344 20 70359 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I fell really bad for the people that where hurt and people that died.I was watching Tv about all the people family members that on september 11,and i fell sad for them.I know that i will never feel the pain that those people are filling.I wish i could help.I fell that some people need to move on with lifes.im not saying to forget at about all the people and what happened on sept 11 im just saying to be strong because there are still with you in some. I know that peoples Uncles,Dads,Moms,Grandmas, ,grandpa and aunts and husbands and Wives where killed.People think because this happened they dont believe god anymore.Well what we have to relize is that everything happens for a reason.And if you stand by god you will get better step by step.And show more appreation for the police officers that where there and put there life on the line for other people. 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 story3385.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. 156.63.41.73 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 son,daughter-in-law and 9 month old grandaughter and myself were on our way home after spending 5 relaxing days in Cape May, NJ. We stayed overnight at my daughter-in-laws sister's house which was located right outside of Philadelphia. We were loading the car at 8:30 AM, Sept. 11, when I was having a cup of coffee, watching the Today show, when it came on with the report of the first plane hitting the WTC. My, son, who had worked in Manhattan, was surprised,but continued loading the car. Then the picture & announcement of the 2nd plane, at which time Mike said, This is no accident, we're being attacked. As we watched in horror, news of the Pentagon attack, & subsequent airplane going down in Shanksville,PA, at which time I said let's get out of here, we're too close to Philadelphia, which could be the next target. We started home, going on the northeast ext.of the PA turnpike. We watched as we saw numerous State Police cars at all toll booths, plus National Guard & Reserve trucks heading down the Turnpike towards, Philadelphia, NYC & Washington. Five hours later we arrived home in rural PA, on my farm. What this did was bring back memories,I had buried many years earlier, that being when we were attacked by Japan at Pear Harbor. I was only 5 or 6 at the time, but it's something you never forget as I'm sure so will Sept. 11th be also. 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 story2998.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. 24.97.74.78 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: It was a normal day and I was on my way to science class and when I walked in my teacher had already had the TV on and it showed the North Tower smoking with fire and everyone was wondering what was goin on. Everyone was very anxious to know what was going on. And then during the live broadcast I was able to see the second plane fly into the second tower. We were all in disbelief. And then after a while they had switched over to show the Pentagon and showed that it too had been struck by a plane. And thats when everyone started getting nervous because it was so close by. And later my mom had come to pick me and my cousin up from school and and we went to our aunts house and met with all our family around there and make sure everyone was ok because my dad and my uncle worked in DC. And from there on it was just a blur to 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 story20499.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. 151.188.16.21 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 desk in the tallest building in Salina, Kansas when a co-worker called and told me what had happened. I told several other staff and we all went to the Internet to get as much information on the situation as possible. Several of us had our radios tuned in for the latest news breaks. I remember hearing that the Sears Tower and other office building in Chicago were evacuating to safety reasons. I have a sister that works downtown Chicago. Worried for her safety, I called my mom and asked if she had heard anything from my sister Donna. Mom didn't know what was going on, I told her what had happened and to turn on her television. Finally after about 1 hour my mom heard from my sister Donna and she was on her way home. I was so sad to think about all of the families that lose someone very close to them. And thinking that this is happening way to close to home for me. God Bless the families that lost a loved one, the firefighters, policemen and women and all of they other emergency workers. But most of all 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 story2058.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-10 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 208.191.40.43 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 customarily watch morning news shows as I get ready for work. Just as I was about to leave at 8:50 A.M. (CST) I saw the smoke come out of the first tower. I thought it was just fire and thought about the Windows to the World and thought it could have caught fire. I left for work and only one person had a radio and they exclaimed as to what was happening. I was shocked and I still had not seen any television pictures. I once lived at the Watchtower Headquarters in Brooklyn Heights from 1991 to 1993 on the 10th floor of the refurbished Standish Hotel. I always kept my windows open so that I could look at the WTC every morning. I had grown to appreciate their majestic appearance over skyline. I took several pictures from 1991 to 1993 of the towers and I take them out and look at them often. I remember going to take pictures for a friend's wedding in the atrium overlooking New Jersey. The images on the televison showed the same area but now it was completely destroyed. I remember the first bombing in 1993 and how NYC was able to recover. This was just a tragedy. It was not called for. I spent many days in Lower Manhattan. I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at every chance that I had. I also lost friends in this tragedy. On September 11, 2001 I cried harder than I had ever done before. I felt pain and deep sadness for the senseless act. I felt pain for all the people that had nothing to do with affairs on the other side of the world. They did not have to suffer and they certainly did not have to die. My wife and I were engaged at the observatory of the WTC and it was a special place for us. He hoped to return someday to celebrate our anniversary there but now it is gone. The good thing is that we are still here and together and will get through this tough year together. I want to let everyone know that I don't feel patriotic. I want to explain why. This act of violence was meant to attack everything that is decent about human beings regardless of their nationality or race. This act was wrong regardless of the origin. I feel proud that we can overcome tragedy and that is testament to the human spirit not just the American spirit. Nothing good has every resulted in any war in our history. Very little benefit if any has been produced by further violence. Although war seemed like the solution at the time -- it has never been the only or the best solution. Good always wins over evil. We have to all stive to be good.I feel hurt and I don't like to feel this way. One year later I still feel hurt and it will take sometime for this to go away but I want all of us to move on and be positive. Take the initiative to make those around you feel special. Make your own little corner of the world a little better for all of us. Take the time out to read God's word daily, it is medicine for our broken hearts. It contains more wisdom than a whole cabinet of advisors. Only if we apply what is written will we ever find the solution to the world's problems. 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 story5859.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. 63.52.138.207 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I am a school nurse in a High School in Brooklyn. At 8:30 Am a girl came to my office for a copy of her immunizatons. She had dropped out of school the year before and was going to start an Equivalency Diploma program the following night. She apologized for coming at the last minute. She had meant to take a day off from work some time over the summer but never got around to it. The radio was on and we all heard the events being reported as they were occurring. The girl started to quietly cry. I asked her if she know someone who worked there. She said that SHE worked there; she took TODAY off to come here to get her papers together for the GED program. She tried to call her boss, but of course, she couldn't get through. When the towers came down she was crying hysterically. I told her there was a reason that she was here and not there. There was a reason why she came today and not any of the other 60 days of the summer. She was destined to do something wonderful with her life, beginning with her getting a High School diploma. I don't know who she is or what she is doing but I am confident she will make a difference in the world someday. 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 story5534.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.188.6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Well I don't really remember a lot, but I do know that when I got home from school. My mom was cring. She said that her nephew, my cousin, worked in the trade center.When I heard that. my heart dropped. Now every September 11, I will remember that he died on this date. 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 story20579.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. 68.186.239.238 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 believe September 11th was a Tuesday because I was at a Managers' meeting at a Waterfront Call Center in downtown Buffalo. The meeting began at 9:00 a.m. Shortly before the meeting got started, one of the managers received a telephone call on his cell phone. It was his wife stating the a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers in New York City. What seemed like only moments later, another cell phone rang and the caller stated that a second plane had hit the Towers. One of the Call Center staff interrupted the meeting immediately after that and stated that America was under terrorist attack. The agenda of the meeting changed from reviewing the last quarter's activity to managing the work environment. Approximately 300 staff and employees had reported in for first-shift work that day. Many of the employees had relatives who lived in NYC and, of course wanted to know if they were alright. The senior management team contacted headquarters and a plan was set: Employees who wanted to, could go home and/or follow-up on the status of their loved ones (both in Buffalo and in NYC). A conference room was turned into a command center. A computer linked to the internet, a radio, and a television were in the conference room and anyone could go in at anytime to receive updates. The Call Center management ordered lunch for the staff. Human Resource personnel were available to provide counseling and support. I, along with other managers, walked around the Call Center to provide some level of comfort to the staff and reassurance that all would be okay. People were crying as they may futile attempts to contact family in New York City. The circuits were so tied up, no calls were getting through. I called my husband and spoke to him. Our stories were similar He remained at work as well that day. An attempt to complete any work related tasks was useless. Everyone was so overwhelmed by the horrific event. When I finally arrived home that evening, I immediately turned to CNN to watch the news. I must have sat in front of that television for most of the evening. I just could not believe what had happened: The Towers were there and then they were gone. It was surreal; like something out of a movie...a horror movie. I watched every time the planes were shown crashing into the Towers. I must have watched that film clip several hundred times. Each time I watched I realized how fragile life was; how much hatred there is in the world; and how much we need each other. September 11th will be forever in archives of my mind just as the day that Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, and the day the John F. Kennedy was assasinated...and the day my mother died. Each event touched my heart and my soul. Each event had a profound, life-changing effect on me and how I view life on the planet earth. I pray for all of those who lost loved ones on September 11th. May they find peace in their memories. I pray for world peace and unity among nations. I pray that the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, the God of the living and the dead, my God, bless us and keep us now, hence, and forever more. Amen. Dr. Traci A. Jackson 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 story5317.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. 24.54.71.88 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: 9.11 Ranting Well it has been one year since the unthinkable horror of September 11th, 2001. During the past year we have been over saturated by endless words and phrases that describe how much America and it?s population has changed for the better, how we are more unified than we have ever been, how proud and patriotic we have all become, how much deeper our regard for human life is and how much better we treat one another. Shortly after the attacks, President Bush announced that ?We will shine the light of justice on those responsible for this.? One year later, I feel it is high time someone shined the light of realism on America, the world and human nature. Let?s dispense with all the patriotic cliches, oversimplifications and generalizations long enough to take a good, honest look at ourselves and who we really are. Okay, maybe we are slightly more polite, maybe we hold doors open for others more often, maybe we even say please and thank you to grocery clerks, waiters and the like with more consistency and regularity, but is this an indication that we have changed for the better? Has the murder rate dropped since September 11th? What about rape? Assault? Kidnapping? Theft? Child abuse? Two thousand, nine hundred, ninety nine people were killed as a result of foreign interests on September 11th but if we looked at the statistics, we would see that the horror we inflict on each other on a yearly basis FAR surpasses that number. Many more Americans die at the hands of other Americans than they do as a result of terrorist attacks. One may argue that ?those? types of Americans who commit these crimes are lower class and ignorant -- minorities and gang members who dwell in ghettos or poor, white, backwoods, trailer park trash who have sex with family members. But we know that this is not true. And true or not true, the sad truth is is that these people are still Americans, protected by the same laws and constitutions as everyone else and allowed to enjoy the same freedoms as the rest of us. If the law ever does manage to catch up with them it is almost a certainty that our backward legal system will have them back on the streets as soon as possible. These freedoms that we hold dear are the same freedoms that allow Americans to continue to inflict death and destruction on each other. This is why all these blanket statements about the strength and unity of our citizens are unrealistic, exaggerated and largely untrue. For some reason when we are victimized by a foreign power, we become outraged enough to start a war against these attackers. How much federal funding do you think President Bush has at his fingertips for this war and how much has already been spent? One billion? Two? Three? More? Chances are it?s more than any of us realize, but for some reason, no president in history has ever tried to mobilize that amount of money to attempt to end the war that Americans wage on each other on a daily basis; a war that results in horror and death for thousands of AMERICANS each year. Americans have been shouting ?world peace? from the rooftops since the dawn of this country, yet right under our noses, right on our very own soil, the real American war rages on. I am not trying to be cynical or negative, only realistic. The truth of the matter is, human nature cannot be changed. Forget about all the rapists and murderers, etc., the reality of humanity is that we thrive on conflict, we are vengeful and retaliatory by nature, envious of others more successful than we are, materialistic, narcissistic, easily angered by others, egotistical, vein, hedonistic and the list goes on. Let?s be honest with ourselves, who has not cursed someone out or flipped him or her off on the highway since September 11th? Who has not been rude to a telemarketer? Who has not gotten in a verbal or physical fight with someone based on trivial matter? Who has not said, ?I can?t stand that person? to a friend? Who has not thought negative thoughts about someone? Who has not talked badly about someone behind his or her back? And again, the list goes on. We all cried ON September 11th and we?ve all done bad things to each other SINCE September 11th. Furthermore, as Americans, the negative aspects of our human nature is exacerbated by the fact that we have become accustomed to having anything we want readily available to us. In short, we have become spoiled and we take for granted that our every desire can not only be satisfied but can be satisfied at lighting speeds. And our basic needs like clothing, food, water, plumbing and shelter are taken for granted to the point where we don?t even think about them, even though these would be considered luxuries for the millions of people around the world who go without them every day. This is not to say that human nature does not have it?s good qualities-- heroism, pride, empathy, kindness, loyalty, devotion, graciousness, generosity, helpfulness and other similar attributes are all a part of our DNA as well. But the difference is is that these qualities are not as readily apparent in us until we are inspired by tragedy or hardship to let them flourish. Our less admirable qualities are far more accessible to us. You would have to be an absolutely soul-less monster to not be deeply saddened and emotionally altered by the events of 9/11. But just because these feelings have inspired our good nature does not mean that we are suddenly all saints. The reality is that September 11th has caused us to show these qualities more often and readily than we have in the past but our less admirable qualities have not disappeared or gone dormant as the media and Bush would have us believe. So it is time for our denial to stop, it is time for us to stop kidding ourselves and it is time for us to go back to accepting ourselves for the deeply flawed people we really are. We are Americans and we are human, this is our nature and there is no changing it. As long as we are drawing breath we will continue to act out of greed, envy and egocentricity. As long as our heart beats, our drive for goals and materialistic gain will cause us to mistreat each other. And as long as our brains are functioning we will hurt and abuse each other out of hatred, anger, jealousy and self-centeredness. And no amount of foreign terrorist attacks on our soil will ever change that. It is a biological impossibility. Yes, we may be closer to our loved ones since September 11th, we may be more introspective about our existence and we may be more gung ho about our freedom and the protection of it, but has the foundation of who we are really ?changed? as the media and President Bush say it has? Absolutely not. Those of us who do not fall into the murderer and rapist category have merely risen to the occasion of showing our overall empathy and support for the victims and their loved ones. This is also part of our nature but it creates a major paradox in who we are: we can empathize with anonymous victims of tragedies and have compassion for the overall plight of humanity while at the same time inflicting negativity, physical mistreatment or verbal abuse on any individual when prompted (usually by our petty pride, impatience and/or materialism). ?Therein lies the rub? as they say. You cannot create peace by fighting those who oppose it or those who destroy it. Peace begins in your heart. You choose peace when you ignore an insult from a stranger instead of reacting to it. You choose peace when you don?t retaliate against someone who has wronged you. You choose peace when you back down from the challenge to fight by some drunken loud mouth a bar. The examples of how peace begins are endless. We CAN still have peace in our hearts even though we are jealous, materialistic, etc. by nature. Peace comes when we allow getting what we want, being right or exercising power over someone to take a back seat to those other, more positive aspects of our human nature. And ?world peace? will only come once every person on earth learns how to do this individually. September 11, 2002 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6463.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. 129.174.27.149 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 eleventh was when the "world" ended and humanity began. Heath Bartel 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 story5878.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. 64.80.15.153 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 awakened by an early phone call, "Mom, turn on the TV." I saw Peter Jennings and started recording on video...I have over 16 hours on tape. I watch it from time to to remind me of lives lost, heroes taken, families devastated. My youngest daughter was living in Manhatten, just blocks from the WTC, she has since moved to Colorado. I did not hear from her for over 6 hours and I could not get through on my cell phone. Huge anxiety set in. She often visited the WTC. Was she there today, I asked myself. No, she wasn't, but she was in a state of shock and scared to death. She was watching the Today Show and Katie Couric said, "What was that!" My daughter heard it too. I just wanted to take her in my arms and make her safe. We talked for a long time. I told her to go to the computer and start writing about her feelings and observations. She did and will pass it on to her children, so we will never forget. I told her she was at ground Zero during the most tragic time in American History. I said this because my Mother was pregnant with me when Pearl Harbor was bombed. She did not know if he was alive or dead, he was in the Navy @ Pearl Harbor. He had left Pearl the night before on a Naval destroyer with a secret mission. I know I still feel the pain she felt while waiting to hear from my Dad, which did not happen for four months. He was not preent at my birth at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virtginia. 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 story3328.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. 67.24.239.233 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 morn of Sept. 11, 2001, my just turned 5 y.o. Haley and I were viewing the coverage on the television. When the plane hit the North tower she turned to me and said, "mom, there's people in there.". I replied, "yes, there are," and we both started to cry. 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 story2005.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-10 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 198.81.16.186 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: September 11,2001 started out as a beautiful day but turned ugly at about 8:46am. I was driving to work when I heard the first plane hit, and thought of it as an accident.I got to work and about a little past 9:00am learned of a second plane. My heart jumped and started crying,then the Pentagon, and Shanksville, PA. Oh my God I screamed.I will never forget this day, tears,pain,anger,disgust that I felt was beyond control.We were asked to go home where I found a church to go and find some solace there.My beautiful America has been hurt. The land of the brave was bleeding. I couldn't believe it,but America stood tall with pride, and more beautiful than before. That's my babe (America). May 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 story2828.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. 204.115.229.49 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I woke as usual on a school morning at 6:30. My alarm clock beside the bed went off and shortly thereafter the television in the living room came on as I have the alarm set on it as a back up. I walked past the television on my way to my daughter's bedroom. Calie and Aubrie were still asleep, but I wasn't much more alert because I didn't even notice the television when I walked past it. I try to have it set for the Today Show to come on, and it was, but I hadn't noticed anything unusual when I walked past. I got my daughter's moving and came out to check the news. The first tower had already been hit, but Katie Couric and Matt Lauer were not sure what exactly had happened and were still under the assumption that it had been an accident. I called for my daughters to come out and see the news. Calie was 9, and Aubrie was 6. As they dressed in front of the television we talked about what might have happened. It was then that the second plane hit. We screamed. We were dumbstruck, we couldn't even begin to comprehend what this meant, but we were glued to the television just the same. Before the second tower fell I'd had put my daughter's on the bus to school but they had not yet arrived, and was getting my son Jeremy, age 1, out of bed. When the first tower collasped I held my breath for what seemed like forever. Physically I felt as if I couldn't breath. I really could not fathom what I had seen. I never thought that the buildings could be brought down. It was completely unimaginable. I felt the unbareable loss of life in my soul and I wept for the families whose lives were forever touched and altered. I was in a state of shock for the rest of the day. Every time I saw the image on televison, of the buildings collaspsing, I was in awe all over again. I needed to see it over and over again so I could begin to wrap my brain around this new reality. When my daughter's got to school the staff tried hard to make things as normal as possible. Aubrie in the first grade saw very little television and her day was fairly normal. Calie in the forth grade had the television on all day, and watched as the event's unfolded. Her teacher, Mr. Haase, thought this was an important day in our nation's history and they should see it all. As a forth grader in the 70's I remember my father sitting me down at the radio to listen as then preisdent Nixon made his final speech before he boarded the helicopter that took him away from Washington D.C. I felt ashamed of our country and our leadership. My father was right I was listening to a part of our history. I hope my daughter's will remember September 11, 2001, with pride and sadness, strength and resolve. Our every day lives have changed very little, way out here in the west...in a small town with just over 500 people, but our hearts will never be the same. We are not weak or broken for we have found a strength as a nation, as a people, as Americans, that we never knew we had. Even way out here I felt a "togetherness" I have never before experienced as a citizen. We have felt what it means to be American and how priviledged we all are to live in this great country. Even with all of our problems I would not want to live any place else but here and I would give my life to serve and protect the rights of my children and their children's children. My father, a 22 year Air Force veteren, was buried in Arlington this past spring and I have never felt so proud and patriotic. I used to look at the many graves in Arlington and feel it was such a waste of potential, but now I know those men and women gave their lives for a higher purpose that is bigger than each of us as individuals but not as a nation. 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 story5879.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. 207.173.226.248 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 Robyn, I turn 14 in october. My story: I was in my third period social studies class and the teacher had the T.V. on. at first I thought it was an accident but then the second one hit and I knew something was up. P.S. I have a joke I made up and I would like it to be shown somewhere? Bend Over Bin Laden, Let The President Take Aim, Your Brains Will Go To Russia, Your Butt Will Go To Spain. Thankyou, Robyn V. 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 story5507.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. 66.136.47.165 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 second period class, Theater Arts I, and we were getting ready for our Pantomimes. We all were listening to the radio to find music for the pantomimes, and the new came on the radio that the second plane had already hit the second building of the World Trade Center. Then they said that the second building fell first, next the first one came down. I remember everyone getting hysterical on the radio, first I thought that it really didn't happen. Because I never thought that anyone would do such a thing to innocent people, but someone did. We went on like a normal day, except a few people went home to be with their families. I went to fourth period, Language Arts, and she was watching the buildings come down again. My teacher was crying because one of her students brother died. We watched the news the whole hour and a half we were in class. I was upset because I couldn't think anyone would be that cruel. I was sad for the people who lost loved ones. I was happy that I am still alive. Since that day my life has really changed emotionally. I never thought that someone would try to hurt us that much. I always thought that the world couldn't get worse, but it did. Things that happen like that really put your life in perspective, even when you are young. It really makes you think what kinds of decisions to make in the future, and the decisions you make now. It effects everything and everyone around you. I don't think anyone can describe the pain they went through that day of the eleventh. It was a horrible day to all of us, and it will remain in our minds for years to come. I don't think any of us will get over it, we will just learn to live with the pain of losing loved ones. You just kind of becomes a part of everyday life, learning to deal with the loss, the pain, the shock. 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 story1960.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. 63.238.203.53 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: Well, this was a day to remember and never to forget. I was very devistating what I say on television. It was like a nightmare that I was actually living to see. Every channel on my television was broadcast to New York; Pennyslvania; Washington D.C.. Although I didn't know off anyone at the World Trade Center but tears came streaming down my face, I just felt so connected to these people who were trapped in the two buildings and not only that but, the passengers on these flights. I was imaganing my own loved ones trapped and honestly I can say this, "I am very thankful to God that none of my family members were involved in either incidents." I don't know how these terrorist would do such thing and think that they can get away with it. God is watching and I know during these last minutes, both passengers and co-workers of the World Trade Center was in God's Hands. So many lives for what cause? I ask myself that everyday since last year's incident. WHY???? It seems it was just yesterday it occured, but it's been a year. I was in the emergency room at Tri-City hospital around 10p.m. and it was broadcasting on t.v. and I was just thinking about I just wish I could be there to help them find those bodies. I was very sad and puzzled. Well, this year I met this guy who is now my significant other and the first question I asked him in February when we met was "When is your Birthday?" He replied, the famous day that will never be forgotten in the history of the world. I said, "what date may that be?" He replied, 911. I was shocked and speechless. Well, today is his 37th birthday and I called him first thing this morning to wish him a Happy Birthday and he sounded down. He said that it will always be a sad day in America. I told him that to look it at this way. Things happen for a reason, and to look at it that it took this for America to come together as one. My heart goes out to all the families and friends of those who's lives were forefully taken on 9/11/01. But, I am still trying to heal with what happen a year ago. Well, this is my experience and I hope that it will endure someone or inspire someone out there. I would also like to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts and to extend my gratitude to America. May you all who is reading this be blessed and my the Good Lord up above continue to guide us and bind us together today, tomorrow and forever more. May the Good Lord Bless and keep America as ONE. Sincerely, Pogisa Aukuso Misa Tuiveta 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 story4753.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. 199.186.134.170 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: I woke up about 6:30 am that morning and headed for the restroom, as I usually do. The first thing I do is turn on the radio for the traffic and weather. I was greeted by a grave news reporter's voice giving a live report about the second plane hitting the towers. I called to my wife, and we both turned on the news and watched in shock. My mother called me, and she kept repeating over and over: "They hit the Pentagon... they hit the Pentagon." Not knowing what else to do, my wife and I watched the news as we got dressed for work, wondering whether to go in or not, or how long we would stay. We decided to go to work. I work at the Calif. State Library, directly across the street from the State Capitol, and when I arrived there was a stunned look on everyone's face. The first tower had just fallen. Police were stationed everywhere about the capitol, blocking off entrances with their cars, looking serious. People were milling about under the overcast sky; some were crying, others looked shocked. Some were gathered around people who had radios and portable TVs. Throughout the building, very few people could work. After about and hour, the work came: everyone was to be sent home. My wife, who works for the Social Security office, was also sent home. We went home, and all day long, we sat and watched the news, called friends and family, and wondered about the future to come. 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 story1206.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. 2002-08-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 63.192.170.198 Annotation Annotations to this item. Gov't workers (non-military and non-rescue) Politics and politicians 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: On September 11 of 2001, I woke up at 6:30am to school in Bogota, Colombia, I had my 1st and 2nd period class after it, we had the first rest at 9:30am and I was with my friends sitting around the school eating and then we went to the Auditorioum where the school has the TV production class and I went there and I saw the colombian journalist from New York (on the one of the local colombian channels)and he was covered by all of the smoke and everything looked sad, so the bell rang and we went to the classroom, a few people knew what was going on that day, so my friend told the teacher what we saw earlier and he turn on the tv and the repetition of the video when the planes hit the towers were over and over again on every channel, until I saw when the second tower collapsed and I everybody just stood in a silence mood. I mean some of my friends have been in New York and they told the whole class, that these towers were HUGE! and that thousands of people worked there, after that we saw the people jumping out of the buildings and I remember that my teacher started to cry so he decieded to turn off the Tv but after all that, at the lunch everybody was talking about it, and I was so interesting on what was going on but no teacher at all leaved us to watch more Tv, when I arrived at my home I turned on the Tv, to CNN and it was just a disaster, people running, screamming, hurted, blood, smoke, papers, etc. I was so sad that night, then I told my mom (she was working, her job was outside Bogota in her office there's no Tv so she didn't know anything. When she saw the crashing and then the collapse, she almost got out because she couldn't imagine how many people could be death already. 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 story11432.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. 2005-06-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 71.100.107.119 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 the 30th floor of the North Tower. I had arrived at work about 7:30 AM. That particular morning, I had already accomplished a lot of work. All of a sudden, there was this dull thud, and the building shook, back and forth. There was absolutely no prior warning. I was at my desk, and was knocked out of my chair. I looked out the window, to the east (the plane had hit the tower on the north side), and saw flying debris falling all over the place. Some of it appeared to be floating. I could not imagine what had happened, but I remember thinking how eerie it was. Then I thought, it was an earthquake. Someone yelled out ?What was that? Then, ?the fire exit.? Almost immediately, we were in the stairwell. For me it was like a reflex action. I did not even think to take my briefcase, which was right next to me. We began walking down. Then we were off loaded onto the 27th floor. People were crying, some visibly shaken. Although I did not show it, I was one of them. Everything was in disarray. I wanted to call home. I went over to several telephones, but none were working. After a while, we were allowed to go back to the stairwell. I do not even know if it was the same one. I never looked at my watch while I was in the building. The hallways were cloudy, but it was not thick smoke. There was a strange odor. I am told it was jet fuel vapors, but I do not know. I just remember that it smelled bad and I was very nervous. Back in the stairwell, we began to walk. More than once we were again stopped. Some people, including myself were holding handkerchiefs to their mouth. By this time the word had been passed along that the building had been hit by a plane. There was no hint, at least to me, that it was intentional, and there was no mention that the other tower had also been hit. I was getting more scared. particularly when movement stopped. I remember thinking that I hope and pray that I get out alive. During this entire time, there was calm and a feeling of cooperation to help one another. I wished that someone would have expressed their fear. Maybe it was selfish of me. I was so scared, but did not want to be the first to say so. Then I saw firefighters. It was around the 15th floor. This is the first time I felt safe. As we were walking down, we kept getting direction to keep to the right. We were in a single file, going down, and in the inside lane, the firefighters were going up, carrying their equipment. There were hoses. Each firefighter had a heavy container on his back. The firefighters were going slowly, stopping every few steps. One of them said to the one behind, something like ?how you doin?? The reply, which I will never forget, in light of what happened, was ?I?ve been better.? Then there were shouts from above to stand to the right. A burn victim was being escorted down. She had her arms wrapped in what looked like white cloth. Once she passed, we again began our decent. It was slow, but steady. About the 6th or 7th floor, there was water in the stairwell. It came almost up to the knees. I remember holding on to both railings, for fear of slipping. By now this group of firefighters had passed us. We moved toward the center. We were able to go down more quickly. Also, water was now dripping from the ceiling. I was soaked. As we went down, I remember hearing someone say, one more flight to go. I think it was one of the building engineers. I just remember how good that sounded. Sure enough, he was correct. After the last flight of stairs, we entered the shopping mall at the Trade Center, where the Duane Reade drug store was located. I could not believe how it looked. It was like a war zone. There was no electricity. There were police officers on either side, forming a corridor, as a straight continuation of the stairwell. I tried to go to a telephone, but the officers, would not allow it. They were shouting to keep walking. I made my way to the escalator, by the Borders bookstore. I was finally in the street. My feeling now was one of elation. Outside, the first thing I saw was an endless number of fire engines, as far as the eye could see, in every direction. Also, the sound of sirens was enormous. I walked towards Vesey Street. Among the crowd were two of my coworkers, who had also been on the 30th floor. These were not my teammates, whom I learned later, had different escape routes. Looking back, both buildings were on fire. After staring for a couple of minutes, and without a plan, I began to walk away. I went east on Vesey street, next to the cemetery of St. Paul?s Chapel, where I went from Church Street to Broadway, at Park Row. What was on my mind was to call my wife Stephanie, to tell her that I was okay. This turned out to be no small task. Every street telephone had a long line. So I kept walking on Park Row. I kept turning around to look back at the burning buildings. It was an unbelievable scene. Everyone was just staring, heads up toward the sky, with opened mouths. I walked some more and saw another amazing sight. I was at the NYPD Police headquarters. In front of the building, were about 15-20 officers. Each had on a helmet, and nightstick in hand. They were in formation, single file, running on the double towards the burning buildings. Like the firefighters, they were going towards the danger, while we were all going in the opposite direction. This is something you expect to see in a movie, but I was watching it right in front of my eyes. I walked halfway on the block (I think it was Spruce Street), and went into one of the Pace College buildings. There were public telephones in the lobby. And there were only a couple of people waiting to use them. Here is where I decided to wait. I called Stephanie, to tell her that I was okay. I was so glad to hear her voice. She was on the line with my daughter-in-law Mindy, in Florida, when the call waiting interrupted that call. Mindy, knowing that I worked in the Trade Center, had called my company office in Albany, and had been told that we, the New York City employees, were not alright. I later learned Stephanie was crying, and that Mindy was trying to determine how to tell Stephanie what Mindy had heard from Albany. Stephanie knew I worked in the World Trade Center, but not what tower, or which floor. She used to tell folks, my husband works in the Trade Center. I used to tell her all the time that I worked in the safest building in New York. It had already been a target once, and would not be again. At this time I had no plan, and told Stephanie that somehow I would get home. She asked me if I had had anything to eat yet and I said no. She suggested that I get something. I would need this for energy. I left the Pace building and went east to the corner, which was Gold Street. There was a food stand, but no one in sight, so I just kept going. I went across the street and stood outside the Verizon building. There were many people outside There were radios and we just listened. This is where I learned about the plane crashing into the South Tower, and that it was terrorism. I also heard about the Pentagon. What will be with me the rest of my life is the sight of people jumping out of the World Trade Center. I saw several of them, and it was just horrible. First we thought it might be debris, but then it became very clear that it was people. Days later I saw pictures in the magazines of people hanging at the windows. This is one of the worst things that happened that day. I can not get those pictures out of my mind. After being there a few minutes, something else terrible happened. From where we were, we could not see the South Tower, because it was being blocked from our vantage point by another building that was almost in front of us. We heard this roar. This was the South Tower coming down, but we did not know it at the time. Because none of us knew what was happening, almost in unison, we all began to run, in the opposite direction from where the noise was coming. I must have run about two blocks before I even stopped. I was completely out of breath, and my knees were buckling. By now I was at the Brooklyn Bridge and running toward the East river, on Frankfurt Street. The way I would describe the noise is to imagine a thousand heavy carts, all with metal wheels, rolling over a metal surface at high speed, accelerating the whole time. I had no idea what was happening. I thought it might be a bomb. None of us, not me anyway, were in a position to even hear a radio description, because we were all running. Where we were, there was no actual cloud of dust and smoke, the way it showed on television, but we were all running just like the people on the TV. When I finally stopped running, I began to walk back to Gold street. On the radio, I then heard what had happened. It was unbelievable. We just stood around for a few minutes, not knowing what to say. I hardly knew what to think. But then I began thinking about what I was going to do. How was I going to get home? I decided not to walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. I had run towards it, out of desperation, because that was where I was when the South Tower collapsed, but I felt that the Brooklyn Bridge was too famous a target, and I was not going to take a chance. I did not want to be on the bridge, fearing that it too might be destroyed. I began to walk away from the East River. I really did not know where I was, but I was heading in the general direction of Chinatown. Along the way I found a telephone. There was still a bit of a line, but not like earlier. When it was my turn, I called back Stephanie, to tell here where I was then. I would call her several times during the day, to let her know how I was doing. I also called my sons Bruce and Paul, who both live in Florida. They knew that I worked in the Trade Center. I was unable to get through to Paul, either at his office, or at home (where his wife Bonnie was, with their children Amanda Lily, age 4 ? on 9/11/01 and Joshua Andrew, born March 6, 2001). Before Paul moved to Florida, at one point he had worked in the South Tower. Paul?s present company in Florida also had offices in the Trade Center. In January 2002, Paul was sent to New York, as part of a team, to help relocate the people in his company that were in the Trade Center. He was here for almost two weeks, working downtown near the site. For some reason my call to Bruce (Mindy?s husband) was successful. It was so good to speak with him. I know he felt good hearing my voice. We talked for a few minutes. He was very perceptive. Almost immediately he made the comparison between The Trade Center and Pearl Harbor. Our family has a Pearl Harbor survivor. After the phone conversation, I continued my walk, and stayed on a street, while we all clustered around a car radio. It was here that I witnessed the collapse of the North Tower. I did not comprehend it at that moment, but later that night I began to realize that I had been in that building earlier in the day. It was chilling. After a few minutes, I continued my walk, and soon found myself at the Manhattan Bridge. I decided that I would walk over the bridge into Brooklyn, where I would have Stephanie pick me up. Walking over the Manhattan Bridge was difficult for me. I was on the upper level. It seemed like the bridge was all uphill. I was already very tired from the walk down the stairwell, and the running. On the bridge I kept stopping every few minutes to rest What was on my mind now, as also on Stephanie?s, as she told me later, was that my doctor had advised not doing any exercise, until I lost some weight. Looking back at the New York skyline, all that was visible was the black cloud of smoke over the entire area. I could also see the people walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. Occasionally, an emergency vehicle was coming toward Manhattan, and we had to move to the side. I finally got to the Brooklyn side of the bridge. Here people were giving out drinks. This was very much appreciated. On Flatbush Avenue, I walked towards Myrtle Avenue, and went again to a telephone, but here the wait was too long. I wound up sitting on a chair outside a grocery store. I was there for some time. I needed to rest. Eventually, I went back to Flatbush Avenue and began to walk. I was going to keep walking until I could get away from the crowds and traffic. This way it would be easier for Stephanie to drive. I was feeling very warm. The traffic was at a standstill. There was this city bus, and many people were getting off. I decided to get on, to at least get into the air conditioning. I got a seat. We started talking. I said that I was in the building, on the 30th floor. The person next to me mentioned that his father works in the World Trade Center, on the 30th floor. I asked him who his father was. When he said Joe Cavanna. I could not believe my ears. I know Joe for more than 25 years. Meeting Joe?s son, who is also named Joe, was one of the best things that happened to me. He stayed with me for the next several hours. As we made our way through Brooklyn, I knew I was slowing him down, and I told him so, more than once. He should not feel obligated to stay with me. Joe stayed with me the whole time. Joe navigated us through this area in Brooklyn, unfamiliar to me. He gave me bottled water. We talked about many things. He had heard from his dad, and knew that he was safe. We remained on the bus until we got to a transfer point to take another bus, but that was not to be. We waited over an hour, as more than one bus came, but did not stop. They were packed. When I now called Stephanie I found out that the Verrazano Bridge was closed, in the Brooklyn direction. I told her that I will have to get into Staten Island, where she would be able to pick me up somewhere. Then Joe and I decided to walk. The bus that I needed to get to Staten Island was on 92nd Street. We walked, and walked, and walked some more. Along the way I went into a grocery store to get change, for more telephone calls. That is when I learned about the plane crash in Pennsylvania. We passed many streets, with names. Bergen Street, Union Street and many others. Then we got to 1st street. Thinking about 92nd street, I thought I would never make it. Hoping to be able to get a different bus, Joe and I walked from 5th Avenue to 3rd Avenue. The avenue blocks are much longer that the streets. Each avenue block is equivalent to about three or four streets. It sure felt that way. At about 15th street we saw a sign on a store down the block It said Car Service. This was like an oasis, but as we approached, we saw that the store was empty, and there was a ?for rent? sign in the window. A very big disappointment. We continued to walk, until we approached the Gowanus Parkway overpass. We had heard vibrations on 4th Avenue, and thought that might be the subway, which had been shut down. There was a police officer. We asked him about the trains, and he said the trains were running again. Now back to 4th Avenue, at the overpass. At the closest station we got on the train, and stayed to the last stop, at 95th street. There I was able to get the Staten Island bus. Joe was already near his destination in Brooklyn. Again I need to say thank God for Joe. He was a lifesaver. We shook hands. I wish I had hugged him. I finally got on the bus. That day there were no fares collected and we used the back, as well as the front door. The ride took over two hours. Except for initial conversation before we began to move, the ride was mostly silent. It was reminiscent of another ride home, the evening of November 22, 1963. Near the end, there was some talking. People were asking for directions of how they should direct their families to pick them up in Staten Island, from New Jersey. The bus finally got to the last stop, at the Staten Island Mall. This is five minutes from my home. Here I would go in and call Stephanie. The Mall was locked down. I had to walk to the next shopping center for a phone. This normally would have taken just a few minutes, but by now I was exhausted, and my legs were in bad shape. Finally, I made it to a phone and minutes later, Stephanie and I were together again. There had been a time in the stairwell when I thought I would never see her again. It was about 7 PM when Stephanie got me home. It was only then that I began to realize what had happened, and what could have been. In the following days, we spent a lot of time with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law Donna and Joseph Messina, as well as with friends and neighbors. In a couple of weeks Stephanie and I flew to Florida. This trip had been planned much earlier. We always go to Florida for each grandchild?s birthday, and it was Sarah Frances?s second birthday October 11 ? Bruce and Mindy?s daughter). I needed to hug my family, each and every one of them. I needed to hold my grandchildren. They are too young to understand now, but some day, I want them to know that on September 12, 2001, by the grace of God, they still had two grandpas. Although we were very nervous about flying, we were not going to cancel the trip. The airport was a new experience. Everything was different. Everyone was staring at everyone. While waiting to board, somebody had left their carryon unattended. Several of us told an agent. The person had just gone to get a newspaper. On the plane there was one person who did not put the seatbelt on quick enough. We thought he might be getting ready to jump up and do harm. Stephanie alerted the flight attendant. The night we flew was the first time that the National Guard was on duty. In Fort Lauderdale, we thanked them for being there. They had automatic weapons and looked very young, but we were so happy to see them. Not too long after September 11, there was the Anthrax scare, at the American Media building in Boca Raton. My son Bruce works just down the road. Also, we had heard from news reports that some of the terrorists had been living in Delray Beach. As it turns out, they had been just around the corner from where we have our place. I felt like I was being followed. Also, I live very close to the landfill in Staten Island. This is where the Trade Center debris was being brought. Anytime, we left our house, we immediately saw the searchlights, 24 hours a day. It was impossible to forget about it. This went on for months. Usually when we go to Florida, I stay about ten days and then fly home, to go back to work. Stephanie remains for a couple of weeks. This time I caused her a problem. A day or so before I was to return to New York, all over the TV, there were announcements that the terrorists were going to do something else. I had a panic attack, and wanted Stephanie to return home with me. I was afraid of everything, especially being alone. She rearranged her trip and came home with me. Stephanie was wonderful. My entire family, each and everyone, is so supportive. In New York and Florida my behavior was different. It was noticeable to me, and others. I had little tolerance for small things that used to not matter. My temper was short. It was like I was angry all the time. There was an exception. I was very happy the day the United States started bombing Afghanistan. Bonnie and Mindy, both health care professionals, spoke to me about Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Stephanie suggested that when I return to New York, I utilize my company?s counseling service benefit. I promised that I would do that. Now my problem was overcoming my fear of getting back on the plane, to return to New York. Bruce and Paul?s in-laws, Annette and Carl Greenwald (only one set of in-laws, as Mindy and Bonnie are sisters) were great in giving me the nerve to fly home. I did go for the therapy, and it was most helpful. The reason I mention names is because I want anyone who reads this to know that there are people that really make a difference in my life Everyone has such people in their own life. Please, do not wait for a crisis, or even a special occasion to tell them how you feel. Tell them today. Do it often. Not too long ago, in a newspaper article, I learned that when my company (Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield) was supposed to move to the World Trade Center, we were to occupy floors higher than the 100th . That did not happen because two executives decided otherwise. One did not want the employees to have to change elevators, to get to the office. The other felt uncomfortable being so high. I am very mindful that because we went to the lower floors, others wound up on the higher floors, and most lost their lives. This is very, very sad. It is incredibly sad for everyone who died that day, and for their families. My company lost nine employees. I knew some of them. I carry the newspaper article in my wallet. It is a daily reminder of just how lucky I am. It makes me philosophical. I think about timing. Decisions made months earlier sometimes effect thing that happen in the future. Some who got into an elevator became trapped. That could very easily have been me. It was timing that allowed me to meet Joe Cavanna on the bus. My first call to Stephanie, hearing my voice, before she might have been told that I was not okay. I can not begin to imagine what that would have been like. One of my teammates, Ravi Thakur was seconds away from having the fireball from the South Tower land on him. Ravi tells me that almost a year later, he still sometimes feels the heat. Talking about that day to someone who was there, versus someone who was not, is a completely different conversation. Both have been helpful. In the days and weeks after, I have been advised by some that I should not watch the news, and all the documentaries. I have found that I can not not watch. I am driven to it like a magnet. I did however come close to turning off the recent HBO special. As the first anniversary approaches, I have mixed feelings. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a serious student of history. I have a large collection of commemorative stamps, books and magazines for all kinds of events ( NASA, World War 2, Elvis). But this one is different. I watched the 6 month anniversary, and I will be watching on September 11, 2002. When I do, I guarantee one thing. My eyes will not be dry. 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 story1027.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. 2002-08-15 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 216.5.154.160