story8388.xml
Title
story8388.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-10-07
911DA Story: Story
I had gone to Las Vegas for a short trip. I was to leave Vegas on the morning of 9/11/2001. The phone rang that morning and it was a call coming from my hometown in Kingsport, TN telling me that a plane had hit the Twin Towers and to turn the T.V. on.
I sat there numb and could not believe my eyes. The horror of what I saw and quickly realizing we were under attack. The desperate feeling of needing to talk to my 3 children back in Tennessee and North Carolina. I finally was able to get an outside line, so I called my daugher in N.C. because my two sons had probably already left for classes. They are both in different colleges.
My daughter was hysterical and at the time I knew nothing about getting out of Nevada or if we would be under more attack and would never get home. I explained how long it took me to get an outside line and the calls were being limited. I had asked her to please let everyone know and to tell her brothers how much I loved them. One of my sons attends college close to a Neucleur Plant, and I was terrified, even a year later, I'm still teffified because I believe they will attack again. Its just a matter of time. Look how long they planned this attack. I told her I would try to call back with more information as I knew it.
On one occasion I was able to get thru to my mother in S.C. and she them relayed information to the rest of the family.
We take so much for granite. All at once, there isn't a way to communicate with your family and you feel so helpless.
It was very difficult getting an outside line, but I must say the Airlines was doing a more than efficient and wonderful job considering what had just happened. There was no way to leave Las Vegas. No rental cars availabe and then you were not able to cross over Hover Dam. Amm Track was offering to help, if you had flown on a major Airlines, but they did not recognize Soutwest as one of them.
I remember going down to the casino to leave the motel, because friends of mine were staying at the other end of the strip. As I walked thru the casino, everything was quite. This was an erie feeling. People standing around the bar watching the news. Everyone was solemn, sad and disbelief in what they were watching.
Security around there tighten up real quick. Las Vegas was light a gohst town. People just walked the street in a daze. At night Vegas looked so different. Many of the lights were turned off, but the billboards were lit with 'GOD BLESS AMERICA' AND THE AMERICAN FLAG on them. The pride for which you felt to be an American was overwhelming!!!!!!!!
After the 3rd day of being stranded there, we all finally rented a car just to get away from the strip. This did us all a world of good. Just to drive out to Red Rock Cannon and be reminded of the beauty of our Country and take a ride to see Lake Meade. How refreshing, but never for a split moment, did we forget what horror was going on in New York. We all cried for everyone that had lost their lives.
At the same time, I was and still am very proud of our President.
It was difficult to leave the T.V. because I wanted to know everything that was going on.
On the evening of the 3rd day when we heard the first airplane in the air, everyone cheered and clapped. I believe that anything to do with the flag or United States was SOLD out completely.
The motel where I was staying was very accomodating, but unfortunately some were not.
The day I was finally able to leave to come home was a mixture of feelings and you were suspicious of everyone!!!
We were all at the airport that morning 5 hours early. There were people already there and then the sun started beaming down as the morning grew longer. The airport was doing all they could to accomondate everyone. They were out there handing out bottle water to everyone and offering assistance to our Senior Citizens. Our baggage was checked and by the time we finally got thru all the security checks we had only 15 minutes before we were to board our plane.
Everyone watched each other! To look in the faces of the pilots and the flight crew when you were boarding the plane, you couldn't help but cry. I have always been thankful for our police departments and fire departments, but nothing like I am today. They have my utmost praise and respect.
I was so humble and thankful to be home again and to hug my children and grandchildren and at the same time felt pain for those who had lost their loved one.
I hope we never FORGET what happend and become to passive again.
"GOD BLESS AMERICA"
I sat there numb and could not believe my eyes. The horror of what I saw and quickly realizing we were under attack. The desperate feeling of needing to talk to my 3 children back in Tennessee and North Carolina. I finally was able to get an outside line, so I called my daugher in N.C. because my two sons had probably already left for classes. They are both in different colleges.
My daughter was hysterical and at the time I knew nothing about getting out of Nevada or if we would be under more attack and would never get home. I explained how long it took me to get an outside line and the calls were being limited. I had asked her to please let everyone know and to tell her brothers how much I loved them. One of my sons attends college close to a Neucleur Plant, and I was terrified, even a year later, I'm still teffified because I believe they will attack again. Its just a matter of time. Look how long they planned this attack. I told her I would try to call back with more information as I knew it.
On one occasion I was able to get thru to my mother in S.C. and she them relayed information to the rest of the family.
We take so much for granite. All at once, there isn't a way to communicate with your family and you feel so helpless.
It was very difficult getting an outside line, but I must say the Airlines was doing a more than efficient and wonderful job considering what had just happened. There was no way to leave Las Vegas. No rental cars availabe and then you were not able to cross over Hover Dam. Amm Track was offering to help, if you had flown on a major Airlines, but they did not recognize Soutwest as one of them.
I remember going down to the casino to leave the motel, because friends of mine were staying at the other end of the strip. As I walked thru the casino, everything was quite. This was an erie feeling. People standing around the bar watching the news. Everyone was solemn, sad and disbelief in what they were watching.
Security around there tighten up real quick. Las Vegas was light a gohst town. People just walked the street in a daze. At night Vegas looked so different. Many of the lights were turned off, but the billboards were lit with 'GOD BLESS AMERICA' AND THE AMERICAN FLAG on them. The pride for which you felt to be an American was overwhelming!!!!!!!!
After the 3rd day of being stranded there, we all finally rented a car just to get away from the strip. This did us all a world of good. Just to drive out to Red Rock Cannon and be reminded of the beauty of our Country and take a ride to see Lake Meade. How refreshing, but never for a split moment, did we forget what horror was going on in New York. We all cried for everyone that had lost their lives.
At the same time, I was and still am very proud of our President.
It was difficult to leave the T.V. because I wanted to know everything that was going on.
On the evening of the 3rd day when we heard the first airplane in the air, everyone cheered and clapped. I believe that anything to do with the flag or United States was SOLD out completely.
The motel where I was staying was very accomodating, but unfortunately some were not.
The day I was finally able to leave to come home was a mixture of feelings and you were suspicious of everyone!!!
We were all at the airport that morning 5 hours early. There were people already there and then the sun started beaming down as the morning grew longer. The airport was doing all they could to accomondate everyone. They were out there handing out bottle water to everyone and offering assistance to our Senior Citizens. Our baggage was checked and by the time we finally got thru all the security checks we had only 15 minutes before we were to board our plane.
Everyone watched each other! To look in the faces of the pilots and the flight crew when you were boarding the plane, you couldn't help but cry. I have always been thankful for our police departments and fire departments, but nothing like I am today. They have my utmost praise and respect.
I was so humble and thankful to be home again and to hug my children and grandchildren and at the same time felt pain for those who had lost their loved one.
I hope we never FORGET what happend and become to passive again.
"GOD BLESS AMERICA"
Collection
Citation
“story8388.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 10, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/17898.