story2549.xml

story2549.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I'm a TV producer and have a TV in my office. September 11, 2001 started as normal as any other day...I flipped on my TV at about 8:50, expecting the morning news on CNN. The first plane had just hit the first tower. I was stunned. I told everyone in the office to turn on their TVs, and we all watched together as the horror filled our tiny TV frames. We all watched together as the second plane hit. The tears streamed down our faces, our throats closed with anger, with fear, with utter disbelief. My shock overwhelmed me as I called my family, my friends to make sure they were okay...I just needed to hear their voices. My brother lives an hour from D.C., my parents and sisters 20 minutes from an army base in New York. I was hundreds of miles away, praying to God they would be okay. My second awakening came later that morning. My best friend lived in Boston - her brother - a friend of mine as well - worked in New York. I raced to my phone and called Renee. Her brother, Scott D. Bart, was in the first tower hit. She had heard nothing from him. As I listened to her crying as her world fell apart, mine fell apart with her. I had never heard pain like that before - I had never heard that kind of fear. She simply said, "He can't be alive." When the towers fell, so did my hope that Scott was alive. He died that day, along with so many other friends, brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers. Renee is still grieving - one year later - on September 11, 2002. She is still angry and hurt and sad and fearful...as am I. As is America. God bless those that lost thier lives, God bless those that lost a loved one, God bless those that ran in when everyone else was running out of those buildings. God bless us all. We will never forget.