story5214.xml

story5214.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I was at home in bed. Pregnant with my second child at 40 (almost 41)years of age and suffering from gestational diabetes shakes and nausea from pregnancy. My husband Steve called and said he just heard on the radio at work that a plane crashed into the WTC. I had been watching the Today Show and saw it as it happened. While my husband was on the phone talking to me, the second plane hit. I couldn't believe it, it was surreal. We called family memebers to make sure everyone was OK. We went to our son Jamie's elementary school and brought him home. Not because we were afraid, but because we feared that he might catch wind of what was going on and he would be afraid. We just wanted to hug our son and be together as a family. I found out the next day that a coworker lost her sister in law in the Pentagon attack. We went to church on 9/12 and prayed.

I have an old flag that belonged to my father and we decided that it was time to hang it outside everyday, not just on National Holidays. The flag is now worn and faded from the hot, Florida sun. Like my dad's flag, we Americans may be a bit worn and faded from the attack on the WTC and the Pentagon, but we are still free Americans and that will never change. God Bless America!

Maryann Palmeter
Jacksonville, FL
9/11/2002