand together as one nation, under God, indivisible, with justice for 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 story6941.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. 209.239.131.82 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: The Morning of Sept. 11 was trhe same as all the rest, get up, go to work, but when the radio broke in and told what had just happened, my partner and myself(we own a siding business in northern WI) stopped what we were doing, and just stared at the radio, almost glued to it,I had the most awful sickness way down deep,almost hard to describe,all I could think of was,"WHAT NEXT" when we got home that day, and I saw the pictures on T.V. I just cried ( I suppose I should mention that I am a volunteer Firefighter/EMT so it really hit home) and for the next three days I couldn't help but think"I need to do something more than what i'm doing here" and on Sunday the 16th myself and 3 members of our Dept. and 1 from a neighboring Dept. made the trek to NY with the help of the local car dealerships in the area, we got a free rental car, and $700.00 cash to go out there,it took 18 1/2 hours to drive straight out to manhattanas we got closer to the GW bridge I felt my stomach knot up like nothing I ever felt before.We all stayed on the U.S.S. Comfort at pier 94, and worked for the Red Cross down at ground zero for the week doing everything from sorting clothes to giving the workers down there basic first aide, and eye washes to relieve some of the pain from all the dust down there,I would rather not get into the details of what we all saw down there, you can probably just figure that part out on your own. I still think about the whole experiance like it just happened yesterday, and sometimes just can't help but shed a tear just because, it will be with me fore the rest of my life, but I wouldn't have done it any other way, I was planning on going out there for the one year anniversary, but lack of funding will not allow it, so I think i will just spend the day reflecting on it all, and being greatful to GOD and my family that we live in the greatest place on earth. Always remember where you came from, and NEVER FORGET to love eatch other always, because you never know, tomorrow may be too late! GOD BLESS.... Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1040.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. 2002-08-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.191.57.94 Annotation Annotations to this item. Ground zero- at or about Firefighters Rescue/clean-up workers/volunteers Patriotism 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: My friend Larry called me early in the morning to tell me that an airplane crashed into a building in New York. I was really groggy and didn't think much of it. I then went back to sleep. My alarm went off a few minutes later to the local news channel, 770 KKOB AM, and reported that another plane crashed the World Trade Center. I didn't think it was a big plane at first...maybe a single engine 120 hp plane or something! I got dressed right away and called my Larry and chided him for not telling me it was a 747 or something. By this time the first tower went down in front of my eyes! Holy crap. My heart fell with it. I called by office and told them I was on the way. I didn't want to be alone and experience what was going on. As I drove to work I noticed that the streets were just about empty, you know. Like it was thanksgiving or something. Hardly a soul was on the road. The second tower went down while on the way to work. The air was silent and there was an uneasy calm in Albuquerque that day. I wasn't yet born when Kennedy was assasinated so I cannot tell you where I was when that happened. I was around when terrorists tried to assasinate America...they failed...and I will never foreget... 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 story20666.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2006-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 143.120.82.29 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 10, I was enjoying a late dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Chicago's China Town with my two best friends. Every now and then our days off coincide and well have dinner and a stimulating discussion. That night I was not participating in our discussion. The A/C duct over my head was roaring and I was being distracted. Anyways, I remember that as I was paying more attention to the roar of the A/C, the noise became more familiar to that of a plane. I soon began imagining a a very morbid image of a plane crash and the screams of people in pain. I saw a building in flames and I quickly looked out the restaurant window to look at the skyline. The building in my image was not the Sears Tower, nor any of the other visible sky scrapers. My friends called my attention and I apologized for being distracted and not contributing to the conversation at hand. They asked me why I was so distracted and I told them of what I had imagined. I added that it was one of those things one ussully thinks up after seeing an action flick. The next morning I was up early. While I was shaving I left the TV on the morning news to find put what the ady would be like when I heard of the first plane's impact. I came out from the washroom and sat down in disbeleif. I felt useless as the images from the night before where playing on the TV. When the the second plane hit, I began to tear. I knew then who those screams belonged to, to the thousands of people who would become entombed under the towers and the people on the planes. I called one of my friends who was still unaware of the attacks. He could not beleive what he saw especially after what he knew about the night before. My other friend called me later that night to tell me that I should write down a description of anything I may see again. I told him I rather not want to see anything else again. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. 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 story2182.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. 66.32.161.18 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 my office on the phone with my former boss; Linda at the time the first plane struck Tower 1. Linda was at home and had the TV on in the background, when she exclaimed, "Oh my God, something just happened at the World Trade Center - go look." So I went to the other side of our building and looked out in horror as the building was burning. I could see the thick black smoke rising and the debris from the building falling to the ground. At this time, we really didn't know what was going on, and the news reports were sketchy at best. Internet connections were slow and clogged with people trying to find out what was going on. As my co-workers and I stood at the window watching, we saw the second plane hit Tower 2, and could feel the heat from the explosion through the glass in our windows. The fireball was intense and extremely large. Our offices are about 10 blocks from the Trade Center site, and we had a very clear view from the north side of our building. It was at this time, that we became frightened, and realized that this was no accident. We knew it was not a little plane, we knew it was a passenger jet, and we suspected that it was an act of terrorism. We continued to watch in horror - waiting for instruction from our building's management. We frantically ran around all offices, lowering the blinds and closing office doors - not really knowing or questioning why, but giving us something to do while we waited for instruction. I remember thinking to myself, how are those people above the fire going to get out? At that time, I did not know several of my former co-workers and acquaintances would die in the tragedy. Then, to our astonishment, Tower 2 began to fall. We didn't know if it was falling towards us or straight down. The cloud of smoke and debris engulfed our building and we were told to evacuate to the lobby level and await instructions there. The day turned to night, the streetlamps were lit. It was eerie. People were coming into the building lobby covered with ash and dust. I remember gathering in small groups and awaiting instructions. The building's management was hovered around a small, old-fashioned transistor radio listening to the news reports. The smoke had begun to clear and it got brighter outside, so I went out to assess the situation. Tower 1 was still on fire, but was hardly visible amid all the smoke from the collapse of Tower 2. I went back into the lobby, and at that time felt the earth begin to rumble beneath my feet. Tower 1 had collapsed. The day again became night, streetlamps went on, and it looked like it was midnight outside. By 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon it was clear enough for us to begin walking. We still didn't know the extent of what happened. I remember thinking that the tops of the buildings are gone but we'll be back at work tomorrow and see the two buildings minus their upper floors. I received a call from a friend, Gerard, who reported that there were 47 planes unaccounted for at that time, and that other landmarks might be targeted: The Brooklyn Bridge, The Empire State Building, etc. "They've hit the Pentagon also. Don't go near any landmarks," he said. The only information I had at the time was his news. He was at a location in Oceanside, NY, where he could see the smoke from the towers. I took his advice and began walking with four of my colleagues (Julie, Denise and Tiffany from Human Resources, and Brent from the Treasury Department). The five of us walked along the FDR drive starting at South Ferry (Staten Island Ferry Terminal), and continued walking north. As we walked by the streets perpendicular to the Trade Center, I noticed charred papers from Morgan Stanley, briefcases, shoes, and pocketbooks - that must have come from the Trade Center. I remember that it was very bright now! The sun was shining and I wished I had my sunglasses. We continued walking north, through Chinatown. Denise and Julie stopped at a couple of sidewalk shops and bought some cheap comfortable sneakers to continue the walk. Along the way, we stopped at a Catholic Church to use their facilities, wash some of the ash off of ourselves and rest for a few minutes. We continued to walk north, stopping at a local restaurant - where we were greeted with a very rude person shouting, "We only take cash - no Visa today!" I think between the 5 of us, we had about $80 in cash. I had less than $10! We had a drink, and continued our walk uptown. At this point we found an ATM that was actually working, so we withdrew some money and continued on our way. I remember thinking, if the ATMs are down, or computers are disrupted, we'll need cash to buy food, or a place to stay. The next time we stopped was about 66th Street and 9th Avenue. We were far away from any landmarks and finally felt safe! We had lunch - it was about 2:00 p.m. I wasn't sure that the LIRR was operating. Details were still sketchy, but Mayor Guiliani had shut down the city. Everyone was leaving. Denise and Tiffany decided that they would make their way over to Penn Station, to wait out the Railroad. Brent suggested that since he lives in Manhattan, we go to his place at 92nd Street, and change clothes and wait out the transit situation. We hailed a cab to take us to 92nd Street. Brent was gracious and offered us t-shirts and shorts as a change of clothing. We arrived at his apartment about 4:00 p.m., which was the first time we saw a TV. We then realized that both towers had completely collapsed, and that this was much a much bigger event than we originally thought. Julie, received a call from her fianc? reporting that his firehouse was in the towers at the time of the collapse, and all of his fellow firefighters were feared lost. He happened to be off duty that day, but was on his way to the city to aid in the rescue effort as soon as he heard the news of the attack. Brent, Julie and I talked and walked in Central Park for the next couple of hours. I remember thinking, "what a beautiful day this was!" It was like nothing had happened in Central Park. People were jogging, walking dogs, sitting on park benches, and playing Frisbee. This part of the city seemed very removed from what was going on. I ended up staying in Manhattan until about 7:00 p.m. - I felt that at that time, the crowds would be gone, the railroad would be running, and since Julie also lives on LI, we decided to make our way to Penn Station and catch a train back to LI. Julie's fianc? was still at Ground Zero, along with another firefighter friend whose wife lives close by me. So I took Julie to her friend's house where I knew she wouldn't be alone that night. There was some comfort in knowing that both of their significant others were at Ground Zero together. I arrived home at 8:30 p.m., and phoned all of my relatives and friends who had called, concerned about my welfare. 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 story6328.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. 64.244.223.221 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 started the day at Dulles Airport, from where American Airlines Flight 77 departed and crashed into the Pentagon. I spent most of the afternoon of Sept. 11 safely in Pizzeria Uno, locked out of my apartment. Here are some details I remember:  My fianc?, Paula, dropped me off at Dulles's departure terminal at precisely 8:10am, Sept. 11. When I left the car I handed Paula my keys for safekeeping. American Flt. 77 took off at 8:21am.  Worried about being cramped on plane (I'm tall) as I hurried to the gate, but was pleasantly surprised to find the plane, a 757, mostly empty...I had an entire row to myself. My colleague, Lindsay, was already aboard and thought I was going to miss the flight.  8:50am: The pilot announced a mechanical problem; a maintenance man came aboard to look at it, couldn't repair the problem, and so we de-planed and moved down to another plane three gates away.  Along the way to the new gate, we saw on an airport television, the kind hanging from the ceiling, an image of a tall building with smoke pouring out near its top. We supposed we would find out later what happened. Nothing to stop us from going to Nashville, right?  As Lindsay and I waited to board the new plane, we overheard some flight attendants talking about a plane crash. Maybe more than one. Still, we entered the jetway and boarded the new plane, an even larger jet than the first, and just as empty. As we settled in to new seats, people around us with cell phones started getting and making calls. Neither of us had a phone, as I packed the company cell phone in my luggage. We sensed something was not right in the world. One woman assured her grandmother that she was alright; a man a few rows up exclaimed something into his phone I couldn't understand. Then the pilot told us that the entire system--all the airspace over the United States--was shut down, and we should leave the plane. Something more about a plane crash. And buildings. And New York. Both a little nervous now. We exited the plane back into the waiting area. There, around that ceiling-high TV, where a few minutes earlier just a couple of people had stood, about fifty ex-passengers watched the screen intently. I joined them and then learned the news about the World Trade Center. A local reporter on assignment near the Pentagon, reporting on the military angle of the apparent attack on New York City, announced live, to his anchors, that a plane just hit the Pentagon. It was about 9:45am. There was a rush to the pay phones. Lindsay and I called our office to let them know we were alright, and to relay messages to any family who called. My mom had called; Paula called, too. She managed to get all the way to her office in D.C. without hearing the news, and now was stuck there. I reached my dad and let him know I was safe, for the moment. But, we stayed in the gate area as reports of further bombings near the State Department, the Mall, the Old Executive Office Building filtered in, wondering, of all things, if we would be able to get our luggage back. We watched the coverage until an announcement ordered us to leave at once and proceed to the baggage area. The baggage area was filled with people from all over the airport. Security officials and flight attendants stood around nervously. Some baggage belts were operating and delivering luggage. We looked for our bags but didn't see them. Seemed fairly normal; nobody really knew what was happening out in the world. A flight attendant standing near me told me in a hushed tone that it was more serious than airport officials were saying, and that we ought to forget about our bags and leave at once. A few minutes later, that very order was announced. Lindsay had driven herself to the airport and parked in the remote lot. We caught the shuttle over there and found her car. It was such a beautiful morning. There was very little traffic leaving the airport; perhaps we beat the rush, or just were among the few who left immediately when told to. NPR, of course, had nothing but attack coverage and we were desperate for good information about the events of the morning as we drove along I-66 toward Arlington, where I live. Lindsay lives in College Park. We heard reports of all the Potomac River bridges being closed, of additional hijacked airplanes in the sky, of escalating death tolls. We were incredulous that such events were occurring nearby, and just up the East Coast, in familiar places. As we got closer to Arlington, I looked for smoke that I thought might be visible pouring out of the Pentagon, towering into the sky. The closer we got to Arlington (Ballston to be exact), the heavier the traffic became; firetrucks from outlying counties--Fairfax, then Loudon, then Prince William--passed us. Rescue and police vehicles from all over sped past heading toward the Pentagon. Helicopters thumped overhead. Couldn't see the smoke. Lindsay negotiated the thick traffic through the Ballston area to my apartment, where I hoped to find Paula, or a neighbor who would lend us a phone to call. No one was there. With reports of the bridges being closed, and the massive traffic jam along the main roads, Lindsay decided to wait it out. We walked over to the Mall to find some place to sit, and perhaps eat. The only place open was Pizzeria Uno. We needed water, too. We spent the next four hours in Pizzeria Uno. The bar was full of people watching coverage of the horrible events, and drinking. As we waited for our food, I kept going into the bar area to see more images; a man stepped out in front of me and announced that the buildings had fallen down--a bomb exploded at their base. I wasn't sure he meant that literally. Impossible, maybe just the tops collapsed. Later, we returned to my apartment to find the neighbors home, so we sat with them for a while until Paula and her dad arrived. The four of us spent a few more hours riveted before the TV, disbelieving. Lindsay left that evening when it seemed that the traffic had abated and the bridges would be open (which never actually shut down). I spent the rest of the night at home, watching TV with Paula and her dad. They talked about seeing the doomed people jumping from the WTC towers, scenes which I thankfully missed. And that was about the worst of it for me, really. A chilling but not uncommon coincidence, a series of odd choices and insignificant worries, and mostly minor discomfort and dislocation in a maelstrom. 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 story152.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. 208.201.136.170 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: My Experience on 9/11/2001 / Steve Collupy: I was on the 68th floor of tower 2, working for Morgan Stanley, and had started work at 8am as usual. Everything was rolling along like any other day when all of a sudden, around 8:45, we started hearing a sound like someone was pelting the side of a house with snowballs. It was hitting along the windows, and we saw thousands of pieces of paper flying by. At first we thought it was some kind of joke, like someone had dumped confetti off the observation deck on the roof, but then we saw that a lot of this paper was on fire. Next thought was that a bomb had gone off, either in the other building or in ours and we started following our drill plans and heading for the stairwells. I remember passing my friend and co-worker Chris who was on the phone, and yelling ?get the f--- off the phone and run?. At 2 flights per floor we were looking at 136 flights of stairs going about 800 feet down, a lot, when you want to be out of the building RIGHT NOW. I was surprised to find no one panicking, everyone was filing down the stairs semi-calm. It took us about 15 minutes to get down to the 44th floor where the security desks and main elevators were. We had flat screen monitors on the walls in the lobby normally showing the financial news, but right now they were all showing tower 1 next to us on fire. We were being told that possibly a small plane had hit tower 1, that our tower was secure, that we were as safe here as on the ground, and that it was safe to return to our offices if we chose. All I knew was that we were still 500 feet up, and for me, that was 500 feet too high. I think it was a group decision that we go for the stairs again. I know that some people stayed, and that others went back up to their offices feeling the building was secure. My family is glad I didn't make that decision, because I wouldn?t be writing this now. We had only gone down a few flights of stairs when there was a loud rumbling explosion, and the whole stairwell shook violently, some people falling down, I was lucky to be holding on. I found out later that the second plane had hit us 30 stories above, but only several stories above our offices, where we could have returned to. The worst part was that the building started tipping sideways, swinging sideways, I was sure the other building fell into us and we were tipping over. I closed my eyes and waited for the floor to go out from under us, or the floor above to come down on us. My thoughts were, this is real, this is happening, I?m going to die, right here, right now. That was the strangest feeling. When I was about to die, and absolutely positively knew it, beyond any doubt in my mind. I just seemed to relax, because there was nothing I could do to avoid it, I didn?t pray, I didn?t panic, I didn?t try to run, because there was no place to go. I just thought about all the family and friends that I loved, and I just wished that I could tell them how much I cared about them, and to say goodbye, because now I knew I?d never ever get that chance. Note to those who read this: (Do it every day) because you?ll never know when it?s coming, and if today is going to be your last. The building stopped at an angle and moved back the other way, it rocked back and forth for a few more seconds then stopped. That was when everyone started to panic, because we thought we might actually have a chance. We all yelled at each other to stay calm and started counting the floors out loud, 39,38,37. We continued down. The police were on the sound system in the stairwells telling us not to worry, that they were waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs. I can't explain the relief we all felt getting to the ground. The police were there in a line to guide us down through the underground mall. We were upset that they weren't letting us just go out the door on the ground level, but we didn't know that debris and bodies were raining down outside. We were escorted out through the basement and out onto the street from under building 5, being told to run and not look up. My cell phone didn't work so I started looking for a shop that would let me use their phone. I remember, just walking behind the counter at a deli and using the phone, just pushing aside the employee trying to stop me. The phone wasn?t working. I went looking for another phone. It was then that I looked up and saw both buildings on fire. At that time I couldn't understand how ours had come to be that way. All I knew was that the buildings were a quarter mile high, so I needed to be a quarter mile away if they came down. I didn't know until I saw it on TV in one of the stores that a second plane had hit us, and that it was a terrorist attack. There were groups of people, men and women screaming and crying "oh my god they're jumping". It took me a few minutes to believe my eyes that the debris I saw falling wasn't just glass and concrete, they were people. I?ll never forget the sight of that man in his grey business suit still holding his briefcase. He must have broken a window to get outside. I was watching him 80 floors up on the outside of my building, standing on a one foot ledge, clinging to a window, trying to make it from ledge to ledge. He didn?t make it. I keep thinking of myself in his place, and it?s horrible. I?ll tell you the other situation where I put myself in their place, and still have to shake it off almost three years later. A lot of those who looked like they jumped, didn?t. They weren?t jumping to escape the flames. They just couldn?t see where they were going because of the smoke, and ran right out through the hole in the building. I think I?ve pictured and felt this horrible scenario a thousand times. I imagine running through thick smoke looking for a way to escape, all of a sudden, you can breath, there?s a clear blue sky, it?s a beautiful 80 degree day, you?re out of the smoke, but there?s nothing under your feet, you?re on your way down in a 1000 foot drop, and you know right then that you?re dead. I don?t know if I would have been screaming all the way down, or if I would have just blacked out, because it wasn?t quick like I wanted it to be, it would have been the longest 12 seconds of the last of my life. I truly hope they all blacked out. I eventually found a shop where I could make calls, leave messages, and contact my parents, and leave a message for my wife, just to spread the word that I was alive. My wife Julie had been asleep at the time and awoke to about 9 calls on the answering machine. The first one was from my parents asking her if she knew if I was ok because of the accident at the world trade center. She didn?t get to the other messages right away that let her know I was ok, because she turned the TV on. The first thing she saw was the second plane plowing into my section of the building. She told me she just started screaming and mumbling, I?m a widow, and shaking her head, oh my god, he?s dead, but then she listened to the rest of the messages and got the message that I was ok. I truly think she went through more than I did that day. It?s hard for me to think of the tens of thousands watching the same thing and their family member never came home. I had been out of the building about 20 minutes and was standing in a pub having one of several well needed drinks. Everyone was standing, watching President Bush make the announcement that it was a terrorist attack. Then the network jumped to a shot that showed tower 2 start to fall. As TV has a way of taking you away from reality, we all forgot that the building was outside the door. There was this loud rumble and people outside were yelling that the building was falling. That brought us back to reality. We ran out and started running up the street. If there is such a thing as a funny memory of that day, it wasn?t so much me running up the street with my drink still in my hand, but of the waiter in the bar running, still carrying someone?s food platter and not knowing it. Anyone who wasn?t running, we screamed at to run. I was glad I thought to get that far away because it gave me a head start. I looked behind me, and I don?t care what anyone says about that debris being only a couple hundred feet high. I watched this thick dark grey cloud rolling over buildings 50 and 60 stories high. It was high enough to go over another 20 stories. It was a thousand foot cloud. It was moving faster than I was running, I kept looking behind me, I could see pieces of things the size of small cars raining down, I just stopped looking back and ran. I think it was instinct to use the buildings to block what was coming straight up the streets behind me, so I zigzagged between a few buildings until I found the lobby of an apartment building. People were coming down from the apartments asking us if we needed any water or help. A group of us, including a police officer, stayed in there until the dust cleared enough to breath, and then I started to try and find a way out of there I started walking and following everyone toward the water, toward the Brooklyn Bridge. It just went through my mind that if they planned this, then what better target to hit next than another icon, and also the bridge that everyone was packed on to get away, so I avoided that and kept walking hoping to get a cell phone signal. I kept walking, and a man in a business suit carrying a briefcase, covered in dust asked me if he could call his wife to let her know that he had made it out. I told him I still didn?t have a signal. I asked for the number he needed to call, and started calling over and over as we walked along together. We got a signal at one point, but it was lost, so we didn?t know if she thought it was a good call, or a bad one. I left him with an officer along the way and explained the help he needed. As we were walking, because communications were out, people were gathered around stranded cars with their radios on high, listening to what was happening. I finally got through to my wife a little while later. I was trying to explain the direction I was walking, she finally had a basic idea of where I was, and found a car rental place where I could rent a car to get out. Her not knowing how bad it was, and me just wanting to get out. Not a good idea. I had to abandon the car within several blocks, but it got me close enough to a subway entrance I was able to get home around 5 o?clock that day to a distraught, but now happy wife, and our close friend Ingrid, who was there to comfort Julie in case I ended up as one of the posters on the fence. I just wanted to add this special section. If you were or were not involved in this, and would like a very moving experience, please paste this link into your browser, and turn your sound on, and listen and watch. It?s one of the best tributes. http://www.cantcryhardenough.com/ My friend, Alan Mars, and a manager who was on his floor (69th) at the time the plane hit, entered his story on here, along with mine www.911digitalarchive.org. His story starts with ?It started out like any other Tuesday? under the Morgan Stanley search. I was spared the site of people jumping to their deaths from a hundred feet away, and disintegrating on the ground, that Alan witnessed. I was also spared what one of my co-workers Kevin went through, backing up and literally splashing into the blood of someone who had jumped. I hope to this day that they are both holding on. I?ll never forget those officers who guided us out of there, and those firefighters who had to know they were going to die on this one, but ran up over 70 floors carrying heavy equipment anyway. I think I remember that they made it to the 78th floor of tower one. I do remember how tired I was getting to the ground floor, even with all the adrenalin flowing, but I still have a hard time believing that a group of people carrying 60 and 70 pound loads of equipment and hoses, on their backs, in full gear, could run up stairs 10 stories past where I started down. If those aren?t heroes, then I want to know the definition. Those NYPD and FDNY stayed and died getting us out of there. I'm happy to see a web site like this, which will hopefully keep future generations from ever forgetting what happened here. The enemy hates us because we believe in personal freedom, something that we are trying to give to their oppressed peoples, to make the world a better place. I believe in this and believe that eventually these animals will be removed from power. My Nephew Mike is a Military Police sgt. and just came back from Iraq. He is proud of his service there. He feels he made a difference, not just from a military stance, but having fun with, and teaching Iraqi children to play soccer. Now that makes a difference. They now know that unlike in the past, they won?t be tortured or killed if they lose the game. Thank you for letting me tell my story, it always helps to talk about it :) Steve Collupy 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 story10939.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.7.61.32 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 in school in Language Arts class. All of the sudden one of my friends got to leave school early. Then more and more students got to go home. Then our teacher got everyone up and told us to go to the gym for a fourth and fifth grade "meeting". When we got in the gym they sat everybody next to each other real close away from the walls. They told everybody that planes had crashed into buildings. They weren't specific at all. Somebody asked what buildings and they said they weren't going to say. I went home that day and my mom was watching the news with a worried look on her face my sister and i sat down and didn't say anything. We just watched the replays of the planes slamming into the Twin Towers, the Penagon and in Pennsylvania. 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 story11465.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. 2005-06-13 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 206.158.3.10 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: My name is Barbra and the morning of Sept. 11, I got up at my regular time of 5:15. I had had a very rough night with the flu, so I go up and stayed up long enough to call in sick. I then went back to bed. About 6 AM, my husband came in and said to me " you might want to take this flu bug to the couch and turn on the TV". So I spent the day on the couch glued to the TV, crying and praying. Although personally I didn't loose anyone that day, my life has changed. For one thing, communication with my family has increased. When ever we leave town, my Mom and Dad know where we are going and they are given a phone number, just in case the cell phone does not work. And in return, they check in with us when they travel. But even more importantly, my spiritual walk has shifted in really two ways. For those who don't know me, on Sept 11 2001, I had been a Christian for only about 2 months. I had recently accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. I was approaching my new life with soem caution and hesitation. I was being drewn to the Lord, but I was still afraid to jump in. I was attending Liberty Towers Church every Sunday morning, but not staying for Sunday school or attending any weekly activities. By the end of the day, I realized that getting to know Jesus, really getting to know his character and developing a relationship with him was not going to happen just with the Sunday morning gig. Getting to know Jesus is a daily commitment and the every day desire and hunger for the Word. I also began to appreciate and begin to understand the importance of prayer and how awesome prayer was. When I sat on the couch crying, my heart felt like it was breaking, when I was praying, I felt an incredible peace come over me. When I was praying, I felt safe, I felt my family was safe and that He was really in control. If I can leave you with anything, it is this....when you are tired, angry, frustrated, scared and hopeless, PRAY. Pray first! It offers a clarity and feeling of peace that is not available anyhere else. God Bless all who read this! 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 story2931.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. 63.237.183.250