story11359.xml
Title
story11359.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2005-04-01
911DA Story: Story
Hello,
God bless all who suffered a loss and still suffer today because of the sick & tragic events on Sept-11 2001.
I was home that morning when I heard the news. Being a New Yorker I just had to find a way to see for myself as it was just too unbelievable to comprehend on TV & Radio.
On Sept 13th, 2001, just two days after this tragic event, my brother and I found a way to ground zero. It was like the Twilight Zone and we were in it. There were few people around and the silence was deafening. The smell was that of this sick distorted electric scent. Not bodies as one may imagine. What we experienced was nothing you can get from a television outside of the planes crashing into the buildings that we did see on TV.
While we didn't see any bodies, and we were right in the thick of ground zero, the destruction was just insane and movie-like. The people we did see at the end of the journey were kind of confused and starry-eyed. Workers, military, relief aid etc..
We saw a fire truck that was crushed just beyond recognition. We could tell from the emblems. I won't mention what else we saw but things were just really like out of a horror movie.
The most amazing feeling to me was that I felt like it was World War II. Everything was black & white and it was like watching an old movie but we were the characters. When I see an old movie, I always wonder why everything looks so gray even though I do realize there was no color at that time.
It just reminded me of the holocaust and I mean no disrespect when you do a number's comparison. Just what I imagine the vibe may have been like when you see distruction first hand. While I cannot comment on the sudden fear of such an event like the holocaust or Sept-11th, I am just still amazed that this can actually happen in what are supposed to be civilized times. How off is that statement? It is as bad as it has ever been just with a different face.
If you were not there to actually see the aftermath, it was an awakening in reality and a scene that has made me want to live everyday with a good full spirit in motion.
I hope if anyone reads this passage you do understand that this was my experience and I have chosen to share it as a release to write my thoughts, not to offend or open a discussion.
Thank you.
Joseph
God bless all who suffered a loss and still suffer today because of the sick & tragic events on Sept-11 2001.
I was home that morning when I heard the news. Being a New Yorker I just had to find a way to see for myself as it was just too unbelievable to comprehend on TV & Radio.
On Sept 13th, 2001, just two days after this tragic event, my brother and I found a way to ground zero. It was like the Twilight Zone and we were in it. There were few people around and the silence was deafening. The smell was that of this sick distorted electric scent. Not bodies as one may imagine. What we experienced was nothing you can get from a television outside of the planes crashing into the buildings that we did see on TV.
While we didn't see any bodies, and we were right in the thick of ground zero, the destruction was just insane and movie-like. The people we did see at the end of the journey were kind of confused and starry-eyed. Workers, military, relief aid etc..
We saw a fire truck that was crushed just beyond recognition. We could tell from the emblems. I won't mention what else we saw but things were just really like out of a horror movie.
The most amazing feeling to me was that I felt like it was World War II. Everything was black & white and it was like watching an old movie but we were the characters. When I see an old movie, I always wonder why everything looks so gray even though I do realize there was no color at that time.
It just reminded me of the holocaust and I mean no disrespect when you do a number's comparison. Just what I imagine the vibe may have been like when you see distruction first hand. While I cannot comment on the sudden fear of such an event like the holocaust or Sept-11th, I am just still amazed that this can actually happen in what are supposed to be civilized times. How off is that statement? It is as bad as it has ever been just with a different face.
If you were not there to actually see the aftermath, it was an awakening in reality and a scene that has made me want to live everyday with a good full spirit in motion.
I hope if anyone reads this passage you do understand that this was my experience and I have chosen to share it as a release to write my thoughts, not to offend or open a discussion.
Thank you.
Joseph
Collection
Citation
“story11359.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 22, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/18223.