story1486.xml

story1486.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-08-26

Monday through Friday finds me at work located at Pennsylvania Ave. and 14th St., N.W., Washington, DC -- a short distance across the river from the Pentagon. Each morning and afternoon the commuter bus I ride stops at the Pentagon to drop off or pick up Pentagon personnel. On September 11th, however, I did not go to work as I was awaiting the arrival of the termite inspection man to do an inspection on my home in Stafford, VA, about 45 miles south of Washington. My television was on when a news flash interruped regular programing stating a small plane had accidently hit one of the two WTC towers. I wondered what kind of a moron could accidently hit a building as huge as the WTC. I dismissed the report as an error in news reporting as it did not seem possible to have really happened. Minutes later a live shot showed the tower burning and I relayed the event to the termite inspector who was working outside. He looked a little stunned. When the 2nd plane hit the second tower, I instantly knew it was no accident and said outloud, "Bin Laden -- you bastard! Bin Laden did this!" I went outside to inform the termite inspector of the 2nd plane. He stared at me in disbelief. Back inside, I watched in horror and thought of the human tragedy inside those towers -- all those people, all those people. The horror, the terror, the panic, the death. I cried. News of the Pentagon plane awashed me in a new wave of horror and I immediately thought of the several friends I have who work in the Pentagon. One of my closest friends works in the E-Ring and when I heard about the plane going through the E-Ring I was certain my dear friend was among the dead. Hours later I found out she was working from home and was safe. Thank you, God. I didn't believe that everyone I knew at the Pentagon would be safe -- I couldn't be that lucky. I was. One friend put a voice message on her cell phone that she was all right. What a relief it was to hear her voice! Everyone I knew made it out alive.

Every day our commuter bus went to the Pentagon and I would cry at the sight (television didn't begin to show the magnitude of the damage): the gaping hole where the plane went in, the blackened walls around that gaping hole, the gigantic piles of rubble, and then there was that huge, beautiful American flag draped from the Pentagon's roof that displayed our strength and just how proud we are to be Americans. God, you could TASTE the patriotism in the air.

For a civilian it was surreal to see so many soldiers with rifles and military vehicles carrying assorted weaponry -- not only at the Pentagon but in the streets of Washington. It was both frightening and assuring to see such a strong military presence.

I live in a development heavily populated with military personnel that work at the Pentagon. Some from our community died at the Pentagon that day. We have built a memorial to these fallen Americans and will dedicate it September 11.

In October, I went to Ground Zero in New York. I wanted to pay my respects to all who had died there. The WTC was still smoldering, businesses were still closed, dust and debris was everywhere and the odor of death hit me as I rounded a corner 2 blocks from the building's remains. I heard many different languages and realized people from other countries had come, like me, to pay their respects. There was a respectful quiet exhibited by the crowds and flowers, pictures and poems framed the streets. So much love for fellow man. Again, television couldn't begin to show the magnitude of the damage. You had to be there.

We owe much to the brave souls on that airplane that went down in Pennsylvania. Those people, by their bravery, changed Americans. I have flown several times since Sept. 11 and passengers talk about how they will not be afraid to fight terrorists on board an aircraft. The feeling is, "If we're going to die, we're going to make sure the terrorists do not succeed in their mission." "Let's roll" has become the airline passenger's motto.

Let's keep those flags flying and God bless us all!