story4648.xml
Title
story4648.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-11
911DA Story: Story
I was sending a fax up the hall from my office when I heard my friend Alma, in the office next to mine, scream "Michael!" Michael is her son who was scheduled to install a computer system at a business near the WTC in New York. The terror in her voice is still as clear as a bell. During the time that we were trying to help our friend and co-worker place calls to find Michael, we heard about the second plane crash. Then we heard about the plane hitting the Pentegon. Tina and I exercised a state of numb calm making phone calls and relaying the updates from the internet news to the other office staff workers. The phone rang and Alma again screamed "Michael!" but we heard the relief in her voice that signaled Mike was ok. He was on the last train leaving Penn Station and would be home soon. I remember how all of the women in the office were anxiously wanting to hold their children. I remember going outside around 3:00 PM and there were no planes, trains, trucks, cars or other urban sounds. The birds were silent as if they knew...
When I got home that afternoon, I was on a mission to hang my American flag outside my home and then I turned on the news and watched, for the first time, the video record of the days events and I cried. I can close my eyes today and vividly recall the television screen showing people falling from the WTC towers. I can't imagine the horror those at the crash sites saw and felt that day. I called my sister and I was dreading nightfall and being alone. I remember now that I survived being alone that day and so afraid that more harm would come. I desperately wanted to be held in someone's arms to feel safe. I believe that is when I truly found bravery and my courage to go on in life. And then I got angry that people on the other side of the Earth would hate me so much that they could take this day in my life away and try to fill me with so much fear.
I have not hurt anyone nor have I caused anyone to live a life of such intense hatred.
When I got home that afternoon, I was on a mission to hang my American flag outside my home and then I turned on the news and watched, for the first time, the video record of the days events and I cried. I can close my eyes today and vividly recall the television screen showing people falling from the WTC towers. I can't imagine the horror those at the crash sites saw and felt that day. I called my sister and I was dreading nightfall and being alone. I remember now that I survived being alone that day and so afraid that more harm would come. I desperately wanted to be held in someone's arms to feel safe. I believe that is when I truly found bravery and my courage to go on in life. And then I got angry that people on the other side of the Earth would hate me so much that they could take this day in my life away and try to fill me with so much fear.
I have not hurt anyone nor have I caused anyone to live a life of such intense hatred.
Collection
Citation
“story4648.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 16, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/13191.