53 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) My husband and I had arrived in Florida from Fairfax, Virgina just a few days before September 11, 2001. We were starting our 2 week vacation. After spending a lovely Monday with friends in Melbourne, Florida, we were checking out of our hotel to head down to Vero Beach. We turned on the TV to use the checkout service and saw the news. At first we thought it was a tape from the earlier WT bombing, but we soon realized something else was happening. I urged my husband to hurry, as were we staying on the 17th floor of a high rise hotel. Down in the lobby everyone watched the television. It was about 9:00 am. I took out the cell phone and called my co-workers in Washington, D.C. They had heard nothing about the attack on the Pentagon, in spite of working just 2 blocks from the White House. They immediately left the building. Back in Florida we asked ourselves - What should we do? Where should we go? My husband, Dave, was an active duty guardsman - should we report to Patrick AFB, the closest base to us? With the phone lines tied up, we could not get through to the Andrews AFB office to check in. Since no orders were given, we proceeded to Vero Beach to visit relatives. My widowed aunt was happy to see us and encouraged us to stay with her as she was alone. I like to think it gave her peace of mind. That day we learned about the pilots of the planes training in the Vero Beach area. I remember that it rained all that day in Florida, while we all watched the television. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? I think the confusion and uncertainty of that day remain as the primary memory. Where to go, what to do. We went to a restaurant - there was noone there. People were afraid to go anywhere. It was the fear of the unknown. It was as if we were all infants and the world was a big scarry place. But we had noone to guide us. We really needed to did deep to keep calm. LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? We have lost our innocence and our carefree joy. Our parents knew what this was like - they lived through WWII and the depression. Some of the Vietnam vets knew what this was like - but the rest of us were untainted by the horror. Now we knew what real fear was like. We spent the remainder of our time in Florida wandering from one empty tourist spot to another. Patriotism surged. We checked in with every relative who had left messages on our answering machine. We wondered if we should go home to Fairfax - to the machine guns in the streets of Washington. We kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. We are still waiting. I think we will be waiting for the rest of our lives. This apprehension is difficult to live with day to day. Now with the Iraq war, it just gets worse. 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 lc_story202.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. anonymously Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-01-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 138.220.65.197 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) My wife and I were at the Indianapolis, Indiana VA hospital waiting for her to have her blood drawn. We were watching TV when we saw the first plane crashed into the WTT. I immediately said out loud that it was terrorist who flew the airplane into the building. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? Watching the airplanes crash into the buildings. LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? Up until that event, the American people took freedom for granted. As a military retiree, they have never experience what we in the military have gone through to protect them. The American people, including our elected officials, never thought that this would happen in America. In my personal opinion and military experience, its a wonder that this didnt happen a long time ago. Even though this event was horrible, thank God that our enemies did not plot to destroy strategically targets at the same time, i.e. like the Vietnamese did in Vietnam. I believe after a while, we will let our guard down again. History repeats itself. 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 lc_story168.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-24 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 198.26.122.13 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I was working for The Bank of New York at 101 Barclay Street, which is across the street from 7 World Trade Center. I arrived by subway into Park Place station which is the stop before the Trade Center, only to be detoured by police to evacuate immediately onto the street. What I saw in front of my eyes is etched into my memory...An airplane engine right in front of the entrance to 100 Church Street where I part of my staff work. Eyeglasses, briefcases, shoes, bloody injured people, and then I looked up to see my fiance's building in flames. He worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on the 101st floor of Tower 1. I frantically tried to call him on his office phone, cell phone, and pager, but had no response. I saw the smoke and flames pouring out the windows and prayed that he had found the emergency stairs to evacuate. Then I saw the people start to jump out the windows, some holding hands, some on fire....I was in total shock and disbelief when someone told me planes had hit the Trade Center. It was so surreal. David's 46 birthday was the night before, and we had just celebrated with dinner at Gramercy Tavern. We had just had a family celebration for Brunch 2 days earlier where pictures were taken...the last pictures of him. I was ushered by some of my staff back into the Bank for safety from falling debris, when I had frantic calls from his family..."had I heard from David Agnes"...he took the early train to work that morning, as he had a dentist appointment and had to leave a bit early. As I hung up the phones, and checked my email to see if he was able to get a message to me, we heard this tremendous roaring sound and a cloud of smoke with a feeling of an earthquake shaking the building. 101 Barclay is a 24 story total glass facade building...we dove underneath our desks to hide from the breaking glass. After that, the Bank evacuated and as I was on the 8th floor, by the time I reached the street, Tower 1 began to fall....Co-workers grabbed my hand to pull me away, as they were afraid the debris would hit us running down Greenwich Street. I didn't want to leave. My love was in a burning building and there was nothing I could do to save him....I ran...After running several blocks, the Police told us to run eastward, as they believed a truck with a bomb was parked at the corner of Canal Street.....we ran again, then more police heard over their walkie talkies, that someone was throwing grenades off a truck...run north....(It was not true, but no one knew the truth that day). No one wanted to believe that such evil could occur in our own backyard. We finally stopped running and I was the last person to cross the Brooklyn Bridge that morning by foot. I only wanted to get home to my family and my son...My son friends lost 4 fathers in his senior class in Manhasset High School that day. Over 7 children in one elementary class lost parents...That night when I was able to finally get home, I was surrounded by family and friends, and called by Cantor Fitzgerald to find out if David came home...no he didn't make it out alive. Yet, the next morning, I went to the dentist to get copies of his x-rays, and go to St, Vincent's hospital to wait for word of the injured. Hoping and praying that they would find him...They finally identified his body parts in early August 2002, as they actually found his body on the other side of the building from where he worked. His body was not burned, and knowing him, they went up as high as they could away from the flames. He was a leader and I know he was helping to guide everyone, and calm them for their fateful last moments. He had a zest for life and loved to travel with me...our new life together was cut short, before we were able to be married. I have him in my heart always, as he is in my thoughts everyday of my life. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? Watching the people jump from the floors where Cantor staff worked, and finding body parts all around, while knowing that my fiance could not escape. For me, my strongest nightmare that still occurs, is me running for my life as his building was collapsing, and feeling this overwhelming feeling that he was pushing me to safety, when I felt I couldn't run anymore. Panic at every corner when even the police didn't know which way you should run....disbelief in the eyes of everyone who ran...and the question why? LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? I am very aware of security measures around me at all times, exits, and I get jittery in crowds. I noticed the days before the Trade Center was hit, increased security with FBI and dogs at the entrance way for the trucks, and actually commented to my fiance, that someone important must be in town attending a function in the Towers...I truly believe that they were aware of an increased threat, but never realized it would come from the air, and not the ground. I have a deep appreciation for our military personnel, and staff in the Bank who are on leave for military duty. Our area not runs a Toy's For Tots program with the Marines, to help support children at the holidays. I also find that I'm giving more to charity. I still travel, but much less than I did before. My son now works for JetBlue, and is a sophmore at George Washington University in Washington DC. It's 2 blocks from the White House, but he felt compelled to help make a difference politically and socially by helping to increase airline effectiveness, security and quash fears of people still avoiding flying. I think students or people in the late teens early 20's have no fear and live their lives as if nothing has happened...They tend to get on with their lives much easier than the older generation who remember Pearl Harbor, or who had children in the Trade Center that day....I still hate traveling into NYC everyday to work, but that's what I must do to live. My fear never leaves me, and when the terror alerts go up, I'm in panic mode. 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 lc_story184.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-01-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 160.254.20.252 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I was at work and received a call from my husband who works for a news organization. At work, we quickly hooked up a tv and started listening to the news. I stayed at work and throughout the day we listened to the news. It was difficult to work. After returning home I watched TV news with my family all evening and into the morning. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? Seeing the twin towers fall and thinking about all the people in the buildings and the families who were affected by the tragedy LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? There are so many things that affected our country. The strongest one that stands out in my mind is how diverse we are. The population of our country is made up of all races and I think that through the media we were able to see the diverse population of the US. Despite those differences many of us care about each other. It seemed like people were nicer to one another after the attack and continue to be more patient with one another. 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 lc_story14.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. anonymously Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.89.192.218 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) i was on vacation and was off that day i remeber how pretty the day was i live in winchester va about 50 miles to the west of dc i was online about 900am reading emails when a friend instant messaged me and told me about the planes hitting both towers i ran to the tv and the first image i saw i will never forget was both towers burning and all that black smoke against that cobalt blue sky needless to say the day got only worse and i spent the remainder of the day at the tv or on the phone LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? i would say seeing that second plane hit the south tower is very strong as are the collapse of the towers i remember when the south tower fell a news reporter saying the whole building had collapsed and peter jennings yelling on live tv "the whole building" LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? i think we learned that day that our oceans dont protect us from a determined foe that our open society helped the terrorist succeed that day we lost our virginity and joined all the nations that have had similar experiences on there own land it is a defining moment in our lives there is before 9-11 and after 9-11 i think we found out how people felt on dec 7 1941 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 lc_story145.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.69.110.7 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I was in my home in Queens when my mother called me to tell me to put the television on right away. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? My strongest memory is when I was looking at the television in total shock when at 9:04 am my ex-husband the father of my two children called me from Tower 1. He told me that he was calling to say goodbye to the children and I. I asked him where was he going and he told me that he was in the building that was hit by a plane. At that very instance I pointed to the television and said "That's you". He spoke to me and told me everything he felt he needed to say like I love you, take care of the kids, but my thoughts were just to tell him to get out of the building. He told me he was on the 103rd floor and that he was having trouble breathing and that it was so hot. I began to scream out loud please god help him and I truly thought he was going to get out, but obviously that didn't happen. I can say that he was very brave he didn't panic or cry at all. He had to say goodbye. At 9:14 am the phone cut off and I waited for a call back, but nothing. I saw when the first tower fell and I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but deep in my heart I knew there was still hope for Michael to still survive and when the North Tower fell so did my heart. I collapsed also. The days after the attacks were the hardest days for me. I was 31 at the time, but I felt weak and old and beaten. I cried for Michael, his kids, and for myself. I loved Michael and New York. LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? I once thought that this was a safe world to live in. I was blind to anything happening outside of my world here in the United States. This was definitely a wake-up call for all Americans because we are not untouchable. I personally have had trouble dealing with Michael's death. Michael could have called anyone on that day, and maybe he tried, but I was the one he spoke to and I an honored to have provided some comfort to him. I see Michael in my kids faces and my son Timothy looks like him everyday. I just pray that this will never happen again, but I think that is an unrealistic thought. I say that because as long as there are hate and envy out there we are all vulnerable. Our Country did become closer and more patriotic after the attacks, however, I hope we do not develop short-term memory, because the families of those lost will never forget. My kids will never forget and for them I will never forget. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource lc_story178.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-30 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.252.8 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I was working in the mail room at an engineering company right next to Dulles Airport. Someone got an e-mail about it so we turned on the radio. Then the hooked up some rabbit ears to the conference room tv. Everyone watched silently as they saw the towers being hit. Then we heard word of the pentagon being hit. It felt like the whole country was being attacked and we didn't know who was attacking us. It seemed like there were planes falling every were and we didn't know where the next one would hit. Before long the whole office was in a panic because the pentagon renovation was one of our jobs and we had two techs that were supost to be out there. The radios were all tied up. No one could get a hold of anyone. For many hours we didn't know what happened to them. I don't remember how we got in contact with them, but be were so glad they were safe. One had stopped to get something to eat and had just missed being there and the other had gotten stuck in traffic. Then two of our engineers got ready to go out to the pentagon for the rescue effort. For the next two weeks one of them was helping with the structural integrity of the pentagon to assist the rescuers. I felt very proud of them. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? The sound of silence. When they were grounding all the air planes there came this weird silence. I was so usto hearing the planes from Dulles. I remember looking up into the sky thinking, or more trying to convince myself there really are no planes up there. They were a reality of everyday life that I took for granted. LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? I think it has changed the way we, as a county think, a little for the better and maybe more for the worse. In our fear we are willing to forfit our rights to be safer, or to atleast think that we are safer. I think we may lose many of the freedoms that make this county great in the name of homeland security. I feel more consern and fear of what our country might become because of it's fear, than the terrorists them selves. And if we let fear turn us on eachother and let our government get into our privite lives for the sake of security then the terroists have surely 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 lc_story140.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 172.210.197.193 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I was aboard a Lingus Airlines airplane, en route from Istanbul to BWI, waiting in Shannon for takeoff. We never got a go-ahead. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? My strongest memory is real-time sound and pictures on the TV in the Shannon airport waiting lounge. I was watching along with hundreds of stranded travelers, and it was very quiet except for the TV. Then there is the long time I spent while trying to telephone my wife in Washington, DC, from the airport. And finally, priests and private individuals opening their churches and homes for the travelers to stay. LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? I think these events made this country's core values even dearer to be held up and protected. 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 lc_story124.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-18 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.118.47.99 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I was standing in a building supply warehouse in Youngstown, Ohio at the time the first plane hit. One of the employees ran to the back and told everyone what happened. We all thought it was just a plane accident. We all went up front and saw the second plane hit an realized it was much more than just an accident. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? My strongest memory of that day was feeling helpless. And worry about the innocent people killed in the attack. LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? Its affected the country in alot of ways. Feeling very vulnerable and mad. It was a cowardly thing to do to all the innocent people involed directly and in-directly. 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 lc_story104.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.74.209.114 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I was watching the morning news when I saw the first plane hit the towers, but I wasn't sure what was going on. While driving to work, I heard that a second plane had hit the towers. A while after I returned to work, I was talking to my mother when the first tower collapsed. I was very scared because my brother worked in the city, as did several of my friends. Everyone had all the radios on at work and we all couldn't believe what was happening. Planes hitting the towers, the pentagon and the field in PA-totally unbelievable. I found out a few hours later that my brother was okay. He was able to call home. Unfortunately, he saw the first plane hit the tower while he was near the Lincoln Tunnel. We were sent home early from work and I went home to watch the news. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? My strongest memory of September 11, is when the news was showing pictures of people jumping from the buildings. That was so sad to me. I couldn't believe that they were showing that, it was like watching a murder or suicide. I had to turn the news off. LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? September 11 affects me everytime I go to NYC. I get chills when I see the empty space where the towers used to be. The first time I was near the actual site was September of 2003. I didn't realize I was going to be so close. I didn't like that feeling. The country has changed. We now have color alerts, changes in airport security, and a Homeland Security Office. But I don't let this things affect my daily activities. I flew two months after September 11 and it was fine. I will continue to live my life and pray that we will not have another terrorist attack in this country. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource lc_story234.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. anonymously Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-01-10 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.44.203.47 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I live in Pueblo, Co. I was on my way to work in Colorado Springs, listening to the radio as usual as I drove up I-25, when I heard that a plane hit one of the Twin Towers. My first thought was of a small plane like a Cessna off course or having trouble. I didn't hear the rest of the story until I got to work. Everyone was watching TV and then I learned there was another hit on the other tower and they were NOT small planes. We gradually went back to our offices and jobs, totally shocked and grieved. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? Watching TV in the conference room at work when my boss' wife called and said a plane had hit the Pentagon. We knew after the 2nd plane hit that this was deliberate, but hitting the Pentagon was a definite act of war. LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? The upsurge of patriotism was remarkable. I sometimes complain about how things work here, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. And I don't want to hear it from people who hate us. We've helped practically every country in the world in one way or another and many of them have turned on us and I'm sick of it. I don't think the Arab countries would have the money to harm us if our engineers hadn't gone in in the 40's and 50's and helped develop their oil reserves. (I know we weren't entirely altruistic, but we still helped.) I consider myself a cautious liberal but I am getting damned tired of every corrupt regime and tinpot dictator hating us and hurting us. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource lc_story154.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. anonymously Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-20 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 63.186.49.131 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I was a sophomore in High School and I will always remember walking into my European History class and seeing the news on t.v. I thought it was one of those educational tapes on what would we do if we were attacked. The second plane hit as soon as I sat down and then I realized this was real. I will always remember how scared I felt. We got out of school early adn I had locked my keys in my house so my friends and I sat on my back porch. It was a gorgeous day and we all were talking about how much our family really meant to us. Later that night we all went to a church and sang and prayed. I'll always remember holding hands with a woman who was crying and I just kept thinking that this could not be happening. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? 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 lc_story96.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 141.157.35.194 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I woke up the morning of September 11th, 2001 and started to get ready for work. I turned the radio on like I normally do and was shocked to hear the DJ mention that a plane had flown into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. At first I thought it was a joke and a pretty bad one at that. Disgusted, I flipped to another station where they were discussing the same thing. It was then that it began to dawn on me that this was far from a joke. I raced downstairs and turned the television on where I was immediatly met with the sickening sight of the once magnificent tower with smoke billowing out of it. I collpased to the floor and began to watch with a mix of awe, fear and disgust. I couldn't believe that what I was seeing was real. Finally, I couldn't watch anymore and turned the set off and went upstairs to call me ex-boyfriend to tell him the news. He hung up on me thinking that I was just kidding around. I drove to work that morning, (I was working at the local mall...) and the streets were eerily quiet. The mall was sooo quiet and we finally shut down early because someone decided to be sick and bomb threat the mall that day. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? 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 lc_story160.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. anonymously Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-22 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.237.84.168 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I work about 2 blocks from the Capitol Building. About a half hour after I had gotten in to work that morning, I received a phone call from my husband (who works in Virginia) telling me that the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane. My immediate thought was that it must have been an accident but when he told me that 2 different planes had struck, it sunk in that this was an act of terror. I told my co-workers what I had heard and we immediately turned on the radio. Some of us tried to log on to CNN.com but it was already inaccessible from so many people trying to log on at once. We were all still in a state of disbelief when the report came on that the Pentagon had also been hit by a plane. Suddenly the radio was filled with unconfirmed reports and rumors about how the Mall was burning and that a bomb went off in front of the State Department. For the first time in my life, I knew what it was like to be under attack. After many calls back and forth with my husband, I decided to leave the building and go to a friend's house who lived nearby the office but away from the Capitol. At this point, reports stated that the Metro was closed and people were beginning to evacuate the city by car and on foot. Several of us from my office ended up at this friend's house and we remained glued to the television set watching the unfolding events. I watched in sheer disbelief as the towers crumbled into dust and the pentagon burned. I thought of all the lives of those who's deaths I was witnessing. Schools were being closed early and my husband was on his way home from Virginia to Rockville so that he could be home when they got there. We were in constant touch by cell phone. I couldn't get any calls out of the area though to tell our families that we were alright but finally he was able to contact them. By early afternoon, it seemed that it was definitely over and Metro was running again. As I walked to the station, I felt the eerie quiet of the city. Still very shaken, I took the train home. I thought about what a beautiful morning it had been. A perfect late summer/early fall sunny day. Nevertheless, it was just a regular day. I remember thinking about how such a regular,run-of-the-mill morning could turn into such an unforgettable day. I was the last of us to get home. We all hugged each other and were all very aware of how grateful we were to be together, knowing full well that there would be thousands of families who would not have such reunions. As the day wore on, the television never went off. Friends came over and we all felt the need to be with people we loved and cared about. There was a need to connect. I don't know how many times that day that I watched the plane hitting the second tower, the burst of flames, and then the crumbling. I do know that the image immediately became part of our collective conscious. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? Aside from the obvious images of destruction that will stay with me for the rest of my life, what I remember most is the feeling of being under attack and how desparately I just wanted to be home surrounded by my family---all of us safe. There was a feeling of helplessness throughout the day---witnessing horrific events that couldn't be changed, not being able to get home, not being able to make calls outside the area. I'll also always remember the sense of being aware that I was witnessing a terrible chapter in American history. LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? The country has been affected in many ways. We've lost our misguided feeling of invincibility that we had prior to September 11th. We now know that being oceans away from most of the rest of the world doesn't always protect us. It's easier now for us to become lax with civil liberties and civil rights if it means fighting terrorism. We have to be very careful about falling into that kind of thinking - of not taking away these fundamental values of American Democracy. If we do allow our rights to be manipulated, the terrorists will have succeeded. Personally, I'm much more aware of my surroundings now than I was before. I pay attention to the people around me and sometimes look for the nearest exit when I'm in a public space. My husband and I finally wrote a will as a result of September 11th. Mostly it has left me with a heaviness of spirit and much worry about the world our children will live in. 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 lc_story8.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. anonymously Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-13 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 140.147.89.15 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I was at my office with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in Emmitsburg, Maryland. When my husband called to say the first plane had hit, I immediately tried to get hold of our son, Matt, whose office was in tower one of the World Trade Center. Matt was working at home on Long Island, NY and not at the WTC. He was trying to find his best friend who was in tower two of the WTC and was eventually able to locate him hours later. However, Matt called me later to let me know that he was originally scheduled to be on the plane that went down in Pennsylvania. I told him that God had a special plan for him if he spared him twice. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? My memory was of being in conflict - sorrow for those lost, fear for the future and joy that my child was safe. LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? Things have changed since September 11th. We as Americans care a little more about each other. I still have hope for the future - especially in my granddaughter, Madelyn - born to my son, Matt and his wife, Marla a little over a year and 3 months after September 11th. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource lc_story98.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 4.36.129.2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I am a Major in the United States Marine Corps and currently work in the Joint Tactical Radio Sysytem Joint Program Office in Rosslyn, Va. On Septemeber 11th, 2001, information filtered into my office that a commerical airliner had just slammed into the WTC building. Then the second one hit, followed by the reports of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon. From our office windows we could saw the billows of smoke from the Pentagon and we decided to close down the office. I immediately made my way to the Pentagon to see if I could be of assistance. When I arrived there was chaos everywhere and I linked up with a triage unit. I spend the next four days at the Pentagon assisting with the victim recovery efforts. On the 12th of September, President Bush made a visit to the compound and it really lifted our spirits. I was able to brief the President on the tasks we (mortuary recovery team) were performing. The next day the demo crew started to knock down some of the damaged areas of the Pentagon, so as not to pose a threat to the crews we were sending into the building. Up in the exposed third floor, just inches from the where the building had crumbled down, stood a Marine Corps flag surprisingly unscathed by the turmoil, but now threatened by the demolition. Being one of the only Marines on the scene, I decided that the USMC colors would not become another casuality in the conflagration. Asking numerous heavy equipment crews, I finally found one that would lift me in a cherry-picker up to the ledge and retrive the flag. Local and national media saw the fire crew and me carrying the flag away from the rubble and captured the moment on tape and film. The Washington Post carried the picture on page 1. The image has since appeared in other newspapers, magazines, and books. It was the kind of spontaneous moment that the folks on-site needed and the effect wasn't lost on the local viewing public. Later I presented the colors to General Mike Williams, the Assistant Commandant of the USMC. I basically refused requests to talk about what we had done and I asked the reporters to focus more on the firefighters and medics. To this date I haven't written or said much about the those four days (sep 11-14), but I will never forget them. I often think about some of the victims we took out of the Pentagon ... I do hope their loved ones know they were treated with reverence when their remains we taken from the Pentagon. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? 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 lc_story270.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-01-21 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 198.26.74.99 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I shifted my weight in the chair. My hands fumbled with the pencil, my eyes, glancing over the few last questions of the test. Sure, I knew the answers; they were just hidden under more important things to think about. For instance, there was only five minutes left of class, and I had like ten more questions to answer. No pressure. As I turned in my test, I noticed that I hadn't put a date on it. I picked up my pencil and filled in the box on the scantron marked date. 9/11/01. The bell rang as I picked up my stuff. Remarks were made about the test when everyone shuttled out of the classroom. I headed down the hallway, shoving my way through people, and set my stuff down at my seat. Then, out into the hallway again. People walked past me, but I scanned the crowd for Jessica. Then I saw her, her blonde hair flowing over her shoulders, her smile. I smiled back of course. Jessica makes you do that, smile back even if you're having a bad day. "Hey girl! How was the test?" "Fine, it was pretty easy," I lie. "Ok, well, here's this," she shoves me our notebook, "Sorry, I didn't have enough time to write," she adds over her shoulder. I sigh. As I walk into my study hall, I notice we have a sub. The second thing I notice is that the T.V is on. How strange, I think. Maybe this sub likes to watch the news. I sit down and say 'hi' to Lindsey. The bell rings, my eyes on the set, blaring out words like "America Under Attack". I sit there, fixated. The sub says something to the extent of what had happened. An airplane had hit one of the twin towers. The twin towers? What the heck? By the look of it, on the T.V that was, it looked to be in New York. But what? Why would anyone want to hit the Twin Towers, the World Trade Center? What makes them so special? Why not something like the Empire State building, one of the tallest buildings in the world? It turns out, I am not the only one who was clueless. Sure, people knew that, at that time, both towers have been hit. Even one had collapsed. It was sad. Even if I didn't know what the buildings were, they still were gone. And all of those peoples lives. Gone. The one and only time I have been to New York was almost a year after September 11th. I remember standing at the top of the Empire State Building, looking at what seemed a normal skyline of the city. But then I noticed it. An American Flag hanging from a building that stood behind where the Twin Towers had once stood. While in New York, I wanted to go see ground zero. Unfourtunatly, my parents thought otherwise. They did not want to go see a hole in the ground, as they put it. But I was struggling to grasp the reality of it all. And my hopes were that if I could at least see ground zero, look over the fence with the thousands of other people, maybe, somehow, I would get a sense of the monstrosity of what two planes did to two buildings one morning while I was at school. I am still trying to comprehend the severity of what happend that one day. I have to admit the one thing I still think about is all of those cars. Millions of people died that day, thousands of cars are suddenly empty. What do they do? How do they start the process of cleaning up? Where do they begin? How? These are questions I can't answer. I can't begin to tell you how much I want to understand, how I want to know what it was like, having a building there, then it's gone. This may sound weird, but I want to experience that day. I want to relive it, not on television, but through my own eyes, watch it happen from beginning to end. I want to feel the fear, running through my spine like a million volts of electricity. I want to know how it feels, to get a better understanding. I want to know what those people went through. My whole perspective on world affairs has changed tremendously. I find myself more interested in what's going on with other countries and wondering how it will affect the United States now than ever. That could be because of age and maturity, but I think a large factor of it has to be because of September 11th. September 11th not only changed the way people lived, but the way people thought. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? 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 lc_story195.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-01-05 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.27.151.233 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I was just coming back from a morning workout and turned on the TV to hear/see the tradegy unfold...actually seeing the second plane hitting the second tower....unbelieveable! I was hoping it wasn't true...that it was some weird preview to a "new" upcoming movie or something... I immediate called my father & told him I was stopping into work breifly & then driving the 45 minutes to his house to be with him during this terrible event(s) that were unfolding....who knew @ that time if we'd be next here in the Midwest...very UNCERTAIN times indeed! The most important thing it did for the American people was bring us back together with our families, friends, and important people in our personal & professional lives! Which we should never, ever take for granted...I never have and I sure will NOT from 9/11/01 on! Nick Willey Davenport, IA LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? The actual sight of the second plane hitting the tower live on TV....then the actual collapse of the towers! LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? It has put everyone's priorities back in order....family & friends are ALWAYS #1! Personally....just reinforced the obivious...live each day likes it's your last & love the people that love you! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource lc_story21.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. 2003-03-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.117.37.58 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I remember the events of that day as if it were yesterday, not two years ago. I was filling in for the Executive Assistant at our command. Miss Mary came running into the office and said that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. I thought she was joking, and if she wasn't that it must be an accident - a small plane crashed into the building. We all went into the Commanding Officer's conference room, and witnessed the 2nd crash and then the Pentagon crash. I was in a state of shock - I felt like I was living in a dream world. The CO/XO immediately went down to OPCON and to War Briefs. I handled a number of people coming into the office and calling on the phone the best I could. Our command streamed CNN to our personnal PC's so that we could keep abreast of the events as they unfolded. The base was secured - it took my husband hours to pick up our almost one year old Cassidy from the base day care; thankfully she was not aware of what was happening. I was one of the last civilians to leave the command that day, still in a state of shock. Terrorism happens in third world countries, not the U.S. For three days, the base was in total shutdown and my husband, a submariner, and I were glued to FOX News. For three days I was in a state of shock. Cassidy probably didn't understand why mommy was holding her so tight at times. I still can't believe it happened. Thousands of people lost thier lives for no real good reason, not that there is ever a good reason. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? My strongest memory is seeing the twin towers collapse over and over and over... It was heart wrenching. Military targets are one thing, but to target innocent civilians - and the children that were in the day cares...I can honestly say I wanted to personnally kill Osama and anyone else involved with him for what they did. LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? We have realized we are not invulnerable, we are not as safe as we thought we were. Unfortunately it took this terrible act to realize it. Security has been heightened. I tend to look at people a little differently than before - a little more wearily. I appreciate life a little more and am trying to live to the fullest extent possible. I now have two beautiful daughters that I hope never have to witness such a horrific event ever again. The U.S. as a country has become more cohesive that it has been in a long time. In times of suffering the U.S. always pulls together and becomes stronger. Everyone has come together to fight the terrorism that plagues the world. At the same time, I hope all the fighting, although worth the outcome ends soon and maybe people can live in peace? Maybe it is just a pipedream, but I have hope. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource lc_story119.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. anonymously Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-18 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 160.127.130.246 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 Library of Congress Stories Description An account of the resource A collection of more than 200 user-submitted stories gathered from the Library of Congress's "Witness and Response" exhibition staged in 2002. LC Story LC Story: Story Where were you on September 11, 2001 when you heard the news? (Please share your experience of learning of the events and what you did afterwards.) I was sitting in class at the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I normally worked in the Pentagon as a civilian employee for the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, but was on a one-year training assignment and had been up in Carlisle for about a month. Someone ran into the classroom and told us to turn on the television, which we did. It was just in time to watch the live broadcast of the second plane flying into the World Trade Center. As we watched in horror, each of us in the classroom immediately knew that this was terrorism and that it would have a huge impact on our lives as Americans and as members of the Army. I felt absolutely sick inside. We watched TV for a while, and then class was dismissed for the day and I went home to continue watching the television coverage. LC Story: Memory What is your strongest memory of that day? As I was watching the coverage of the plane crashing into the Pentagon, they showed a diagram of the Pentagon and where the plane had hit. Two weeks before I left for school, my agency had moved from one side of the Pentagon to the newly renovated section. With a very sick feeling, I realized that the plane had hit directly into our new area. What had happened to all my friends and co-workers? I frantically started calling people at home, but all the lines to the Washington, DC area were busy. I finally got a hold of someone around midnight, and she started naming the names of the missing. All in all, 26 of my co-workers were killed and many more injured. These were people I saw and worked with every day. They were mothers, fathers, friends, sisters, brothers, and children, all lost while serving our country. I will never forget that gut-wrenching feeling when I realized it was my area that had been hit and the guilt I felt that my friends and co-workers were there and I wasn't. LC Story: Affects How do you perceive that the events of September 11, 2001 have affected this country and/or you personally? September 11th showed America that even though we have it pretty good in this country, not all is well with the rest of the world and there are a lot of people who hate America and would like to see us destroyed. We are vulnerable and not as invincible as we would like to think. We are spending huge amounts of money trying to make the country safe again, and it will never be as long as people hate us enough to become human bombs. Poverty is the world's greatest weapon of mass destruction. If the United States put more money and effort into improving the lives of people who have no hope, maybe the world wouldn't be so resentful of our affluence. We have enough to spread around. No, we did not deserve what happened on September 11th, but I wish it should make us more humble instead of more arrogant. As for me personally, I am much more aware of my own mortality. I don't work as hard or as long hours as I used to. I want to enjoy life, my friends, and my family as much as possible, because who knows what tomorrow will bring? I have made a conscious effort to volunteer my time to help out the elderly and others who need help. If we would all help each other out a little bit, it would make the world a lot better place. 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 lc_story180.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. anonymously Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-12-31 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 198.26.126.13