345 20 70359 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was in eighth grade and first period had just ended, so I went to my science teacher's classroom, which was also where the Spanish teacher from the high school taught my period two class. The science teacher had a TV on a wheeled stand with the news on when I came in. I didn't fully comprehend what had happened until later that day. When I first saw the images on TV, it was a long-distance shot, so the towers looked to me like ordinary smokestacks. It didn't take long to figure out that the WTC towers had been hit, but even then, I didn't realize how big the towers were, or that so many people couldn't get out in the time they had before the towers fell. We watched the news for a while, and at some point another class came in and watched it with us, but then the principal told us to go back to a normal schedule. Almost all of the television channels were running the same thing, so that you could channel-surf through the same coverage, the same images, for sometimes ten and fifteen channels at a time. Also my family had trouble getting our facts straight. We didn't know at first if Flight 93 had been shot down by a U.S. missile, and I remember hearing a report of a fire alarm or something going off at the White House. 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 story5470.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: When the planeds crashed into the twin towers that day I was in my science class. Someone came to the door and told the teacher to turn the T.V on and of course she did. She turned it to the news and our first glimpse was that of a plane crashing nto one of the towers. People were gasping and saying "Oh my God." I hadn't actually heard much of the Towers before that. I mean, I knew what they were and all but I never thought of them as something so huge as to be a target by a group of terrorists. I was still however, in a state of awe I guess when I saw them collapse. After the towers it shifted over to the Pentagon and that's when I got worried. My dad had gone to the Pentagon earlier in the day and he was still there when the plane hit it. I was relieved to discover that his business was to be taken care of on the other end of the building. After school we watched it on the news and I wasn't really affected by it after that. 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 story2248.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: One 9/11 me and my mother was watching the news and we saw the planes crash in two the world trafe center my mother brust out crying and when I saw it It had happen I was so sad I started to cry I though why would people do such a thing it was so said 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 story20356.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. 2006-09-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 69.164.6.78 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: I was in 6th grade in math class, when my teacher was called down to the office, i was confused, what could be possibly going on. When she came back, she wouldnt tell us why she was called down. I thought she was in trouble or something. But when i got home my mom was pretty upset, and she told me that the world trade center and pentagon had been hit by a plane hijacked by terroritst. I couldnt beliueve it, i was in shock and upset, and also angry, why would anyone do something like that? 5 years later i am still very upset and still shocked by this attack, my life will never be the same. The only thing i can compare this to is pearl harbor. 9/11/01 will be a day i will always remember and never forget Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story20497.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 in 4th hour which is science when i found out. I did't really think about it till i got home and was watching the news.I think i will always remember the way I felt when i saw the news it was a mixture of anger and and pitty.I'm thankful none of my family was there but my heart goes out to all the families that lost loved ones. And remember WE'RE AMERICANS WE STAND TALL AND DONT BACK OFF AND WE WONT REST TILL JUSTACE HAS BEEN SERVED!!!!! 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 story5306.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. 66.138.40.158 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: During the morning of Sept. 11 around 9:00, I had just dropped off our son at school. On my way back home, I turned on the car radio to listen to one of the Atlanta morning shows. The hosts were all excited about something, but i could not figure out what it was. Finally, one of the hosts said, "If you have just tuned in ... a plane just crashed into the side of one of the twin towers ...". I did not know what to think about this. The radio personalities were assuming it was just a freak accident. Then they reported that another plane flew into the other building ... this was no accident. What the hell was happening. I parked in our driveway and ran into the house, turned on the news and just sat there trying to figure all of this out. All the news shows kept replaying their tape of the 2nd plane crashing, people running all over the streets of Nw York. Then the news broke about a 3rd plane crashing into the Pentagon. Before the third plane crash I was just in shock, but when the Pentagon was attack, it hit home. I have a friend and her fiance, at the time, who work at the pentagon. They are part of the K-9 unit. I lost it. I kept thinking she could have been hurt or worse. I called my husband at work. I called my mother. My husband, Bob, decided to come home and pick up or son on his way. My friend Sarah and her fiance, Bill, were okay. 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 story1417.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-08-23 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.32.75.135 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On this day of tragedy, i was in school. My girlfriend and me already left for lunch to go to her house to do some studies. By 2:45 pm ( German time ) i drove back home and switched the TV on. I could'nt believe my eyes what i saw there, first i thought this is a new action movie until i realized what was happening. My boyfriend from Arlington, Virginia, was here with me in Germany back that time. He was sitting at the computer and i called him to tell him that the WTC and the Pentagon is burning. His house is only 5 minutes away from the Pentagon. These terrible attacks really hit me hard, because i was in New York 2 years before and have seen the WTC. I went back to New York in January 2002 to vistit Ground Zero and i left a note for the relatives. Writing this is still bringin tears into my eyes and if i had the chance i would even go to the light display of the WTC. 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 story216.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. 2002-03-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 195.93.73.10 Annotation Annotations to this item. Memorials/Vigils (location or person) WTC, pre-911 INTERNATIONAL 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: This is not much but it is my story. On the morning of September 11th 2001, I was watching Good Morning America in a car dealership waiting room (waiting for my wife's car to be serviced). Suddenly, the news broke that something had happened at the World Trade Center. They showed Tower 1 on fire and I watched in disbelief. At the time, they didn't know what had happened. They were speculating that either a plane had struck the tower or that possibly a missile had been fired at the building. Again, it was all speculation because nobody had spoken to an eye-witness yet. Just then, I was told that my wife's car was ready so I headed for work (about a 3 minute drive). While in the car, I left my wife and mom phone messages describing what I had seen on television. After that, I turned on the radio. At that moment, a radio reporter was interviewing an eye witness when suddenly he started screeming that the second tower had been hit. When I heard that, the hair on the back of my neck literally stood up. I was shocked. After that news, I rushed into a work parking spot, ran into the building, and watched the horror of September 11th unfold. I will never forget how I felt when I heard the second tower get hit. The sound of that man screaming will always be with 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 story1951.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. 204.130.176.29 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: Do you remember where you were on September 11, 2001? Well, I?m sure every American and most non-Americans do. It was a world-changing day with events that affected everyone in one-way or another. I remember where I was. I was at home. I woke up early that morning, looked outside at the sunny warm day, and thought?wow, I?m 21. Then I looked at my stomach and asked my son if he was ready to come out yet, he was due September 6th but was being stubborn like, well, me. So, I went upstairs, and while my husband got ready for work, I talked to my mom as she welcomed her daycare into the house. I think it was Good Morning America she had on in the kitchen, and she called me from the other room to tell me when the first plane hit. I was helping a few of the kids with their shoes to go outside. My husband had just left, and my mom was at the neighborhood playground, and I was sitting uncomfortably on the plush floor of our living room watching the news as the second plane hit, then the pentagon, and those poor brave souls in Pennsylvania went down. The phone rang, and it was one of the daycare parents, a linguist at NSA, and she told me that she was on her way to get her kids. It wasn?t an accident she said it was terrorists. I waddled, being pregnant and all, out to get my mom as fast as my 41 week pregnant self could go and told her what was going on. My husband called and said he was on his way back from work. Another daycare parent called saying he was on his way to get his kids too, we lived too close to NSA for his comfort. I guess living only 15 minutes from NSA and 35 minutes from Washington, DC was no longer looking like such a blessing. Anyway, my father was in Georgia on his 2 weeks of reserves, my one sister was stationed in New Mexico with the Air Force and her 6-year-old daughter. My other sister called from Baltimore saying she was coming to be with us, and I sat on the floor in the living room again and watched the towers fall. My phone rang a few times with ?Happy Birthday, I?m sorry? as the anthem of the day, so I just stopped answering the phone, and prayed that my son not be born on that day. Well, my husband got home, then my sister called that she was on the way, but she couldn?t get a hold of her husband who had bee working in the DC area. As you can imagine all the cell phone lines were pretty tied, so we told her just to worry about driving and we?d keep trying him. I guess the other reason she was a little uneasy is that her husband is Arab and he was stuck in the city. So, we got a hold of Marwan, that?s my brother-in-law?s name, and told him just to come to our house instead of to his, since it was closer to DC, and my sister was on her way. Well, my sister arrived and so did her husband, and my husband and my mom and I and our 2 new puppies sat in the living room for the rest of the day. Watching the news in horror unable to pull away. We got hold of my dad, who?s 2 weeks turned to more, and we got hold of my other sister who was now working 20 hour shifts and my niece was going back and forth to the boys and girls club at the base. And we sat and we watched, and I prayed my son wouldn?t come. I think we were just waiting to see if the world would end, and for many, it did. And for all, it changed. My son was born the 18th of September. I married my husband on October 13th. I?ll never look at planes flying overhead without wondering what they may do, and nothing will ever be the same. There?s no moral to this. No hidden meaning. It?s just something I wanted to share. That day affected us all, and will continue to, even now 6 months later it is fresh in our hearts and minds. We will never forget, and we shouldn?t. But, I sure would like to feel some of the safety and security I once did. 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 story2766.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.120.70.81 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 heard about the first plane while listening to NPR on the way to pick up my mother at her house. We were driving together to visit my sister and her family at the beach for a couple of days. Like everyone, including the radio announcer, I hoped it was an accident...until word arrived of the second plane, and my heart sank, along with so many others, no doubt. We watched the news at my mother's house long enough to burn the image of the twin towers on fire into our brains, and headed out of town, passing the smoking Pentagon on the way. We stayed glued to the radio news in awe-struck silence for over three hours, despite the fact that there was nothing new to report during much of that time. When we arrived at the beach, we watched more TV, seeing the footage again and again that no one will ever forget. I remember that it was a simply beautiful day, which seemed so incongruous. My delightful baby nieces, aged 2 and 6 months, were the only comfort, as we tried to make sense of every little thing from an entirely new vantage point. When I returned to DC, I found it difficult to get back to the routine of daily life, needing to stay connected to the world, even if only through television. To help me process the enormous catastrophe, I wrote the following journal entry, even then knowing that I was recording history in my own small way. In the spirit of authenticity, I have not changed a word since then... Thoughts on the Greatest Tragedy of My Lifetime Thus Far September 15, 2001 Marielle Palombo Words cannot express what I am feeling right now, but I believe they may offer an outlet that proves helpful nonetheless, and so I write. This is such a scary time full of extreme emotions and frenetic thoughts. I am shocked, horrified, bewildered, and overflowing with deep sadness about this tragedy of such immense proportions. It is so far outside the realm of what one expects of life that we are all still trying to make sense of it, with little success. I am so lucky to have spent the first few days of this unimaginable tragedy with my two wonderful, laughing baby nieces. Being in the presence of their innocent joy was the best medicine possible. In fact, I keep reminding myself how lucky I am in uncountable ways, and yet somehow that is not enough to ease the grief. I feel so fortunate not to have been touched more directly, but I cannot help imagining what those who are must be feeling. I am keenly aware that there are only a few degrees of separation between me and those who have lost loved ones in such unspeakable ways. I continue to wonder how on earth I would cope if I had been robbed of someone I loved in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, or on one of the hijacked planes. I think about how I would feel if I had been in the World Trade Center as it collapsed in an epic blaze. Or if I had been late to work at the Twin Towers that day and my life had been spared while those of my friends and colleagues was so ruthlessly stolen. Or if I had witnessed the horror in progress, people jumping out of landmark skyscrapers as they disintegrated in flames, shrouded by clouds of dust as the inconceivable became real before my eyes. I think about those who endure such horrors for extended periods of time, as in war-torn Kosovo or in concentration camps, and I wonder how they survive. I wonder how to reassure children that they are safe when no one really is. As the story continues to unfold, I fear there will be much, much more loss. I worry that this is just the beginning of a new era of boundless insecurity, and I struggle to gather the strength to move forward from this paralyzing place. But I am encouraged in knowing that we are resilient, and I hope that the world will come together to smite this insane evil with the conviction that is clearly required. Terrorism is different than war, in that its source is distributed rather than localized, and because it breaks all the rules of society and civilization as we know them. This ?war? that we have unwittingly entered is to be a different sort of war, a leap into frightening, unknown terrain, where the rules as we know them do not apply. But we will rally, as we must. The human race is strong, and history has repeatedly proven that we will not be extinguished without a passionate fight. And the fact that the enemy is so unilaterally heinous makes it easier to coordinate our efforts. I have never seen such a clear demarcation between good and evil, not even in fairy tales. The main problem is that the single most fundamental drive of human beings as I understand them is survival, and to comprehend what happened this week is to break from that core assumption about human nature. How 19 people (and probably many more whose intentions have not been manifested) could spend over a year planning their own deaths and those of thousands of innocent civilians is entirely baffling. Because it violates the very essence of what we think we know about what it means to be human, it is impossible to grasp. I am also sickened by the hate crimes perpetrated against innocent Muslims in the wake of this nightmare, and I hope that the victims will not believe these criminals to represent the will of the masses who wish to protect them from such viciousness. One woman said she has been hiding in her house, afraid of being attacked with her own flag. I hope that these Americans will not be scarred beyond repair as they grapple with the same grief and anger that the rest of us are experiencing. On the positive side, Tom mentioned the distance we have come as a nation since interning innocent Japanese Americans during World War II. It is worthy of acknowledgement that the official position among government leaders and journalists is to denounce such misguided prejudice and hateful acts. In a similar vein, I am amazed by the by the rash of bomb threats ensuing in evacuations of large buildings in NY and DC, and by the reported scams to steal people?s credit cards as they try to donate to the Red Cross online. I guess such mass chaos invites the predatory vermin of the world out of their dark holes. Yet there is good news, too, in the way that people are responding with one generous-hearted voice, and perhaps there is solace in knowing that good outnumbers evil quite overwhelmingly. Americans so appreciate the outpouring of support from people around the world--it means quite a lot to us. It is unusual for our powerful nation to be so vulnerable, and it is comforting to know that the world is there for us as we have been for so many others. The fact that the Red Cross has raised millions of dollars overnight speaks volumes about America?s priorities when all is said and done. In fact, it has become apparent that if we come together, united with clear, common purpose, our power is tremendous. I hope that we might carry this knowledge of our collective capacity for good to the many other societal needs we share. As much as I am astounded by the depths of evil of the twisted sect that is behind this terror, I am equally impressed by the depths of goodness among vast numbers of people in the face of it. The firefighters, police, doctors, and others who toil tirelessly under horrendous conditions to begin repairing the overwhelmingly daunting damage and despair wrought last Tuesday are true heroes. They eclipse Ulysses and his literary kind with their bravery and compassion, for the demons they fight are real and far scarier than any storybook monsters. I cannot imagine spending the last four days amidst the wreckage at Ground Zero, and I extend my deepest and most heartfelt gratitude and admiration to those who have. Right now I am trying to gear up to do some work I have been neglecting, feeling that it is unimportant in the scheme of things but knowing that it must be done nonetheless. It is a fine balance between grieving appropriately and getting on with life. I don't know when Tom and I will be able to see each other, which is difficult. I certainly don't feel like getting on a plane anytime soon. But the good news is that we are both alive and well, as are our families and friends, and that is what matters most. I am afraid of what lies ahead, but I take heart in the promise of good triumphing over evil. 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 story9464.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-09-04 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.30.33.194 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I had just gotten up at about 8:45 am when my cousin called. She had asked if we were alright because she heard a plane had just struck one of the World Trade Center towers. I had no idea what she was talking about so I told her I would call her back. I ran outside to see what was going on. You see the Twin Towers are approximately one across the river from where I live and I can see them from my house. I couldn't believe my eyes. The towers were covered in heavy black smoke and one was burning. I ran back into my house, called my cousin back to say I was fine, and went back outside with my camera. I took several pictures of the World Trade Center's twin towers. I felt so bad for all those people that were in the building. I was watching the news reports when they showed the footage of a second plane striking the other tower. Again, I went outside to look at the towers burning. The first tower that was struck fell as I was running out the door. I couldn't believe what was happening. I just stood there watching. I was standing in front of my house when I saw the second tower fall. I just started to cry because 30 years ago I watched in awe as they erected the Twin Towers. I NEVER thought that I would ever see them fall. I knew that many people died in those towers and my heart cried for them. The fighter jets soon arrived and it felt like a war zone. My neighbors were gathering on the street and trying to decide what to do next. Stay or go. Then the phones were jammed. You couldn't get through to anyone. The Holland Tunnel was closed except for emergency workers. We had the FBI and the local police and fire departments going all day and night. Sirens were everywhere. Then the hatred started. The men who tried to blow-up the Twin Towers the first time came from my town. A large group of Middle Eastern men were arrested from Jersey City. I felt " How dare they come to my country and do this to us". I wanted to expel all Middle Eastern people from my town, put them in camps, and sort out the good from the bad. We had to get rid of the bad ones and their way of thinking. They are in the USA not the Middle East. We aren't perfect but we don't use their planes and their passengers to make a point. If they didn't like it here then why didn't they leave? They stayed because they had the FREEDOM to do whatever they wanted. That is the difference. WE ARE FREE. 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 story7135.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-13 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.89.129.249 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: When I first the announcement about the first plane colliding with the first building I just thought it was a terrible accident. However, when the second one hit I knew our country was under attack. Thoughts raced through my mind as to who could perpetrate such an act. What kinda of unhinged mind would think up such a thing. A little while later, I learned that the pentagon had been hit too. That was a direct assault on our military, and I became more angry then. Did these people not know that our miltary would come after them. But I guess the terrorist had slithered back into the slimy hole they came from. I had heard of Bin laden before, but ater September 11, 2001 it is a name that I will always remember. If the devil had a face, then it must be his. 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 story5526.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.209.10 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: Well, mine is a small simple storie that may not have a large heart wrenching plot. But here it is I woke up on September 11th 2001 when only the firt plane had struck. I wandered into my parents room and watched on the news, the shocking tale. People thought it was and accident, my father didn't belive it was. Then the second plane rocketed into the second tower. It was at that time that all doubt was gone. and it was known that this was no accident. We watched in horror as the events unfolded. I heard of the plane that struck the Pentagon. And so I ran and told my grandmother who was still asleep. I remember a small amount that was said prior to the attack concerning Terrorism. So when I woke up my grandmother I said: They did it. They said they would do it and they did it. Then I explained to her what had happened. When I returned to my parents bedroom, my father said that the towers might not hold. and shortly afterwards the first tower fell. Not much of note happened afterwards except when we were in our pick-up driving to do something. Peter Jennings said via raido. Soft and quietly, that the second tower had fell. When we had arived where we were going. We were at our friends house. And there we buried our beloved goat, who had died, ironically, the day before. 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 story10693.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-07-20 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.54.98.169 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 want to say that I will remeber that day for ever. I was at work when I hear that A Plane Crashed in to the Twin Towers. I want to say that I have various American Family Members and that it could have been them in those buildings or even on those planes. so i want to tell all those who have lost Iam sorry and Lets hope nothing like that ever happens again. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story10065.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 198.161.104.66 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: The morning of September 11, 2001 started like no other morning for me. I had to travel from Miami, Fl to Ft. Lauderdale, Fl for a very important job interview. My wife (at that time my girlfriend) and I discussed ways to travel and I advised her that I will use the Tri-Rail (commuter train) since the meeting place was in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel next to the airport. By the time, I arrived to my destination (0900 am est) the first tower was already hit. The hotel lobby was full of airplane pilots and stewards whom were crying due to they knew some of the people on that plane. We all sat next to the bar, where a big 60 in tv was showing us the last minute details. We were together when we saw the next tower being hit and by the time I went to the interview, I had just finish seen the collapse of the first tower. I became speechless and at the same time, send a pray to my old friend that resided in NY and whom just got married less than a year ago. As of this day, I don't know if she survived the accident due to she used to work very close to the towers along with her new husband. It was hard doing the interview and as soon as I finished, I returned to Miami in the train. I managed to get to my work, where my boss was worry about me because she knew that I am a former military and a member of the red cross volunteer team. I contacted my girlfriend and stated at work for a few hours. I can never forget that day and will be in my mind like many others days. Semper Fidelis 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 story1794.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.54.51.249 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: In the morning, as I woke up, I felt different. Like I knew something was going to happen on this day, 9/11/01, that somthing that happened today will change the world forever, and I guess I was right. As usual, I went to school, and around 10:30 a.m., my teacher said that I needed to pack my bag and go to the office because I was going home. This struck me strange. See, my grandparents from Pakistan were visiting at this tim, so I 1st thought that something mught've happened to them, like maybe they passed away or got sick or something. I also thought, for some strange reason, that maybe our house was burning down. I thought these things really happened becausse my parents never let me leave school early unless it's some sort of emergency. So now I felt a bit silly for thinking those things. So, I went to the office, there was the principal there, talking to some other staff member. I don't think they noticed me enter, because they continued talking, my mom still had to come over and pick me up, so I waited there. Then, something struck me hard, as I heard my principal say, "Listen, 2 planes attacked the World Trade Centers. Do not tell the students.". This totally surprised me, and for 1 second I thougt she was joking. But, 3 things stopped me from believing that. 1 was because no one would joke about this, 2 she sounded serious, and 3 I knew, deep inside, that this was true. So, when my mom came, she said that the Twin Towers were attacked. So, when I got home, I saw my grandparents staring at the tv screen, surprised and amazed. The phone was also ringing a lot. The reason was because, my dad ususally worked in a building about 1 mile away from the Twin Towers, but thankdully, he was in Canada for a buisness trip. It was a miracle, absolutely amazing, that he happened to be in Canada on 9/11. SO, all of our family+friends were calling to see if he was ok. We had exactly 238 calls from everyone. So, I sent e-mails to everyone I could that my dad was safe/ok. But still, all those innocent people who lost their lives, every kind of race was in there. And, some people blame us, the Muslims, of 9/11. Also, later we found out that 1 of my mom's friend's husband died in the Towers. He was also very nice, he attended my Ameen (a part to celebrate for a Muslim who completed reciting the Quarn.), even if he wasn't a Muslim, very nice Indian friend though. It still bothers me. But, when I went to Fords Middle School, I found a teacher I could talk to, Mr. Poiani, he understands. I try and talk to him about stuff going on about almost everything, it means a lot to me. And it helps a lot. I want to thank him for that. 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 story10605.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-05-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 69.136.183.92 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 When September 11, 2001 occurred, it was a typical morning for me and I was in school at the time. I had been hearing rumors around third period that one plane had crashed into one building of the World Trade Center. When the actual plane crashed into the World Trade Center I was in second period band. So I did not hear about it until third period. So during third period the TV was on, and I actually saw the second plane crash into the other trade center. During third period, on the news, it was replaying of what had just happened twenty minutes ago. I was shocked to see a plane, I mean it's not everyday all of sudden you see a plane just go flying into a very important building. Now I know I don't have the most memorable experience in being that I was not there first hand. But it still shocked me to see this happen, in being that I do live in the same exact state. This did affect the rest of my day and the rest of my life. In being that now I am a part of history and I can remember this experience for the rest of my life. It's not the most joyful and happy experience but, it's one I think everyone should learn, and take a lesson from it. The terrorist attacks changed my day in the fact that, I was supposed to have a field hockey game that day at home against Wilson, and it was cancelled, due to that there had been terrorist attacks. So instead of looking forward to my field hockey game after school, I had to look forward to going home. The rest of the day during classes was spent watching the television news about the terrorist attacks. But it is understandable why we did this because I mean our country had just been attacked, and we did not know why. When you experience something of this sort, it really affects you and the way you live. Having one of these experiences makes you remember what you were wearing, who you were with, the exact times, what you ate that day, who you were missing, wondering if anything was going to happen to you. It makes you realize that you need to cherish what you have and whom you are with, and that anything can be taken away from you in a matter of seconds. It really puts the fact on your life of the matter, that if you love someone you better tell that person today. Because anything could happen that day or the next and you may not be here to tell them. If someone has the will power to try to destroy your life, then they will, no doubt about that. During the last period of the day, the announcements came on and they had told us that we were not allowed to stay after, and that we had to go home at 2:15pm. So I got home at 2:30pm, and sure enough the news was on at my house to. My dad had thought that the school would have sent me home earlier. My experience would have been more mortifying if I had been in New York City. But I was in the same state, and something could have happened to me, but fortunately for my sake nothing came close to Western New York. After a few months this topic had kind of slipped away from the Americans. But I must admit, it is kind of saddening that a horrible tragedy such as this one had to occur, for Americans to come together as a country. Something this mortifying should not have to happen for our country to come together strong. I never expected anything to happen in my lifetime. But if you really think about it, something must have had to happen. Because world peace is not something that exists, therefore something had to have happened in my generation. But I just never expected it, this is just something that you never expect. But it makes you think that the unexpected can happen. 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 story676.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-05-28 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 168.169.8.37 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 volunteer on Tuesdays in a place where there is only a radio. My supervisor picked me up, and asked if I'd had my TV on that morning. It was already 9:00 because the first plane had just hit when she was about to leave her house. We spent the rest of the day glued to the radio, or on the phone with her husband. We were both in shock, and stopped often to pray. Not much work got done. I just thank God we didn't have any clients scheduled that day, and that no walk-ins came in. When I got home that evening, I spent the next three hours watching the news reports, and crying. 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 story7653.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. 2002-09-16 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 150.167.20.5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: That morning, I had started my day as usual. Getting my children dressed and eating breakfast while I watched the news. As my three year old came in to ask me if she could have some more juice, that is when we heard the breaking news,"We are interrupting the interview to report that the north tower of the World trade center has been hit by a large passenger plane, we are going to our correspondent who was at the scene at the time of impact." At first I thought it was a ruese, but as I listened and watched, I literally fell back in the floor in utter astonishment. My daughter asked me "Mommy, what happened! Why did that airplane hit the building?" I told her to hush and had her sit on my lap and picked up my son out of his car seat and held them soooo tight while we watched. My daughter seemed confused and worried, and I tried to comfort her so she wouldn't think the worst and be frightened to go outside. To this day, she will not go into any of the large buildings such as the hospital in Charlotte or the Main office building of my husbands company. She still thinks that an airplane is going to come and "POP" the building. We have done all we can to let our children that they are safe and not to fear the things unseen. But, for the first time, on the anniversary of September 11th, I see what she saw and understand her fear. But, this will not stop us from going about our daily lives and praising God every day for letting us live in such a glorious country and keeping our family together. God bless you, those who lost loved ones and live with the memories of this terrible act of cowardise. Those who lost thier lives that day are the true heros in our eyes and will be forever in care of God. Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, Gastonia, NC 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 story3191.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. 24.88.178.223 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: Hello, My name is K.Langley. My husband, who is an American Airlines pilot, had just returned home in the early morning hours of September 11th. He is based out of Washington, so he flies out of Dulles, Washington National or Baltimore Maryland. I was watching Barney with our 18 month old son. Our other three children were at school. My husband called into his guard unit (He's also a military pilot)to see when they needed him to fly next, and someone there had asked him if he saw the plane. We immediately turned the channel and were shocked! I thought it might have been a small plane that got turned around, but my husband said no, that was an Airliner. We were both stunned. He said, that was no accident. I was mortified. Then the second plane hit. Now there was no dening the fact that we were under attack. I cried. The news media announced that one of the planes was an American Airliner and the other was United. I was so relieved that my husband was home, but felt a sense of horror and loss that I have never experienced before. And Anger!!! That is one emotion that is still churning around inside my soul today. I cried.... The aviation industry is a small tightly knit group. We know people at every airline, in every city. So we quickley ran through the list of all our "air crew" friends, and called to make sure everyone was home safe and sound. We were relieved to find everyone okay, but felt so saddened for the ones who would never again return home, and those families left behind. I cried.... Then the American plane hit the Pentagon. That was another major blow. The Pentagon, to me, is like the heart of our military. My brother inlaw used to work there, my husband is a military pilot, and it is such a symbol of American freedom...and the liberties so many have fought for all these years. I cried. I felt rage. "How dare these people come to our country and take our planes and kill our people...They cannot even be classified as people, nor animals..only devils and monsters". How could any human being devise just a horrific attack on innocent civilans? How could they kill just for the sake of killing? What fosters such inhumanity? I was mad....and shocked, and scared, and wondered, When would this end??? I cried. Later that day we heard about the plane that went down in Pennsylvania. I was sickened inside. What those folks must have been going through, Knowing what they knew about the previous attacks and trying to devise a plan to foil the terrorists plot. They fought hard, and saved others from peril. I was numb,inside and out. I just prayed that no one suffered. My husband called the guard unit back after the first plane hit, and told them he would be there. What ever they needed him to do, he would be there. I was proud of his bravery, but was also worried and scared and angry. I cried. I picked my kids up early from school. I wasn't worried that they would fall to harm, I just wanted to hug them. They all were sad, confused and a little shocked too. But I think they were holding up much better than I. That evening my eldest son's girlfriend came over and we all talked about the days events. I had them each record their thoughts and feelings down on video. They did a great job. We all prayed. We Thanked God for his mercy, and asked him to comfort everyone who was touched by the days events. We asked that those whom perished,left this world without suffering...and that those left behind to pick up the pieces, would have comfort and support and healing. I cried.... My daughter wrote a poem in the car on the afternoon of September 11th. I found it in the glove box of the car a few days later. This is what she wrote: My Home: My home is stricken now by evil cowards. Yet I am not afraid. Soon we may go to war. Yet I am not afraid. I am not afraid because our nation is linked to heaven in which God is the building stone. The Angels-My dad,(the pilot)firefighters,police and civilized people..trying to help, The U.S. Soul. I wept when I read this poem. My 13 year old daughter wrote this touching and endearing poem. She is tough, and she knows those who protect us are tough. And we, the people of America are tough...I cried. I'm not as eloquent as my daughter. My anger took over..my way of coping was to write this song--to the tune of (Oh Mr. Tali-man--you know, the banana song) "Oh Mr. Taliban, hand over Osama If you don't here's what a we going to do Oh Mr. Taliban, hand over Osama If you don't we going to come after you.. Oh, better do what we say Cuz if you don't We going to blow you away Oh, you've got one chance to reply If you don't do it Taliban you must die.. I know, I know...sounds pretty morbid. My mother didn't care for my song. But It helped me get by. My other way of coping was by painting this huge 5' by 8 ft flag. All the stores were out, so I decided to make my own. It was very therapeutic. The second hardest part of this tragedy for me was the fact that my husband had to go back and fly with American just a few short days after the tragedy. No one knew what to expect. We had never shut down the flying industry like this before. We had never had our own planes used as weapons. Civilan planes to kill civilans. What would happen on this first day of flights? My husband said he wasn't afraid to fly..It's his job..he's just doing his job. (Ya, well the job description just changed dramatically)..He comforted me as he walked out the door and told me not to worry. I did. I think the fear of the unknown is worse than the knowing. I didn't know what would happen next. Hopefully nothing, but this world of ours would never be the same. My husband called when he arrived in Baltimore. (I told him to call at every stop!!!) He said someone hung a huge American flag over a freeway overpass, and another sign read United We Stand & God Bless America. It comforted him I think, to see such patriotism...His first assignment was to take a plane from Baltimore to Chicago for re-positioning. He said it gave him an eery feeling. Chicago was stopped. The busiest Airport in America, and it looked like a ghost town. Only he and one other plane were moving. Very surreal. ATC was great. They all would come on the mike and say "Great to have you back" and he would reply, "It's great to be back" One of the controllers, and lady was even in tears...It really touched him. Everyone was so nice and patient. The loads were quite empty, but as time went by, things slowly got back to normal. Well, I can't say normal, things will never be normal. But let's make them better for everyone. Let's treat people with kindness and caring..like we were taught in kindergarten. Now it is the one year anniversary of September 11th. I can't believe it has been a whole year. My husband got activated with the miltary and is now flying somewhere over in a foreign land. I just say "the Stans" Pakistan, afghanistan,Ubekistan, etc...I don't know where he is. It's classified. I don't know what he is doing. Also classified. But I know he is proud to be doing his part to serve America, and it's people. I am proud of him. I miss him. The kids miss him. And we worry about him too. He told me that if he couldn't be home on September 11th, with his family, this is where he wants to be, serving his country. I feel so lucky to live in America, where we have brave souls who sacrifice so much, so that we may live free. To my husband and all the hero's serving America, Thank you. Lets not forget what happened, lets band together to prevent anyone from taking what is ours..our freedom. My prayers will forever be with those touched by this tragedy.. Fondly, K.D.Langley 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 story3306.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 208.155.75.4