story7961.xml

story7961.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-19

I wake up every day to the radio on my alarm clock. I usually hit the snooze a few times before waking. The alarm went off, the radio came on, and before I could hit the button I heard the DJ say that a light plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York. I was immediately awake and turned on the TV to see a live shot of the towers on fire. It had already been an hour since the first plane hit, it was 6:45am Pacific time. My first thought was of the movie Towering Inferno and I then, "How are they going to get those fires out? How will they rebuild those floors?" As I watched for the next fifteen minutes or so, I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was alone and just kept repeting to myself, "I can't believe this." I was watching NBC and their man at the Pentagon, Jim M. then came on to say that he didnt want to alarm anyone but there was a loud explosion at the Pentagon. Then came the tower collapsing. The shot from the camera made it look at first like an explosion had occurred on a lower floor, but then there was so much smoke and dirt, it was obvious what had happened. I remember one of the announcers saying, it was an act of war on the U.S.

Somehow I managed to take a shower. I had recently been promoted and for some reason felt obligated to still go to work, although I didnt want to leave my TV for anything. Next thing I heard was that there was another plane missing and they presumed it had been hijacked, and then that it had crashed in PA.

The TV was showing all of the firefighters and police officers going into the remaining tower. The announcer saying something about their bravery, going in and not knowing what was going to happen to that tower. At the time I was dating a police officer and so I was/am very sensitive to what happens to the men and women who protect us. I was scared for all of them.

I decided to call my mom who was just arriving at work I guessed, and I didn't know what she would know. I was still in my towel, wet from the shower. When she answered the phone I asked her, "Do you know what is happening?" All she knew was that the towers had been hit. As I started to explain what had been reported, I started crying. Just saying it out loud made it real and totally scary and unbelievable. Just then the second tower collapsed. She later told me that I was hysterical, screaming into the phone, "It's falling, it's falling! The tower is falling on them."

How I made it to my car, drove to Ballard and actually managed to do some work inbetween listening to the radio for news, I don't know. People I came in contact with were numb, you could read it in their face. Sometimes when I think about it, I feel it all over again. How those innocent people were taken from us all. I try not to think about it so much though. I don't want anyone to ever forget, however I do hope to move on, and so, tomorrow I am going to New York city for the first time. Although I have been told that you really can't see much of anything at Ground Zero, it will be the first place I go.