story5816.xml

story5816.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

On tuesday September 11, 2001 I only had two classes that morning, so when I came home, at about 8:45, after hearing the announment from our principle in my English class that two planes had just struck the World Trade and Pentagon, I really didn't think too much about it to be honest. I just figured it was another small bombing or something of that sort, until I flipped on the TV and saw what was going on. But even then, watching it all occur live, right before my own two eyes, I still didn't believe it. Maybe it was too much Hollywood influence or just flat out shock, but either way I just sat glaring in front of the TV for hours at all that was going on so many thousand miles away. I saw each tower come down live and people running in shear terror, but it still did not register. I remember going back for football practice and having it cancelled, then coming home under spooky, airplaneless sky's, something I've never witnessed in my entire life. It was just too quiet. That night my family and I talked about it for a long time over dinner, but the reality still hadn't sunk in. Days of coverage turned into weeks and weeks into months, but the reality never really hit me. Then, in about January I was flipping channels one night and came across another September 11th special and for some reason I decided to watch it for a few mintutes because they were doing a music video type segment. One picture struck me so hard I'll never forget it as long as I live. It was supposedly a color photograph of a firefighter covered in ash literally from head to toe and he was down on one knee with one hand on the ground and two tears streaming down his face through the ash. That's when the reality of it all finally hit me. That just doesn't happen. New York City firefighters, New York's Finest, dont sit down and cry when something goes wrong, it just doesn't happen! So, that's when I truly realized the significance of it all and I'm not even able to describe the feelings of emotion I felt that day and never will. That's where this middle-class white 17 year old was on that September day.