story20383.xml

story20383.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2006-09-10

September 11th 2001 was the start of my second week of school being a big middle schooler. I was so excited to go to school it was the day we were suppose to get our lockers. I still remember leaving for school that day at about 7:30 AM and noticing how there were no clouds in the sky it was a pretty day. We went on with the school day then I relized by the time lunch started at 10:15 it seemed that my classes kept getting smaller and smaller till finally it was only me and 1 other kid in the class that was normally 32 kids. At about this time my principal came on the loud speaker and my teacher started to cry. The principal said " I am going to read a letter from the school superentendent to you all" I was like OK whatever they do this a lot. Then she went on to say how sorry the county was about the loss of the children and everything else near the pentagon and NYC. I then started shaking. My Mother works at a elementary school that is not even 4 miles from their I figured she was gone. That was the most terrifying moment I have ever and hope to ever again experence. I ran out of the classroom as fast as I could and ran out of the building and saw mass chaos on the roads around our school being only about a 10 minutes away from the Pentagon and most the people who live around me work either in Washington DC or near the pentagon the area was going crazy. I then realized I had a choice to make run home and go crazy waiting to here the bad news to come or run to my brother's elementary school about 1.5 miles from mine. I decieded to run to the 7-11 about a block down and use the payphone to try and call anyone my Mom, my dad ANYONE. The phone line was overloaded no calls at all. I then ran home and waited at the bus stop for my younger brother. He got off the bus and gave me the biggest hug and we ran home to see or hear anything about our parents. We turned on the TV and it was just devistating to see all that was going on. We saw going across the bottom of the screen that schools were closed for the following day if not longer that the world was in total mass crazyness. My parents made it home very late that night but they made it home many did not. I thank God everyday that they are here still and that he did not take them that horrible day. The following day after 911 we have candle vigils for the victims and it was horrible. I have never felt so unsafe before. It took about a year before I wasn't scared everytime I saw a plane very low or anything else. 5 years later the wounds are still deep the world is now at War trying to make sure this never happens again. I pray that one day we will let freedom ring and that everyone knows America is here to stay