story7723.xml
Title
story7723.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-17
911DA Story: Story
A lot of things happened that day. Personally, I knew from the start that it wasn??t going to be a very pleasant day. I didn??t have any idea it would turn out as bad as it did; I just thought my teacher would yell at me for not having my project done on time. The morning came and went, and in the back of my head I dreaded having to go to my next classes. I wasn??t even aware of the date. The bell rang, and bad thoughts of being scolded by my teacher jumped into my head, instead I heard something else.
A fellow student came in and said that a plane crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. I thought the guy was just playing around, or he just heard some stupid rumor. The second my teacher came into the classroom she turned on the television and I saw with my own eyes, that the student wasn??t lying. It was real. We sat and watched through the class, we even saw the second plane burst into flames as it struck the second tower. To this day, I don??t really know why the first thing that came to mind was the fact that I might get an extra day to finish my project. Watching all those people rush into the burning buildings though, something else arose out of my self-centered thoughts. A few minutes ago, we just heard that plane had hit the Pentagon. My dad used to work in a building only ten or twenty minutes from it, so I got a little worried. Right across the room, a girl was breaking down, saying that her dad worked in the Pentagon. More tragedy unfolded as my class and I watched the two towers collapse, along with all the rescue workers inside of it, on national television.
Like most people, on that day, I felt something, something that screamed for to say it. It wasn??t anger against those who committed the crime, like most would expect. There was a little sadness, but not enough to make me truly remorseful. Instead, a different anger became present. I wasn??t angry at the suicide pilots who committed such a horrible act, I was sorry for them, that they challenged such a dangerous adversary. I wasn??t angry at the fact that people died, people die every day, but I was angry that I couldn??t do anything to stop them form dying. I was stuck inside a classroom, with no danger at al. all I could do was and watch as people died in from of my eyes. I was angry, that everyone else was doing the same thing. The saying is that everyone can make a difference, well that day, I know I didn??t. I??m angry with myself for being so incompetent, who else to I have to blame?
A fellow student came in and said that a plane crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. I thought the guy was just playing around, or he just heard some stupid rumor. The second my teacher came into the classroom she turned on the television and I saw with my own eyes, that the student wasn??t lying. It was real. We sat and watched through the class, we even saw the second plane burst into flames as it struck the second tower. To this day, I don??t really know why the first thing that came to mind was the fact that I might get an extra day to finish my project. Watching all those people rush into the burning buildings though, something else arose out of my self-centered thoughts. A few minutes ago, we just heard that plane had hit the Pentagon. My dad used to work in a building only ten or twenty minutes from it, so I got a little worried. Right across the room, a girl was breaking down, saying that her dad worked in the Pentagon. More tragedy unfolded as my class and I watched the two towers collapse, along with all the rescue workers inside of it, on national television.
Like most people, on that day, I felt something, something that screamed for to say it. It wasn??t anger against those who committed the crime, like most would expect. There was a little sadness, but not enough to make me truly remorseful. Instead, a different anger became present. I wasn??t angry at the suicide pilots who committed such a horrible act, I was sorry for them, that they challenged such a dangerous adversary. I wasn??t angry at the fact that people died, people die every day, but I was angry that I couldn??t do anything to stop them form dying. I was stuck inside a classroom, with no danger at al. all I could do was and watch as people died in from of my eyes. I was angry, that everyone else was doing the same thing. The saying is that everyone can make a difference, well that day, I know I didn??t. I??m angry with myself for being so incompetent, who else to I have to blame?
Collection
Citation
“story7723.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 15, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/14846.