story6359.xml

story6359.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

My husband and I were on vacation at his parents home in North Canton, Ohio,on September 11, 2001, we reside in Del Rio, Texas. We had just finished breakfast and I was on the computer in the Den, when my mother in law stated that an airplane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. She was watching a television on the kitchen counter. I thought it was strange, so I turned off the computer and went into the living room, to turn on the big screen television. I watched the first of the towers burning, and I called upstairs to my husband and asked him to come down and watch with us. All three of us, stood there as we saw the second airplane hit the second tower. I was in total shock, and we knew that it was not an air accident!

Our plans were to return home by way of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the following day, where we planned to visit with my sons.

I am a federal law enforcement officer, a Supervisory Customs Inspector and I began to wonder how this would affect my office and our operations.

I could not leave the television set, I saw the two towers fall and people running and screaming. The entire day was full of accounts from all aspects.

We also heard that a cellular phone call had been made from a third plane to a spouse, stating that the aircraft had been hijacked and that passengers had a plan to overcome the hijackers. We also heard that the plane was aimed at the White House in Washington, D. C. We heard that there was a fire at the Pentagon. I felt so sure that we would be immediately plunged into a war!

The day went on, with accounts of injuries and deaths, which were reported in the thousands of lives.

The day went on and my brother in law called and said that he had heard that gasoline stations were taking advantage of the incident and raising their prices. We heard that as much as $8.00 a gallon was being charged.

Due to the fact that we were so far from home and we still planned to drive to Baton Rouge, Louisiana before we went home to Texas, I worried about the gasoline prices.

I also worried that perhaps credit cards would not be accepted and we had planned to use our gasoline credit cards.

My husband and I went out that evening to service our car and found that lines went around corners to get gasoline and at some pumps, the pumps would be dry by the time the cars would get up to them. I suggested to my husband that we should go to an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) at a bank and withdraw the maximum allowed, $300.00 each, from each of our bank accounts, just in case, credit cards were refused.

We did service the car that night and the price was reasonable. We did wait a long time in line but we did get the gasoline. When we were at the ATM, I was a little on nerve, thinking that persons might be over reacting and that we might be held up at the ATM, by a thief, but we were not. Thanks to the good Lord!

That night, I cried thinking that we might not be able to go to Louisiana, to see my sons, because of the gasoline prices, or due to what might be happening politically. My husband, stated, we do not have to decide until we get to Tennessee, so maybe we will find that we can continue on South to Louisiana. This gave me hope.

We did not have any problems, we did make it to Louisiana safely and without incident.

I had badgered my husband to put a ten CD changer in our car, because the car only had a one CD player. This was in vain, because, all the way home, I was constantly changing radio stations, looking for news of what was happening in the world.

On the road, we found some cities, holding fund raisers for victims of the WTC, and we contributed.

When we arrived home, everyone, was looking for American flags as were we and we could not find one.

I grew angry that we were not reacting immediately by declaring war on whoever was at fault, but I continued to trust our President and our government. I still do.