story10631.xml
Title
story10631.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2004-06-05
911DA Story: Story
The first bit of news I heard on September 11, 2001, was vague, only that there had been a plane crash somewhere in the US. I thought, "How horrible," as I always do whenever I hear of one, but nothing could prepare me for the moment when I turned the TV on and saw a plane actually crashing into the World Trade Center.
Even now when I think about it, almost three years later, it is still so difficult to realize what happened on that September day. At the time, I couldn't quite bring myself to believe what I was seeing on TV--the planes crashing into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, people running and screaming as debris flew everywhere, the uncertainty of what exactly was happening to Americans on our own soil. I remember desperately trying to contact my relatives in New York but only getting a busy signal. I remember at least forty people gathered in the living room of my boyfriend's fraternity house, trying to make sense out of the terrible tragedies we had witnessed and wondering what was going to happen next. I really did wonder if the end of the world was at hand because nothing like this had ever happened in my lifetime.
I think one of the most inspiring things I remember was when Congress gathered and sang "God Bless America" on the steps of the Capitol Building. Of course, the images of the firefighters and police officers who were just doing their jobs on that terrible day also gave hope to Americans in crisis. Seeing so many "ordinary" people doing extraordinary and heroic things on such a black day made me realize, perhaps for the first time, how indomitable the American spirit is.
I pray every day for the people who lost their lives on 9/11, as well as their families. I hope that they know that they did not die in vain, and that they will always, always be remembered for their ultimate sacrifice.
Even now when I think about it, almost three years later, it is still so difficult to realize what happened on that September day. At the time, I couldn't quite bring myself to believe what I was seeing on TV--the planes crashing into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, people running and screaming as debris flew everywhere, the uncertainty of what exactly was happening to Americans on our own soil. I remember desperately trying to contact my relatives in New York but only getting a busy signal. I remember at least forty people gathered in the living room of my boyfriend's fraternity house, trying to make sense out of the terrible tragedies we had witnessed and wondering what was going to happen next. I really did wonder if the end of the world was at hand because nothing like this had ever happened in my lifetime.
I think one of the most inspiring things I remember was when Congress gathered and sang "God Bless America" on the steps of the Capitol Building. Of course, the images of the firefighters and police officers who were just doing their jobs on that terrible day also gave hope to Americans in crisis. Seeing so many "ordinary" people doing extraordinary and heroic things on such a black day made me realize, perhaps for the first time, how indomitable the American spirit is.
I pray every day for the people who lost their lives on 9/11, as well as their families. I hope that they know that they did not die in vain, and that they will always, always be remembered for their ultimate sacrifice.
Collection
Citation
“story10631.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 10, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/14547.