story7477.xml

story7477.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-15

I know my story doesn't compare to the stories of many of the friends and families that were affected by the attacks on the twin towers, or the pentagon, or the family members that were on the planes that were used as weapons, but still i would like to share what i went through on that dreadful sept day that we as a country will never forget.I had stayed in a hotel the night before with my two daughters one 20 the other 9yrs old, my husband and I had gotten into a terrible fight that night so i didn't want to be anywhere around him. I chose a hotel in downtown Memphis because my oldest daughter was to leave the next morning for Hawaii she was home from finishing up basic training and school and was getting ready to go to her first duty station. She had to be at the bus station around 5:00 because she was catching the bus to Little Rock because her flight was leaving at 7:10 from Little Rock headed to Dallas from there to L.A. and from there to Hawaii. Well we got her on the bus and my youngest daughter and I went back to the hotel and got another hour of sleep before we went home so i could get her ready for school.After I dropped her off at school I was on the freeway headed to work and I heard the first report of an airplane flew into the world trade center i'm sure like most stations reporting this incident they thought it was a freak accident because there really wasn't any confirmed stories at the time. As I continued to work the report came in about the second plane hitting the second tower and shortly after I heard about the plane hitting the pentagon. By the time I got to work I was a complete wreck. I was just terrified because I knew my daughter was in the air as I was hearing these horrible stories. I really can't say my mind was on the people in the towers, pentagon, or the planes.I could only think about my daughter is on a plane and of course all type of crazy thoughts were racing through my head.I was thinking they going to target our major cities and my daughter is headed to L.A. after she leave Dallas and I mean I completly flipped. I had never been that scared in my life and to think I made her join the Navy she didn't wat to join at all, but I convinced her it would be the best thing for her to do because it would give her the scuture and discpline she needed. Well everyone at work was trying to calm me down and convince me everything would be alright. They told me they were grounding all the planes in the air. I couln't do anything because I had no way to contact my daughter and she wasn't calling it seemed like forever before I finally got a call from her. I mean her voice was actually like music to my ear. I was so glad to hear from her and to my surprise she had no idea what was going on, she call me worried because when they arrived in Dallas the told them to get off the plane and they would have to stay there until future notice. She had no idea why, she was really upset and crying thinking she would be in trouble with the military because she would not be repoting to base on time. I explaine dto her what happen and that calmed her down. I was really relieved to hear her voice but then I had time to regroup and focus on what was really happening.I had never been that sad before in my life. I remember my husband calling and keeping me up to date on what was going on in New York. He told me how people we jumping out of the building to there death. How the towers were just falling down and you knew all the people that were in the building who would not be saved. He told me about the big hole in the pentagon and I just cried. I cried for the victims, the families and friends that didn't know whether there loved ones had made it out alive.When I got home that day I could not watch all the reports on television. I couldn't stand to see these people jumping out of building, just the thought of it now make me so sad. What the United States experience that day will live in our hearts forever.What we felt that day should never be felt by anyone. It makes us put things in perspective,and show us what is really important.Like my grandmother(Ms. Hattie Mae Stephens)who I love with all my heart always told us "Life is a promise and death is for sure" We no not the time the day nor the hour when one of our love ones will be taken out of our lives so I beg of you please don't get caught up in the small things that someone does to cause you a little heartach or headache and get caught up in the things that you love about that person. the little things that puts the biggest smile on your face. Lets honestly try harder as a people to be more tolerent of others and accept them as they are.....LIFE IS TOO SHORT.