384 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 my pre-calculus class at West Springfield High School, only a sophomore when the September 11 attacks took place. We were going over some trig functions when all of a sudden Dr. Smith, our school principal, came over the P.A. system and announced a bit vaguely that there had been a plane crash in D.C. Then he just went off the P.A. after that short message and our whole class just sat there confused and silent for a few minutes. We had no idea how serious this crash was and most of us just dismissed it as an accident of only a few injuries and no important to anyone in our school. Some of the students in my class even laughed at his message because the way Dr. Smith sounded and the brevity of the seemingly pointless announcement. We didn?t know it had anything to do with the pentagon or the twin towers. Then the teachers would talk to one another and we began to find out more and more details of what happened. After that, my teacher turned on the T.V. and we all saw the plane crashing into the World Trade Center. That was all we did for the rest of the day. It all seemed so surreal and like a scene from a movie. I couldn?t believe it. I never paid attention to what goes on in the world, I never read the newspapers, I never watched the news, and after seeing the planes crashing into the buildings I began to wonder why this was happening because I just couldn?t fathom that something this horrible could happen to America. I always thought of America as being so safe until then. The next day of school, I remember passing a girl in the hallways who was crying and sobbing, her face all red. I heard that some of the students? parents in my school died from the attacks and when I saw her I thought maybe it was her parents and though I felt sad that her parents had died, I was also relieved that my parents were safe. As time passed, I grew more aware of what?s going on in the world and now I?m trying more to understand our American culture and the culture of other countries as well. 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 story10878.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-09-10 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: Hi My name is Sherriva. On the day of September 11, 2001 I was in my 3rd period English class. All I can remember was my teacher telling us that sometimes things have to happen to keep the world in balance. I recall mysef questioning my friends on our teachers mental well being, Then her turning on CNN. All I saw was chaos, People running and sceaming and crying. Not really knowing what was going on but feeling that something wasn't right.Then hearing about the heartless masacre made me sick to my stomach.Just the thought, that someone could take thousands of human lives and throw them away is disguisting.Who gave them the right to play the role of God? From that moment on I realized that this world wasn't all that I thought it was cracked up up to be. A place that is supposed to be safe.I knew that there was no such thing as an Utopia, but I thought that America of all the places in this dog eat dog world was close enough to one for me.I may not have been there in the flesh, But in mind and soul I was, And now my consciencesness ring with the unforgetable echoes of the falling buildings, that I alone shall 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 story10645.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. 2004-06-14 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.116.135 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: Hi, my name is Spencer Cueni and I am a student at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, TX. At the time of the attacks I was beiginning my junior year in college. It was a regular Tuesday I got up at 7:30 to get ready for my classes. At about 8 I sat down in the living room to watch Good Morning America as I do everyday. I will never forget what I saw. All I could see was smoke and at the bottom of teh screen it said New York City. I immediately called my dad to see what was going on and he told me that a plane had hit the World Trade Center and they thought itwas an accident. As I was talking to my dad we were waching the same channel and I saw what I though was a replay of the plane hitting and I said "Oh My God Daddy, they are showing the reply." My father gasped and told me that wasn't a replay which I quickly understood because everyone on TV was screaming that another plane had hit. I had to get off teh phone and go to class and it still felt like something out of a movie until I got to class. When I walked in my professor had the TV on and I saw that the firts tower had collapsed, the I saw what I thought was metal falling from the builings until I realize that it was people jumping from the burning building. I began to weep with everyone else in class. I cannot believe this happened in our country where I have always felt safe. Now everytime I get on a plane I hold my breath and my chest hurts until I get off. I will never forget that day, I carry it and the images with me everyday and I doubt there will ever come a day in my life where I don't think about it and all of the innocent lives that were lost. I continue to pray for the families of the victims and for our country. 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 story2964.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. 144.96.176.108 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Last year, I had a zero period, which meant I had to go to school by 6:30. When I arrived in class, my classmates were talking about a plane crash and the World Trade Center. That is when I found out what the terrorists did. I was shocked to find out and horrified as I watched the news in class instead of learning a new lesson. In all my classes that day all we did was watch the news to find out more information about the incident. I am deeply saddened about what happed on September 11th, and I am proud of our country on how we reacted 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 story8224.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.79.81.6 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: On September 10, 2001, I just finished working in the financial aid office at my school and my fianc?e and my son met me down here around 6 PM to go get some dinner. We decided on the Burger King across from the towers and across from century 21. That night I was up really really late which caused me to wake up two hours after I was suppose to. Normally I am at school between 8 and 8:30 but on this day I didn?t leave my house until after the first plane hit. I saw it on the TV but I was determined to get to school. I didn?t think it was anything serious. So, I went on with my daily routine. When I got my son to the babysitter, she told me that both towers were hit and I wouldn?t be able to get to school. Ignoring her, I just left desperately trying to find a way to get to Borough of Manhattan Community College located in Manhattan on Chambers and Greenwich which is about 5 blocks away from the towers. She kept saying, there is no way your going to get down there. I was in the south part of the Bronx near the 138th street bridge that runs over the Hudson River, I saw the smoke in the sky. It was a huge cloud of smoke and it was really frightening. I started to panic because all my co-workers and all my friends were down in that area. My fianc?e was also in that area. I tried to call him but I could not get through on the pay phone that I was using. There was so much traffic that people just started getting out of their cars and standing around looking up in the sky. A few minutes later, someone shouted, ?the Pentagon has just been hit!? I don?t remember how long I was there because at that moment I lost all concept of time. I was so scared. I tried reaching the school to see if all of my co-workers in the financial aid office had made it out. I couldn?t get in touch with anyone in Manhattan. So, I called my aunt and told her that I was okay and I never made it to school. She was so relieved because she was the reason that I went to bed so late. She said, ? I guess I can?t be sad for making you stay up so late. I saved your life.? (That morning I was suppose to go to the KB toy store at the bottom of the towers.) She told me that my fianc?e had called her and told her that he was stuck on West 14th street and to let me know he was okay. I finally gathered myself together and went to go get my son. While I was at the babysitter, she was getting hysterical because people in her family were missing. I finally left her house around 11:30 am and trying to get home was a huge task for me. I tried to catch a cab and no one wanted to pick me up if I wasn?t going to Manhattan. (How could anyone be so selfish at a time like this.)? All of the bridges were closed to traffic going into Manhattan. So, my son and I took the bus. It normally takes us 30 to 45 minutes that day it took us 2 hours. We still weren?t home yet. It took us another 45 minutes to get home. That day was so crazy for me however, in the Bronx where I live, so many people were shopping like nothing ever happened. As soon as I got home, my mother called me from California crying. She was saying how much she loves me and how worried she was about me. This tragedy brought a lot of families back together but us, as a city was still apart. For me the next three weeks were the hardest. I refused to go into Manhattan until it was time to go back to school. The first week or two, no one talked about my college. I didn?t hear when I was supposed to go back to school; I didn?t hear anything. All you heard about were the high schools and the elementary schools. I mean granted they are young people, but they didn?t suffer like B.M.C.C did. We lost one of our own buildings that was hit when one of the buildings fell. So now our main campus, which was only, equipped to hold 7,000 students now, holds 17,000 students daily. It hurt that our school didn?t get the attention that it should have gotten. When I finally found out that I go back to school on October 1,2001, I got really excited. I?ve always enjoyed school but this excitement was different. It was like being happy after a terrible storm. You know your life will never be the same but your happy that at least you can try to get back to normal. On October 1, I got off the train at Franklin Ave. in Manhattan and started walking towards school when I felt this huge darkness come over me. I started breathing hard. It wasn?t from the stuff in the air like the media wants you to believe, it was the fact that I?ve seen these two towers hovering over my school for two years. I never paid them that much attention but now that they were gone I could help but to be sad. I mean I never realized there was sun in lower Manhattan because the towers were so tall, it was our shade. It was our protector. Everyday after that coming to school was such a drag for me. It was emotionally draining. You try to cope with what?s going on but having to be down there everyday, I felt like one of the rescue workers. Completely exhausted. The school tried its best to accommodate us with help and with allowing a moment to express our feeling in class. But for many of us, that will be a day that lingers on our hearts and minds forever. I graduate this semester. And the only thing that I can think about is getting as far away from down here as possible. But that?s unlikely. Because wherever you go in NYC, you can still see were the towers should be. And then it will feel like you were there all over 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 story617.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. 2002-05-16 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 207.127.204.47 Notes Notes about this item. duplicate story posted #611 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: How did you witness history on September 11? Our principal, Dr. Frossard came on the speaker and told us that there was some breaking news, and if we wanted to turn our TVs on in our rooms we could at our discretion. I know that at that time, only the first plane had struck and it had just been a few minutes. I had a very small class at that time and they were seniors, so we continued to watch CNN. I can't remember if it was an A or B day but I think B, because I continued watching TV after that class was gone and on B days I was done after second block. I remember watching the the second plane strike, reporters jumping from that scene to DC as everyone heard the Pentagon had been hit, and then even as word of another plane and then finally we knew. I remember watching the towers fall in disbelief and shock, thinking how this could have happened here. Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I feel there has been a change in my life for sure. I remember that Sunday after 9/11 when we went to church, the minister talking about trying to make sense of something that didn't, trying to understand the non-understandable and that all you ever know you have is that moment. When we got home from church that day I told my husband I wanted to call all my family and have them to dinner. It was so important to me to be with them at that time. I noe know that even here in our country we may never feel totally safe again from outside terrorists and, because of that, innocence is gone. Many years ago my husband and I went to Rome right after a terrorist killed many at the airport and when we arrived there were guards with machine guns and not only were your bags checked, but each person was frisked. Could this now be what would happen in my country? Even though I have never been afraid of flying, I would still get butterflies at the thought of that big piece of metal- now I have more butterflies because it is a "different" world for us. What do you think should be remembered about September 11? We need to remember the tremendous loss not only to thousands of individuals, but also to us as a country. We need to remember the unselfish bravery of many who tried to save others. We have to remember that even though we live in the greatest country in the world there are still many that will come here to try to destroy our spirits. We must be more vigilant to all that goes on around us and committed to protecting our way of life. We must be sure that everyone knows we feel this way about our country and way of life. We must never forget the gravity of the incident, the loses we suffered, and the power of the American spirit. Have you flown an American flag since September 11? How has your feelings about the American flag changed? Yes. I don't think they have changed really, more that it has been brought to the forefront of my thoughts as opposed to a background of my everyday life. Even the mere thought of removing the phrase of "one nation under God" bothered me tremendously, and I know it would bother me more today than it would have prior to 9/11. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8840.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. 2002-12-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 216.54.14.84 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 home on maternity leave having just had my daughter three weeks earlier. I was rocking my beautiful baby girl and was watching the Today Show on NBC. They were showing the WTC and one of the towers was smoking. Katie Couric was saying that there was a fire of some kind at the World Trade Center. I called my friend Mary and told her to turn on the television because something horrible was going on...all of those people above the fire floors were trapped. We were asking each other how those people would get out when the announcers said that it was believed that a plane flew into the building! "How off must that pilot have been to fly into a building! There must have been a malfunction!" As we are saying this - live on television - a second plane flies into the second tower. This is no accident! I was not comprehending that it was a second plane. I thought that maybe they had some footage of what had happened to the first tower and they were showing it in replay...but no...this is not that tower, it's the other one...what is going on??? I didn't get it at first. Then, "Oh my God! Mary, what just happened here?" We both started to cry. We had just witnessed hundreds of people die. We didn't see their faces, we didn't know there names, we didn't see their physical demise...but we felt it! We felt the pain and the shock and the horror and the disbelief. My father was in high school the day that JFK was assassinated. He wrote about the kids, the mood, the astonishment at the realization that their world had just changed. He remembers that day and exactly where he was. I remember exactly what I was doing and where I was when the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, OK was bombed. I will remember that day. And, I will remember this one as well. My son was 9 when his world changed from an impenetrable nation to a vulnerable one. He will remember. My daughter was 3 weeks old, she will never know the world of "no fear." I pray that they will always know a world of hope. 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 story6932.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. 67.1.215.182 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 my first time that I heard and saw on t.v. about the attacks here in America. It really shocked me. I felt sorry for those who has lost their families and friends during the attacks. It was not a good thing for us. Since after the attacks, I noticed that we, the Americans, has been untied together and joined to bulid our nation back together. I am proud about that. It really showed that we are a strong nation and a strong Americans people. I hoped that will contiuned on through our future life. Dont let be with you about the 9/11/01...just let it go and look forward to a great future that is waiting for you. I will never forget 9/11/01... but I am looking forward to a bright future. I hope we can work together and make it more stronger! Remeber... God is there with us and he is giving us the strength... power..harmony..peace to help us to fight against terrisom. Thanks for sharing and 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 story5244.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. 129.21.163.37 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: 1.How did u witness history on September 11th? I did not witness history on September 11th,but on September 12th, I went to school and everybody was talking about it, even the teachers. Mostly, the whole day while I was in school, everybody was talking about the terrorists attack and how the planes crashed. Everyone was just going on and on about it. The things that people were saying were, how did the planes crash. They were also asking people if anyone knew anyone that was on the planes. I also heard what happened on September 11th on the news and in the newspaper. In the newspaper they were also saying how nasty O'Sama Bin Laden was for oing what he did. My family was talking a lot about it, and I was asking my parents a lot o questions about September 11th. My parents told me that the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in New York had burned down because of the planes and that there is going to be a war and who were the terrorists. My friend's cousin lives in New York, and I was talking to him on the computer about what happened. I asked him if he saw what happened. people were coming up to me and asking me if I had heard about it. I couldn't believe what had happened, and I wondered who wanted to crach into the buildings. Some of the teachers last year, when I was in 7th grade at the Marlborough Middle School, were telling us not to talk about it anymore until we got home. I think they were telling this to us just in case people didn't want to hear about it anymore just in case they didn't hear about it yet and if there parents wants to tell them. I wil never forget about September 11th,2001. 2.Has your life changed because of September 11th,2001? My life has changed a little since September 11th because I felt really weird and different because of the war that was going to happen. When I felt weird and different I was sort of in a daze and thinking about what was going t happen (and what is going on right now.) Something like this has never happened to me since I ws bord. other than that, my life has not changed because I didn't know anyone that was on the planes that had died. 3.What did you think shold be remembered about September 11h? What I think should be remembered about September 11th are all the people that died and that day in the Worl Trade Center and in the Pentagon. That's what I think should be remembered about September 11th. 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 story8470.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.60.58.139 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Another Day, a Nation Changed By Erica Henry The day started off the same as any other day. Nothing was different; nothing foreshadowed the coming events. It was the same morning routine. I was running late as usual and had to run to get to the bus in time. As I flew out the door I heard my mother tell me that she loved me, and my father wished me a good day at school. School started out the same. English was no more interesting on this day than any of the others. It didn?t take long for me to begin to nod off. And I wasn?t the only one. It was first block and English was not exactly the most interesting class in the world. Glancing across the room I saw many nodding heads and droopy eyelids. As the teacher droned on, I was hoping she wouldn?t call on me, because I had no idea what she was talking about. I had stopped listening long ago. An innocent knock on the large wooden door provided a pleasant excuse for me to turn to my best friend and begin a conversation. But the knock on the door was not innocent. Our teacher?s face was terribly white, and her hands and voice were shaking. ?Something terrible has happened,? she said, ?someone has crashed into the World Trade Center.? She proceeded to turn on the television. I remember us all watching the news with wonder and confusion; none of us tired anymore. At first, I didn?t actually understand the importance of what had happened. I didn?t even really know what the World Trade Center was. However, seeing the images of bright orange flames, billowing black smoke and airplanes smashing into buildings, I knew that something terrible had happened. The entire school watched in silent amazement as the two proud towers came cascading down. This feeling of intense solemnity hung heavy in the air. All were scared, and more than a little astounded at what had happened. Silence dominated with only the exception of the news. Those horrible images of terror and evil will never be forgotten, though many may try. Class change was quick and the only talk going on was about what had occurred. The news stayed on in all the classrooms, and class as we knew it was non-existent. I was quite shaken by the entire thing. I couldn?t understand that America had been the victim of something like this. Surely not America- the land of the free, the home of the brave, the light of liberty and justice! Surely not America! This type of thing just didn?t happen in America. We were invincible. We won wars. We wrote history books. We were the ones who came to the aid of countries in trouble. Such a thing surely couldn?t have happened in brave, strong America! It shouldn?t have?but it did. And America as we knew it would never be the same. The events of September 11th 2001 changed our nation greatly. We drew together in a way we had not in a very long time. A new sense of pride in our great, though wounded, nation was born and a whole new generation pledged their support. People reached out and gave of themselves to help their fellow citizens. ?What Satan intends for evil, God uses for good.? But September 11th changed me personally too. Now, more than a year later, I am still affected. I will never be the same. It used to be that I didn?t care what happened in politics. I just didn?t think it mattered to me personally. Honestly, I believed that nothing could ever touch America, so why care? Not so anymore. Now I follow the news closer and pray for the leaders of our country. I also have an inspired sense of pride in our nation. I used to think that patriotism was stupid and was only for old people. Again, this view has dramatically changed. I myself am proud to be an American and I am not afraid to say it. I love my country so much more since 9-11. I am way more thankful for the blessings I enjoy. And now America faces the future, not sure of what will happen. But we will face the future with courage, unity, and faith, because we know that an additional 3,000 lives have been sacrificed that we may enjoy the liberties of this country. Freedom comes with a price, and we owe a debt of eternal gratitude to those who have paid our dues. May we never forget September 11th. 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 story8206.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. 2002-09-30 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.204.242.22 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: At the time of the attacks, my entire gym class was entirely oblivious to what was going on in New York or Washington DC. My classmates and I heard an announcement about it and actually began cheering thinking it was just a false alarm and this was our excuse to ditch class. Our P.E. teacher began disciplining us and telling us to go back to our tennis practice for he thought it was just a false alarm, also. As class ended, all of us crowded inside, rushing to get to a water fountain. At this point, things were still unclear about the attacks so we went out and about doing our business. After saying goodbye to my friends, I headed over to my next class. My favorite class was next so of course I was smiling and cheerfully saying Hi to many glum faces without even knowing what was the matter. I get to my! next class, and what do I hear, 2 planes have apparently crashed into worlds 2 most largest building at this moment. The World Trade Centers are tumbling and all lives are at stake. I immediately said through a silent prayer but I assume it wasnt heard because remember the moment now, how many lives were lost and how many of them were lost while in pain? What kills me the most is the children. Thinking about all the children who perished on the airplane, and all the children who lost a parent is almost too much to bear. Next thing I know, I hear the PENTAGON has been attacked, also. It sounded so absurd and unusual seeing as to how close it was to home. (I thanked God my parents work in their own business rather than a government profession.) The following day, school was let out, and although I was supposed to be happy to get a break from all the work, all I could think in my head was, Is this really happening? Watching the news was just too much for me, so I invited a friend over to try to avoid thinking about this huge incident. After a little while of just sitting around in a daze, we began to talk about what happened. At the time I dont think I knew yet how many people had died. I felt nothing but hate for the people who did this and nothing but sadness for the people it affected. Whatever happens to the people responsible for this terrorist attack, they completely deserve. Despite how hateful I may soun! d, I hope they get what they deserve. Especially the person who specifically planned to hit the place where the most people would be at the time. I wonder if they even thought about the children? I guess it doesnt really matter to them. An American is an American. It is amazing how a year has already passed; yet this whole tragedy feels like it happened just yesterday. That just shows how horrible it really was and how much it is still on the minds of every young person. As of this moment, I am listening to the DJ Sammy remix of Heaven featuring the voice of a young girl who lost her father in the attack. It absolutely pierces you right through the heart knowing this child will never see her daddy again. I often wonder how humanity could get so far as to killing innocent people who just want to be with their families. When I think of September 11, Pearl Harbor and the Holocaust come to mind. Driven by hate, look where it takes you. Hopefully, th! is will stay on the conscience of everyone in on the attack. This day will go down in history books, and the children without a parent or parents, will soon be all grown up while having lived a deprived childhood. America is still a great country, and will continue being a great country, and maybe will put an end to all this war that is occurring behind the backs of the 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 story7727.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. 2002-09-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 151.188.17.4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: September 11, 2001 On September 11, 2001 I was at home getting ready for school. When I was going to walk out the door I saw the news saying what was happening. I sat and I watched it for a while then I left for the bus stop. When I got there we started to talk about what happened. I was scared and surprised at the same time. It was like it really didn?t happen. I remember when the people were jumping out of the windows. I think that was the saddest part. I also remember the second plane hitting. I remember when everyone had no clue who it was. 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 story2918.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. 163.150.15.187 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: The Morning of September 11th I was in school. It happend during 3rd period,but i didn't hera about it untill 5th period. My 5th period class is history. I remember my teacher Mrs.Downing yelled "Kids be quite this is history in the making." At first I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know what the Trade Center Towers were untill the terrorist attacks happend. My fellins for this tragic accident was that when I finally realized what happend I cried in class. Just the thought of thousands of wives,husbands,moms,and dadsgone felt unreal to me. It took me a while to cope with this terrible thing. I don't know how people could go and kill that many people. In my opinion I think that it is the governments fault,they could of stopped it. 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 story6447.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. 156.63.116.140 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 first heard about the 9/11 event at home before school. I turned the t.v on expecting morning cartoons, but instead I found myself viewing a live broadcast of a terrorist attack. I did not know what to think or feel but I did know that it was going to be a very different day. The news spread rapidly and the topic was discussed everywhere, especially at school. Despite the horrible scenes shown on t.v., heart breaking announcements made by the school principal, and the loss of civilian lives, it was heart warming to see the concern of Californians for the fellow American lives on the other side of the country. The same weekend on the week of the attack i just got off work. I saw civillians waving the U.S. flag on the streets of Beach BVLD wearing "i love NY" shirts. I remember turning left onto Beach BLVD and saw a guy in the middle of the street with an American Flag. He waved it at me expecting a honk as a sign of patriotic acknowledgement, so I honked...he nodded..and turned to the car behind me. I drove off feeling patriotic and knew America is "still standing." 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 story8254.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.79.81.236 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 early on Septem,ber 11,2001. I was feeling very excited because I was involved in my first political race ever. I was running for one of eight seats on the Newton School Committee. I was running from my district but it was a citywide vote (pop.80,000). The preliminary election was necessary because 4 people were running from my district for 1 seat. I had worked hard since July 4th, getting the necessary signatures and trying to connect with voters during the summer. It was difficult to get people to vote in a local election with only one citywide race on the ballot. I had lined up family and friends to cover as many of the polling areas as possible (21) and sent my children to friends houses so I could leave the house before they left for school (an unusual occurence). At 7:00a.m. I was on my way to hold a sign at one of the elementary school where voter turnout was expected to be high. My very supportive husband had left two days earlier to go to Zurich in order to testify in international court for a client of his. I was feeling a little lonely but optimistic. At 8:40a.m. he called me on my cellphone to wish me luck. Because of the time difference he had just finished testifying and he said it had gone well (it was a first for him as well). I told him it was a beautiful day, the air was cool but the sun was strong and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Twenty minutes later, as the voters streamed by, several voters stopped to tell me that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. My first thought was that a small private plane with an inexperienced pilot or a traffic helicopter had hit and there probably wasn't a tremendous amount of damage. Within minutes, other voters told of a second plane. I left the school and traveled to my next stop, Newton North High School. I still didn't know the enormity of the destruction. David called again, and inquired, "What's going on there?" I told him the little I knew. I stayed for a few minutes holding my sign until one passerby in a car yelled, "Haven't you heard what's going on? Why are you standing there? Do you think anyone cares about that candidate?" Well, I didn't know how to react, but I did get in my car and drove home. As I watched the television coverage, my heart sank, and I felt like ducking. I felt as though something may fall out of the sky at any minute. I resisted the urge to pick up my 2 middle school children, and my 8 year old. They would be upset soon enough. Less than 6 months earlier my son had lost 3 friends in a school bus accident and the feelings were still raw. While I was at home, one of my friends called to say his wife couldn't hold a sign because she was worried about her brother who worked in Tower 2. He amazingly survived after freefalling 30 stories in the elvator and somehow prying open the doros. Less than 5 minutes after he left by ambulance, the tower crumbled. When I heard the planes had originated from Boston and were on route to California, I worried about my neighbor. He had told me he was leaving before 7:00a.m. that morning for California and wouldn't be able to get to the voting polls. Later that day when I called his house, his wife told me he was originally scheduled to be on one of the planes that crashed, but he decided to take a later flight so he could walk his daughter to school and vote. On his drive to airport he heard on the radio about the crash and discovered Logan airport had been closed so he turned around and drove home. The governor appeared on tv shortly after 10:00a.m. and announced that the elections that day would not be cancelled. The immediate threat to anyone in Massachusetts appeared to be small. After my children came home and I spent some time with them, I turned off the television coverage and took them with me to the farmer's market, a Tuesday afternoon event that take place in the nearby park. The market was crowded as many people had been sent home from work and they really didn't want to be alone. I sent a few voters to the polls and then I went home. Later that night I went to city hall to get the results. At 11:00pm they announced that I had come in second place and would be on the November ballot. I was as excited as I could be given the days' events. It was certainly nothing like I had anticipated. I went home exhausted and sad, and very concerned about my husband flying back to the U.S. He was scheduled to return that Friday, and in fact made it home by Saturday afternoon. On Friday he stayed at the airport in Zurich until someone let him on an American Airlines plane that was flying its crew back to Chicago. Saturday morning he flew to Hartford and rented a car for the last leg home. By then, my stomach was really in knots but our life started to return to normal. It's definitely a day I will never forget but the goodness that ensued was inspiring. That Saturday, my 8 year old daughter and her friends had a spontaneous yard sale for the victims and raised $1000.00 in 4 hours. People were overwhelmingly generous and it felt good to be able to contribute to Tikkun Olam (the repair of the world). Susan Edelstein Rosenbaum Newton, Massachusetts 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 story6435.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. 206.40.165.66 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: I was in school, when a girl ran into my second period class saying "An airplane just hit the Twin Towers in New York!" We were all shocked and stunned. My teacher turned on the news and we watched what was happening. It was horrible, I dont understand how people could do something so cruel and inhumane to the United States. My sympathy goes out to everyone feeling what I'm feeling, for everyone that has lost someone on September 11th, for everyone who has to deal with this pain everyday of their life. In a time of need, we all pulled together and showed our support. Our country is stronger then ever, and we showed that no one can change that. Even though many of our loved ones were taken away from us on that horrible day, they are watching down on us from above, they are now safe from harm and they will always remain in our hearts. My heart goes out to everyone. 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 story2267.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.18.33.4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Around 8:45am, I went to grab some coffee from a street vendor near my office. On the way back into work, someone in the lobby told me that a plane had hit the Pentagon. When I returned to my desk, all of my co-workers were standing at one computer, and I asked if they had heard. They said they had heard a plane hit the WTC. I told them about the plane hitting the Pentagon, and we all stood there in silence. Clearly, it was not a coincidence. We watched the footage on-line of the planes hitting the buildings in NY, and were then told that there was a bomb threat next door. We moved to another side of the office, and were trying to decide what to do. I had heard from various people via IM that there were bombs going off all over the city. Fortunately, all of the rumors turned out to be false-but at the time, we were afraid to leave the building. We waited a few hours, and then decided to walk out of DC instead of taking the Metro. I walked down M St, towards Georgetown and across the Key Bridge. I could see smoke billowing from the Pentagon as I crossed into Virginia. 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 story887.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. 2002-07-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 207.2.164.203 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: Solidarity in a War Zone By Robert W. Snyder In the blasted bomb-scape outside the World Trade Center yesterday, it was the courage and kindness of ordinary people that saved lives. I know because a crew of McDonald's workers pulled me out of the choking smoke. My day began as normally as a New York City day can. I voted in the primary, then caught the downtown Lex?headed for my usual stop at Fulton Street, right near the World Trade Center. I normally get off there to catch the PATH train that takes me to Newark and my job teaching journalism at Rutgers. The train was running slowly, and I thought it was just ordinary train trouble when it skipped Fulton and stopped at Wall Street. I walked up to the street, oriented myself, and headed north on Broadway. Crowds were milling on the sidewalk. From a distance I assumed that it was something to do with the primary. I walked uptown, looked up, and saw the World Trade Center in flames. > I thought out loud, "One of my best friends works up there." Then a huge explosion of gray smoke erupted from the building. Like everyone in the crowd, I turned and ran east, away from the World Trade Center. Some people screamed. A few fell. I wanted to help them, but I wanted to live more. I kept running as fast as I could. I wanted only to get home to my wife and children. Any second, I expected to be crushed by falling debris. Then the smoke caught up with me. All went dark and silent. I felt all alone. > > I could not see one inch in front of my face. I could barely breathe. The air was so thick with debris that my every breath felt like I was sucking in gravel, > I heard someone say "Stay low". I bent over into a crouch, but I didn't want to > go onto all fours. I was afraid of being trampled if the crowd started running again. > > I could barely breathe. I started to wonder what it was like to suffocate. In the end, do you just fall asleep? > > I took off my hat, held it over my face to filter the air, and took a few breaths. I looked around and saw nothing. Then I buried my face in my hat to take a few more breaths, and looked again. It was still deathly quiet and gray. I thought about my wife and children and how much I wanted to see them again. > After a while the dust settled enough that I could make out streets and buildings. I started to head east, toward the East River. I figured that there were fewer tall buildings that might come down and the chance of better air to breathe. I headed east, following the lay of the land. Lower Manhattan looked like Hiroshima after the atomic bomb: Gray, silent, smoky and sunless. People stumbled down streets and sidewalks. > > I saw one dazed man as alone as I was. I locked arms with him, and said, "Come on, we're going to get out of here." I saw another and said, "Come on, we're going to get out of here alive." I figured with three of us supporting each other, we would have a better chance. > > We were staggering east down a street that I did not recognize when the side door to a building opened. Some McDonalds workers pulled us inside. The air was cleaner in there. We could breath freely again. We spit the dust out of our throats, coughed, and rinsed out our eyes. A woman gave me a wet towel to wrap around my face and filter the air. They loaned me a telephone. I called my wife and told her I was okay. Then I called Rutgers to say that I wouldn't be in for work. > > We made up some cups of water, carried them out onto the street on a tray, and gave them to people trudging by. When they were all gone, I started walking north towards home. I asked a police officer for advice, and he told me to get out of lower Manhattan. I did. I?m a historian, and I?ve given many walking tours in lower Manhattan. It was strange to walk through streets I love and see them dense with dust and debris, to look toward South Street and see the masts and spars of the Peking through a haze of smoke. As I passed the Brooklyn Bridge, I felt the ground shudder. Some people around me looked nervous. I joked that it was probably only the subway passing underneath. Looking back to see an apocalyptic scene of smoke and destruction, I knew I was probably wrong. I walked north, feeling like I was part of a column of refugees. When I reached Chinatown, things started to look normal again. Outside a Roman Catholic Church, a work crew continued to lay down a sidewalk. A family that looked like it was dressed for a first communion stood next to them, smiling nervously. In Little Italy, I walked into a deli and asked to borrow the phone to call my mother in New Jersey. Everyone looked at me oddly: they were there to buy cold cuts. But the woman behind the counter dialed my mother?s number, our connection was made, and I reassured my mom. Trudging up Second Avenue, covered in dust, I was angry and bewildered. I wanted a rifle and I wanted to get even. I was also very thirsty. At the Pescatore Restaurant, I saw workers sitting inside looking at the passing procession. I knocked and asked for water. They told me they were closed and refused to open the door. I walked up a few doors to Jameson's pub and stepped up to the bar. Before I could hail the bartender, a customer slid his drink over to me and said "Take this, you need it." I know which establishment I will return to on my next night on the town. At 54th Street, I hailed a cab and rode the rest of the way home to 81st Street. I hugged my wife, picked up my son at school and hugged him. Then I went to the park where my daughter was playing and hugged her. Sitting at home, I startle when I hear airplanes flying overhead. The roar of the subway makes me nervous. I can still hear the screams of a woman who fell while we rushed away from the explosion. I can still feel the smoke that covered me in a deathly silence. And I think about the McDonalds workers who pulled me and two other men out of the dust so that we could breath again. Terrorists tried to bomb the life out of New York City, but ordinary people saved each other. That is our strength, and that is what will preserve us. 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 story72.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. 2002-02-21 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 146.96.92.54 Annotation Annotations to this item. Environmental/Health Impact Personal connection to someone at site Police Officers Rescue/clean-up workers/volunteers Struggle to get home U.S. retribution NY:2 Feature Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was in my car with my two-year-old daughter around 9:45 in the morning on September 11, 2001. We were on our way to her Acrobatics class, listening to a Christian music radio station. I heard them announce that a plane had hit the Towers, and I heard something about a mall, which now I know they said National Mall. My daughter's class started at 10:00 am, so we went inside. I told some of the other moms about it but they hadn't heard about it yet. We got back in the car after class and I continued listening because at this point I feared we were at war. When I got home I turned on the television and watched in despair. Though I didn't know anyone that worked either in NY or in DC, I was overwhelmed. Then there was the fear of what would happen next. My husband was at work. My seven-year-old son was at school. I tried not to panic as long as I could but I finally called his school to make sure everything was all right. I asked them if many parents had come to pick up their children. The receptionist told me that quite a few parents had come and if it made me feel better, it would be OK for me to come and get him. So that is what I did. I live in a rural area and didn't really fear anything happening out here, but I really needed to see and hug my little boy. We watched the news for a while together when we got home. I wanted him to remember what had happened that day, but yet I hated for him to see all the destruction. After a bit, I called my husband, just to hear his voice. I think my story is pretty typical of the general public. I didn't lose any of my loves ones, and for this I have been blessed. I am so sorry for those who lost family and friends. We were all affected greatly by this. I think we all did remarkably well in getting on with our lives while at the same time mourning those who were lost. God takes good care of His people. He was truly with this country on that day, as He is with us always. 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 story3371.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. 67.226.228.43 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: When I awoke on that horrible morning, I turned on the TV so that my children could watch their morning cartoons before going of the preschool. When I had turned on the TV the first images of the planes hitting the buiding were on the screen. I thought to myself that these were great visual effects for what I thought was an action movie. I checked the TV guide to see what movies it was. I then realized that it was really happening. I sat shocked and amazed that something like this could happen on American soil. I called my husband, who is a newspaper reporter for the local paper, and asked if he had seen or heard what had happened. My husband gave me all the details that had come in over the wire. I just couldn't believe this was happening. Shortly after that, the towers stared to collapse. I had never felt so helpless in all my life. People were dying and there was absolutly nothing that I could do about it. I decide to go online and see if there was anything that I could do. I went to the website listing missing persons to see if I could possible help make any matches between people lost or missing and people found. I was so overwhelmed by the number of people on those lists. I did not personally know anyone who was lost or had lost a loved one in the terrorist attacks, and for that I am grateful. Through my husbands reporting job, we have met many fireman and rescue personnel ans well as people who's lives where sadly changed by these events. I could never in a million years, understand how they feel. The closest that I have come to being directly effected by this is know that the plane that crashed in Somerset, PA, was turned around over Cleveland OH were my family lives. We have recently moved to PA, not to far from the crash site. It is a humbling experience to know that people were so brave as to risk and lose their own live to protect millions of others. It would be naive of me to think that we will never have to go through this again. I know that there are evil people out there who hate us for the freedom and liberty that we have in this country. I am proud to be an American. I have taught my three preschool aged children to be proud of what we have and what we stand for. I have also taught them to never take anything for granted and to live life to the fullest. That's all any of us can really do. 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 story1682.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. 2002-09-03 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.188.195