story5131.xml

story5131.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I was still asleep when my daughter called from LAX. She was at the South West terminal waiting for a flight to Phoenix. "We just heard a plane went into the WTC. Do you think I should cancel my flight?" I told her it was just a freak accident and go on with business as usual. I immediately turned on my TV. I watched as the station had just started to replay the footage of the second attack on the WTC. I watched in horror as I realized we were under attack. But from where and whom we did not know. I frantically grabbed the phone to call my daughter's cell. "Get out of the airport NOW! Everything is not business as usual. I don't care if everyone else is boarding the plane. Leave now." She was the first to leave the terminal and was on her way home as I continued to watch.

Then it happened. The first tower started to implode, then the second, then the Pentagon, and lastly brave passengers forced their plane down towards the earth to certain death. Americans watched in horror.

All of America trembled with fear of the unknown. The WTC recovery effort started immediately, volunteers came from every State. Soon the recovery effort became a clean up effort and the death toll continued to climb.

It is not any easier one year later to think of that day. We stood strong and our patriotism grew. WE will survive. We are America.