story20730.xml

story20730.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2006-09-11

I was at work, less 10 miles from where the Pentagon is located. I saw the second plane hit the WTC live on the news from my supervisors office. When the news got out that the Pentagon was hit, people in our office were given the choice to leave. I took the chance of being stuck in gridlock, and any other possible attack, to get my daughter out of school. I was so scared, growing up in the Washington D.C. suburbs, I visualized planes striking the various monuments that people who live here take for granted. I got to her school around the same time the plane struck the ground in Pennsylvania. I found myself to be overcome with grief because I knew her world would never be the same and I was sorry for her to live in such a world where such hateful people existed. I had to sit there in my car until the tears stopped streaming down my face. Once I got her out of class, I embraced her so tightly, she had no clue what was going on. I told her some very bad people had done some very bad things and I wanted her to be home with me where we could be together. Today, five years later, I feel like I still have not let go of that embrace.