story6446.xml

story6446.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

It was a beautiful September morning, September has always been my favorite month. I guess because both me and my daughter were born in that month. It was 8:30am, and we had pulled into her school-yard in the carpool-line as she started singing along to a Brittany Spears song on the radio, (funny how you remember minute detail). Then we were discussing plans for her upcoming 11th birthday party when the news broke that an airplane had just struck WTC TOWER 1. My first thought was, "Oh my God, the pilot must've had engine failure or something." And I prayed that it wasn't a bad crash. My daughter exited the car, and I turned toward home. (I only live 2 minutes from her school). Once home, I ran inside with my 9 month old son in tow, and turned on the TV just in time to see the second plane hit. Initially I was confused though, because I thought I was seeing re-play of the 1st plane hitting tower 1. But as I watched, I realized that smoke and fire were coming from both towers. So, again I thought, one airplane had gone through both towers. As I sat down in front of the TV, I realized there were 2 seperate planes and 2 separate hits to the towers. Immediately I thought, "what's happening here, are we under attack-is this going to be another Pearl Harbor?" I had feelings of panic for my daughter that I had just dropped off at school. Should I go back and get her, should I call my husband, who drives a truck and is out on the road right now? Then my mind went to the rest of my family. Me and my husband both are from Alabama and moved to N.C. 8 years ago in search of better jobs. All of a sudden Alabama seemed so far away, and New York seemed way to close. N.C. is as far away from AL. as I had ever been, and it took a lot of convincing to get me to move from a very small town to what I considered a big city. I even remember comparing Durham/Raleigh to New York once, because it was the biggest city I had ever been to. Now, I thought of the safety of my home town and how no-one ever locks their doors, and there is maybe 1 crime committed each year there, and you always know who did it, and why. At that moment my mom called, and told me she thought I needed to pack up some things very quickly and head home to Alabama. At the same moment, the announcement came about the pentagon, and I remember standing there on the phone with my mother begging me to head home, and looking at the disaster on TV unfolding before my eyes. I think I said something like, "they just hit the pentagon, mom, I wonder if they are working their way south?" Then I thought of all the military command posts along the North Carolina/South Carolina coasts, and how an attack there would prove to be just as lethal and crippiling to the US. I was totally petrified with fear of not knowing what to do. I felt like a 5 year old little girl who was lost in a very big department store with no exits in sight. I remember telling my mom that I would call her back, that I needed to call my husband. By the time I reached him, the 4th plane had crashed in PA. He told me not to panic, and to stay by the phone and TV and he would keep calling to check on me through the day, and if there were any strikes near us to head to Alabama. I then called my co-workers at the pediatric office where I've been a nurse for 7 years and everyone had the same tone of shock, fear, and uncertainty. As I watched the images on TV, of the people running away from the towers, the president's face as he was notified in that classroom in FL., and the rescue workers hurrying to do what they do best, a deep sense of what was really important in my life swept over me. I've never been to New York, although I'm more determined now than ever to visit. But my heart and prayers and concern were with every person that I saw on TV that day. I thought about the ones who probably didn't take the time to say good-bye to their loved ones before leaving for work that morning, or the ones who were planning families for the first time. And of all the ones left behind to cope and to try to make some kind of sense out of it. I don't think we'll ever be the same as a nation. I just pray we are stronger TOGETHER.