story4065.xml

story4065.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I was playing solitaire on the computer when my husband called me. He listens to talk radio. He called and asked me if I was watching TV, I told him "Nick" was on so the only thing I was listening to was children's cartoons. He then told me to turn it on the news, any channel would do. I asked why, while walking to change the channel. Just as I turned on Fox News, the second plane hit the WTC. I asked him if this was for real and he said yes. I told him I had to go and I would call him later. I immediately got on the phone to my sister-in-law who lives on Long Island to see how my brothers were. Her husband, my younger brother, used to work in the city. My older brother, Gene, was supposed to be going to a job interview in the city that day. She turned on the news as soon as I called and said that Bill didn't go into the city today, he was on the LIE and heard what happened and turned around to come home. Gene never made it to the interview, but they couldn't get hold of him for a couple of hours. I talked to her for about 2 hours, both of us watching all that was happening in the news. I finally got off the phone to call my mother. Couldn't get hold of her. Decided to get online and try to reach my dad who was working in Florida. He e-mailed me asking about where mom was and what was going on with my brother Andre. Andre is in the Navy Reserves, and we were worried that he might be called up. I told him I couldn't get hold of mom, was still trying to reach Gene, and the phones were not getting through to NY. No one had heard from Andre. Mom called about a half hour later. She was on her way to Greensboro, NC with some girlfriends and her friend's husband had called to let them know what was going on. Her friend, Theresa, has family that lives in NY also. Theresa's son-in-law works in the WTC. They hadn't heard from him as of yet. Mom said they were turning around and coming home, she would meet me at my house.

During this entire time, I have two children at home watching the towers burn. One child is three years old, obviously didn't grasp the reality of what was going on. The other child, Joshua, was 6 years old at the time. He kept asking if that what he was seeing on the tv was real. Being that I lived on Long Island for most of my live, visited NYC every year on class trip, was planning a trip to NY in December, and always pointed out the Manhattan skyline to the kids when we drove up, I had pictures of the WTC. I pulled out my photo album and showed my son the pictures of the World Trade Centers as they had looked and then pointed up to the television to show him what they looked like now. Just as I was explaining the two pictures( the one on tv and the photos), the towers started falling. Joshua sat in amazement at the buildings falling. He asked how tall they were. Being in Roanoke, VA, it is hard for a small child to realize how tall the building in NYC really are. Roanoke has a First Union Building that is 18 stories. I explained to Joshua that it would take five of the First Union Buildings one on top of the other to be as tall as just one of the WTC buildings. He just sat there for a few minutes and his mouth dropped. Then he looked at the television set, the smoke coming from the fallen building, then looked at me and said " there were alot of people in there wasn't there?" I just started to cry. What could you say? I couldn't go into explaining the Pentagon or the plane crash in PA.

My husband came home early. His office is across from the Federal Building in Roanoke. He said he went out to have a cigarette and saw everyone leaving the Federal Building and went back inside the office and told his boss. The main office in Charlottesville, VA then called and told them all to go home. Within an hour of him coming home, my two older children came home from school. Buddy, 10, and Jackie, 9. Buddy sat in front of the tv and didn't move until we told him to go to bed. My mother showed up around 5pm and had called my dad in Florida to let him know she was fine. No one had heard from Andre or Gene at this time. I went back online and e-mail Gene again. He called and said he was fine. Andre called my mom around 9 pm that night to let her know he hadn't heard anything yet.

I have to say, yesterday, September 10, 2002, we were listening to the Sean Hannity show on talk radio, remembering the past year. Joshua sat in the front seat of the car with me, looked at me and said, "I remember that day. I remember hearing them say that." For a six year old to remember such a horrible event has got to count for something. To keep this tragic terrorist attack out of the schools and not let the children speak out is just as tragic. He was home that day because he was sick, but he learned more that day in what the world is really like that he would ever learn the rest of his life in school.

I believe that the WTC should be built just as big as it was and just as bold as could be, just to show those who thought we could be "demolished" that they were wrong. They may have knocked us down, but by the grace of God and the strength of many, we have risen.