story541.xml
Title
story541.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-05-07
911DA Story: Story
On the morning of September 11, 2001 I was getting ready for work, like so many other people across America. My mom had her T.V. on, half listening as usual to the weather, traffic reports, and other news stories. As I was drinking my coffee and finishing getting ready, I heard her gasp in the other room. "The world trade center was hit by a plane!" I ran into her room, only to see smoke billowing out of the first tower. "How did that happen Mom?" I asked, still confused as to how a pilot could make such a mistake.
My mother had no answer, and as we stood there starring at the T.V., we actually saw the second plane hit the other tower. "Oh my God," we both said in unison. My mom said that a radio tower had to be down at the airport for such a mistake to be made. I knew better. My cousin Kelly is a flight attendent for American Airlines, and she always flies the route from Boston to New York. They point out the twin towers to the passengers on the plane. They are perfectly visable from a plane, and it was a perfectly clear day on September 11th. It was evident that this was done on purpose by some kind of madmen.
My mom and I were worried about my cousin. Was she flying? Did she take that route? Was she on that plane? These questions raced through our minds as we drove to work in silence. Nothing could calm us down. As we pulled into our office parking lot, the third plane hit the pentagon. Now we were both in tears. Our morning at work consisted of trying to get ahold of our family. My Uncle finally called me back, my cousin flew over the twin towers fifteen minutes before the first plane hit. Their flight was grounded in New York, and Kelly was going to rent a car with the rest of the flight crew and drive back to Chicago.
Nobody I knew was harmed in during the events of September 11th. Unfortunately, it is not over. Several of my friends that were enlisted in the Army, Marines, and Airforce are now on active duty and that terrifies me. That day really made me think about how quickly things can change. I'm twenty-one years old, but I know absolutely nothing of war, of innocent victims, and of terrorism. This event made me realize that even though America is a strong and wonderful country, we are not exempt from these senseless acts of violence that can change a nation forever.
My mother had no answer, and as we stood there starring at the T.V., we actually saw the second plane hit the other tower. "Oh my God," we both said in unison. My mom said that a radio tower had to be down at the airport for such a mistake to be made. I knew better. My cousin Kelly is a flight attendent for American Airlines, and she always flies the route from Boston to New York. They point out the twin towers to the passengers on the plane. They are perfectly visable from a plane, and it was a perfectly clear day on September 11th. It was evident that this was done on purpose by some kind of madmen.
My mom and I were worried about my cousin. Was she flying? Did she take that route? Was she on that plane? These questions raced through our minds as we drove to work in silence. Nothing could calm us down. As we pulled into our office parking lot, the third plane hit the pentagon. Now we were both in tears. Our morning at work consisted of trying to get ahold of our family. My Uncle finally called me back, my cousin flew over the twin towers fifteen minutes before the first plane hit. Their flight was grounded in New York, and Kelly was going to rent a car with the rest of the flight crew and drive back to Chicago.
Nobody I knew was harmed in during the events of September 11th. Unfortunately, it is not over. Several of my friends that were enlisted in the Army, Marines, and Airforce are now on active duty and that terrifies me. That day really made me think about how quickly things can change. I'm twenty-one years old, but I know absolutely nothing of war, of innocent victims, and of terrorism. This event made me realize that even though America is a strong and wonderful country, we are not exempt from these senseless acts of violence that can change a nation forever.
Collection
Citation
“story541.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 9, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/14878.