391 20 70359 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: My co-workers and I were at Famous Anthony's restaurant for breakfast which was a daily habit. We had placed our order and were watching "Good Morning America" when the footage was shown of the first crash. As we watched, the news crew trained the camera on the sky and the one hit building,then we saw another plane deliberately fly into the second tower. My whole family lives in NYC and it really hit me hardest of all the group-so many people. I still wonder how many people I knew who may have been injured or somehow directly affected by the tragedy. We all kept saying "Oh, My God, That was obviously deliberate-We're going to War"-it was awful. The hush that fell on the entire busy restaurant was instantly noticed, then replaced by panic.It really changed our lives, in that moment. Many patrons were in tears, and some started praying out loud. It was a nightmare-something normally we don't see here in this great 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 story3463.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. 12.145.83.242 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was at the office on that day of infamy. Like Lower Manhattan it was a beautiful September morning. I was at my desk listening to the local AM Talk radio station. CBS News radio was on;that's when I heard Dan Rather break in of crash into the first tower of the WTC. At that time details were vague;by 9am I got up out my cubicle and went to the break room. Everyone that I worked with was there;there eyes glued to the tv set. Frankly I couldn't belive what the hell had happened. I saw the first tower fall. I found it hard to believe. After the towers and later the Pentagon was hit;our office was in complete shock. We couldn't believe what had just happened. We were raddled. Everything had changed that morning and by thursday morning we were under a Forcecom Charlie which was later changed to Threatcon Charlie. Words can't really describe that day....since that day of infamy I'm now a 9/11 historian. 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 story693.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. 2002-05-31 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.149.90.178 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 watched for hours the horror of the 9-11 attack on our country and our people. Never in my lifetime did I think such an attack on our own soil would ever occur. I couldn't watch any more. I needed to do something. I took red, white and blue ribbon and tied bows with streamers on 10 of the 20 trees lining our driveway and placed two American flags at the gated entrance to our property. As I watched our country's colors wave in the wind, I knew in my heart that no subhuman terrorists could ever wipe out the love and support I have for my country nor the high regard I have for my fellow citizens. I asked God to bless our America and all Americans. 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 story4601.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 198.81.17.167 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 work and was listening to the radio and tuned in on a channel that I thought was a joke at first and then as I stated to listen to it more and more I knew that something was wrong. I remember turning on the television and couldn't beveive what I was seeing! I though for a minute that I was dreaming, but this was no dream this was reality and this event that happen in nyc was real. Sitting at my desk on the 40th floor of One Financial Center located in the financial district of Boston, I heard a page come over the intercom from the main security guard telling everyone to evacuate the building and also the city. That day was the worst day of the existing human life, I just couldn't comprehend that someone would take to aircrafts and decide to park them into two buildings that once stood 110 stories high and so many feet. When I finally got a chance to sit in front of the tv and noticed that people were jumping out the windows and coming down the stairs on fire that something was going to happen more in a matter of minutes or even in a couple of hours. When the towers came down faster than they went up it was a hole different scene and people were just panicing and pacing back and forth in different directions not knowing what was going to happen next. When I was younger I remember my mother having a job interview in the south tower and riding the elevator to the (88) eighty eight floor and looking down and seeing the magnificent sights that were before my eyes and now that is just a day of reminising. I hope that someday they will re-build the towers and make them idiot proof. One year later the same sight but no more buildings and no nice people that worked and served at the WTC... Goodbless the men and woman that lost their lives and may you rest in peace. 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 story8690.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. 2002-11-27 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 207.172.11.232 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 that Tragic morning i woke up at 6:30 A.M., just as i did every other morning. I showered, change, and got ready for school, still clueless that today will be recorded in History. I arrived at school and all my friends were there having this loud converstaion, so i asked what was so interesting? They just stared at me, shocked and surprised. i remember thinking,"Did i miss something?" Finally a friend spoke up and ask didnt i hear about the "plane crash." I'm standing there thinking "Okay, some plane crash, was the pilot drunk? Did alot of people die? But why the heck is this such big news?". So i shrugged my shoulder and went off to my lockers and then to class. My first period was English, and there and then 7;32 A.M. in the morning was when my world turned. I flet all these waves of different emotions: anger, sadness, fear, confusion, pity. i instantly thought what if it would happen to us to? What if the terroists would attack L.A., we would be affected. We were then asked to write down on a paper all our emotions. i remember i couldn't write anything, all i got down was fear. What did i fear? that my life, too, would be cut short and i would die without accomplsihing and fulfilling my dreams. All thhose tragic victims had been robbed of there hopes and dreams, they were just ordinary people like me, would i be robbed blinded like that too? No, 911 didnt affect me in that i lost no family or loved ones. No one i knew were really anywhere near that tragedy. But it truly opened my eyes on...I always believed that you should "live like you are going to die tomorrow", but before that i never really acted upon it. Now i do, because the one thing i fear is to be robbed like those thousands of victims were. *My thoughts and prayers are with those who were robbed of everythhing* 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 story8305.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. 209.79.71.123 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: Sitting there in my seat early that morning during my third period, there was an announcement over the intercom. Our principle tells us the happening of the morning tragic, and that was when my teacher turns on the television for us to watch the news about the horrific event. The history event did not really hit me until later that day when I came home from school, turning on the television. Seeing all the people running, screaming, and crying, trying to find the ones lost in the collapsed of the Twin Tower Buildings brought tears to my eyes. Every minute they would re-play the part when the planes crashed into the buildings. I could never imagine anyone doing such a thing. Millions of questions ran through my mind, thinking what other terroristic thing could they do? Should I panic and worry if the terrorist would hit home? My mother reassured me that everything was to be okay and not to worry to much. I believe I would never forget that history day in time, neither would anyone else. That time, moment, place you were at when u first heard or saw of the happening will always be remembered. September 11th will always be with 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 story8235.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. 209.79.81.229 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 school (second period) there was an announcement made to turn on all the televisions throughout the building. As the class observed what was happening everything was silent and everyone was stunned. It seemed like it was a graphic movie clip or something fictional. Definetly, not an event that would ever happen to us "Americans". Well it did and it was a horrble day, the place where I grew up was destructed physically and emotionally. To add to that my father had just left for Long Island that morning. I recall breaking down and crying letting out my feelings about whether or not he was on one of those unfortunate planes. But it wasn't his time yet and the Lord made sure that plane was alerted to turn and take a route to Washington and away from danger. Today all these flashbacks come to mind and I pray for those many many unfortunate families who weren't able to see their son, daughter, mother, father or even distant relatives who weren't able to greet each other for one last time. I learned that we should live life to the fullest because like last year in one minute everything can change. Also don't take your loved ones for granted because you never know what tomorrow will bring. 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 story4348.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. 209.86.189.212 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 will never be able to forget the day, time, place or reaction to this tragedy. I grew up with the stories of Pearl Harbour and Vietnam and could never imagine the impact it had on the lives back then, but now we do. I remember kneeling down and asking God how he could let this happen. Emotions going from confusion to sadness to such madness. I wanted revenge. I wanted to see us bomb every country that had anything to do with this and really thought that if it were me in the White House, there would have been no talks. Then President Bush appeared on the television. His emotions calm but you could tell he felt the same way. He handled and continues to handle this with such pride for our country that I believe we made the right choice. My son is still young and really does not understand too much of this but hopefully one day I will be able to share the stories with him and my grand-children about how the United States stood strong and united and made it through the most devestating tragedy that has ever been known to man. GOD BLESS THE USA! 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 story4414.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. 208.241.238.4 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: I was 7 months pregnant with our first child, a son, and my husband was working in Manhattan. I had run to the grocery store early (about 8:45am) to buy cake mix, as my husbands birthday is 9/14. In the car, I turned on the radio, and heard people calling in talking about a plane hitting the world trade center. At first, I thought it was one of those practical jokes most radio station play, and continued to listen thinking "this is not funny?!?". Within seconds I realized it was true, however, it did not fully impact me until I got home and turned on the television. The moment I turned on the tv, I watched live as the second plane hit. In a panic, I started trying to call my husbands cell phone. I kept trying and trying while watching the tv, and as the first tower fell, I finally got him on the phone. I fell apart, begging him to please come home, even if it meant quitting his job (that he has been at for 11 years). All I could think of was him being killed before our son was born. I stayed on the phone with him as I watched the second tower fall on tv. He stayed in the city until one outgoing lane was finally opened on the George Washington Bridge. He was first in line as they moved the cones and emergency vehicles out of the way. When he walked in the door that night, I hugged him, and held onto him knowing just how lucky I was to have him come home. I was glued to the tv for the next couple of weeks, still in complete shock that such a horrible tragedy could have happened, right in our back yard! And I watched, as family members prayed and begged for information on their loved ones. To be honest, I didn't know just how deeply I was affected until today, one year later. There is a fear and a terrible sadness that has been permanently tattooed in my mind. Its a feeling that I pray, my son never has to know or feel. I want him to feel the way I used too, before 9/11/01... safe and secure. I am so sorry to all the families that have lost a loved one that day. May we never have to experience such an event 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 story5065.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. 67.82.241.168 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 working just off Capitol Hill the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and I had been at work for more than an hour when I started hearing news of a plane hitting the World Trade Center. I, like many poeple, thought it was an accident, even though we all knew that certain people had tried to knock the building down before using a truck bomb. The internet was very backed up, so it was nearly impossible to get more news online. We then heard a second plane had hit the other tower, and I was able to get through to a news site and get a photo of the second plane hitting, which I printed and posted in the office (I still have that print out.) An employee then came in stating that "they had hit the Pentagon," as well. All of us in the office (about a dozen people) were in a panic - we all had wondering looks on our faces and were questioning reality, I think. From our office we could see the top of the dome of the Capitol. We heard planes fly over the city then, or at least noticed them for the first time, and a group of us went to the window (on 3rd street S.W.) and watched the top of the Capitol as the plane or planes flew over. We thought we were going to see a plane crash into it. Not many people know that the dome is made of 9 million pounds of cast iron. It would have shattered literally into a million pieces if it had been hit. The planes we heard were the fighter planes that were scrambled to intercept the plane that hit the Pentagon. They were too late, but went on to fly up the Potomac to intercept the flight that went down in Pennsylvania. They were cleared to shoot that flight down, but were too late there as well. Don't ever let anyone tell you a plane never hit the Pentagon (modern folklore). I work with a man that I know personally (not a friend of a friend etc) who was on the roof of the Senate or North wing of the Capitol that morning, and he watched the plane fly over Washington and then crash into the Pentagon. I was told a half hour before the government closed that it would be closing that morning. I had taken the subway in to town that morning, and there was no way I was going back into that hole in the ground under those circumstances. I was able to get a ride from a friend. We ran to his car under 395 at South Capitol Street and drove across the South Capitol Street bridge to 295. I watched out the back window as the Pentagon burned. There was a column of black and grey smoke snaking up into the very clear blue sky. I was home before the government announced its closure. I watched the news footage on tv the rest of the day, first at my home, then at my girlfriend's house, then at my parent's house. I didn't have work the next day. Both of my parents had lived through Pearl Harbor, and I asked them how life went on after, whether there was any sense of normalcy, or people walked around in shock until the war was over. They assured me life went on, but we must stay focused on the work at hand now. I remember I had not had breakfast that morning, just coffee, so my anxiety was very intense as I ran to my friend's car and left the city. I always have breakfast now, and on Sept. 11, 2006, I had a very good breakfast. I was also on duty when the Ford House Office building and the Hart Senate Office Building were closed due to anthrax. This is not a related event, but to us at the time, the two were closely linked. I had to work at the Capitol for several months until the FHOB was reopened. One of my friends had to take the anthrax antibiotic, which we all knew was dangerous. Looking back on the events of Sept. 11, 2001, I know that they significantly changed life in this country. However, they didn't change the people in this country. I think we are all still basically good people, that would have had compassion for any injustices being visited upon other peoples by our government, as the attackers allege. If the attackers had really wanted our attention to right injustices, this was not the way to do it. I think they lost their chance at compassion from the American people. But I don't believe they ever wanted it. Anyway, it is long past time to address their list of grievances. 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 story20554.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. 192.136.24.2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: My husband who enjoys channels such as Discovery and History called me into the living room to see the t.v. I thought he was watching a simulation of what might happen if we fell under attack. I could not bring myself to believe it was happening especially so near where we lived, you sometimes think about it but never expect it to. It was my day off and had scheduled my children's dentist appointments for that day. I went to the school and intended to tell them some of what was happening and discuss it with them later that evening after we watched the news. When I arived at school quite a few parents had come to pick up their children and it was hectic and chaotic. My daughter had been waiting for me but my son was no where to be found, my sister who works at the school went to his room but he was not there. There was some confusion with one of the monitors and she was escorting him back to his room on the other side of the building. after twenty minutes of panic and anger I finally had my son and daughter together and on our way. We arived at the dentist office and were there a few minutes and asked to leave because it is in the same building as our local government offices, when we exited the building there were army, air force and naval personnel filing in. At that point I broke down and told my children what was happening, there was a young armed guard coming and saw the situation and told my children that they were safe because they were there to protect us. I was very grateful for the comfort in those few words. I did not get his name and now wish I had so I could locate him and say Thank You for such a small but touching act of selflessness. we went home and decided to do something but did not know what, so we went to the store and bought ribbons and pins and made them to give out to anyone and everyone who wanted one. In total we made over one thousand and still had people asking for them. we continue in our efforts and still talking about what is going on. I have heard negative comments about exposing my young children to such horrors however I simply explain no matter how bad it is this is there lives and history and it can not be changed, but by letting them know they realize how important life is. Sacrificing your life as a firefighter, serviceman, or citizen is the greatest loss knowing why they did it is the greatest reward! My husband and I both being past volunteer firefighters can convey this idea to our children knowing most calls we were putting our lives on the line and willing to do it over and over for humanity. I would like to express my heartfelt sympathies to all those who have lost, and say thank you for this website to let people tell their stories. 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 story6885.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. 24.169.130.161 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 felt as if my heart would break....All those people, the pain....the suffering...My God help them....The city I live in over looks the New York city sky line. I have seen this skyline ALL my life, now it was changed forever....Then I realized that I had to explain this to my 6 year old daughter, How would I do this? I thought blunt honesty would have to do. I explained to her that BAD people attacked and hurt America..this was no accident... When she asked why, I explained to her that we are a GREAT country, we stand for good things and other people do not like this. I then explained to her that we are a generous country, we help other countries when they need help...I then asked her to join me in a prayer. We said the Lords prayer together....She understood, she was brave, she is my strenght.... 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 story2558.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. 12.109.171.198 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I remember waking up to the radio saying that something was on fire. It didn't quite register what they were talking about, for I was thinking about the hotel that they were to blow up in a few days at the DFW airport. I got out of bed and turned on the radio. Thats when we saw what was happening. I just kept thinking, "Oh my God, what happened?" Thats when the other plane hit the secound tower. I called my mother in California to talk to her about this, for she is in the Air Force, to find out if she knew anything. She didn't, not yet. It was saying over the news that all airlines were shut down, but they weren't sure for how long. I was to fly out that day to go back to California. My fiance and I just watched tv all day long to keep upo with what was happening. It was devistating to see all this distruction on american soil. This was something that I thought could never happen to us here, NOT in the US. I lived over seas for the war in '90 and that wasn't as hard to understand as this was. Then the towers fell. It was something out of a horror movie, seeing people running for there lives, not knowing if they were going to live or die. It was scary for me, I can't even imagine what it was like for those poor people. I finally flew back to California on the 17th. I was so glad to see my daughter and mother. You never realize how precious life is till something like this happens. 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 story5923.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.209.38 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was on vacation that week from work.When I got home from taking my son to school i turned the tv on.I thought it was a accident when the first plane hit.But I knew different when the second plane hit.The first thing I done was to call my future wife and tell her at work.I was worried about her hearing it on the radio and not seeing any pictures of this tragic events unfolding before our very eyes.I then prayed for all people in the twin towers;in Washington D.C. and in Penn.It will be a day we never forget. David & Dianna Kunkel 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 story4851.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. 64.216.172.116 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 so moved by what I saw on September 11th of last year that I painted a special painting of our flag with my story that following Sunday the 20th of September. My Story and a picture of my painting appeared in tne the Denver Post and the Colorado Springs Gazette on the 25th of Novemeber. You can read my story and view my painting by going to my web site at "Fred HorjusArt.com". Thank You. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1085.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-08-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.195.201 Annotation Annotations to this item. Internet DOMESTIC Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was sitting in my home office working,I turned on the the today show and they had stated a plane had crashed into one of the towers, such disbelive onsuch a clear and sunny day and then with disbelive a 2nd plane came into view and smashed into the 2nd tower,I then knew what was going on. I 1st had teres in my eyes then anger. all those inasint people. The 1st thing i tought was 10s of thousands of people would be killed from the towers falling down.Thow the # of people that did die on that day was large, it could have been so much more. God bless all the people that gave there lives on that day it truly shows what AMERICANS are made of ( good people ).I will never forget that day and I will remind myself and my 3 year old son on what happened that day, them people will always be rembered in my eyes and my sons. GOD BLESS AMERICA and all of those that live here. 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 story10276.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. 2003-12-25 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.43.203.211 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: Family Assistance Center for Flight 93 John D. Weaver September 11th began as just another day for most Americans. Things changed quickly, though, as a hideous terrorist plot began to unfold. I was in my office at Northampton County Mental Health that morning, helping several other staff members complete a physical office move that had begun the day before. We were positioning desks, file cabinets, and other pieces of office furniture. Someone got word that there had been a plane crash into the World Trade Center in NY City and my coworkers scrambled to get our TV set working to see the news. I simply keep moving furniture. Before too long the office was buzzing as a second plane crashed into the second Tower, and one hit the Pentagon, and another had crashed in western PA. Most work came to a standstill as more and more coworkers were watching the news or were trying to contact family members and friends. I kept doing what I could to complete the office move. My office mates kept passing by and telling me headlines that seemed more and more surreal as events unfolded and the towers began to collapse. Some may have though it odd that I kept working on my tasks for the day. Others knew I'd already taken a phone call from the Red Cross, placing me on alert to travel wherever I was needed, as soon as my destination could be determined. I have been a disaster relief volunteer for over 10 years and I am a member of ARC's Aviation Incident Response (AIR) Team. Our role is to support family members and everyone else involved in the rescue/recovery process when such incidents occur. Until I was dispatched, continuing the physical activity of the office move was something concrete I could do to help my own office staff as much as I could, before I left the area. By noon our County offices were closed. I went home and packed, finally watching some TV coverage as I did so. Folks in the disaster services field plan for "worst case" scenarios and yet no one imagined this could happen. By the time my kids got home from school, I'd gotten my assignment. I was to drive to the Johnstown area to support the relief operation for the families of those lost on United Flight 93 - the "heroes" flight on which the passengers managed to stop the terrorists before they reached their intended target. For the next 12 days, I served as the Coordinator of the Family Assistance Center (FAC). The FAC is a "safe haven" spot where family members can come together and share their thoughts, feelings, and memories with one another. There they can also talk to mental health workers and members of the clergy, doing so in a secured place designed to protect their privacy. Many prefer avoid the media, lawyers, and any others who might further victimize them at a time when they are quite vulnerable. We were fortunate to have a marvelous facility ? the Seven Springs Resort ? available to us. It offered nature?s beauty and serenity to all who came. On September 12th my team met with several of the 75 or so family representatives from United Airlines who had been assigned to help operate the FAC and care for the families. The United people were under incredible stress. The whole airline industry clearly had suffered a major loss and, for United, the impact was pushing the company in the direction of laying off personnel to assure continued operation. Many United workers were first timers, who had gotten there more quickly than their luggage, and who had to fear this would be their last assignment with the company. Nevertheless, they were great people who performed very well throughout our time together. Part of our DMH role here was to support them in their efforts. Our primary role is to organize family member visits to the crash site and these are usually followed by a multi-faith memorial service. Most surviving family members need to visit the site - a visit that helps them accept their loss and begin to move forward with their suddenly altered lives. Disasters (and other traumatic life events) will always change us, but they need not damage us. Our work in disaster relief is based upon the fact that people are incredibly strong and resilient. Each of us builds character as we work our way though events such as these. Gradually the victims retake control of their lives and shift from feeling like victims to feeling like survivors. The fact that air travel was temporarily halted following the events of 9/11 made this assignment more difficult logistically than most airline incidents. Initially, it was quite hard for distant family members and friends to get to the area. Some small groups came quickly, by car, bus, and limo. Many people from far-off areas had to wait till air travel resumed. With arrivals so spread out over time, a decision was made to offer two major site visits/memorial services, rather than one big one. We held the first on Monday, September 17th and the second on Thursday, September 20. Because some families arrived early and others came and went in between these two dates, several other personal site visits were also held. ARC DMH personnel accompanied each group. For those few folks who had gotten in to town quickly, we arranged bus transportation and secure, priority seating for a candle-light memorial service held in the town of Sommerset, PA on, September 14th (Friday evening). This spontaneous event was the local community?s response to President Bush?s call for observance of a National Day of Prayer. Those who attended were extremely gratified by the local outpouring of support, compassion, and prayers from the estimated 3000 people who turned out for the event. Over the 12-day assignment we served about 500 family members and close friends of those lost on Flight 93. Helping us serve them were the warm wishes and prayers of people all over the world. We received a marvelous array of flowers, cards, banners, gift baskets, comfort kits, and letters of support. These things were all placed on display in the large dining room that we were using as the FAC?s central gathering place. Especially helpful were the touching messages from innocent children, some of whom attend a school that was near the crash site. These things all gave great comfort to the families and, when we closed the FAC, these items became part of the permanent memorial to those brave souls who lost their lives while protecting the lives of others. We kept the FAC open and staffed on a 24-hour per day basis, throughout the time family members were in residence. That way, whenever someone might be having trouble sleeping or might need company, they were welcome to stop in. Beverages and light snacks were always available. On the two days that the major site visits/memorial services were held, a full brunch was also served, followed by orientation sessions (briefing everyone on the rest of those days? events). Typically there will be daily briefings held at a FAC, offering news from representatives of the National Transportation Safety Board detailing progress on the investigation and on recovery efforts. Here, it was a criminal investigation headed up by the FBI and things were being handled with greater secrecy. Daily briefings are always a good idea because they tend to facilitate group bonding and peer support. Without the daily briefings to draw people into our FAC gathering room, we had to be creative in getting people to make their first visit. We solved the problem through use of a greeting station in the hotel lobby. Team members took turns sitting with United family representatives just inside the front door of the hotel. Families were welcomed, given photo ID, and then escorted to their rooms. During that process, we told them about the FAC and, when ready, we offered to escort them there as well. Greeting people in this way worked so well that we reversed the process and operated a departure station at the same spot, as people were leaving. In addition to ARC DMH, Spiritual Care, Health Services representatives and th folks from United Airlines, three other organizations had representatives available within the FAC. These were the FBI?s Victim Assistance Program, the Pennsylvania Office of Victim Assistance, and the Keystone Crisis Intervention Team (individuals with training through the National Organization of Victim Assistance). The first two groups offered educational information and support for those who wanted to seek victim compensation funds. The third served as my team of childcare workers, to assist families with therapeutic play and babysitting needs. Ordinarily the childcare services would be provided by the ARC CAIR Team (Childcare AIR), but with transportation disrupted we were unable to get anyone from our team and I ended up needing to substitute these folks who had already had child abuse and criminal background checks done. Many of my nine-member DMH team members were new to disaster relief work and they did not have mass casualty experience. To orient them to their role, I offered them two bits of simple advice. The first is: LESS IS MORE (KEEP IT SIMPLE). Obey this fundamental premise: There is nothing you can say or do that will quickly end the shock, ease the pain, or make survivors feel better? But there are lots of things you can say or do that can make them feel (or act) worse! Examples: I know what you?re going through. or Everything is going to be fine. (Either comment may seem innocent enough, yet often results in an angry response.) Passive Listening is often the best approach ? use attentive silence and keep responses to a minimum. Overreaction is counterproductive to cathartic ventilation. There is a concept in communication known as Rehearsal Drop ? basically a point in conversation where the listener?s listening ends and his or her formation of a question or response begins. By speaking too much, responding too quickly, or falling into any of the other nervous interviewing patterns he or she displayed at the beginning of his/her counseling career, the novice or nervous DMH worker often shoots himself or herself in the foot. The second bit of advice I offered the team members was: HOW DO YOU FEEL? (DON?T ASK!). When the surviving family members and friends are ready to talk, there is no way to avoid getting their feelings. Still, I frequently see well-meaning, novice DMH people try to begin their conversations with the quintessential question, How do you feel? (or some similarly intrusive variant that goes straight for victims?/survivors? gut feelings). Following any disaster, hundreds of well-meaning, untrained volunteers can be found hitting on survivors with that same question. Someone who is only available to serve for a short time is often impatient ? wanting to make something meaningful happen during his or her short time on the job. Then they can feel good about what they did, write an article, etc. How do you feel? is often perceived to be the stereotypic psychobabble that TV and movies use as shorthand for all MH counseling. It is also the same bluntly intrusive question many media representatives use to get their 15-30 second sound bites of traumatized people in pain. Avoid it! There is no need to go directly after the feelings in any counseling situation, let alone one as sensitive as sudden death scenarios. Once you begin opening up a dialogue about the facts, the feelings will follow, without you ever needing to ask for them. Many times the most helpful things that DMH workers do are also the most basic. For instance, one family came to the FAC with a large poster board. Each family member also brought his or her favorite photos of the person they?d lost. Their simple plan was to create a small photo-mural to leave at the site. I asked them if they wanted to also write anything between the photos and, when they said yes, I got them a permanent marker to use for the notes. Similarly, we found many people were commenting on how much the vast collection of banners, letters, flowers, and stuffed animals meant to them. We began offering disposable cameras to them, so that they could have something to keep and to share with others who could not be there with them. My experiences with mass casualty incidents always sadden me (something that generally hits us as we end our work) and this was no exception. In fact, this one was worse for me than usual. It seemed like we had done two air incidents in a row, because we had separately served two large groups, barely sending the first home when the second was arriving. We had also done several other private site visits and memorial services, before and between the big ones, rather than just doing one big one as is more typically the case in an air incident. Whatever the reason, I cried off and on during my tour of duty, especially tearing-up as our caravans of buses would pass saluting police officers along our motorcade route to the site visits/memorial services. I also cried off and on all the way home, a five-hour drive, as I returned home from western PA. Both of those things are very typical for me. What was different, though, was that for several days thereafter, I found myself having what I've joking dubbed "random acts of crying" triggered by certain songs, pictures, or news reports. That ran its course but, as I sat down on October 5th to write some reflections on the experiences at the FAC, I found I was tearing up again. I had chosen to write about my experiences as a way to pass my time while on a bus ride to NY City. I had at that point had two weeks rest and I was on my way to join the larger, ongoing ARC operation for the World Trade Center. Disaster work gives people an interesting perspective on life. For instance, when someone works as many major disasters as I have, some of the pettiness of day-to-day activities of living can be more easily ignored and it's easier to keep focused on what's important. During times of tragedy, one thing that is very important is support - support from family members, support from friends, support from communities of faith, and support from others who care enough to share something of themselves when people are in need. I'm truly privileged to be able to help out as I do when terrible things like this happen. Others may think me a bit strange (or crazy) to give up my time and volunteer as I do. The fact is, the most rewarding moments of my professional career have all come to me as an unintended and unexpected result of my volunteer work with ARC. As my bus approached NY in the morning mist, I could see the altered skyline at the southern end of that great city. I found myself thinking about the 1000s of people who never got to say goodbye to their loved ones - people who never got to finish living out their dreams. Some of them also may never have experienced the joy of helping others who needed help in a time of crisis. Please try to let go of any animosity you harbor toward others and avoid putting off showing loved ones you care. Life is too precious a commodity to squander. As the events of 9/11 have shown us, it can be taken from us in an instant. Also, if you are not already doing so, please share some of your time, talents, and treasure helping others. This will, in turn, allow you to get back far more than you will give. 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 story1714.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. 2002-09-04 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.173.10.73 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: The first plane flew right over me as I was walking in to work. I remember thinking that it must have left from LaGuardia but had a mechanical problem and couldn't gain altitude. I hoped that it would climb or it might clip a building. When I got into work it had just hit, and I thought it was an accident. I called my wife and told her to put on CNN because events like this don't happen often. After the second one hit, and we heard about the Pentagon, I knew we were under attack. We lost communication with the outside world and were physically sealed off. We knew nothing about what was going on, even though we were right there. Rumors started to fly around, and then panic set in, and there was no news to set us straight except for WCBS radio, and even that came in poorly. We didn't know when it would stop, or who was attacking us, or what really happend to the Twin Towers. It was strange: I could see it all from my window and not understand a bit of it. People in San Francisco knew more about it than me. I finally ended up walking back home to New Jersey, because I wasn't going to spend another minute on that island. I really just wanted to get home to my wife and son, more than anything else. 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 story1403.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. 2002-08-22 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 138.89.184.220 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 a staff meeting when one of my co-workers came in and told us what had happened. I remember watching everything on the televison and feeling very sad and helpless. My heart went out to all those people that day and I was very sad for many months and had a hard time concentrating on anything. Like so many other Americans I could not believe that we were attacked and that other countries hated us so much. I still struggle with that today. GOD BLESS AMERICA AND ALL THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE WITHIN HER BOUNDARIES. 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 story2579.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. 205.217.172.70 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 part of an e-mail I wrote and sent a couple of days after September 11. I hope you understand. I have been talking about this for more than two days. There were so many calls and e-mails. I came in and composed an e-mail for everyone that I hadn't actually talked to. I am worn out. Over the past two days I have received a lot of telephone calls and e-mails. My family and I appreciate your prayers and concern. My prayers go out to all of those who have lost family, friends and co-workers. I left home early on Tuesday to vote in the Primary and to get to the office in time for a 10 am meeting. Five colleagues and I had a 4 pm flight to Atlanta that afternoon. All that know me, know that I usually don't leave home before 10 a.m. As I drove toward the Midtown Tunnel, I heard that a plane hit the WTC. I thought it was a small plane that had lost it's way or gotten in trouble. I immediately dialed (using my cell phone) my sister who works there and left her a voice message. Next, I called my daughter who had gotten back earlier that morning (after midnight) from a Mexican vacation that involved travel from LA via Dallas to NYC, asking her to try to reach my sister and to try to learn which building had been hit. I also called Barbara, my co-worker, who was already at work, and asked her to go online to CNN to try to determine which building had been hit. I didn't know at the time which building my sister worked in. It turned out she worked in Building 6. As I drove toward the tunnel, I pulled up alongside someone from the fire department and asked him which building? He said that he didn't know, only that there was a fire. My cell phone stopped working. As I drove along the expressway, I could see the two towers clearly. Both were on fire. Continuing to listen to the radio reports, I learned that it was an act of terrorism and that another plane crashed into the other tower. About 1/2 mile before the tunnel's entrance traffic stopped. We sat in our cars and watched the buildings burn and emergency personnel and vehicles speed to Manhattan using the express lane. As traffic began to move, the radio announced that one of the towers collapsed. My view was obstructed at that point, so I didn't see it happen. They turned us around at the tunnel entrance. I wasn't too keen on going through the tunnel at that point anyway. I quickly drove back home. When I got home, I had 9 telephone messages. The first was from my sister, crying and panicked, saying that there was a bomb in the building and that they were trapped and couldn't get out. I cannot express the terror that I felt. I began praying, asking the Lord not to let that message be the last time I heard my sister's voice. The messages continued to play and the 5th message, which came approximately an hour after the first one, was from my sister saying that she had gotten out and was taking the bridge (walking) home. Two and a half hours later, she still wasn't home. At one point we thought maybe she had gotten out and was hit by fallen debris. As it turns out she had gone to the hospital and was treated and given medication for trauma. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for family, friends, co-workers and colleagues. Today is my first day back in the office. Many people called the office to inquire about my and my sister's well-being. The worst part was not knowing and feeling helpless. The telephones weren't working. I am so glad that I wasn't home when my sister's first call came in. I don't think I would have been able to survive that hour until she could call and say that she was alright. I cannot even imagine the pain of the families that still don't know what happened to their loved ones. I have spent the last two days glued to the television set. I know this is more than you ever wanted to know, but I had to get it out. Life is so precious. The things I was bitching and moaning about on Monday were so, so immaterial on Tuesday. I am feeling a sense of loss. I cannot explain why. This e-mail is for you only and is not to be distributed. 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 story398.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. anonymously 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. 2002-04-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.38.184.2 Annotation Annotations to this item. Environmental/Health Impact Firefighters Personal connection to someone at site Telephones and Cell Phones NY:3 Sep 11- Sep 21, 2001 Notes Notes about this item. Move to emails