423 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 remember that day, because when the 1st plane hit, I new in my heart this wasn't an accident. My husband and I stared at the screen and I kept saying, "This is trouble, big trouble". Then the 2nd plane hit and everyone knew what I knew in my heart. A few days earlier, on our way to Bangor. I sat on the passenger side passing a vehicle. I looked over and seen the license plate "IRAN" and looked at the person driving. He had dark skinned, dark eyes and hair. He was handsome, but gave me a case of "severe creeps". I told my husband, "What is he doing here in Bangor Maine driving around with a license plate that says IRAN?????" We looked at each other as we passed and I could not wait to get away from him. His face disappeared from my memory.... My husband told me to calm down, I just didn't like this person. Anyway, we went on our business for that day, September 8th.!!! We later found out that the hyjackers came through Bangor Maine on the way to Portland Maine. I have been bothered with this since that day. I wish I would have felt more or could have done something.....I have panic attacks that cause me to see flashes of light. I was not there and did not lose anyone in the attack. But I feel so terrible for everyone that lost a loved one. God be with 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 story10107.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. 2003-09-16 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.20.135.27 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: September 10th, my sister and I had gone out shopping. We both had spare money, and decided to check out some fall clothes. Therefore, on September 11th, I didn't want to get up as I had been up most of the night. I did drag myself out of bed finally and started off to work from my home in Front Royal, Virginia. At that time, I worked for Air BP at Dulles International Airport. I left for work about the time the first plane hit the WTC tower. I heard Elliot on DC 101 say something about the World Trade Center, but I lost transmission of the station briefly as I was heading East on Rt. 55. I thought they were perhaps discussing the bombing of the WTC back in 1993 (which was the year I graduated High School). When I was able to hear the radio station again, I heard Diane exclaim that another plane hit the WTC. Now I was floored. Suddenly I was wide awake and tense. The magnitude hadn't hit yet though, hearing it on the radio, and then seeing the staggering video later I came to learn were two different things. I am listening carefully to them reporting that two unknown plane types had crashed into the building. I remember a listener calling in and saying that he suspected Bin Laden and a terrorist organization, and I remember the radio personality saying they would not comment on that at this time. I can recall intermittently talking to my mother on my cell phone, and listening to the radio in between panic calls. I know that in the beginning Air travel was suspened over New York first. There was a tense moment when apparently a fighter jet was mistaken for another plane, but those details fail me simply because there were so many events happening seemingly at once. We were listening to eyewitness reports from NYC saying that major bridges and freeways had been shut down when a caller on Route 1, near Crystal City/Alexandria called DC 101 and reported that a plane hit the Pentagon. Elliot asked him if he was sure, and the caller said indeed he was he was sitting in the final leg of morning rush hour and had gotten off SR 110 and saw the plane fly close next to the overpass and hit the side of the Pentagon. At this point I was coming through Manassas, Virginia, and I was freaking out. This caller identified that plane as an American Airlines plane. That is when I knew that this all was totally no accident or no freak thing. I heard them report that all air travel was suspended, I was looking up in the sky and watching Lufthansa Airlines do a U turn above us and head back to Dulles. I was getting on Rt 28 and nearly to work when I saw four more planes landing one right after the other at Dulles. My office was next to one of the runways, so I was watching this as I am driving along. I get into my office, and get upstairs in time to stand with four others and watch the first tower fall. No one said a word. It's one of those situations where you are so used to joking around and laughing, but you have never seen the people around you so grief stricken and in shock. Dulles was on lockdown. Washington DC was evacuating, and our company decided we should do the same. That was the morning that rush hour ended one way in the metro area, and almost immediately began again. I managed to beat most of the traffic home, but phone lines were jammed for the rest of the day. On my cell phone, I couldn't call out, the circuits in the network were just overloaded. Never in my wildest dreams could I imagine that phone networks could never handle a volume of calls of that magnitude. It's just one of the many things that we took for granted I suppose. I know that my father had called me on my cell phone prior to evacuation throwing a fit and demanding I start home, he knew I was on the airport and close to the Jet Fuel tanks. I finally managed to get a call out to my mother and I told her to page my brother and tell him to get home, I knew he was in Reston, VA. When I got home, I got my boyfriend, who slept through it all, and went to my parents house where I stayed the remainder of the day. I crawled in my old bed because I felt safe there, maybe I just wanted to be a child again. We were off work the next day, Dulles remained closed for nearly a week. It was a crime scene, and there was much to be investigated. I know that those days at work were the strangest and most disturbing. When you work around an airport, you become immune to the planes taking off constantly. Even when it shakes the building you think nothing of it. However, for several consecutive days, we were greeted with silence. An airport that was so busy, and so vibrant and alive was like a ghost town. I can only imagine how National Airport felt as it was closed for a much longer duration. When Dulles reopened, all of us had to get used to the planes taking off again, and it was difficult to watch them as we did before. We often wondered things about them that I will not type here. There were many false alarms for the rest of the year. Within a few weeks, the Anthrax scares began, and we found ourselves in terror again. Somehow, I don't think we have really ever recovered. Today is March 1, 2003, and I am still afraid. I no longer work at Dulles, but I work near it still. I survived all of that, and then this past year being in the center of the sniper shootings as well. I don't believe we can stand much more. 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 story9116.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. 2003-03-01 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.53.139.96 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 friends told me. I did not believe them. But when I saw it I was shocked. Ialso heard that one of the airplane was going tarward Chicago.I ws also scared for what might happen to me, and my family. But when i went home for lunch, the news man, or lady said thousands and thousands of people died. That is when I realize that it's time for War!!!!!!! A War for the people that has died in the twin towers, which stands proud and tall. I also heard from the news people that the Pantagon has been attacked. Right there, that moment, I know thats there will be revenge and pay back on, whoever that thought of the stupid plan to attack Amereica. That poor fool must be out of his stupid mind. I live in America, I know how they felt about the attack.America is like a kid that no one like on the playground. America just wants to be like, like the rest of the other countries. That is why they tries so hard to help other county. Well I think they should stop trying to help so much. I think if the other country need help, they would ask, or bage!!! Fight and stand tall America!!!! Cause I will fight for u, when others will not. I will help you, Be Brave!!! 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 story8084.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. 2002-09-23 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.175.105.14 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 unusally early on this tuesday, the second day of my senior year of high school. My mom and dad were watching the television and I saw one of the towers on fire. It was strange because I had just been to the WTC that summer. Then from the corner of the screen the second plane hit the second tower. My mom was screaming "Oh, My god!" "Oh My god!!". We then saw the plane hit the pentagon; we immediately called my uncle and cousin who were in Washington D.C. to see if they were OK, but there was no answer because the phone lines were down. 13 hours later we found out that they both survived hiding in a basement inside the east side of the Pentagon. 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 story3095.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. 4.63.63.129 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: In the beginning, like most others, we turned on the t.v. to view a "plane that crashed into the WTC". But as we stood in amazement at the beautiful clear day and the smoke plume, we soon realized we were under attack. The news followed of the Penatagon attacks (more smoke plumes) and a little town in Pennsylvania. Immediately, the Directors in all departments of Verizon were at what I call a "war table". I soon heard words such as "temporary morgue", and of complete chaos in NYC. Soon Verizon had people moving into those areas, establishing new communications, make shift communications, and trying to make sense of it all. Although I am personally a strong union person, I could never been prouder of the relationship between management and union that horrific, confusing day. Normally when I leave for home, I walk into a hectic rush hour. That day, I swear, in the streets of downtown Pittsburgh, the tumbleweed was rolling and I could hear the screams. 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 story3617.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. 198.23.5.11 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource 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 my friend's apartment, we were going to eat breakfast. Somebody called and said that the WTC had been hit by a plane. When we turned on the TV I saw the second plane hit the south tower. I watched the collapse of both buildings. I remember thinking that this could not be real, but I could see it and I knew it was. I felt that this was done on purpose. When the planes hit I thought about the people inside and when the buildings fell I thought about all the civilians, police and fire fighters inside. I hoped that god would protect them where ever they were. After I thought about think about the families and how there family members and friends lost there lives. Also I thought about how the fire fighters and police officers made the ultimate sacrifice. I also I hope that I hope that god will take care of them all. I think that we should never forget what happened that day. 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 story20803.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. 2006-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 158.136.78.107 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 commute into Manhattan from western New Jersey started out very slow that morning. The sun glare was very bad that day and we were about 45 minutes late by the time we came out of the Holland tunnel. I remember looking at my watch as we sat at the red light by the First Precinct near the tunnel, it was about 8:45 am. I never heard any sound from the first plane, but I noticed some people started running down the street. I didn?t give it much thought. I got off the bus at the first stop at Franklin and Varick streets (about 8 blocks from the WTC). As I looked south down towards the Trade Center, I could see thousands of pieces of paper floating in the sky. I couldn?t see the towers from the side of the street I was standing on and didn?t know what to make of all the paper in the sky. I crossed to the other side of the street to try to get a better view. That?s when I could see the large black hole in the north side of tower 1. I couldn?t believe what my eyes were seeing. As I started to walk down towards the towers I came across a cop who was standing on the corner. He started frantically telling me how he just watched the plane crash into the tower. Like everyone else I assumed he meant a small airplane. He told me it was a big commercial airliner and that it was no accident. He said that plane was aiming for the tower and didn?t attempt to try and turn away, it has to be a terrorist attack. I work for property management for a financial firm on Greenwich Street and we also managed space at 7 World Trade Center for the same company. I worked at 7 WTC during the ?93 bombing and knew that this was much worse. The first call I tried to make was to our engineering crew at 7 WTC to make sure they were safe. I tried repeatedly to get through, but all the circuits were busy. I decided to make my way down to the building to see if they were okay. I kept trying to call the engineers and also my wife to let her know I was safe, but still could not get through. People on the streets seemed like they were in shock just staring at the tower. Some women were already crying. I stopped at the corner two blocks north of the Trade Center on West Broadway. While I was looking up at the towers, all of a sudden this huge fireball erupted from tower #2 followed by a loud double explosion. From the side I was looking from I never saw the plane coming. The explosion looked like something from a movie. The whole top of the tower disappeared behind the fireball. I could see large pieces of debris flying from the tower towards my direction. People on the street just started screaming and running for cover. I ducked around the corner for a minute until I seen that nothing was crashing down around us. When I looked back up both towers were now in flames. Within a matter of minutes I saw 6 people jump from the upper floors. That?s when people started to really panic men and women were crying, people were running, others were just walking in a daze. I just could not believe my eyes, it seemed like a bad dream. I stayed at that corner for 10-15 minutes more talking with people on the street trying to figure out what was happening. Some were saying that a bomb went off in tower 2. I still didn?t know that a second plane had hit but I knew there was no way a bomb that big could have been brought up to those floors. I don?t remember making a conscience decision not to go to 7 WTC, but I just turned around and went to my building on Greenwich Street. When I got there they had already evacuated the building. Our crew stayed at the building to help with the activation of the disaster recovery plan. We were standing out in front of our building when the towers fell. Just when I thought things couldn?t get any worse, they did. A short time later our crew from 7 WTC came walking down the street. They looked like they been through hell. I was very happy to see that those guys made it out safely. We all hugged when we seen each other. They had quite a story on how they made it out of 7 WTC (do a search on ?catalano? to read their story). Shortly after that I finally got through to my wife. She told me about the attacks on the Pentagon and the crash in Pennsylvania. I couldn?t believe all this was really happening. That afternoon we set up a triage in the building plaza and a temporary morgue in the loading dock. Only about 50 people were treated over the next few hours. Thankfully no bodies were brought to our loading dock. At 5:25PM I was standing in front of our building when 7WTC collapsed. I heard someone scream that another plane had crashed. People started running into our building for cover. Later in the evening we were told to pack up the triage area because there were no more survivors. As horrible as the events were that I witnessed, it does not even come close to what the people at the Trade Center went through. We can never forget the Heroes who died that day. 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 story2043.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-10 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 199.67.140.20 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 story is about my sister-in-law Liz and my niece Ashleigh. For Ashleigh's 16th birthday she wanted to go to New York and see Michael Jackson in concert. They came to the city a couple of days before the concert to do some sightseeing. They were able to see just about everything they wanted to in New York except for the WTC. Their flight was to leave in the morning on September 11th. On the way to the airport they decided to take a later flight out of New York and spend the day at the WTC, starting with breakfast at the Top of the World restaurant. When they got to the airport the lady at the ticket desk told them that a flight was leaving in about 15 minutes, and did they want to leave on that flight? Liz says that she didn't know what prompted her, but she said, "sure." Thank goodness for that! They would have been in the restaurant when the plane hit! 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 story9437.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. 2003-08-25 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.31.171.228 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 am 22 years old, and I was taking a semester off college to work at Walt Disney World as a college intern. I should say that the events of September 11th affected me personally because I am from Virginia and attend George Mason University, which is of course very close to Washington DC where the Pentagon was hit. September 11th was interesting for me especially because of my location. I can also mention I was actually on Disney Property in company sponsored housing. I was coming back from a friend's apartment at around 8:35 in the morning. My friend was a lifeguard at a water park in WDW, always at work by 9. It was my day off and I decided to watch a little TV, so I began flipping though the channels. "BREAKING NEWS". I kept flipping...Every channel? I thought. It seemed so odd. So, I thought to back up, deciding on the TODAY show. I watched when they had video of the second plane hitting tower 2 of the WTC, and the watched the confusion of a man reporting on the Pentagon incident. Five of the six roommates in our apartment gathered around to watch the television; Kara was getting dressed for work in her room. She came out, and left to get on the bus. Not two minutes later, she returned. With a look of confusion, she said, ?They wouldn?t let me on the bus.? We then heard it on the news and in the halls of our apartment building. They had closed all for Disney Theme Parks. It was the first time in history, 30 years. I called home on my cell phone, as I walked outside my apartment, I could see students on cell phones and cordless phones. I think I counted 25 that I could see from my front door. I got through to my parents and was able to find out that everyone was doing all right. George Mason University had closed, and my friends and family were relatively unaffected. After a while, six friends from my work went to a friend?s house for lunch and dinner to get away from it all, and just to get off of Walt Disney World Property. I remember talking about it, crying and worrying. We were supposedly number 4 on a terrorist hit list. Eventually we watched a string of Disney Cartoons to keep us from thinking about it, but it was unavoidable. What stuck me personally about September 11th was actually September 12th. I went back to work at around 11:00am, and we had very strict orders from our managers not to bring up the event of the day before. I went on ?stage? and took over the register position at a stand outside. Trying to dodge the subject of the tragedy, I asked a usual question, ?So where are you visiting from?? The quiet response from a middle aged man? ?New York.? My response was, ?Oh.? But that wasn?t enough for the guest in front of me. He said, ?No, you don?t understand, I worked in the WTC on the 110th floor, and this, yesterday was the first time I?ve been on vacation in almost 5 years. I had a stack of papers this high on my desk?(demonstrating with hand gestures) And I came to Disney World. The expression on his face was contorted into that of utter grief and pain? 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 story329.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. 2002-03-28 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 129.174.177.6 Annotation Annotations to this item. Economic effects Premonitions/Coincidence/Fate Television Coverage WTC, worked in (ever) 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: Okay, people say since I'm only 14, it really didn't impact me, that I just went on with my life, no big deal. Everyone who believes this, I'll give you a dollar... go by a clue because it hit me hard. I cried for so long. I couldn't believe that this could happen, not to America. I was ready for a great day. I was out of school, on a debate trip, not wearing my cheerleading outfit (which I basically lived in), ready for a day of fun. We had to watch a debate round then we had the day to ourselves. We ended up getting to Hutch early, so me and my friend desided we wanted a funnel cake (my favorite food!). In Dodge City, we don't get them but once MAYBE twice if you're lucky. When I'm buying my funnel cake, I here people talking.... omg, they hit the world trade centers.. omg, the hit the pentagon. I was like WHAT? I didn't really understand. The people who sold it to me had a little flag, and the man said that they had just went and bought them right before I got there. I was wondering.. I mean, I didn't really put two in two together. Well, me and my friend were just talking about how we couldn't wait to get on this ride, and if the other would be to chicken to ride this one, or if we could get a ride with that cute boy who road on the bus behind us. Then.. we're sitting down, with our paper and pens, waiting to flow (if you dont know debate it's when you write down the important things you will need later in the debate). My coach (who seems to think she's a teenager but we all love her!) had a very sad and upset look on her face. She walks over to the squad and told us about the attacks. I reacted like any other American, but hand covered my mouth, my stomach felt like it went to my knees, and I instantly felt the pain for EVERYBODY that was there, saw, was in, family, everyone. I couldn't believe somebody could be so cruel and so mean and have so much hate. I didn't understand. The whole debate I couldn't consentrate, all I could think about is how I wanted to go home and see what was happening. The rest of the day, I rode rides, walked around, ate about 4 more funnel cakes (so I gained twenty pounds.. they were good!), .... yet I prayed also. I prayed for family, victoms, our country, any person who lived in America basically. The whole drive home (a three hour drive) we listened to the news. It was so sad. We drove past gas stations... lines for ever.... it was amazing how our country panicked. When I got home... I watched TV. Me and my brother always played this game when something big happened in our country. We counted how many channels something was on. Usually it's around 6 or 7. We have 66 channels..... 42 of them were about the attacks. This included the spanish channels. After about ten minutes.. I couldn't watch it anymore.. I was just to upset. I cried that night so many times. It was just so upsetting.. I couldn't handle that pain. I just watched my favorite show, 7th Heaven, and it was about Ruthie (the youngest girl) was writing with a solider, and he ended up dying. It was so upsetting cause I realized.. I haven't faced the fact that my country is still at war. So.. as I end this... all I can say is God, bless all the soliders, help the families of the dead, help the people fighting.. basically.. help America. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story525.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. 2002-05-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 204.233.98.35 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 made a dash out of the house, typical, on my way to the airport, to work a flight to Philadelphia, I had the radio on KNIX. Stuck in traffic, singing along, the song was interrupted and the horrible event was announced. I seriously don't think I got it the first time, I was so confused, and as I looked around me, it seemed like everyone was staring at their radio. Then a few minutes later, it repeated itself, I felt chilled, I cried though I don't remember how my tears fell, they just fell. "Dang it", I said, because I had left the house without my cell phone to call home. So, I made the exhalted decision to go ahead to the airport. I drove stunned, lost in disbelief, I parked my car, not knowing what would happen once I stepped foot in the airport. It was so eerie, people standing around looking at the TV's, noticing me, rolling my bags, I was trying to look professional, still. I passed some fellow flight attendants , that said, 'just go home, they're sending us home', I wanted to hear it from a supervisor, I did. I wanted more information, I wanted an explanation! I turned the corner into our briefing room, how sad that was, some were crying, some were just staring at CNN, I called home. My husband said, "come home, NOW !" I said, 'I'm on my way, let me see if they need my help, first'. I took a seat amongst my coworkers, it was just a lonely feeling but at that time, I wouldn't want to have been anywhere else but sitting in a room with people I enjoy my job with. It was a good place for me, at that time. For the next 4 days, I sat on my couch, dissecting all the information from the TV, when finally, my husband, walked up to the TV, and just...shut it off, he said, "that's enough". I know he did the right thing, he was very much supportive of what I was feeling, but, he also new, that I wouldn't want to be anything less than strong, so he made sure I regained my strength and focus by returning to my real world. Thank you Lord for my family. 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 story787.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. 2002-06-15 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.219.165.170 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I had just made strides in recovering from a major nervous breakdown after months of agony and was drinking my morning coffee while watching the television. This had been my routine for some months. All of a sudden a news bullitan came over the air waves and announced that a plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York City. It seemed as if there were news crews on site immediately. Time became jangled. Soon there was yet a second plane flying into the World Trade Center. Time became more jangled. I was supposed to go to the Federal Building downtown to get proof that I had not filed taxes the previous year. I was NOT going anywhere. Time became even more jangled. A third plane had crashed into the Pentagon. I immediately felt as if I was again losing my sanity. There were reports that a fouth plane had been hijacked and that it was within Cleveland Hopkin's International airports' air space. I thought Cleveland was under attack. I said the Hell with the feds. I wasn't going to the federal office building for ANYTHING, including proof that I hadn't filed taxes so that I could prove I was eligible for discounted psychiatric drugs at the county hospital. I so needed those drugs to calms my nerves over the next few weeks but I was afraid to leave my apartment. I was becoming paranoid. As a result, the county hospital bent the rules and "forgot" that I needed proof that I didn't file taxes and hand- delivered my psychiatriac meds. The meds didn't help. I felt as if the sense of security that I was regaining vanished in a moment. Today, exactly one year later, I am still on edge, not knowing if the horrible events will be repeated. 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 story5255.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. 64.12.96.8 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 DRIVE A TRUCK OTR. I WAS ON MY WAY TO PICK UP FREIGHT IN INDIANA. MY FRIEND WAS WITH ME..WE WERE GLAD THAT WE WERE DISPATCHED AWAY FROM CHICAGO FOR THE DAY. WE WERE ALSO WORRIED ABOUT FAMILY AND FRIENDS LEFT BEHIND IN THE BIG WINDY CITY. TO KEEP FOCUSED, WE CONTINUED ON OUR ROUTE TO OUR DESTINATION. iT WAS A SOMBER TRIP ALL THE WAY HOME. THE USUAL JOKING AND LAUGHING WAS REPLACED WITH SILENCE AND TEARS. ONCE BACK IN CHI-TOWN, DISPATCH ORDERED US TO OUR OFFICE IN THE NORTHWEST SUBURBS. THEY WERE AFRAID THAT CHICAGO WOULD BE THE NEXT TARGET AND THEY WANTED US TO BE SAFE. WE WERE HOME WITH FAMILY BY DINNER TIME. 3 DAYS LATER I DELIVERED A LOAD TO N.J. AND CT. MY NEPHEW WAS WITH ME THIS TIME. I HAD PLACED A LARGE FLAG TO THE TOP OF MY TRUCK. A GIFT FROM A FRIEND. AS WE EXITED THE INTERSTATE IN NEW JERSEY, THE NATIONAL ANTHEM WAS PLAYING ON THE RADIO. I FELT A WONDERFUL SENSE OF PRIDE WHEN MY NEPHEW PLACED A HAND ON HIS HEART FOR THE SONG. PEOPLE WERE STANDING ON EVERY CORNER WITH CANDLES AND FLAGS. I KEPT THE AIR-HORN TOOTING CONSTANTLY. EVERY VEHICLE JOINED OUR HORN-TOOTING PARADE AS WE MADE OUR WAY TO E. RUTHERFORD WITH A LOAD OF EMERGENCY COMPUTER EQUIPMENT. I CALLED OUR CUSTOMER WITH OUR E.T.A. HE SAID "WELCOME TO HELL"! TRAFFIC MAY HAVE BEEN HELL BUT THERE WAS TOO MUCH KINDNESS TO BE ANYTHING BUT "HEAVEN ON EARTH" 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 story1866.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. 2002-09-07 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.12.96.135 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was taking a stress test at the university of chicago at the time of the tragedy. All the nurses were trying to get online, but could'nt. A few of them were trying to contact family from overseas to see if they had heard. I left after the test and called my wife and checked on my son at school. I cried practically all day watching the news. How could this had happended? We shall be united and remain a strong NATION THRU THIS TERRIBLE TIME. 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 story3736.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.188.6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: When I heard about the Sept.11 accident I was shocked.I saw it on the news.When I saw the Twin Towers all destoyed and people were crying all I could do was look. I felt that it was wrong,because so many people lost there lives. When I saw FLight 93 on tv I felt sorry because im older now and i can relate to it. It was very sad to see what they really went through on the Flight 93. They were calling home telling there family that they love them and they were not going to make it home.When I was looking at the movie I actually saw the planes flying threw the Twin Towers and the Pentegon. 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 story20451.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2006-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.186.239.238 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: How did you witness history on September 1th? Share your experience. "I was at school and the principal came around and said there had been an incident in New York and we were not allowed to turn on a TV in front of any children. By eleven AM, parents were coming and pulling their kids out of class. I guess it was about 2:30 before I knew the full magnitude about what had happened." Has your life changed because of September 11,2001? If so, tell us how. "I guess I would say I am more aware of the lack of control in certain areas of our lives. I probably watch my surroundings more closely, realize that the United States is... I wouldn't say not loved... probably a target of terrorism. What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? "Well, the people that sacrificed their lives for our country, especially those on the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania because they knew wat was happening. The people that died in the towers never had the chance to make a decision. And when we work together we can overcome great tragedy, not forget it. Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feeling about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? "Yeah, I had one on the car. No, my feelings haven't changed because I have always honored and respected it. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8825.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-12-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 216.54.14.84 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was getting ready to go to school one day. When i woke up and i turned on the tv. and the frist channel that poped up was the channel 12 news. they said that the two tin towers just been hitt by two comerical planes. and so then i told my mom, and she just yelled NO!!! She was just crying and crying. because my dad MR. Robson was on the 105th floor of the north tower. 5 minutes after watching the news. the phone rang i ran to pick it up. when i said hello the other person that called us was my dad. he called me to tell me and my mom and my brother, that i don't think i will be home tonight. theirs no way i am going to make it out of here. then my mom and my brother talked to my dad, and said their last words to my dad. then after we all said bye dad we love you. i took the phone but didn't hang up i just kept the phone by my ear and i could hear my dad sing the song. I GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN MY HANDS, I GOT THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD IN MY HANDS, I GOT THE WHOLE WORLD IN MY HANDS. he just sang that song for 2 min. then he stoped. that was when i new the smoke had reached his room, and he had passed out. and that there was an angel standing right by him. and that angel was his mom. YOU HAVE JUST HEARD THE STORY ABOUT THE O'CONNOR FAMILY. MY DADS NAME WAS FRANK. BUT EVERYONE CALLED HIM FRANKIE BOY. p.s. dad me and mom and my brother all said that we hope to see you in a couple of years. 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 story8746.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. 2002-12-15 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.56.49.209 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: Forty years ago September 11 was the day I was born. I had decided I was not going to let this milestone upset me, or bring me down. I had went shopping a few days before and bought some items to hand out at work. I had planned a day full of fun, excitement and joy. As I was getting ready for work while watching the Today Show, I couldn't believe my eyes. As I looked and then looked again I realized I was NOT watching a commercial or advertisement for a horrible movie. Just as I realized that, I saw the second plane come in and hit. My heart stopped beating, my eyes widened, and I stood in sheer disbelief. As the reports kept coming in, and everyone not knowing what was happening, my heart began to beat out of my chest. My husband had already left for work that morning so I just stood in awe of what was unfolding before me. I woke up my son and as he sat up looking at the TV, he asked why I was having him watch this horrible movie. As I told him what he was watching was really happening, we both just held one another. I couldn't think, I couldn't breath, I couldn't believe, I couldn't understand, I didn't know what to do, what to say, or how to comfort him or myself. We held each other tightly and if only for a moment, forgot about everything else in the world. I work for our county government and the thought of us being attacked was unbearable. Who could do such a thing? Who could hate us so much? Would they attack again? Could they attack again? I called work and told everyone what had happened. They thought I was pulling a prank because of my birthday. Then they realized this was not a joke. Earlier that morning, everyone had decorated my desk for the big 40 celebration that was to take place. I had every intention of not letting this tragedy interrupt my celebration, yet when I arrived at work, everyone was in shock. As the day progressed and the constant showing of the crashes, and then the fall of the towers, how could anyone celebrate anything? All of the lives that were taken, all of the people who were lost, all of the loved ones who where frantic with fear, all the children who were taken away or who lost their mommies and daddies, all the heroes who went into action to save what lives they could only to lose their own. The heartache, the intense horror, the shock, the emptiness, the sorrow! The day I turned forty. The day was meant for happiness. The day was meant for joy. The day was meant for celebration. The day I planned on passing out "DumDum" suckers for everyone to celebrate with me. This day that changed my life. This day that changed the lives of many. The day that brought the country to its knees, only to stand up united, launched into a reality thought of never to be. The world brought together through pain and suffering unlike ever before. A love for life, learned to not be taken for granted as we all search for a way to cope with such tragedy.. still! Michelle Monday 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 story5901.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.12.96.8 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: Just like our parents with the Kennedy assassination, ask anyone on this campus where they were the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and they'll tell you down to the crack in the pavement on which they stood. For good reason; they were witnesses to history. They'll tell you with whom who they stood by televisions as they watched a second plane hit a World Trade Center tower. They'll recount the horror of being one of millions to see those towers crumbling to the ground, live, and a towering inferno overtaking the Pentagon. Not me, though. While the rest of the world was being turned on its ear, I was pecking away at a computer in a solitary room with 12 total strangers. I was taking the Graduate Record Exam. Two weeks before the attacks, I flew to Tallahassee from my home state of Connecticut to look at Florida State University's graduate film program. I've had a long-time dream of making movies, and I knew film school could be a major step toward making that dream a reality. I had nothing to lose; that spring, I was a victim of the dot-com implosion when my company, zUniversity.com in Stamford, Conn., laid off 120 of their 140 workers. My future was wide open, and I was sure film was the direction it was headed. Before I left, I called the GRE Test Service to schedule a test appointment. The woman said she could fit me in 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11. I said no problem. Early that morning, I got up and drove along the shoreline on I-95, just like so many Connecticut residents who drive every morning to work in New York City. I arrived in Norwalk, Connecticut's sixth largest city with 83,000 people, to take the test. While I was taking it, something was wrong. At about 9 a.m., the Jamaican woman administering the test looked flustered. As I sat before my computer, she sat behind her glass window, fidgeting, nervous. I took a bathroom break and passed by her, but while she looked scared, she said nothing. When I finished, I signed out and finally asked her if something was wrong. She closed the testing room door behind me, pointed to the radio, almost crying, and said, "The sky is falling." I listened in horror as newsmen described it; planes had flown into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and a fourth plane had been hijacked and was flying east toward Washington. My first reaction was to go to New York City, but all train service to and from the city had been shut down. So I left Norwalk, a city that would later learn it lost seven of its 83,000 residents, to go home. I drove back up the shoreline on I-95, wondering if I had actually passed by any victims a few hours earlier. And I spent the next few days, like so many others, making sure my friends were OK. Thankfully, they all were, including one who walked off the subway for work just after the first World Trade tower fell, and another who lived a few miles from the Pentagon. After the attacks, I really questioned if now was the right time to go back to school. Weren't there more important things I could be doing? Should I join the Army and help fight the spineless bastards who carried this out? Should I settle down in a steady job and find a woman to marry? Maybe this movie dream of mine needed to go on the back burner, I thought, so I could deal with our new reality. And I know I wasn't the only young person reconsidering their future plans. What should we do? How will our generation's defining event define us? We've had a year to process the attacks and evaluate what is truly important in our lives. So what should we do? If you ask me, it's simple. We'll do the same thing those 3,000 Americans did the morning they lost their lives: whatever the hell we want to do. If we want to partake in the experiment of capitalism, we'll work in business. If we want to help steer the course of our country, we'll work in government or the military. If we believe our mission is to help and serve the public, we'll work as firemen or policemen. And our paths can follow many more roads than those associated with 9/11. If we think education is our calling, we'll become teachers and help develop the next generation of American minds. If our interests lie in science or technology, we'll follow that interest and lead the world to new discoveries. If our love lies in the arts (like mine in film), we'll be creative and show, through our particular passions, the depth and range of the human experience. We can go any of these ways, or countless others. As young people, we've got our future in front of us, a canvas that can be painted any way we choose. While we work toward starting our own lives, we have two choices: we can ignore our freedoms and live in fear of the future, or we can embrace them and walk confidently toward tomorrow. The horror of one year ago is that innocent lives were lost at the hands of those who don't believe in freedom. But its ultimate outcome can be something beautiful if we continue to practice the freedoms our country provides. That will guarantee our nation's loss will not have been in vain. But what a monumental loss it has been. Make no mistake, guys, we are at war. We are fighting against the forces of terrorism, hate and fear, and may be doing so for a long time. But if you see me on campus, I won't be scared; I'll be smiling. Even though I'll be carrying a camera on my shoulder instead of a gun, I'll be doing my part to see we come out victorious. Remember: We're in college, and we have the chance to prepare ourselves for whatever path in life we've dreamed of. And if we fearlessly follow our dreams, we've already won. 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 story3459.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. 146.201.113.16 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 story is not of 9/11/2001 but of a year later.As i read the newspapers in the uk reflecting about the terrible attrocities of 9/11,one thing stuck out in my mind.As everyone else ran for their lives the emergency services were running in the other direction!!! This hit home immediately as had the dister that was 9/11 happened in the uk then as a police officer i would be running in that same direction ! i decided there and then that i must return to New york to pledge my support for all my fellow emergency workers at the earlist opportunity. i was given this chance exactly a year later when a Delegation of British Police officers travelled to New York to pay their respects and to show our support. that week in New York was an incredible roller coaster of events with some wonderful highs and terrible lows. i found that friendship and solidarity amongst peers will never be broken. i sat with families of the deceased in church services and cried along side them and felt some of their grief. i heard stories of incredible courage and bravery and somehow manged to understand how terrorism will never win. i was priveliged to be at the first memorial of 9/11 and indeed returned the following year as well. i will never forget the feelings i experienced that week and the incredible friendships i forged. 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 story20627.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. 82.37.235.118