story7989.xml
Title
story7989.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-19
911DA Story: Story
December 7, 1941 and September 11, 2001 are two dates that are etched in my memory. As an adolescent, when a voice on our huge old radio announced that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor, I immediately went outside and looked up at the sky afraid that I would see Japanese bombers. I did not know what to expect.
On Sept 11, 2001 my husband left St. Louis early to join his sons for their annual fishing trip and the house was quiet. I took my morning cup of tea into the living room and turned on the TV. An excited, tense voice told me that a plane had hit one of the WTC towers. Recalling that a plane had accidentally flown into the Empire State building years ago, I assumed it was anoher accident and wondered how firefighters would be able to deal with a fire in such a tall building.
Then I saw a plane going into the other tower and erupting in a fireball. I realized that this was no accident. Panicky screams of those near the cameraman filled my quiet house and I felt as many Americans did that day--this can't be happening. My brain went numb and gave me no idea of what was going on--it was frozen. I sat on the couch in silence as the first tower collapsed and screaming people pursued by clouds of smoke ran for their lives. When the second tower went down I could hear voices crying "Oh my God." More people running, trying to breathe in the choking clouds of smoke and debris. They looked ghostly as they emerged covered with grey ash.
My first reaction was to call my husband to the TV, forgetting that he was on the road. I spent the rest of the day glued to the screen as images of planes hitting the towers and the towers coming down were shown over and over. It was very hard to be alone with no one to share my confusion and fear.
That evening I phoned one of my sons who left the other fishermen early and was home in Quincy, Illinois. I asked questions--what was happening, what was going on? His voice was tense as he answered that he had no answers. Because he is military I assumed he could interpret better than I what was unfolding. Because he is military he knew we were in for terrible trouble and just didn't want to handle questions then. So I hung up and spent the next few days watching TV and trying to understand the implications of this attack.
No, on September 11, 2001 I didn't go out and scan the skies for bombers as I did in 1941. As the days passed, my brain finally processed the fact that we were at war; a new, unknown kind of war that left me with the same fear that I had as a child--what is going to happen?
On Sept 11, 2001 my husband left St. Louis early to join his sons for their annual fishing trip and the house was quiet. I took my morning cup of tea into the living room and turned on the TV. An excited, tense voice told me that a plane had hit one of the WTC towers. Recalling that a plane had accidentally flown into the Empire State building years ago, I assumed it was anoher accident and wondered how firefighters would be able to deal with a fire in such a tall building.
Then I saw a plane going into the other tower and erupting in a fireball. I realized that this was no accident. Panicky screams of those near the cameraman filled my quiet house and I felt as many Americans did that day--this can't be happening. My brain went numb and gave me no idea of what was going on--it was frozen. I sat on the couch in silence as the first tower collapsed and screaming people pursued by clouds of smoke ran for their lives. When the second tower went down I could hear voices crying "Oh my God." More people running, trying to breathe in the choking clouds of smoke and debris. They looked ghostly as they emerged covered with grey ash.
My first reaction was to call my husband to the TV, forgetting that he was on the road. I spent the rest of the day glued to the screen as images of planes hitting the towers and the towers coming down were shown over and over. It was very hard to be alone with no one to share my confusion and fear.
That evening I phoned one of my sons who left the other fishermen early and was home in Quincy, Illinois. I asked questions--what was happening, what was going on? His voice was tense as he answered that he had no answers. Because he is military I assumed he could interpret better than I what was unfolding. Because he is military he knew we were in for terrible trouble and just didn't want to handle questions then. So I hung up and spent the next few days watching TV and trying to understand the implications of this attack.
No, on September 11, 2001 I didn't go out and scan the skies for bombers as I did in 1941. As the days passed, my brain finally processed the fact that we were at war; a new, unknown kind of war that left me with the same fear that I had as a child--what is going to happen?
Collection
Citation
“story7989.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 16, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/16816.