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: I woke up September 11th just as an ordinary day. I woke up at 5:30 am, took a shower, got dressed, did my hair and make-up, ate a quick breakfast and ran out the door to get to school on time. Throughout the morning I didn't hear any news about what was happening in New York and Washington, D.C. Although around 10:30 am, about two minutes before the bell rang so I could go drive home for lunch, our principal came on the intercom and explained to us that there were two planes that crashed OVER the WTC's. She gave us wrong information, maybe to protect our feelings and keep the school calm because a lot of our parents work in the city. She was letting some kids go down to her office to make phone calls if we were worried. Luckily I didn't know of any relatives or friends that worked up there so as soon as the bell rang I went out to my car and was going to head home. On my walk to my car I heard kids saying that the towers collapsed and a plane hit the Pentagon. I was so confused I had no idea what was going on. On the way home I heard on the radio that there were terrorist attacks on the USA. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The DJ said that two planes hit the WTC's and another one hit the Pentagon. As soon as I got into my front door I ran to the television turned it on and saw chaos. I sat down and just covered my mouth in shock. They played the footage of the planes crashing and later on I saw the two buildings collapse. People were talking on the news screaming that they couldn't find their loved ones. The pain and anger immediately hit me, I started to cry and pray to God that these people find peace. I called my father who works near Jersey City and he told me that he saw everything. I still can not believe the images I see when the pictures or videos come onto the television. It was a nightmare I'll never forget. A couple of my friends who lived up north around Newark lost their aunts, uncles, cousins, parents. I just hope we catch that devil and bring him to justice. The pain and suffering still goes on but life must also. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story318.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-03-26 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 38.138.58.41 Annotation Annotations to this item. Rumors Students/Teachers NY:3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: ...I got up at about 6:30 am on September 11, 2001. My brother had the Living Room TV on-and he almost never has the set on that early. Our Mother was getting ready for work. I went into the Living Room; my brother said, "The World Trade Center's been hit!" I looked at the TV screen-I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Mom and I had visited New Jersey (AND New York as well) in June 2001, only three months earlier. The next word out of my mouth was "Nicole", a young lady whose parents and family I had met on Staten Island (I knew her Uncle and her Cousin). Nicole worked at the WTC. After taking Mom to work, I proceeded to try to contact her family in NY-it took me all of four hours because the lines were so completely jammed. I went to work, feeling terribly for the people who died-THEY were going to work, going home, going in or out of town-you name it...Finally, I was able to reach Nicole's Mom! Nicole was alive! The family was OK-her Dad was stuck in Brooklyn for five hours, but everyone was present and accounted for. Even though Nicole didn't go to work herself, she witnessed the plane hitting the Tower. Upon learning of this, I felt heartsick-for Nicole, for the victims, for everyone. I prayed for everyone and asked God to help us help one another in the difficult times ahead. 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 story9927.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 159.83.115.236 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: As my brother and I drove to class on September 11, we were listening to a talk show on the radio. When we eventually approached the parking lot, a feeling of shock came over us. "Oh my god, there's a hole in the World Trade Center!" the radio host yelled. My brother and I looked at each other in astonishment. We weren't sure whether it was a bomb, a plane crash, or a fault in the construction of the building. After I got out of my first class at 9:15, I went downstairs. There was a television in front of a huge group of students. I stood over there to watch what was going on, and I overheard that other buildings also had holes in them. "What is going on?" I thought to myself. Then, Brian Williams, the anchorperson on TV, declared that suicide terrorists purposely flew their planes into the buildings. I continued to watch and then saw one of the most disturbing things ever--a plane flying into the other WTC building. "There was a lot of people in that plane," I thought. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Then, I went to my next class, and the situation seemed so bad that my instructor started to let people out of class if they were too upset to stay. I left because I wanted to know the full story and see what was going on. I went back to the TV and continued to watch. I saw footage of dust and smoke surge throughout the city. After all of the accidents happened, people started to evacuate buildings in Chicago, which is where I am close to. When I eventually went home, I started to hear the possible amount of people in the buildings, planes, and right outside the buildings. Was it possible that I knew anyone there? Probably not, but what about the people that did? This accident didn't just involve the deaths of people, but it oppressed the family members and friends of the victims. Then, when George W. Bush gave his speech, he said, "A lot of people died today." That was when I realized that this was the single worst day of American, and perhaps world history. 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 story473.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. 2002-04-27 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.197.76 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 on September 11th assuming it was a normal day. I got ready for school as usual but when I turned on the t.v I saw the World Trade Center smoking. My friends, parents, and I all thought that some stupid idiot simply didn't know how to fly a plane. But of course we were wrong. Our musings continued at school also. The chatting that morning was about who kissed who, or who was going to get in a fight. It was about how a plane, or anyhing could crash into a building that tall, and that important. When the first period bell rang and I walked to class I saw my teachers t.v on. " The second tower has been hit...." What the... I think it was then that just about everyone realized that something really serious had just occured. How could TWO planes hit both towers...I mean, once could be an accident, but two? Instead of reading from the book and learning all there is to driving, My Driver's Ed class watched CNN for an hour and a half. We saw the buildings getting hit over and over again on replay, we saw people jump from the 100 feet tall buildings who would rather drop peacefully to their death rather then watch , and feel everyone burning alive. And to everyone's amazement we witnessed the buildings collapsing..live on t.v. The people running, as the cameramen turned their equipment around so that you could see people screaming, running as fast as they ever had while a huge cloud of white smoke chased them. I think the most terrifying thing was hearing the sound of the WTC collapsing. Hearing the ashes and the silt and god knows what traveling through the streets of New York. Like a tornado or a loud wind, I still can't describe the sound. Then the attack on the Pentagon. Even now a year later, I still can't believe what happend that morning. A terrorist attack. A coward called Bin Laden had used our own creations as bombs. Irony is a terrible thing. Thousands of innocent people died for nothing. You never expect anthing like this to happen in your life, especially when your only fifteen. When the bell rang for 2nd period everyone left silently and I walked into my science class. After the bell rang the principal came on the intercom and told all teachers to turn off their t.v's. This really angered me, we were all teenagers, not children, and we were expected to get back to class work as if it was a normal school day? When NYC is covered in white silt and people are dying after we were just attacked? How can you concentrate on anything at a time like this? We NEEDED to watch the t.v, to know what was happening, but we weren't allowed to because...I don't know. The school day continued, I didn't do any work, or even pay attention for that matter, my brain was busy on other terrifying things. When school ended and I got home I found my parents watching the t.v. " America's New War" Okaay...on whom? My family and I talked that night about everything, from what had happened to what was going to happen. What would happen if they drafted? Would I see people enter the army? When something this drastic happens tons of ideas come up. When I tried ot go to sleep that night I just kept thinking about what happened that day, how weird and scary it all was... I guess you can't predict or expect anything nowadays...how sad. 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 story7562.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. 2002-09-15 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.27.54.119 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: We were all in our real estate office listening to the light AM radio. My husband called me and told me that a plane had hit one of the towers of the WTC. We listened in the office, I frantically searched the internet for information. We heard the news of the second plane hitting the south tower. Work stopped, the phones stopped ringing, and we were begging someone to bring us a TV. Then, we got the news the Pentagon was hit. We were at war. My son is, and was, an active member of the US Navy, and my thoughts went immediately to him and his wife, also in the navy. Will we all ever be together? Will our brave servicepeople go off to war? We got the TV in the office in time to watch the Towers fall. Oh, my, I can still remember the feeling, all those people... We stayed at work, but we did not work, we were stunned and shocked, we were crying and trying to cope. I got home in time to watch WTC7 fall, saw the area where the plane plummeted in Pennsylvania. We were stunned and shocked, for days we cried. I was so angry, at who? at what? I sat outside in the dark, once the airplanes started flying again, and when one was overhead, I ran inside crying, who would be next? September 11th, 2001 is a tragedy. We sould make this day a national holdiay, to reflect on our losses, to find our national spirit, to honor our dead and celebrate our armed forces, who go into harm's way for our national pride. GOD BLESS AMERICA I am proud to be a parent of NAVY! 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 story20552.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. 69.37.135.150 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: Where was I on September 11? I remember exactly. I even remember what I was wearing. I was attending the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, MS. After my boyfriend dropped me off at the Center for Community Health, I started working at my research assistant job like every other day. However, cnn.com was terribly slow. Soon we found out what was going on. I had a meeting with a school official that day, and I remember thinking how insignificant my problems were after this tragic event. In the school official's office, I ran into the a friend of mine who happened to be engaged to a man who lived just down the street from the WTC, and I wondered anxiously as she tried to get in contact with Reggie. It was one of the most tragic days I will ever remember. My heart went out to all of the people. I will also never forget how the people of Hattiesburg came together. Churches held memorials, people donated blood, and people were just a little bit kinder to one another. I will never, ever 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 story8734.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. 2002-12-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 192.231.71.10 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I've kept a journal for 30 years, more or less, and I currently write in the morning, on the commuter train to the county hospital where I work as their webmaster. On September 11, 2001, I had just returned from a web conference in San Francisco. The first entry is from the train, before I got in to work, and heard the first news report. The second entry is from September 12. "Sept. 11, 2001 OK. Back from San Francisco. The conference was excellent, but depressing. I learned that I was right about everything I proposed about the web, that we're doing it all wrong here and that I'm grossly overworked. So what. Who cares. It's 8:30, I'm on the train, and the train is PACKED! There's no food in the house. There's a stack of laundry hip deep. I have to make plans for the High Holy Days with Astrid. Seeing Paul and his tribe was wonderful and at the same time somehow heartbreaking for reminding me of the ones who are gone. Sometimes you just have to say their names out loud, just to prove that they were alive once. Scottie Neail. Sheldon Lurie. Nick Cannon. John Borella. Mark Allen Wayne. Ken Cutthoff. Rick Whitney. In a way, being there revitalized me in my commitment to Care Resource. Knowing... I don't know what I know. I'm just sure that it's important to keep going. That no one should have to go through what John did - abandoned by family & his belongings picked over and his wishes ignored after his death. I have to fill out my travel reimbursement forms and write a report about the conference." "Sept. 12, 2001 8:20AM on the train. That sounds so normal, but yesterday the world changed. A day that will live in infamy. No, that's been used. OH! The humanity... um, no-- that's been used too. I watched the mighty World Trade Towers fall. Over and over, caught on film -- the jet, turning, banking, aiming to the heart of the building and plowing -- full throttle, into it. Mid-level. The explosion. The fireball. The collapse. Lower Manhattan looked like Nagasaki. Inches of ash and debris. Burned out hulks of cars. Hollow eyes. John Warner looked and sounded presidential. Dubya did not. Hillary Rodham Clinton sounded intelligent and shaken but resolute. Dubya did not. Dubya didn't speak to the nation until 12 hours had passed. And then he tried to spin the human side of the story, but I think we all understand that aspect. What we don't understand, what we can never understand, is why. Why innocent victims are the enemy because they live and work in America. Because they pay taxes in America. Because accident of birth made them Americans. This horrible, senseless violence has made me feel differently about this country. Somehow. I'm not any prouder of being American. Somehow though, I'm fiercer in my defense of it..? That's not right, either. I don't know what I'm feeling. I called Jayne and Danny. He was south. He saw it all. Jayne watched from the roof as the first tower fell. She said the sidewalks were filled with people 25 deep on both sides of the avenue, trying to cope-- wandering dazed. Hollow eyed. Today's Herald had a photo - color and clear of a man plummeting head first from one of the towers. I never want to see that image again. This is a moment in time like JFK's assisination. We will, all of us alive today remember where we were and what we were doing when we heard. When we saw. This is Pearl Harbor with an anonymous enemy. With a civilian death toll of thousands. Many thousands. Dozens of thousands, maybe. Incomprehensible numbers. Bob Dylan's latest was released yesterday. I had it in my bag all day, but never opened the shrink wrap. Oh! The humanity." 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 story1774.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. 2002-09-05 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 170.134.211.37 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: It was a day that I will never forget. I was teaching my class of second graders and we had the radio on and heard the shocking news about the towers. The first grade teacher turned on her T.V. and then we saw the whole thing in action. I remember standing there in aw. At first it did not seem real but when it sank in to my mind I started to cry. We were now at war a war fighting for or freedom against people like that. I had never expericened anything like this before. A couple of days later I found out that a good friend of mine had lost her husband in the boming. I new this was a big thing but now it hit close to home! It has been a year now and life has moved on. But I don't think any one will never be the same. I know that my life has changed. I pray evryday for my friend and her family and for all the people who lost there lives in this awfull happening. God bless us all. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6469.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. 208.149.44.29 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I live in the Netherlands. It?s this small country in Europe, pretty far from the US. But if you fly or sail to the west from our country, you?ll end up in the states, so in my opinion we are neighbours. Dutch people founded the city of New York back in the 18th century, and before the Brits took over it was called New Amsterdam. I have visited the US regularly, and have been in New York City twice. I remember it well, the van full of young people driving into NYC. I had joined this group from Westland, MI, who were visiting New Jersey to do some work for their church. I stayed at a friend of my uncles, Bob, who happened to be a member of a befriended church. He knew a lot about NYC, and gave us the guided tour. The first attraction was of course the ?World Trade Center?. I remember Bob taking us to the square located around the two towers, and asking us not to look up. He pointed out a building that had been the tallest in New York, early in the century. Then he asked us to look up at the twin towers. It was very impressive. I remember getting my ticket for the sky deck and the elevator ride up. On top of the buildings we had an impressive view, although it was a bit hazy. A couple of years later I took my wife to New York. It was a foggy morning, and at first all we could see of the WTC was its ?feet?. During the day, as we walked in central park, the fog cleared. We were only able to spend a day in New York City, because my niece who lived in Joliet, IL at that time, had her 5th birthday the next day, and we didn?t want to miss that event. Because it had been so foggy, and we hadn?t been able to see the city from New Jersey in the morning, we decided to visit the New Jersey ferry site at night. There was nobody there. My wife and I spent approximately half an hour alone opposite this huge city, looking at the most famous skyline of the world, which of course was dominated by the twin towers. An amazing day. On September 11 2001 I was at work in Utrecht, the fourth largest city in the Netherlands. My wife called and told me she didn?t know exactly what was going on, but the World Trade Center was on fire. I turned on the radio, and at that point in time there was talk of a small plane hitting one of the WTC towers, and I thought of a ridiculous accident. But a few minutes later it became clear, after the second plane hit the second tower, that this was being done on purpose. Naturally I couldn?t get any work done anymore, and after some time I told my colleagues I?d be going home to be with my wife, who was 3 months pregnant at the time. As I was driving home for half an hour, I remember an overwhelming emotion coming over me, as I realised this was a huge tragedy, and a world changing event. When the reporter told that the first tower was collapsing I cried in the car. My wife was crying when I got home. She had watched the second plane hitting live on TV. I remember not knowing what to do; walking to the kitchen to get a drink, but starting to cry again. I suppose there was no time for a natural mourning process. No denial. Just anger and having to accept what you saw. As others have described, it was a surreal experience, seeing people jump from the buildings. Now, almost four years after these events, it has become clear that the world has changed forever. Security has increased enormously, and American citizens don?t have the feeling of being safe in their own homeland anymore. Two wars have been a direct result of this event, and the end is not near in sight. But it has strengthened the people of America, and strengthened the people of the west in general, making them feel stronger in their belief that freedom is very much worth fighting for. We value human life more than our enemy and we will fight for the freedom which is the most important pillar of our societies. I have always felt connected to the people of the United States, and after 9-11 the bond has grown. I hope and pray that all the taken measures will prevent a horrible event like this from ever happening again, because they have taken away some of the freedom we value so much. 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 story11365.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2005-04-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 62.58.36.57 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 recently changed careers from aviation to nursing. I was sleeping when it happened and it was approximately 0930a. I had worked the night before and got home at 10p and was off the next 3 days. I heard the phone ring and I promply ignored it. I overheard my mother talking on the answering machine for what seemed a long time. (She is a flight attendant. Her husband is a pilot. They both work at a top ten airline.) I fell back to sleep. Who knows how much longer it was but my cell phone was ringing so I was sure that it was my husband, who is also in the aviation business. It seemed a few minutes had passed when the cell phone alarmed that a message was waiting. I final get up and see that it was my husband that called. I called him back instead of listening to the message he left. I had turned on the answering machine as I was hearing the phone ring. I heard my mom say that the World Trade Centers have been hit by aircraft. Then my husband came on the line. So I turned off the answering machine. My Husband said "did you see the news". I said I was sleeping but that Mom said an airplane hit the World Trade Center. (All this while I was thinking, dumb private pilots. Duh, bigger than life buildings. I fly small aircraft myself and it seemed like a near to impossible accident.) After a moment of silence he said, "you might want to go turn on the news". I don't ever remember him sounding to forlorn and distant. I said what is it! He said "2 jetcraft just crashed into the World Trade Centers." I said, "by accident?" He said "No. Go turn on the television." I said, "what channel?" He said, "any channel." So with butterflies in my stomach, off I went to the television and it went right to the cartoon network. Well, nothing there except cartoons. Then I change the channel to the 24hour news channel and there it was, that commercial jet plowing into the building. I was aghast. And in denial. I got a creepy chill up my neck and my hair felt like it was standing on end. Those fabulous WTC building with aircraft embedding themselves right into them. I lived in New York for many years, Albany and Long Island, and have many family and friends there. I have a sister and brother in law that work in the city. Now I am in a panic. I know not to call the airlines during this because it will further the chaos that has enveloped the airlines. My mom knows to call if anything happens to any aircraft in the US so I won't worry. So I return to the answering machine. She told me that she is OK and on the ground here in Phoenix and at home. She just got in last night. My Stepfather; however, hasn't been heard from yet. Neither of them fly for American or United so I wasn't too worry about that, but it couldv'e been them just as easily. I was worried about where he would be grounded at. And how long? I resumed watching television as they were talking about who was on board including children (here my heart breaks even more and I cry everytime that I think of it. Replaying the horrible scenes of the jets crashing, Firefighters and Police Officers trapped, people jumping from the building, people running in the streets; terrified. And I watched it over and over. I won't ever forget it. My 4 year old son woke up. I wanted him to see it even if he couldn't understand it. I explained as much to him that a 4 year old could understand. I said "some very bad men who have families of their own took the airplanes and crashed them right into some buildings. Many people died." He asked me "why did they have to die?" I replied,"just because those bad men don't like us very much and they had a temper tantrum like you do sometimes and can't control the anger. That's why we teach you to control your anger. Because Adults are supposed to control their anger so we don't hurt anyone." My son asked,"Mom, why don't they like us?" "I don't know honey, I just don't know. But maybe when you are older, I will tell you about it again, and perhaps have an answer as to why." Why did I choose to talk to him about it? I want him to remember it. Remember what anger can drive people to, why hate is a horrible word, tell him that it is OK to be different and it is those differences that make us unique and not to be hated. We are all children under a God, His name comes in many forms, and that is another one of our differences to be embraced along with race, color, sex, preferences, etc. Tolerance is to be taught as well as respect for others. 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 story4544.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.24.63.162 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 the 7th grade on Septermber 11, 2001. It was Social Studies and we were learning about what seperates humans from animals. My english teacher ran in and turned on our TV. There it was, the twin towers burning, live on NBC. We went into Math class after next and there we saw firemen on TV, putting out flames in the Pentagon. It wasn't until much later that day, after the towers had fell and the country was in silence that I found out my uncles girlfriend, Bobbi, who was a flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 11, the first plane to hit the World Trade Center. It was erie, because these things always happen to other people, never yourself. 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 story11533.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2005-06-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.21.102.69 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: Dear loved ones, I was sleeping in my bed when 911 happend. Then I woke up and heard about the tragice accident. I was very sad even thoe I had no loved ones that died I still felt the feelings of the ones that had loved ones died. I felt them because I was wondiring if my mom and dad were on the planes. Yours Truly, Melissa Sanders 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 story8482.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. 206.193.53.128 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: My name is Rob Webb and I live in Bristol, TN. September 11th. I had just gotten out of bed and turned on the TV to watch the Today show. The first plane had just hit and Matt Lauer was stating that they were trying to get confirmation of the plane crashing into the World Trade Center. I am a Red Cross Volunteer and do National Disaster Response so I called my Local Chapter and let them know what was happening and then I called my parents in West Virginia to ask her if they knew what had just happened. Me and my mother were on the phone when the second plane hit and I knew then that something really bad was happening. I went down to my Local Chapter a few blocks away in Bristol, VA and watched in horror as the towers collapsed. Due to the airports being closed and the chaos I wasn't able to go to New York for Disaster Response until October 5th. I worked at as a 12-8 Shift Supervisor at Ground Zero in Respite Center 1 located in St. Johns University. I worked for a few weeks, went home for a few weeks, went back and worked again as a 12-8 Shift Supervisor at Ground Zero in Respite Center 1. I helped close that Respite Center on December 2cnd and then went to work at the Staten Island Landfill. After a little over a week at the landfill I went home and it took a month of intense emotional dealings before I could go back to help the People of New York again in March. I worked at Red Cross Disaster Headquarters in Brooklyn this time as a Courier for 42 days. I saw the World Trade Center from near the beginning until near its end and met a lot of great people in between. I have several friends that I made while there and still keep in touch. The attack on the World Trade Center was the hardest thing I ever had to witness in my life. I saw things that I never thought I would see in my lifetime. I am dealing with my own personal health issues and demons from those days, and I will be dealing with them for the rest of my life. My heart goes out to everyone who was lost and their families who have to miss them every day and also to all of the great fellow Americans who came to the aid of those affected by the attack of the World Trade Center. Robert Webb 602 Edgemont Ave. Bristol, TN 37620 American Red Cross Volunteer Mass Care Specialist 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 story1488.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. 2002-08-26 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.158.130.69 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 would like to dedicate the following poem to the two friends I lost on September 11, 2001. Richard Caproni of Lynbrook NY Mike Hannon of Lynbrook NY You Can't take my America Away There was a jealous coward that showed up at our door. We fed him,We taught him But still he wanted more He saw our freedom, our children, our future and life We let him see what he could be Without war, stress and strife Like a soul in love starved poverty In a jealous rage he stole from us Our loved ones, our planes and property We want justice for his evil This wicked invisible flea We mourn, we love, we're better Than the jealous coward will ever be Let this be a lesson-About the sin of jealousy. You seek to demolish-That which you know, you could never be We've shown you a better place Where love and freedom rule the day; Make no mistake- You can't take my America away! Daniel James Egger Copyright ?2002 Daniel James Egger 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 story2725.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. 129.174.27.149 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On September 10, 2001 my husband and I were on a red eye flight to St. Lucia for our honeymoon. My husband and I stopped for what was to be a short while to hop on a small plane to St. Lucia. Everyone at the airport was quickly escorted out and shuttled to near by hotels. I was very confused, as there was no explanation provided to us regarding why the airport was closing. We arrived at a beautiful hotel to sit in the lobby as we waited for a room. We all watched the coverage of the world trade center, in disbelief. We immediately tried to contact family and friends at home in California which took about 6 hours. My husband and I were unable to reach our destination for four days, however we were glued to the television for four days, as we waited to see if our flight was scheduled. My heart goes out to all who have suffered, I feel extremely lucky to have not known a soul who was directly affected by this tragedy. Gina Schellenberg, Hayward CA. 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 story4932.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. 168.103.105.194 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Today is the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. In the aftermath of the attacks, my husband and I, like so many people, found ourselves in financial peril as he was laid off from his job (dot com bomb) and my small income couldn't pay the bills. So, in September of '02 we left NYC bound for Florida. Here it is - 2006 - and we're still in Florida. Unfortunately, my husband has found himself out of work again just as the fifth anniversay of 9/11 arrives. Reliving the scenes from the attacks I'm flooded with the old burden of fear of being victims of the next major terrorist plot. When I turn away from the television news coverage, I look at the faces of my two children and realize that the more pressing worries are about the mundanely dire prospect of surviving on my husband's unemployment with a mortgage, a minivan, and all of the other financial obligations that come with suburban life. It's from my newly pretending-to-be-mature vantage point that I can look back on the events of 9/11 and see the impact of the loss more clearly. Where my brutal memories were once shadowed with fear of the faceless, dark-skinned man who terrorizes me with a knife in my worst nightmares, today's nightmares involve the all too real and simple terror of knowing that my children may never grow up with the feeling of relative safety that I enjoyed in my youth. A child of the 80's coldwar Reagan era, I can distinctly recall that whenever my I would worry about AIDS, the threat of nuclear proliferation or starvation in Africa, I could find comfort in knowing that really terrible, mass-casualty disasters and terrorist attacks happened in other countries - not in the USA. Of course, 9/11 and a little thing called parenting changed all of that. Now I see the tenuous precipe on which all of free society stands and has always stood. The reality of the concept of security as a necessary illusion in order for societies to function weighs on me heavily. Disasters, starvation, and terrorist attacks do happen in the USA. I have a deeper respect for "the greatest generation" - my grandparents generation - and wonder how they will feel not knowing how the story ends. Do they worry that all of their sacrifices will be for nought as we are increasingly viewed as aggressors in the world, rather than a force for good, decency and tolerance? How I wish I could put myself back into the "zone" and buy hook, line and sinker into the concept of safety of security again which that generation paid for in blood so many years ago. But I can't. I don't know that I'll ever be able to let my guard down again. All I can do is participate in the political process, support my family and hope for the best for my children. I suppose that's one of the many things that my grandparent's generation foughti for in WWII. I look back on my time in New York City with feelings of privelege, longing and a bit of shame. Shame because the "real" New Yorkers are still there, making the city as resilient and diverse and amazing as it's always been. I, on the other hand, moved on. But I hope the city knows that I think of it daily, and always with longing. I feel longing for New York city with every lackluster chain restaurant dining experience, with every small-time theater production I see that can't quite muster the gusto of one you'll see off-off Broadway. No all-day shopping trip is ever as fruitful or satisfying as one 30-minute walk down Houston street on a lunch break. No walk through the park can compare to a walk through Central Park on a Sunday morning in May. And, in my heart, no September morning will ever be as profoundly pristine as the morning of 9/11/01. 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 story20737.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2006-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.238.174.228 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I work in the Sears Tower, in the beautiful city of Chicago. On September 11, 2001, I noticed several news cameras outside the building, but thought nothing of it. As I entered the first elevator to get to my office on the 58th floor, on the news tv in the elevator it said a plane had hit the World Trade Center. I was surprised, but figured it had been an accident. Upon arriving at my office at about 8:35 a.m., I was greeted by people running around talking about the second plane hitting. I was shocked, but still not realizing that this was an attack on America, and being in the world's tallest building was probably not a good idea. Then a friend of mine said, "the Pentagon just got hit." Then it clicked. I didn't want to be there. I went and got my close friend and together we left the Sears Tower. On the train ride home, I was surrounded by people who were listening to their radios and filling the rest of us in on what was going on. I couldn't believe what was happening. Later on that day, they showed downtown Chicago. It was completely empty. Not a person, not a car, not even a bird. It looked like tumbleweed should have went rolling down the street. My heart goes out to the victims and their families. I can only imagine what the Chicago skyline would be like without the Sears Tower, and New York lost their Sears Tower. Everyday day when they look out they are reminded, if not already but the loss of lives, that America is changed for ever. 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 story2516.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.28.38.188 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 AROUND 6:30 IN THE MORNING TO GET READY FOR SCHOOL. I HAD NO IDEA OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I GOT READY AND LEFT MY HOUSE AT 7 AND THAT'S WHEN I HEARD IT ON THE RADIO. I WENT TO MY CLASSES AS USUAL AND DURING MY 2ND PERIOD CLASS WE GOT NEWS THAT THE TOWERS HAD BEEN HIT. I WAS DEVASTATED AND SCARED. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY ALL OF THIS HAD HAPPENED. THAT WAS THE TALK OF THE DAY AT SCHOOL. AFTER SCHOOL I WENT HOME AND WATCHED THE NEWS ALL AFTERNOON. IT WAS TERRIBLE THAT ANYONE WOULD DO SUCH A THING AND THINK THAT THEY WERE DOING SOMETHING GOOD. I THANKED GOD THAT NONE OF MY FAMILY OR FRIENDS WERE HURT. I WAS THANKFUL THAT WE WERE STILL HERE. THIS IS A PART OF HISTORY IN MY GENERATION. I AM ALMOST 18 YEARS OLD AND THIS IS SOMETHING I WILL NEVER FORGET. TODAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2002 WAS A DAY THAT WE TOOK TIME TO PRAY FOR THOSE WHO ARE HURTING BECAUSE THEY LOST A LOVED ONE AND TO PRAY FOR THIS COUNTRY. WE HAD A GREAT REMEMBRANCE SERVICE AT CHURCH AND WE TOOK THE TIME TO PRAY FOR THOSE IN NEED. GOD BLESS Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story5911.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. 198.81.16.163 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 favorite direction is magnetic north, which on Piper Cub 7006H takes me toward a pyramid I believe is Mount Moosilauke. On this line, I fly across Lake Winnipesaukee from southeast to northwest, generally refueling at Moultonborough airport. That's what Zero Six Hotel and I were doing on Tuesday morning, September 11. The weather locally was fine, but Bangor Flight Service Station had been full of warnings about high winds, "mountain obscurations," and military activity in the Yankee One and Yankee Two MOAs, which cover the western part of the White Mountain National Forest. So I told George, the airport manager, that I intended to fly to Moultonborough, refuel, and check the weather and the military activity again. If things looked good, I'd file a flight plan and fly around the mountains, heading up the Sandwich Notch Road to Interstate 93, then turning east along the Kancamagus Highway to Conway, and so to home. I took off to the north and made a wide turn back toward the ocean, so that I crossed the airport at 2,500 feet. This gave me a good departure time (8:42 a.m. local time, or 1242 Zulu) and put me high enough to pass over the top of the controlled airspace surrounding Pease International Tradeport. There was a stiff northwest wind, and Zero Six Hotel was making abut 38 knots along the ground according to the GPS mounted on the seat-back in front of me. In addition to the GPS, I have a handheld radio mounted by a suction cup to the port-side window, complete with earphones and a push-to-talk switch. Thus equipped, Zero Six Hotel is a throughly modern airplane, all on the strength of 12 AA batteries. I kept the radio tuned to 122.8, which is a common frequency for airports without control towers, including Hampton, Wolfeboro, and Moultonborough, plus Marlboro in Massachusetts and Sanford in Maine. About 9:45 a.m. (1345 Zulu) I heard a very clear voice announcing that there was a National Defense Emergency, and that all aircraft were grounded. The speaker didn't identify himself, but I think he was at Marlboro, and one of the airports I can hear mostly clearly. While processing this information, I heard another airport (Sanford, I think) tell a plane taking off that it was grounded, and when the pilot replied that he was already airborne, the radio operator gave him a one-word instruction: "Return." By this time I was over Alton Bay. I was now persuaded that something was up, and I considered landing at Wolfeboro. But Wolfeboro has no fuel pump, so I pressed on to Moultonborough, where I landed just after 10 a.m. A lad came out on a golf cart, told me that two "707s" had crashed into the World Trade Towers, but had heard nothing about traffic being grounded. So I tied down the airplane, went into the shack, and got on the phone. Hampton Airfield's telephone was busy, so I called Bangor Flight Service, where the briefer told me only that "VFR flight is strongly not recommended." (VFR: visual flight rules, as opposed to flying on instruments and--usually--in continual contact with the Air Traffic Control system.) Then the phone rang, I answered, and found myself being interviewed by the Laconia Citizen. I thought that was pretty funny until I learned that nobody else knew what was going on, either. The reporter told me that Laconia airport was still open, but that all airports with control towers were closed. At last I got through to Hampton, told George where I was, and asked him what he wanted me to do. He called Bangor again, talked to somebody with more authority, and got permission for me to fly home, staying well away from controlled airspace. So I got the plane started, took off, and plugged the Newmarket Gym into the GPS. What an eerie feeling to be the only plane in the sky. Twice I was called from the ground and warned that I wasn't supposed to be up there, but these gents didn't identify themselves, so I took them to be the sort of busybody who gets his kicks out of monitoring police calls. In addition to staying a mile outside of Pease airspace, I flew at what to me is a very low altitude, 2,500 feet, with the thought that the Manchester air-traffic controllers wouldn't be able to see me on their radar screens. With the wind behind us, Zero Six Hotel made 75 knots over the ground, and we were over Exeter in about half an hour. I turned east for Hampton and landed at just about noon. I called home to say I was on the ground, secured the airplane, gathered my stuff, and went into the shack, where George was just getting off the phone with Manchester Approach Control. He'd also been called by Pease. Evidently an airborne AWACS radar post had picked me up over Exeter, identified me as a "Cessna," and called Manchester and Pease, who both fingered Hampton as the most likely culprit. The conversation, George said, went like this: "Where's he going?" "He's landing here." "Is he taking off again?" "No." "All right, we'll recall the F-16s." That raised an interesting question. The international signal for an intercepted plane to surrender is for the pilot to lower the landing gear. But a Piper Cub doesn't have retractable gear! What was I supposed to do if the F-16s had come--roll Zero Six Hotel onto its back? (It's possible, of course, that the controller was having his little joke on George.) I still don't know the answer to that one. But I do have one bit of information that I didn't have on September 11: a VFR pilot flying in a National Defense Emergency should be tuned to the designated emergency frequency, 121.5. That's where the F-16s would have been broadcasting. ------------------------------------------------------------ [Six days later, I flew from Manchester to Baltimore on Southwest Airlines. It was a lovely day--"visibilities unlimited," as pilots rather ungrammatically say. We were at 30,000 feet and perhaps thirty miles to the west of Manhattan, yet we could clearly see the gray plume trailing off to the southeast from the pit that once was the World Trade Center. It reminded me of the Durham dump in the old days, when the trash periodically caught on fire, and the noxious gray smoke drifted off on the prevailing wind. In a more bitter mood later, I wondered if Auschwitz had looked like that. "I hope there were a lot of Jews in there!" one excited Egyptian girl cried when she heard the news. There were, of course, and a lot of Muslims 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 story8907.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. 2003-01-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.6.136.71 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: Though I am only 13, (12 at the time of the attacks) I feel that I should record my life on the day of September 11th. I was sitting in the living room watching TV, when the broadcast stopped and switched to the WTC site, just after the 1st plane hit. All I could think was, "This is too unreal." As much as I hated to admit it, it was clear to me that it was a terrorist attack on our beloved country. While I was still in utter disbelief, I saw another plane coming in low, and watched live as the 2nd plane hit the tower. Later that day, I found out that Mark Bavis, a former player on a local hockey team, had been on that 2nd plane. That's when it really hit home. Knowing that he was on that plane, and knowing that I watched live as he died was really hard. I'm homeschooled, so my grandmother gave me the day off. While I was talking to my friend, another homeschooler, I heard that the Pentagon had been hit and that a plane had gone down in Pennsylvania. It wasn't much of a conversation at this point, more than anything it was a way to vent our anger towards these cowards, otherwise known as terrorists. Shortly after I hung up with my friend, my grandmother got a call letting us know that our friend who worked at the Pentagon, was safe. We weren't sure if he was OK, but it turned out that his office was in the section that was being remodeled, so he had been given a vacation and was away at the time. I had a soccer practice later that night, and when I got there, everyone was pretty much just standing around, not doing anything. My coach led us in a prayer for our country and the victims and their families, and a couple of the girls started crying. That was the most quiet practice we ever had. No one said anything the whole hour, just did what our coach said. I've been raised with the impression that I'm not supposed to cry, but that day after practice, when I turned on the TV, and every channel showed the news, I broke down and cried. This was undoubtedly the most dastardly thing that has ever been put to action against our country. But these terrorists should be warned, that we will find them, and they will pay. They may think that they succeeded in bringing America down, but they were dead wrong. American pride and spirit lives within the people, not within buildings. And as long as there is atleast one American still standing, American pride will never die. So to everyone out there who may be reading this, don't live in fear of these terrorists, for we are stronger than them in every aspect of life as we know it. In the words of a great man, Todd Beamer, America, "Lets Roll." 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 story2616.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.214.121.39