story6972.xml

story6972.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-13

I was picking up my sister to drive her to work that day. When I got to her house, she mentioned something about a small plane hitting the World Trade Center. Before we reached her office, the second plane hit and word came that another had hit the Pentagon. The conclusion was inescapable: terrorists had hit the U.S.

Your mind fixates on strange things when you are trying to overcome shock. I was angry with the radio announcers because they kept mentioning the victims in the planes, without saying a word about the thousands that worked in the World Trade Center. I've been in that building, seen the crowds. It was terribly personal, to know that where I had once walked, terrorists had dealt death to thousands of innocent people.

When we arrived, everyone at the office was watching the television. We were just in time to see the first tower fall. I have never seen anything so terrible as the videos of the event, with terrified people running and the world caving in. And yet, we could see firemen and rescue workers walking into that hell . . .

It only took a few minutes for me to head straight for church. Several others at our church were there, and we prayed for our nation, for the victims, for the rescue workers. We prayed for the lost souls who committed the evil deeds, and for Jesus to turn the hearts of the terrorists that remain. We prayed for protection. We prayed for comfort and hope. I know our prayers are being answered.

The streets of St. Louis were nearly empty all day, as most people stayed by their radios or televisions. One shameful thing - some gas stations hiked their prices $2-4. I saw one with a price of $2.99, and a long line of panicked people. Not a mile away, normal prices prevailed. By evening, all the offending stations had been either shamed out of it, or deterred by Missouri's Attorney General, who threatened prosecution.

I called all of my family and most of my friends. I wanted to hear everyone's voice and assure them of my love. Some of us gathered for dinner in the evening at a sports bar that ran 911 coverage non-stop. We were there when we heard President Bush's speech, and took comfort in the knowledge that at least one target had been missed, thanks to some courageous people who overpowered the terrorists and made them miss their mark. It is this, and the overwhelming response of the American people that I choose to remember. May God bless America once again.