story20558.xml
Title
story20558.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2006-09-11
911DA Story: Story
This is more about how I feel 5 years after 9/11.
It's still very strange to think that so many people lost thier lives on that day. We weren't at war so in that respect, it's a little like Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. An unprovoked attack on the American way of life.
I visited NYC over the labor day weekend. I got to see Ground Zero. I heard horror stories from many residents of NYC and the surrounding area.
The one thing that struck me is the strength of those folks. Some had lost friends or relatives that day. Either they worked in or around the WTC or they were part of the city services (FDNY, NYPD etc).
I felt as if they were putting on a brave face, but all you have to do is look into thier eyes and you can see the pain they felt that day.
I also got to visit Liberty Island and Ellis Island that very same day and after seeing Ground Zero. It occurred to me that so many people from all over the world came here searching for a better life. My own grandparents among them.
So many of the freedoms that we came to know are gone now. We can no longer carry so much as a bottle of shampoo on an airplane. We are forced to sit in long lines at airports to catch a plane. Even at the place (Battery Park) where you catch the ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands, you have to go through the same screening as an airport.
I now believe that it wasn't so much the events of 9/11 that they terrorists were looking to committ, but the changes in the way we live.
It was a heart wrenching trip to be sure. One I will never ever forget.
It's still very strange to think that so many people lost thier lives on that day. We weren't at war so in that respect, it's a little like Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. An unprovoked attack on the American way of life.
I visited NYC over the labor day weekend. I got to see Ground Zero. I heard horror stories from many residents of NYC and the surrounding area.
The one thing that struck me is the strength of those folks. Some had lost friends or relatives that day. Either they worked in or around the WTC or they were part of the city services (FDNY, NYPD etc).
I felt as if they were putting on a brave face, but all you have to do is look into thier eyes and you can see the pain they felt that day.
I also got to visit Liberty Island and Ellis Island that very same day and after seeing Ground Zero. It occurred to me that so many people from all over the world came here searching for a better life. My own grandparents among them.
So many of the freedoms that we came to know are gone now. We can no longer carry so much as a bottle of shampoo on an airplane. We are forced to sit in long lines at airports to catch a plane. Even at the place (Battery Park) where you catch the ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands, you have to go through the same screening as an airport.
I now believe that it wasn't so much the events of 9/11 that they terrorists were looking to committ, but the changes in the way we live.
It was a heart wrenching trip to be sure. One I will never ever forget.
Collection
Citation
“story20558.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 1, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/12223.