story4885.xml

story4885.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I was at work near DC when all of a sudden one of my co-workers came in shouting. We all ran to the TV to see what had happened. As we stood dumbfounded with the horrible sight and story another plane crashed into the World Trade center. I don't remeber how much longer it was before They were reporting that the Pentagon had also been hit. All I could think of was where is my family did they go to DC today? God all the poor people there; we have patients that work in the Pentagon! Millions of thoughts ran through my head at once. The phone rang and it was my husband(Thank God!) "I want you to come home now!" he said to me he knew that hey were ordering planes down and we were only getting some of the information on a very small TV. Where I was working was near one of the main airports in Virginia. After that we kept hearing rumors... The MAll has been blown up....the White house has been evacuated. All sorts of other stories coming in on the news. We also heard about the plane in PA that had crashed (saving who knows how many others by the heroics of those on board) I drove back with my coworker who I rode with every day. She had to stop and get her son from school. At that time they weren't letting kids out on school busses due to the fear that they would be targeted. We rushed home and all of my family was there. My mother-in-law who we lived with at the time was already home she had left work when the Pentagon had been struck. The building where she worked shook form the blast. She worked five miles away from the Pentagon if that gives you any idea how bad the explosion was. All day we cried and prayed and worried about people, our families , friends our country, our lives. What would happen next? Hours turned into days and into weeks. The fires had all been put out and the hopes of any survivors had been as well. My husband nad I were shopping at the target on Jefferson-Davis Highway (RT1) going towards Crystal City when we decided to drive by the Pentagon. At this point we had only seen and heard about the distruction from TV. We couldn't get close but you could take the exit ramp and turn around on the freeway and it took you right by the side that the plane had crashed into. I rolled my window down and we stared back at the great building. The smell of the air was different it was warm and you could still smell the smoke from the crash. The giant Flag was hanging from the side of the building like a sign of freedom. Freedom that would now be different. Valencia Holliday Alexandria Virginia