story8846.xml
Title
story8846.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-12-17
911DA Story: Story
How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience.
I first heard the news that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Centers, on the radio while I was getting gas that morning. Honestly, I thought I had heard wrong, because I couldn't imagine a plane flying nto the World Trade Centers. I was going to go help a friend in his store, and so by the time I got to the flower shop, it was on the radio that a second plane had hit. We had turned the radio on and listened to the news reports, and one of the newscasters started using the term "terrorists' attack," which seemed a little unnerving. So, we continued to listen, and then a report said a plane had crashed into the Pentagon. Now it seemed very real, because they attacked Washington D.C. We went next door to the beauty parlor because they had a T.V., and all of us were sitting around watching it when reports of a plane crash in Pennslylvania came on the news. And then, all of the news was so unclear, because we didn't know who was attacking us. Here we are near a military base, and we wondered if we were going to be hit. I wanted to get the kids out of school and bring them home. In the afternoon, when they came home, and we watched all of the reports on T.V. and tried to find an answer to what had happened. After awhile, it was too difficult to watch, because all I was doing was crying watching the scene play over and over again.
Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? if so, tell us how.
I was always afraid to fly before this happened, and now I am even more afraid to fly. It also made me more leery of strangers. I don't look at America any different now. I was always proud to be an American. I always tell my children to never go to bed angry at someone and always tell those you love that you love them. You never know what can happen to that person. After these attacks, I think they understand.
What do you think should be remembered about September 11th?
The innocent lives that were lost, who committed the attacks, that no one is untouchable, and that it could happen to any country. We are just as vulnerable as everybody. Also, the brave men and women who risked their lives to save others. The people that helped with the cleanup should be remembered as part of September 11th. It was a day that America stood still, and Americans united together.
Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th?
We have always flown the flag, and my feelings have not changed about it. I always regarded the flag as an emblem of American pride. I feel that all Americans should have been flying the flag, before this tragedy happened. I think it shouldn't have taken a terrorist attack and many lives lost to make everyone pull together and support America strongly. We should have been doing it all along.
I first heard the news that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Centers, on the radio while I was getting gas that morning. Honestly, I thought I had heard wrong, because I couldn't imagine a plane flying nto the World Trade Centers. I was going to go help a friend in his store, and so by the time I got to the flower shop, it was on the radio that a second plane had hit. We had turned the radio on and listened to the news reports, and one of the newscasters started using the term "terrorists' attack," which seemed a little unnerving. So, we continued to listen, and then a report said a plane had crashed into the Pentagon. Now it seemed very real, because they attacked Washington D.C. We went next door to the beauty parlor because they had a T.V., and all of us were sitting around watching it when reports of a plane crash in Pennslylvania came on the news. And then, all of the news was so unclear, because we didn't know who was attacking us. Here we are near a military base, and we wondered if we were going to be hit. I wanted to get the kids out of school and bring them home. In the afternoon, when they came home, and we watched all of the reports on T.V. and tried to find an answer to what had happened. After awhile, it was too difficult to watch, because all I was doing was crying watching the scene play over and over again.
Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? if so, tell us how.
I was always afraid to fly before this happened, and now I am even more afraid to fly. It also made me more leery of strangers. I don't look at America any different now. I was always proud to be an American. I always tell my children to never go to bed angry at someone and always tell those you love that you love them. You never know what can happen to that person. After these attacks, I think they understand.
What do you think should be remembered about September 11th?
The innocent lives that were lost, who committed the attacks, that no one is untouchable, and that it could happen to any country. We are just as vulnerable as everybody. Also, the brave men and women who risked their lives to save others. The people that helped with the cleanup should be remembered as part of September 11th. It was a day that America stood still, and Americans united together.
Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th?
We have always flown the flag, and my feelings have not changed about it. I always regarded the flag as an emblem of American pride. I feel that all Americans should have been flying the flag, before this tragedy happened. I think it shouldn't have taken a terrorist attack and many lives lost to make everyone pull together and support America strongly. We should have been doing it all along.
Collection
Citation
“story8846.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 4, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/15400.