story3625.xml

story3625.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I am the department secretary. I arrived a few minutes early for work on the morning of September 11, 2001. Several of the firefighters were gathered around the TV located in the livingroom/diningroom. I was sitting at the dining table reading the morning newspaper when I heard one of the guys say "that looks like an airplane just struck the World Trade Center". I glanced up and thought they were watching a movie or something. I turned back to my paper. Then they turned the volume up on the TV and I looked up again and realized this is not a show, this is for real. We were all on our feet in front of the TV. It seemed like only a few minutes later a second plane hit and needless to say for the rest of the day except for running calls and they were even few that day we were all in front of the TV. It just seemed like the impossible had taken place. I think we were all filled with a flood of emotions. I called my husband at his work and they had not heard about it yet. I called my daughter at her work and they had not heard about it yet. Lucky me I work for a Fire Department and they stay abreast of the news. That evening my husband and I watched TV until we could not hold our eyes open anymore. For days and weeks to come that is all we watched on TV. We wept, we prayed, we went to vigilantes. We didn't know anyone personally that was involved in this tragic event, but we felt like we knew them and mourned the loss as if it were our very own. One year later, we are still mourning and holding commerative memorial services. I hope that someday we will put the event truly in the past and be able to move on knowing that we will strive to never let this happen on our homeland again. I have found my peace and comfort in God. I pray for all those who are bitter that they will find their peace, comfort and strength to go on in God Almighty. This country was founded on our forefathers faith in God and we must return to that faith and never let it die.

City of Shrewsbury
Fire Department
Admin. Secretary
Martha A. Heckenberg