story142.xml

story142.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-03-05

I guess I must have walked past the tv only a couple of minutes after the "Special Breaking News " broadcast had started.
I'm assuming this because I was in a public, crowded place- the gym- and no one had turned down the work out music to make
an announcement over the intercom. That moment was short lived. Soon, it became deathly still and quiet as everyone
deserted their normal gym session to find the nearest set.
I stood in front of the stationary bike looking at the screen, totally confounded. Was that really the world trade center
with a plane stuck inside it? My thoughts went immediately to the challenge it would be for firefighters to get adequate
water up that high, or ladders to rescue the people inside. Then, I heard the reporter speak the words that HADN'T crossed
my mind: "possible terrorist attack."
I left the gym then, anxious to get home and plan an alternate route to school as my normal route would've been the PATH to
the world trade and I was running short on time. In my eight minute commute home, I missed watching the second plane hit.
I was nothing short of confused when I entered the house only to turn on the news and see not one, but the two towers smoking.
This was going to be much more complicated than how to contain the fire. This was no accident, no miscalculation. I was
watching a deliberate war strategy unfold in front of my eyes. The terror did not really strike me as when the first tower
fell. I was immediately overwhelmed with tears as the building collapsed to the ground. And when the second tower fell, my
my tears and cries could not be subdued.
The only thing that I could actually subdue was my immediate panic. My first instincts were to get my family and drive
to Ohio or anywhere west of the tri state. I knew we would be hit next, being in such close proximity to NYC and I did not
want to be in the line of fire when it happened. Although, initially, after the towers collapsing, the plane going down in PA,
the Pentagon, my thoughts went to all those people affected and all the lives lost right in front of my face, I couldn't help
but want to protect my loved ones.
The only other person I knew directly that made the daily commute from NJ to the city, or who worked anywhere near the
tower was my uncle, who fortunately, had a court date in NJ that morning. When it was all done, everyone I knew was accounted
for. How lucky we were!- Because later on that night, having dinner with a friend near our local train station that had direct
service to NY, I observed all the families waiting on the platform for their loved ones to disembark from the trains.
Unfortunately, almost every train that night was severely under normal occupancy. It was a sorry site to witness. The last
estimate was eighty people lost from my small town. Comparitive to the total loss, it was next to nothing. But those lives lost
created a big dent in our small community.
Life is slowly but surely, making its way back to normalcy or the equivilent in the perspective of things.As for myself, the
numbness, disbelief and most of the fear has surpassed. But I would like to share one thing: although many of us wish to have
tall tales, or grand exciting stories to pass on to the youth of the next generation, 9-11 is a far cry from what I had in mind.
There's is no way to explain or describe. Even this narrative is not enough to express what was felt, heard and witnessed. Let us
not make light of the disaster and destruction we were witness despite the "over-exposure" for the sole fact that we are still here.
Able to come together and share what we felt, heard or witnessed. In this instance we were lucky enough to be witness, as opposed to
the true victims- our fallen heroes.