story4706.xml
Title
story4706.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-11
911DA Story: Story
As one of the few Americans who did not know someone who died on 9/ll, I would like to share how deeply this day impacted me. At first, I did not understand or sense the severity of what had happened. I started my day as usual by taking my children to school, even though I had just heard the report of the first airplane impacting one of the twin towers and saw live on television the second airplane fly into the other twin tower. It did not seem real, yet. I arrived home to see the first tower collapse -- and then the second tower. Now I was nervous.
As the day went on and I watched the coverage appear on each channel - local and cable, I suddenly realized that I had taken my children to a location (school) that may not be all that secure. One of those schools was located very close the the State Capital Builing in Boise. Suddenly panick overcame me. What was I thinking to send my children off to school when America was under attack. I called the schools to inquire and was told that alternative plans were in place should anything further occur.
As I watched the devastation on televison, I found myself being wrapped with feeling for the lose of those in New York (even though I did not know anyone there) and needed to be with my family. My class Tuesday night at Boise State University was cancelled by the instructor. She was feeling the same as I was - that we needed to be with family that night.
For a week, I was glued to the televison coverage of New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania. The feelings of horror, sorrow, empathy for the families of victims, and anger that such a thing could happen to the United States brought me to tears - many tears. My only contribution was to pray - for the victims, their families, the cities, our wonderful nation and those of us who felt so helpless and wanted to do something but were so far away.
As a year has passed since that horrific day, I am encouraged by the strength and resilience of the American people - particularly the families of the victims. President Bush and First Lady Laura, the Congress and Senate, and the men and women in the military who have stepped up to defend our country (including Mountain Home Air Force Base, Mountain Home, Idaho)have shown such courage and strong leadership that I am more secure going about my daily life. It makes me proud to be an American. The positive results and efforts that emerged from this tragic event only honor those whose lives were taken on Septemer 11, 2001 and make us all stronger Americans.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts.
As the day went on and I watched the coverage appear on each channel - local and cable, I suddenly realized that I had taken my children to a location (school) that may not be all that secure. One of those schools was located very close the the State Capital Builing in Boise. Suddenly panick overcame me. What was I thinking to send my children off to school when America was under attack. I called the schools to inquire and was told that alternative plans were in place should anything further occur.
As I watched the devastation on televison, I found myself being wrapped with feeling for the lose of those in New York (even though I did not know anyone there) and needed to be with my family. My class Tuesday night at Boise State University was cancelled by the instructor. She was feeling the same as I was - that we needed to be with family that night.
For a week, I was glued to the televison coverage of New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania. The feelings of horror, sorrow, empathy for the families of victims, and anger that such a thing could happen to the United States brought me to tears - many tears. My only contribution was to pray - for the victims, their families, the cities, our wonderful nation and those of us who felt so helpless and wanted to do something but were so far away.
As a year has passed since that horrific day, I am encouraged by the strength and resilience of the American people - particularly the families of the victims. President Bush and First Lady Laura, the Congress and Senate, and the men and women in the military who have stepped up to defend our country (including Mountain Home Air Force Base, Mountain Home, Idaho)have shown such courage and strong leadership that I am more secure going about my daily life. It makes me proud to be an American. The positive results and efforts that emerged from this tragic event only honor those whose lives were taken on Septemer 11, 2001 and make us all stronger Americans.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts.
Collection
Citation
“story4706.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 28, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/18445.