565 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: On 9/11 I didn't have very strong emotions, in fact I barely even understood the depth of what had happened that morning. I went off to school hearing my mom say "A plane flew into one of the towers." It seemed like a terrible accident, but not nearly as deep and painful as the real event actually was. I arrived at school, and I heard all the talk. Another plane had crashed. The pentagon was hit. The towers had collapsed. My friends and I joked about going and killing Osama and the Taliban with grenades, at the time al Quaeda didn't have any meaning to me, which contributed to my lack of sense of reality. But the next day, when I had thought it over and understood what had happened, I was actually worried about what has going to happen next. I wondered what else would be hit, how this could happen, if the Texas Capital would be hit. But the more I talked about it with my teachers, friends, and parents, the less afraid I was and the more I realized that I should feel compassion for those who lost loved ones, and as a tribute not actually fear terrorism at all. THat's my story. 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 story4125.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. 206.77.47.2 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: This is with great sadness and pleasure to be able to write a little something of where I was and how I dealt with a very sad day in our great nation's history, September 11, 2001. I am a police officer. On that morning, I was driving to work in Hermosa Beach,CA. It was about 5:50 a.m. PST. I was listening to the radio and heard a little something about a plane crashing into one of the Twin Towers. Not knowing the magnitude of what had happened I continued my route to work not thinking too much of the crash, maybe because I have never been to New York, I don't know. When I got to work, the TV was on in the briefing room and I learned of the horror that had actually taken place. Not until I saw live the second plane crash I truly realized that this was bad, real bad. As many Americans felt, I was in shock for the rest of that day. While I contacted the citizens of Hermosa Beach and coworkers throughout the day, the conversations were very similar. The disbelief, the wondering, the sadness, the sincere remorse for the victims, their families, and to my fallen comrades in law enforcement and all the emergency personnel. This past year has been different for me and my family. There is a sense of closeness that has not been felt in long time. I have received more thank you's on-duty than all of my career thus far. Now, on this day, the one year anniversary, I am reliving that terrible day. Not nearly with as much pain and sorrow, but with true appreciation for where I am in life, my dear family, wife and children, and the job that I do as a police officer. However, I feel a little guilty that I have a lot to be appreciative of and it took this tragedy to remind me of it. Very important, though, I am reminded of the great country we live in and I can only hope the victims of 9/11 enjoyed life in America before it was cut short. They will never be forgotten, all 2,801 of them. Sincerely, One of many thankful and proud Americans Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story4559.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. 63.210.118.233 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 September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On September 11, 2001, I died. Not in the literal sense. I was thousands of miles away from the tragedy that unfolded in the skies of the Northeast, supposedly safe in my home in Oregon. The Boeing 767s crashing into the World Trade Center, however, were as real on my television as if I had been there. When the towers fell, leaving shells of dust like giant ghostly tombstones for the three thousand who died, my soul also died. I watched my entire life crumble away with those buildings. Just three weeks later, while I still grappled with my shattered internal world, my daughter, Kes, was born. The moment of her birth was like none I had experienced before. The amount of emotion, the feeling of strong connection, was something I couldn?t have imagined. That little blue-eyed face staring up at me was burned in my mind with the same intensity as the giant fireballs that emerged from the World Trade Center towers. I wanted to cry. What kind of world had she been born into? The debris that rained down from the buildings were like tears, as if the towers mourned the loss of so many, and the sad state of a species that could bring such destruction upon itself. Yet here was this little gem in my arms. I was supposed to be overjoyed. I was. But it was tainted with a powerful melancholy. And a newfound purpose. She would get the best I could offer. The best possible shot at life in a world full of potential for disaster. I sometimes wonder what I would have done if Kes hadn?t been conceived. I try not to think about it too much. She gave me a strength, a purpose, at a time when I was lost, seeking out the pieces that would start a foundation for a new me. My wife, Sil, a wonderful person who endured an 18-hour labor to produce that gift of Kes, was a D.C. brat. Apparently growing up in the center of U.S. politics prepared her for the kind of disaster that unfolded on that sunny day in September. She was not affected by the events of 9-11 as badly as I. She showed incredible strength. As I sat in a daze staring up at a sky empty of planes, she continued to work, to live. She didn?t change. And I did. Instantly there was distance between us. I couldn?t understand how anyone could witness such a terrible act without being so badly hurt as I. But then, we?re different people. She didn?t spend much of her time worrying about things like the Fermi Paradox, technological singularity, and disasters great and small, like I did. Science fiction had been a significant piece of who I was for most of my life. I had conceived of flying vehicles being used as deadly missiles against high-rises and had even drawn such ideas over a decade before such fantasy became reality. Having one of my fears realized was an incredible shock. I no longer feel the need to look into the future. On 9-11 science fiction died with the rest of my soul. I?ve just outlined what could have been a great science fiction story. From the jets, the high rises, a security system that was avoided and even the television and satellites that made witnessing the horror possible, there?s the basis of technology having a strong affect on my life. From the collapse of my soul, the start of its reconstruction, the birth of my daughter and the alteration of my relationship with Sil, we have a powerful set of emotions. But this story is real. And I haven?t lived long enough to know where this tale is going to lead. What I do know is that, instead of spending so much time trying to live in a future that looks pretty bleak and writing stories about it, I?ve now become dedicated to the present. Live life. See the world. Show Kes all the wonders that are out there. Make sure she has a shot at something grand before some unexpected event takes everything away. Reconnect with Sil, reconnect with the basis of who I am. This is the new me born of the ashes of 9-11. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8617.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-11-05 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 172.156.198.94 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: Talking about absolutely nothing. Then the mobile rang.A text message said a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. We put on the television and my world changed we saw the second plane crash into the tower.The world to me will never be the same.WHY!WHY!WHY!Cant we move on to the great dreams of mankind!Conquer poverty hunger explore the universe!Or will it remain a shallow dream of mankind forever!!!!! DEREK WOODMAN 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 story1864.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. 213.40.3.66 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was working in the psyical plant at the prison, I was just released from my cell and was reporting to work as the first tower was hit. The TV screens where lit up, yet the sound was turned off. As I exited the block I looked up at the TV and shook my head thinking that another country was being bombed or some thing. Going through the safety checks points and finally ariving at work my boss told me what had happened and for the first time in my life I really felt scared wondering just what would happen to our country, the women and men, kids and familys involed. How ould our President respond to it all. Could we rebuild after such a loss. Looking back now after a year, there has been many changes in a lot of lives, as well as our country and how we come together as one nation under God. I would like to once again thank every one involved with the rescue and clean up of 9-11-01. May God's Blessings be with you and your familys, may Gods Blessings be with the familys that lost loved ones that day. Thank You and God Bless! PS I was released on 6-3-02, and by the grace of God life starts over for me and is a blessing every day. David H Hart 639 NE 81st Ave Portland, Oregon 97213 503-381-2875 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 story3675.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. 63.230.163.253 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 visiting my Sister-in-law in Texas. We were taking my nephew to pre-school. The radio was on and I heard something about the World Trade Center being on fire. I turned to my Sister-in-law and said, "Did you hear that?" She answered with a "No." So I said, "I think they just said the world Trade Center was on fire." So we listened for a minute and the radio announcer said, "We just received news that the other tower has just been hit by a plane." My Sister-in-law and I just looked at each other in disbelief. We couldn't believe something so tradgic coud happen...in the United States. We rushed home to alert family and my Brother-in-law was already watching the news. It was all over the T.V., every station. We all sat and watched the television in total shock and sadness. I just couldn't understand what kind of people would [like and want to] think up such an awful attack. It was beyond my comprehension. I am still saddened by the events of September 11, 2001. However, since the tradgic events happened wether we wanted them to or not, I am very greatful that we live in a nation of strong, compassionate people. I am amazed with how the people of the United States reacted to these great triumphs and hardships. The United States will always be strong because of this. Stand tall Lady Liberty, we are behind 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 story4765.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.166.251.209 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: I was getting ready to go to work, and my husband was still asleep in bed when the phone rang. I heard him say "oh my god, oh my god, Michele, turn on the tv, there's been a plane crash." Normally we don't listen to television or the radio in the morning, so we had no idea what was going on. Before I could turn on the television, the only thought was that my mom was flying that day for business, and that her plane had crashed. I know I said "oh god, I hope my mom is okay," and my husband said "that was your mother." At that point in time I was so relieved, and very confused. I couldn't imagine why I would care that there had been a plane crash. While any plane crash is tragic, unless you have a personal connection to someone on the plane, or related the crash, it's hard to get that concerned. As I turned on the television, I was so utterly amazed at the news coverage. The second tower of the World Trade Center had just been hit, and the image on the television just kept playing over, and over again. It was inconceivable that this was not an accident. Almost as soon as it started to sink in that this was intentional, another plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. I have never felt the shock and horror that I was beginning to feel after watching the images on TV. When the fourth plane crashed on the ground, I really began to wonder when it was going to stop. It just seemed to keep going on, and on, and on. I wondered how many other planes were going to crash that day. It seemed like there were many rumors being spread by the news media, and that potentially there were many planes in the air that could also be crashing that day. I spend most of the rest of the day in bed, crying, and trying to keep my two small children calm and distracted. I really didn't want them to know yet what was going on, since they were only 2 or 3 1/2 at the time. We kept our older son home from preschool that day. Over the next few days, the preschool received several bomb threats. It's a jewish school, and it seems that many anti-semites were using the terrorist attacks as an opportunity to express their hatred. It was terrifying to let my children leave my side. As soon as the stock market opened up on September 17th, I bought United Airlines stock. I wanted to show my support of the airlines, and U.S. economy. This was my very first stock purchase. Three weeks after September 11th, we got on an airplane to take a vacation to Florida. It was very hard during the first few minutes of the flight. I was utterly terrified that the plane was going to explode. Nothing happened, and it was an uneventful flight, but I still feel frightened when I get on a plane. Today it's exactly one year later, and I don't think I will ever get the images of those planes crashing into the twin towers out of my head. I can play it over and over again. This is an unbelievably vivid memory for me. Today I am angry that this happened. I am sad that so many innocent people died. I feel sorry for the families that lost someone during these attacks. I don't know that we will ever be the same. At the same time, I now hate flying, because I feel like the security measures only harrass people, and don't really eliminate any threats. I have gotten into arguements with police and national guardsmen over not wanting to be touched by strangers at security checkpoints, having them scare my children at the airport, and I have had my possessions stolen while going through security at the airport. I am frustrated that Osama Bin-Laden is still at large, still funding terrorist groups. I don't believe the U.S. government or the world governments are really doing anything to try and capture him, or to eliminate terrorism. I also feel like this has been a great opportunity for the U.S. government to potentially take away some of our freedom. We are just beginning to see it at the airport. I think that more changes will come. I don't like the world very much right now. I'm still scared. 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 story3491.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: Four years prior to September 11th, 2001 I had stood at the top of the Twin Towers on a trip to NYC for my eighth birthday. Four years later I watched them tumble to the ground, taking thousands of American lives down with it. I was 12, and in my second week of seventh grade. I was in my gym class talking with some friends when an administrator for my school came on the intercom, her voice shaky and her tone serious. She told us that the World Trade Center had been hit by two airline planes and my hands covered my mouth in shock. The gym exploded in gasps and screams and oh my god. I didnt even hear her continue to say that the Pentagon had been hit as well. I was 12, I didnt even connect that the World Trade Center was the Two Towers. All I knew was that something big had happened, something that would change America forever. The bells rang like normal that day; I went from class to class like normal. I still didnt really understand. Then, I heard that the Pentagon had been hit. The Pentagon I knew. I knew my best friends mom worked at the Pentagon, I knew my dad had been going in to lead a bible study in the Pentagon on Tuesday mornings a few weeks prior, I could see the Pentagon in my mind. Thats when I began to get scared. I remember walking home that day with my friend Lizzy. We were silent. We didnt know what to say. We didnt know how to comfort each other. We didnt know if we were allowed to be scared. We didnt know that America could be wounded. Our whole lives we had lived under this belief that America was invincible. In one day, in one moment our view had completely changed for the rest of our lives. America was still our home but now it had become more. The pledge wasnt just the pledge. Our flag wasnt just our flag. They were symbols of everything that we held dear. It was the first day I realized everything that I valued in being an American citizen. I went home, threw my backpack on the ground and watched the news with my mom and my three brothers around a small TV in my living room. My dad, being a Pastor at a local church had been off comforting families and seeing how he could help the congregation. I wanted him there so bad. I wanted him to hug me and tell it was going to be ok and I wanted to feel safe with him. I couldnt cry though. I watched the news and saw the images but I couldnt cry. I heard the stories I saw the pictures, but I couldnt cry. The next morning school had been cancelled for a day of remembrance and I decided to take a walk outside and process everything that had happened the day before. I walked to the corner of my colt-a-sac and looked down the street. Thats when I stared crying. Someone in the night had gone and tied a red, white and blue ribbon on every tree by the side of the road. It was the greatest image of I have of those days. That picture of patriotism and unification. We became that class of September 11th. We became grown up on 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 story20423.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. 151.188.16.21 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I stood on the train platform at Metropark delighting in the sparkling air. This particular September morning was exceptionally clear with the fresh air that comes down from Canada in the fall. The weather was fine and I felt good. I was wearing my newly cleaned blue pinstriped suit, a white shirt and a brand new gold-yellowish tie. The tie made me feel special. It was a unique feeling that I always experienced whenever I wore something new. The commute to the city was uneventful and I arrived at my office on the 19th floor at 55 Broad Street about 7:40 am and began my daily routine. I unlocked the overhead cabinet in my cubical, took out my laptop, plugged it in, turned it on and went for a cup of coffee. When I got back, I logged on and started checking my email. It wasn?t long before I started conversation with one of the guys that worked in my office. We generally talked about sports and today wasn?t any different; the Mets winning streak, Clemens? chances for another Cy Young award. About 8:45 I heard something like a muffled roar. It wasn?t quite like an explosion but then again it wasn?t like any of the usual sounds that you get accustomed to hearing in the city. There was a pause in our conversation. My co-worker heard the sound as well and I remarked that the noise was unusual and I couldn?t recall ever hearing something like it before. He said it was probably a truck and we continued our conversation. It wasn?t long before one of the secretaries, sitting at a desk near a south-facing window, called for us to see all the confetti floating in the air outside. I went and looking outside and saw papers blowing all around the building. I tried to see where they were coming from and when I looked up as high as I could see there were papers floating above all the building around us. Just then my friend got a bulletin on his PC that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. My company occupied the entire floor of the building so it was possible to get a vantage point to see in all directions in lower Manhattan. We hurried to the opposite side of our floor and went onto an outside landing of a stairwell. From there, we were able to look north and see the south side of both the north and south towers of the WTC. Smoke was coming from the north tower but we couldn?t see the north side of the tower where the plane hit. At this time no one knew what kind of plane it was and we all assumed it was a small private plane. I couldn?t imagine how such an incident could happen on an exceptionally clear day and I was skeptical that it was an accident. In any event it looked like it would be a tough fire to put out but I didn?t doubt that it could be done. I went back to my desk and called wife to tell her what happened. She had heard the news and wanted to know if I was going to leave and come home. Based on the little information that I knew at the time, I figured that the worst that could happen would be a harder than usual evening rush hour but there shouldn?t be any problems getting home. I went around to the Broad Street side of our floor, the west side of the building, to where my boss sits and told him about the plane. Even though the WTC was visible from his office, he wasn?t aware of what happened. We went to a corner office on the northwest side of the building when we could see both towers. The fire in the north tower appeared worst then when I originally saw it. While we watched, I caught the flickering image of another plane between the buildings to our west. It was turning and I clearly saw the underside of the plane as it banked a little and crashed into the south tower. I watched in amazement not believing what I just saw. Now I realized that the first crash wasn?t an accident, and neither was the second. The city was under attack and the plane crashes were acts of terrorism. I hurried down the hall anxious to get to the phone and call my wife again when I realized what I just saw. The plane that hit the south tower might have been filled with people and there surely were hundreds of other people occupying the floors that it hit, and I just witnessed their deaths. I got my wife on the phone and told her of the second plane. She wanted me to leave and get home as soon as I could. I told her I would call back when I was leaving. I figured the company would tell us we should leave but an official announcement never came. Everyone in the office including myself procrastinated about leaving and without knowing it at the time our hesitation was probably the best non-decision we could make. A couple of the women that worked in my office arrived. They both were frightened, one was nearly hysterical. She wasn?t far from the WTC when the South tower was struck and as she took refuge in a doorway as she watched papers spotted with blood drifting to the ground. I tried to call my wife again but by this time the call wouldn?t go through on my office phone, and I didn?t have a signal on my cell phone. I turned on a small portable radio that I always carried in my brief case hoping to get some news. I couldn?t pick up any of the NY stations but I did get a station from New Jersey and began to hear about what was going on. A small group of my fellow workers congregated around my $10 radio that was now worth its weight in gold. The news reports that were at first vague began to get sharper. Several other planes were feared hijacked and a plane had crashed into the Pentagon. Then the city shut down, the tunnels and bridges were closed. No trainings were running. Now I couldn?t get home if I wanted to. I tried again to call my wife but I still couldn?t get through. Even though the building?s ventilation system was turned off, our computer network was still running. I took a chance and sent an email to a friend who lives in my town of East Brunswick. I told him that the phones weren?t working and I couldn?t reach my wife. I asked him to call her office and tell her I was still in the office and okay. It worked, only a few minutes passed before he replied that he reached her and she was relieved to get the message. I was still in the office listening to the radio when the first tower collapsed. I heard the moaning sound it made and by the time I got to a window the building was gone. A gray cloud of smoke came billowing past the New York Stock Exchange and down Broad Street. The cloud quickly rose from the ground until it reached our floor and completely engulfed the building. It was suddenly dark outside and I couldn?t see a thing. Now I knew for sure that I couldn?t leave. An announcement came over the building PA that there were two doctors in the building if anybody needed medical help and that all tenants were directed to go to either a large conference area on the 4th floor or to the basement. All of the people in my office opted to go to the basement and reluctantly we took the elevator down to the lobby. Once there, I could see that the front doors were sealed shut with duck tape. Outside the street was dark but I saw a man walking by, almost dragging his brief case. He was completely gray, covered from head to toe in ashes. He reminded me of the ghost of Christmas Past. From the lobby we walked down a flight of stairs to reach the basement which was crowded with people. The area we were led to was actually the office for one of the building?s other tenants. They had a game room where some people were actually playing air-hockey while a few other guys were re-filling empty water cooler bottles with water from the men?s room. The company that occupied the space still had their network running so I used one of their PCs to email my friend again asking him to pass the word to my wife that I was still in the city, in the basement of my building and okay. It wasn't long after we got to the basement when the rumble of the North Tower's collapse vibrated through the floor. The rest of the morning was spent exchanging bits of news with people I never met before and just being anxious to know what was going on. Finally, about noontime, we decided to go back up to the 19th floor. I immediately went to my phone and tried to call my wife again, but I couldn't get through. Surprisingly I had a message on the phone from the gas station were I had left my car the night before. The mechanic?s message was that I only needed a new battery and to call him back to approve the cost. I didn?t think I could get through to him, particularly because the station was only a half mile from my wife's office. But I called anyway and surprisingly he answered the phone. I told him to replace the battery and to call my wife, tell her I was okay and I would soon be leaving for home. The air was clearing and portions of the East River were visible. Many boats were now circling the city, going around the harbor and up the East River. All the people in my office began discussing their plans on where they were going to go and who they were going with while someone cut up a bunch of promotional tee shirts to use as facemasks. I knew that I wouldn?t be coming back to the office for a while so I crammed my laptop into my brief case and grabbed a bottle of water. I took off my new tie and put it into my overhead cabinet. I was afraid that it might get ruined if I wore it outside. The tunnels and bridges were still closed so I planned to go to the South Street seaport and try to get a ferry to the Atlantic Highlands. I didn?t know how I could get home from there but at least I wouldn?t be trapped in the city. When it came time to leave, I left with a co-worker who lives in Clifton. He heard from his daughter that ferryboats were running from Battery Park to New Jersey so I changed my plans and decided to go to Battery Park with him. When we got to the lobby the security guards told us that we had to use the service entrance and once we left the building we would not be allowed to get back in. I covered my mouth with my wet handkerchief and we left the building exiting onto Beaver Street. Everything was coated with dust; papers and debris were everywhere. Heading west we crossed Broad Street going toward Battery Park. The usual sounds of the city were gone, as if it was stunned into silence. It was amazingly quite, so much so that I could hear people talking from blocks away. When we reached Bowling Green I stopped and stood in the middle of the road at One Broadway and looked around. A breeze swirled the ashes around creating little dust devils that danced about. A Japanese photographer was hastily moving from place to place stopping for an instant here and there to snap a picture. I wish I had my camera to take some picture of my own that I could share with my family. I didn't need photos for my sake because the images that I saw on this day are forever burnt into my memory. I looked up the street toward the WTC and somewhere about Liberty Street there was a curtain of black smoke that stretched across Broadway toward Brooklyn cutting us off from the rest of Manhattan. It seemed like a scene from On the Beach We crossed the intersection of Broadway and Battery Place went into Battery Park moving in the direction of Ft. Clinton. To the right of us a line of ambulances circled down West St. to Battery Place and up Greenwich. As they sat there with their siren silent I could hear the grinding of their roof lights as they spun red flashes into the dusty air. They were prepared for a rescue that never happened. Walking up the promenade through the park I was kicking up the dust as I followed someone else's footprints in the ashes. For some strange reason, the quite and footprints reminded be of the serene walks after a new snow fall that I took in my youth. Ahead of us there wasn?t any noticeable activity and I began to wonder it going in this direction was a mistake. But once we got around to harbor side of the fort it was like finding an oasis. Clear air was blowing in from New Jersey and an assortment of EMTs, police and non-uniformed people were actually glad to see us and I was glad to see them. They gave us bottled water and asked if we needed medical attention but best of all, there where boats there taking people to Jersey. A couple small boats were going up the Hudson to Weehawken and a tug prepared to go to Jersey City. With help from policeman I got on the tug still not knowing how I would get home there. I climbed up the front of the boat to the highest place I could until I reached a spot in front of the wheel house. The tug backed away from the bulkhead, turned and headed away from the city. As we plowed our way across the harbor everybody had their eyes glued to the smoke that was coming up from where the WTC once stood some still shaking their heads in disbelief. We pulled up to a pier at Jersey City. The crew got a rope around a piling and the captain revved the engines and turned the rudder in such a way as to keep the tug against the dock, the same technique they use with the boats in Disneyworld. It took a while to get off the tug, there must have been 100 people or more on board. When I finally got onto the dock I did the same thing that everybody who went before me did. I stopped to look back across the river almost hoping that when I looked this time the towers would be there, but they weren?t. A policeman beckoned me to move along and get off the pier. There where more rescue workers at the foot of the pier passing out water and one of the people there told me that phones were available in the lobby of one of the office buildings for our use. I was also given instructions on where to go to get buses that were running from Columbus Place to Penn Station in Newark and Weehawken. It was about 1:30 pm and I hoping to stop at Flamingo?s or the Iron Monkey to get a bite to eat or more importantly a drink, but all the businesses in Exchange Place were closed. It was only a four or five block walk past another string of queued up ambulances to were the busses where stopping. While I waited for the bus I met a couple of guys and we spent the time exchanging stories on the day?s events. One guy had an office at the American Stock Exchange that had the windows blown in. The other told me he was outside watching the fire in the north tower when the south tower was hit. He saw what he believed to be one of the planes engines crash through a walkway above a group of fireman. He didn?t think they could have survived. It was about 45 minutes before a bus arrived and we headed off to Newark on the Bayonne extension of the Turnpike. The road was closed to all but emergency traffic and indeed the only other vehicle I saw was a police car going toward the city. The bus went up the Turnpike, exited onto Route 280, and took us into Newark. When we got to the train station the bus pulled up at an entrance that was closed off with police tape. The driver told us that the door was generally open and he didn?t know why it was closed. We exited the bus anyway and as we did a railroad employee asked us if we were from the city, when we said we were he told us we had to go around the side of the station. Following his directions we were led to an area where EMT personnel gave us triage tags and put us in a line to be washed down with water from a garden hose. I asked if I had to do that and when informed it was optional I skipped the water and headed into the station. The next train south was scheduled to leave in 5 minutes so I quickly found the right platform and got on the train. Newark was the terminus for trains scheduled to go to NYC and consequently the starting point for trains going south. The train was jammed with people and there were barely a few places left to stand. Being packed-in on the train wasn?t unusual but nobody was complaining and that was unusual, in fact it was strangely silence. A few EMTs managed to squeeze onto the train asking if anyone was hurt or needed medical help. I guess they were looking for people who might be in shock. Just before the train started to move, I asked a woman standing next to me how she was. In a quivering voice she said she saw people jumping out of the towers. Her eyes began to tear and she choked back some sobs. She didn?t speak again on the trip and neither did I. The usual exit from the train at Metropark was generally like a cattle stampede with people rushing to the parking deck and the waiting busses. But when the doors of the train opened on this afternoon everybody exited the train without pushing or jockeying for position. The walk down the stairs to the station was quite and orderly, like a grammar school fire drill monitored by a nun. I was relieved to reach my car and looking around the parking deck I couldn?t help but wonder how many cars belonged to owners that wouldn?t be returning. I got home about 3:30. Usually I announced my arrival by calling out, ?what?s for diner?? but not this day. On this afternoon I simply hugged my wife and told her that I loved her. The remainder of my night was spent watching the news and making some calls to family and friends. I worked the remainder of the week in my company?s New Jersey office. I didn?t return to work until Tuesday and as I waited at the train station that morning I was sure that most of the people standing there with me shared the anticipation that I had on returning the city. It was a far different feeling from the one that I had when standing in the same spot 7 days ago. Penn Station in NYC appeared to have the usual amount of traffic but it seemed more orderly now. Armed soldiers were about along with a greater number of police throughout the station. I took the usual subway downtown, got off at the Wall Street station and made my way up the stairs to street level. The air was clouded with a lingering smoke and a foul odor, it smelled like burnt plastic perfume. The area was in shambles, debris still littered the street, phone and power cable were strung through the gutters. I walked towards the stock exchange and then down Broad Street to my office. National guardsmen were stationed at the intersections and barricades blocked traffic from entering Wall Street. There were a few people in my office when I arrived and we shared our greetings with more sincerity then we had in the past. When I got to my desk, I took my laptop out of my brief case and plugged it into our network. When I opened my overhead cabinet, I saw that my carefully folded yellow tie was where I left it, and I was ashamed of myself. I paused and looked around. When I was sure no one was watching, I took the tie and stuffed it into my case. So many innocent people were killed and so many brave people gave up their lives trying to save them, and I was afraid to get my tie dirty. Copyright ? 2003 James F. Matulevich 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 story10886.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-09-10 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.38.65.121 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On September 11, when the first plane hit I was in a classroom beginning a math lesson. Another teacher came in to tell me of the plane hitting the trade center. She returned 15 minutes later to tell me about the next plane. My school had an amazing view of the towers. I couldn't look at the view that day. I was new to this school and this teacher had no idea what I was feeling and how many people I was thinking about. My husband is a NYC fire lieutenant and I did not know where he was all day. As luck would have it, I had his car and in his car his gear. He has size 13EEE shoes and was held up from borrowing gear because of this. I thank God today that I was too lazy to pull out my own car in the morning and took his instead. There is much to be said for laziness. He didn't arrive at the scene until much later. It was well after the collapse. My sister-in-law worked in the towers and would have been at work well before the plane hit. She worked in tower two on the eighty-eighth floor. She was spared because she felt ill that morning and took a much later express bus. Unfortunately, my husband's brother, also a fire lieutenant did not make it out alive. Lt. Kenneth J. Phelan was not supposed to be at work. He was called in because he owed a tour. So this is where I was that day. My family will relive that day forever. We will forever remember 9/11. Most of us relive it daily. 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 story7261.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. 2002-09-13 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.47.195.109 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Where I grew up, I was used to low flying jets. My town, Far Rockaway, NY, was only a few miles away from Kennedy Airport, so the sound of jets taking off and landing was commonplace and didn?t warrant any particular notice or concern, except when the roar of the engines drowned out a crucial scene during a TV show. I now live in Manhattan and it?s been many years since I heard a jet flying low enough to catch my attention. But one did on September 11, 2001. I was leaving my house to go to work at Two World Trade Center and just as I turned the key in the lock on my front door a very low flying jet went over my house. I remember thinking that the jet was flying way too low for Manhattan as it rumbled loudly overhead. But, like a true New Yorker, I just shook off the experience and proceeded to go to work exiting through the garden in the back of my building. As I stepped into the garden, my first thought was what a beautiful a day it was. The sky was clear and the air was dry -- very nice for a late summer morning. September 11th is my niece Debbie?s birthday and I was thinking about the plans we made to celebrate. I was approaching Second Avenue and 11th Street when I noticed a group of people on the corner talking excitedly. One of them was flailing his arms around and pointing to the sky. I wondered what was going on, but again, like a true New Yorker, I decided to mind my own business and continue on to work. As I stood on the corner and waited for the light to change I heard one member of the group mention the World Trade Center. Hearing that, I turned and asked him what happened and he said that a jet just crashed into the World Trade Center. He described how he watched the troubled plane flying over our neighborhood and that it was bobbing up and down and its wings were tipping from side to side. I couldn?t believe what I just heard so I started walking south on Second Avenue to see if I could see anything and that?s when I saw thick black smoke pouring out of the top of Tower One. For a split second I was torn between going to work or turning around and going home. In the confusion of the moment I didn?t know what to do, so I went into a local deli where the radio was on and the reporter confirmed what my eyes saw but my mind did not want to believe. I started walking back home in tears saying ?Oh, my God? over and over again. Back in my apartment, I put the TV on and began to watch the rest of the horrors of that day play out. I watched as Two World Trade Center exploded. My first thought was that it was related to the first crash. It just seemed logical -- what else could it be? But when it was confirmed that a second plane hit Tower Two, I, like everyone else, knew that we were under attack. I saw that the plane hit above the 80th floor and I was praying that everyone in my office got out in time. I was trying to remember all of our ?early birds? - employees who came to work before 9:15 a.m. After that, I remember thinking that I could never go back into that building again, and that I hoped my firm wouldn?t go back. We had survived the bombing in 1993 and now this. That?s two more attacks than I could stand. Fifty-three minutes later it was a moot point. The building where I spent 10 years of my life began crumbling into dust. As I watched the dust cloud I remember thinking that what I was seeing wasn?t really happening and that when the dust cleared my tower would still be there. The reality of what followed was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life. It was gone. And then the other was gone and it was only 10:30 a.m. What took seven years to build was gone in 1 hour and forty-five minutes. The hours and days afterward were followed by frantic phone calls from worried family, friends and co-workers. I was so relieved to learn that all of my co-workers survived and that other friends who worked in the towers also survived. Even so, I think I cried more tears in the past six months than I cried in my entire life and it took weeks before I could fall asleep before the sun came up. Like so many others, I became hyper-vigilant -- getting up and checking the planes flying overhead even when there weren?t any. It?s taking a long time to get over what happened, but what precedent is there for getting over something like this? There isn?t a word to describe that day. There isn?t one word that encompasses horror, grief, fear, anxiety and anger. Someone would have to invent a new word to describe the events of September 11th. But, sometimes simplicity says it all. Within a few days after the attack, someone stenciled something on the sidewalks around my neighborhood. One of the spots where the comment was stenciled was the spot where I had been standing that morning when I heard about the plane crashing into Tower One. It?s still there, but it?s slowly fading away with time. In red, white and blue lettering it says: WTC RIP It?s a small epitaph for skyscrapers that once seemed so indestructible and for the thousands of lives that were lost in them. It?s a simple epitaph - one that says it all - written on the sidewalks of New York because there aren?t enough words to inscribe in stone, or a grave large enough to hold everything that died that day. I?m writing this on the first day of spring, 2002. Everything is starting to bloom again and I usually take great comfort in seeing things come back to life after winter. But we didn?t have much of a winter this year and I wish we had. Somehow I feel that a drastic change of season - one with lots of snow and freezing temperatures would have provided a physical and emotional detachment from what happened. But it?s been relatively mild - deceptively so for winter - like that day that started out so beautifully in September 2001. 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 story9330.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. 2003-05-27 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 207.190.251.132 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: To begin with, I want to pay tribute to all of those who were involved in the 9-11 WTC incident, and also at the Pentagon. The way I view this, and the way someone else might, are completley different. I did not have any friends or relatives that were involved, so it hasn't had the deafening effect on me as it has had on a lot of others. It was the weirdest thing to be sitting in high school ,then all of a sudden, the news pops on and it says that two of the most important buildings in the U.S. have been destroyed by terrorist's, who hijacked two or three airplanes. I've never seen anything (along with everyone else), like that before. It doesn't seem as such a big happening at first, but when you add all the people who were in those buildings, who died, it's really quite overwhelming. A year later, this day, we all can clearly see what it has done, since last year, to bring people together, to help one another, to make sure we all are united. Many people could've just given up, but with the citizen's of the U.S., that's not an option. A lot of aremed forces, police, emergency, and firefighters have risked there lives to save as many people as possible, and I commend them greatly. I don't think that this will stop America through it's oncoming pages in history...I think this was just a test to show us that everyone has to help one another to succeed, and this event has proven so. So, i'm proud to say that I'm a citizen of the United States, and by stating so, I will do my part on making sure what I need to do, is done. Recently, I enlisted into the U.S. ARMY Resreves...there was a frightening feeling that I might have been called in, even though I haven't gone through basic training yet. Now, I/m not afraid anymore. I'm proud to be a defender of the U.S. I hope to God there aren't anymore, but am ready, to pursue any other terrorist attacks, in future with all my pride and dignity given to me from the freedom of America. Thnak 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 story2375.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.18.33.4 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Ground Zero: Sept. 14, Morning Four As a volunteer and under the guise of being a tradesman, I hopped a boat to the wreckage site to unload relief supplies and assist in the cleaning process. It had stormed all night and was still cold and raining. All the dust had turned to mud and the paper detritus was quickly becoming mangled pulp. As we approached the harbor, I was struck first by the gaping hole in the skyline. But gawking and reflection were impossible. Idleness was impossible. There was too much activity surrounding me. Some orchestrated. Some individually innovated. But all for the purpose of erasing the unspeakable damage. After unloading the boat, I grabbed an abandoned snow-shovel and joined a clearing crew. With shovels and buckets we were able to clear an entire plaza of mud and garbage. By 2:00pm a new "shift" arrived to relieve us. It was then that I realized that most of the workers around me were contractors or involved in organizations in New Jersey, upstate New York, or Long Island, not citizen volunteers. Someone asked me if I was in the "iron trade." I said, "Not exactly." Although I had only worked for about 2 1/2 hours on site (I had volunteered at a donation site, Chelsea Piers, since 7:00am that morning with my friend Kate), I took the relief shift as an opportunity to gawk. Actually, to clarify for anyone who might be thinking proud thoughts right now, my motives were not altruistic by any means. When I began in the morning, I did not know that I would have an opportunity to go down to the rubble. Work had been cancelled for the coming week and I was suffering from cabin fever and shock. Volunteering early in the cold rain seemed like just about the best way to exorcise the feelings of helplessness and disbelief. But even organizing food, clothes, and other donations did not make the tragedy palpable. Had the two most prominent features of my skyline really collapsed!?!?? Were those newsreels real? Were there really thousands of fellow citizens vaporized, burned, or buried under an unimaginable ton of wreckage? When we were informed that boats were taking people from our site down to THE site, I quickly prepared myself: rain suit, hard hat, boots, goggles, respirator (all in boxes waiting to be delivered to the workers already clearing), and forced my way onto the next boat. (I was told that credentials of craftsmanship were checked before boarding every boat after mine.) But make no mistake, I was not going to "lend a hand"; I was going to lend a visceral punch to my fatigued and disbelieving imagination. For those unfamiliar with the World Trade Center, it was not simply two shimmering towers. The buildings and plaza that are all part of the complex probably covered 10 acres if not more. The perimeters of Tower One and Two were enormous and certainly the grandest of the buildings, but the towers were flanked by four interconnected buildings of about twenty stories. There were fountains and malls and underground passageways, not to mention the adjacent World Financial Center complex and all the hotels and shorter skyscrapers and on and on. None of this was unaffected by the collapse of these grand monuments. I landed on the western side in the private yacht basin of the World Financial Center (not World Trade Center), now bereft of all private craft and rife with police, fire, and Coast Guard boats. First visible to me (and blocking the majority of the tonnage) was that complex. Not destroyed but looking like an abandoned warehouse, I barely recognized it. Working as a cater-waitor, I had oft stood in the grand glass and marble passageway that connects two of the financial buildings of the WFC, looking out at the Hudson. A grid of steel beams had ripped half of it to dust in their perilous plunge to earth. On the outskirts of the damage, random windows were shattered and the buildings less caked. But the closer I walked to the former towers the more apocalyptic the scene became, window frames empty and the mud and ash facial covering everything. Among the mud at my feet I saw countless invoices and records, pamphlets and promotionals. I couldn't help wondering if the companies who printed these papers existed any more. I stepped over wires and rocks, crumbled facade and structural steel. Metal skeletons of cars and buses lay on top of eachother, ejected from parking garages or lifted by their own explosions. Building faces crumbled from the avalanche of the towers' debris. I walked into a doorless bar two blocks from the former Trade Center and saw a scene from an egregiously dusty western. The floor and tables were covered in soot, and beer bottles left on counters and bars were half dusty, indicating the direction in which the cloud blew through. A colonial-age cemetary sits one block from the World Trade Center. Garbage covered the headstones, and beams had crushed some of the trees shading the lot. It actually was amazing to see how much had been cleared. Most roads leading up to the WTC foundation were completely functional and firetrucks, dozers, cranes, hummers and all their accompanying personnel filled the streets, paving the way to the mountain of destruction. I saw it all, all that anyone could see. I got as close to the smoldering mass as anyone else, save the rescuers who've bravely ventured into or onto the rubble. It dwarfed all the cranes struggling to slowly dismember it. It choked anyone standing in the path of its smoke. Fingers and grids of rod iron and steel snarled and twisted skyward out of the ground. A dispostured portion of the frame of Tower One still stood twenty stories high, resisting collapse but bent toward the pile wherein the missing portion lay. Beams drove their arms deep into the concrete or curled, broke, and bent in various directions from their collective fall. The pile was at once a maze and a mountain - full of knooks and crannies but compacted with pyrotechnic and gravitational might. The appendages of the towers had been torn and corrupted of all structural integrity, their black exteriors tossed variously among the ruins. The silver exterior of the Trade Center was made of aluminum revetment covering the steel infrastructure. Sections of this revetment had flown blocks and blocks during the collapse - through windows, into the sides of buildings - scattering the wreckage and streets with mangled sheets of ornamentation. It was a stunning vision. But I write "vision" purposely because I still have not completely accepted what I've seen. I don't know how to better describe the feeling. I just can't envision that scene of decisive planning and determined deconstruction as a mass grave. I can't imagine the architectural void. I can't compute the transformation from pinnacles of invention and design to compressed, wrestling metal junk piles. I stole down there to awaken my rational faculties, but somehow my tactile experience made it all the more surreal. Abandoned hotels, cavernous alleyways, skeletal cars: that's not New York City. That's not the financial district, capitol of the world economy. What have I seen? What have I learned? What the fuck happened? But even though reality and perception remain unreconciled in my mind, I have realized something. I've realized not only how incredible the rescuers and work force unearthing and removing all the destruction are. I've realized how incredible this country is. I empathize with anyone feeling helpless or distant or vengeful. But I can tell you that we all, every single citizen, help with each step we take forward, refusing to be prisoners in our own homes or targets on our own soil. We become closer and more unified with our trust in the government and intelligence experts to execute decisive, educated action, enlisting our help if necessary. And we most emphatically exact revenge by carrying on in the face of terror and grief, expelling defeat and spiting cowardice. The most demoralizing artillery and the most biting ammunition in our enemies' spirits is the return of Americans to work today; our respect for all humanity; and our patience for righteous defense. In spiritual community with you all, Frank Boudreaux 9-16-'01 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story24.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. 2002-01-30 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 216.165.5.55 Annotation Annotations to this item. Environmental/Health Impact Ground zero- at or about Politics and politicians Rebuilding Rescue/clean-up workers/volunteers Terrorism U.S. retribution WTC, attack WTC, pre-911 WTC, worked in (ever) NY:3 Sep 11- Sep 21, 2001 Feature Notes Notes about this item. move to email? 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: Title of Story: No Guidebook for 9-11 There is no guidebook for a tragedy like this. That is what I recently told the employees in all of the VA (Department of Veterans Affairs) medical centers and clinics across the network that I manage in New York and New Jersey.. I also told them as we resolved major issues, managed emergent situations, deployed staff and cared for patients, we have been moving forward without the benefit of any previous similar experience. During this, the greatest national tragedy to touch our shores, I noted that it was each of them who are writing the new chapters for this guidebook. As we learn how to deal with the wounded, the distraught, the families, our own staff?s reactions, the media crush, the traffic, the smoke, the dust, our kids, our priorities and our new lives - we are gathering knowledge and skills that will be invaluable to the rest of the nation. The nation will want to know what we have learned and the hurdles we have crossed, and we have crossed many. This tragedy was within extraordinarily close proximity of many of our VA New York City and New Jersey - medical centers and clinics and had a deep impact on the entire Network. We had to lead the Network through this single most violent act of war and terrorism that the country has ever sustained. Most important was to approach the disaster with compassion, determination and great focus. From the moment the crisis occurred I was in Headquarters at a meeting, and had to begin to manage and lead the network from a remote location. While this was extraordinarily frustrating for me I knew I had great people back in New York and New Jersey - ready to meet the challenge. For the first two days I was asked by VHA to remain in the VA Emergency Operations Center and assist in managing the crisis at the national level. However during this time I was setting in motion the Medical Center Directors and VISN staff to manage numerous aspects of this unfolding and ever-changing tragedy. From the VA Emergency Operations Center, and when I returned to the Network, I knew how critical it would be to keep in constant communications with my directors, staff, front line employees and headquarters, utilizing conference calls, e-mail, meetings, and video conferencing. This level of communications and leadership kept the staff moving forward and kept morale and spirits focused on the tasks at hand. We developed a response for the active duty military and National Guard requests for medical assistance, as over 3,000 military descended upon New York City and were in need of day-to-day medical and mental health care as their anxieties worsened. We also had to deal quickly and effectively with a myriad of urgent issues including establishing heightened security at all locations, ensuring adequate supplies and pharmaceuticals (bringing in stock from other VA?s around the nation), working closely with EMSHG and other VA entities, communicating with employees and veterans, keeping a very compromised telecommunications system running throughout the network, protecting network-wide data bases in the event of additional attacks, dealing swiftly and accurately with media queries and planning for the aftermath. In fact, my staff began planning for the fallout almost as soon as the crisis began. I activated the network?s VA Mental Health Executive Team, called in national assistance from the Vet Center leadership and developed a comprehensive approach to reach out to veteran patients and VA staff who were at risk to be affected by this tragedy. The team quickly developed a plan and letters and phone calls went to every patient in the network letting them know of the stressors they may be experiencing and how to get in touch with VA assistance. Counseling availability was arranged at every medical center and clinic for staff. We insisted that the VA have a high profile presence at the NYC and NJ Family Assistance Centers. Our outreach at these centers proved to be a model program for the victim?s families, veterans and emergency service workers and has been lauded both locally and nationally. During and after the crisis we had to work with numerous agencies including; CDC, NY and NJ and local Departments of Health, National Guard, Active Duty Military, United States Postal Service, emergency service agencies, FEMA, GAO, U.S. Congress, and all facets of VA Headquarters leadership. Those activities are consuming and ongoing, but have provided an opportunity to raise emergency preparedness in VA to an entirely different level, as well as to enable VISN 3 locally - to significantly improve coordination and collaboration among our other public partners. We also had to deal decisively to keep all of our medical centers operational in the wake of the potential for further attacks and numerous Anthrax reports and white powder incidents. These fears and concerns for every accumulation of white powder in a medical center could have shut the system down - given the hysteria of a hospital worker in NYC dying from exposure and the numerous letters to news media leaders in the city and the fallout from the NYC Morgan Street Postal Center. In New Jersey we were commended by the Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee for quick action to assist with Cipro prophylaxis for up 7,000 postal workers at the Chairman?s request. Working with Headquarters we developed a unique interagency memorandum and had the NJ VA Medical Centers poised to assist in this regard. Since the tragedy has occurred we have ensured that all network staff and the medical center staff that have learned so much from living through such an event, have been open and available to the rest of the nation, the VA and others with advice and assistance. We hosted the VHA National Leadership Board and in short order pulled together a remarkable one-day learning session for all of VHA?s top management. We also hosted Secretary Principi in meetings and tours several times since the attacks, once with Chairman Chris Smith. I was asked to testify before congress on the VA?s Emergency Preparedness and gave lengthy testimony to GAO reviewers. We were asked to review the draft VHA Emergency Preparedness Manual and provide comments and advice, given our recent experience. We were also asked to share lessons learned in writing through an article for VHA Now and VAnguard. The moral of this story is - that as a leader - you need to ensure that you have people that you can rely on in place - before a crisis ever occurs. You have to trust those staff and managers to do a great job and you have to provide them with all the support they need to handle the crisis. Communications is the key to getting through any crisis. Constant and honest communications - moment by moment - kept my staff, VA Central Office, the community and our veterans assured that we were doing all the right things and all the necessary actions to keep moving forward. Finally, keeping our mission to veterans and their families, and caring for the many VA employees in our Network - at the center of all actions - is critical to maintaing credibility and support during any crisis. 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 story2759.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.128.215.120 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 found out about sep 11 when i was at school. my motherpicked up me and my friend and my two other brothers. then we went home and tryed to call my farther who works next to the pentagon. But all the lines were not working, so we sat and talked and cryed intill 10:00 when my dad walked into the door. 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 story8348.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-03 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 151.188.37.252 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 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 pregnant and my due date was Sept. 11. I did have my son that day at 9:13 that night. My husband and I got the best blessing that day.I saw the news where the attacks had happened while i was at work.After i got to the hospital i watches CNN as long as i could. Although Sept.11 was a sad day for the world we had a very happy day in our life. Kim Holmes 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 story7014.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. 2002-09-13 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.175.156.70 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: It was still dark when I got to work at 6AM:, unusually early due to the start of NY?s Fashion Week. We had photographers covering runway shows and parties, and I had lots of material to get through. Then at approximately 9 o?clock, our tech guy called out and said that the WTC was on fire. I went to his computer and saw the grainy image on CNN?s website. I ran back to my desk and picked up the phone, dialed 775-1035, my sister?s work number. There was no answer. Then I called my mom. No, there was no word from Diane. A few minutes later I heard her scream, ?Oh God, there?s another one.? The last thing I remember her saying was, ?Go find your sister.? I felt sharp needles of anxiety and I craved a cigarette. My boss wasn?t in yet but I just couldn?t sit there. I left my computer on, the screen still filled with happy glamorous faces, along and a cup of cold coffee. I jogged over to 6th Avenue and saw the crowds pointing at the buildings billowing thick clouds of smoke. There were a bunch of construction guys gathered on a 22nd Street, cursing. I spottted a phone across the street and ran to call my boss?s voicemail. With a catch in my throat, I told her that I wasn?t sure if I?d be back. I kept walking south, 21st, 20th, 19th Streets, stopping along the way, listening to newsreports blasting out of car radios. Terrorism? The Pentagon? The White House? It was so fucking unbelievable. The day was utterly gorgeous. Bright blue sky, cool dry temps, reminding me of beautiful New Mexican mornings. My cell phone was dead. People?s faces were twisted with uncertainty. Then the inconceivable. I remember a restaurant awning, a blonde woman, and a guy with a camera pointed in our direction. Everyone stopped. ?Oh, No?Oh, God?Oh, Shit.? I really thought that I would hit the ground too. I refused to believe what my eyes took in. ?Diane, Diane, I kept thinking. Are you there in that pile? Did you get away? Where are you now?? By now, my body was on automatic pilot. I came across a smiling young black woman, a deaf mute, leaning against a community garden fence. I handed her a dollar as she mouthed the words ?God bless you.? She was immune to the horror, but I kept on walking. Soon I found myself in my old Village neighborhood. Seeing Our Lady of Pompeii, the church I used to live right across from, I walked up the steps. I needed a place to regroup, afraid that I would collapse right on the sidewalk. I moved into the left side pew, in front of a statue of the Blessed Mother. I prayed for my sister. I prayed for the dead. I thought of my great-grandmother, remembered all those end-of-the-world dreams. It was a nightmare come to life and I didn?t know where to go or what to do. When I reached 6th Avenue again, a white van screeched to a halt. A young Chinese guy jumped out and I followed his gaze, catching in midstream, the second tower?s collapse. I got as far south as Grand Street and turned back. Days later, I was still numb. Before I had received the message that my sister Diane had survived, I had already known that she was alright. Somehow a deep, deep feeling had quietly reassured me that she was safe. I?m not sure if I?ll ever be able to describe my feelings of that day. But one thing I am convinced of is that I will always love this city with every ounce of my being. 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 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. 2002-02-28 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.255.49.132 Annotation Annotations to this item. Personal connection to someone at site Premonitions/Coincidence/Fate Religion NY:3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was sitting in school and all I remember was school stopped for a moment of silence. Then after 3 minutes we were told that the U.S.A had an attack. I then went home tearful. i got a call from my friends mother, Tasha , she told when Sarae had gone to the U.S.A she had been killed in the incident along with her aunt and uncle. I then sat in silence for the longest period of time and started sobbing. I wish it had of been me and not her. It gets so close to when these attacks happened it got me thinking I should tell my side of the story. I now know that everyone should always forgive and say the I Love Yous to your parents and everybody and warmth each other with hugs. why was it her? and not me? I need to get this out, I`ve been dying to! A 13 year old girl from London Ontario 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 story9415.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. 2003-08-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.101.94.191 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: Q: HOW DID YOU WITNESS HISTORY ON SEPTEMBER 11th? SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE. A: WELL, I WAS DOWN AT THE BOAT YARD AT LITTLE CREEK, AND WE WERE WATCHING THE NEWS; THE TELEVISION WAS ON, JUST AS THE FIRST PLANE HIT THE FIRST BUILDING, AND WE WATCHED IT EXPLODE, AND THEN WE JUST KEPT ON WATCHING UNTIL THE SECOND PLANE HIT LATER ON. Q: HAS YOU'RE LIFE CHANGED BECAUSE OF SEPTEMBER 11th? IF SO, TELL US HOW. A. WELL, I DON'T THINK MY LIFE HAS CHANGED, BUT IT'S MADE ME MORE AWARE OF THE PEOPLE AROUND ME, AND TRYING TO BE MORE CAREFUL OF WHERE I GO AND WHAT I DO WHEN I GET THERE. Q: WHAT DO YOU THINK SHOULD BE REMEMBERED ABOUT SEPTEMBER 11th? A: I THINK ALL THE PEOPLE THAT DIED SHOULD BE REMEMBERED, ALL THE POLICEMEN, THE FIREMEN, THE RESCUE WORKERS, AND ALL THE CIVILIANS THAT DIED IN THE COLLAPSE OF THE BUILDINGS. Q:DID YOU FLY A FLAG AFTER THE EVENTS OF SEPTEMBER 11th? HAVE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE AMERICAN FLAG CHANGED AS A RESULT OF SEPTEMBER 11th? A:YEAH, I PUT A FLAGPOLE UP IN THE FRONT YARD RIGHT AFTER THAT, AND I'VE LEFT IT UP EVER SINCE. MY FEELINGS ABOUT THE FLAG HAVE NEVER CHANGED. IT'S ALWAYS BEEN A STRONG FEELING ABOUT AMERICA AND THE FLAG. 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 story8831.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 nine years old when the 9/11 happend.It was a mess in New York.When i heard about it i wasn't really worried about it. But know i'm much older and i realize the pain that they had been through.But really they should fault the airlines for not ckecking the suspicous men.Bin Ladin is a very smart man.I think that if you can make some scrafice their life for you like that you can never be caught,by any body.And its five years later ,he will never get caught he is a very smart,intellagent,powerful man to his 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 story20470.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