story3734.xml
Title
story3734.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-11
911DA Story: Story
I work at an International Labor Union, not far from the Pentagon. The view from my window is beautiful with the Washington Monument in the background and the Capitol behind me.
When one of the employees told me the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane, I immediately ran upstairs to see it on television as my boss had one in his office. Once the second plane hit, I knew we were in trouble. It was as if I had been told something in another language that I didn't understand. I was incredulous, preplexed and confused. How could this have happened.
When I went back to my office, a co-worker told me that the Pentagon had been "bombed". I told him he was lying I was so sure it couldn't be so. But when he pointed out my window, I saw the billowing black smoke and realized that America was under attack. I'm a single mother and all I could think of was my two children in school more than forty-five minutes away.
I ran upstairs to my boss and told him I was leaving to get to my children. He told me I'd never get out of the City, but I said "I'm all they've got and I'm going to try". It took me two hours to travel 17 miles, but I got home just as my neighbor pulled into her driveway with my children.
It seems that in a school of 1,200 children, by 2:00 that day, only 200 were left waiting for their parents. All but 200 of the parents had the same idea I did - get to your family, hold them tight and thank God that you are safe.
I will never forget September 11th. Although I always told my children continually how much they meant to me, I do even more so now because I learned how in a moment's time, so much can be lost.
I grieve for those who lost members of their family and pray that they can somehow find solace, somewhere.
When one of the employees told me the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane, I immediately ran upstairs to see it on television as my boss had one in his office. Once the second plane hit, I knew we were in trouble. It was as if I had been told something in another language that I didn't understand. I was incredulous, preplexed and confused. How could this have happened.
When I went back to my office, a co-worker told me that the Pentagon had been "bombed". I told him he was lying I was so sure it couldn't be so. But when he pointed out my window, I saw the billowing black smoke and realized that America was under attack. I'm a single mother and all I could think of was my two children in school more than forty-five minutes away.
I ran upstairs to my boss and told him I was leaving to get to my children. He told me I'd never get out of the City, but I said "I'm all they've got and I'm going to try". It took me two hours to travel 17 miles, but I got home just as my neighbor pulled into her driveway with my children.
It seems that in a school of 1,200 children, by 2:00 that day, only 200 were left waiting for their parents. All but 200 of the parents had the same idea I did - get to your family, hold them tight and thank God that you are safe.
I will never forget September 11th. Although I always told my children continually how much they meant to me, I do even more so now because I learned how in a moment's time, so much can be lost.
I grieve for those who lost members of their family and pray that they can somehow find solace, somewhere.
Collection
Citation
“story3734.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 4, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/18774.