story6976.xml
Title
story6976.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-13
911DA Story: Story
A whole country away, we woke up at about the time the second plane slammed into the World Trade Center, then sat in stunned silence as the buildings toppled down to earth. I suppose at some point we got ourselves and our daughter ready for work and kindergarten, then made our way into downtown San Francisco with the radio tuned to news of the attacks. The news of a plane crash in Pennsylvania worried us as our aunt lives near Pittsburgh, but we later found out she was nowhere near the crash site.
Downtown San Francisco was eerily quiet as people milled around the streets and buildings trying to make sense of the attacks. A unsubstantiated bomb threat at the hotel across the street from my place of work caused my manager to close the store for the day and send us all home to be with our families. I drove to my daughter's school to pick her up at dismissal time.
I remember sitting on the steps of the school, trying to comprehend what was happening and wondering if the attacks would continue. The school is in the neighborhood I grew up in and is in the flight path of San Francisco International Airport. The silence was deafening - the absence of airplanes in the sky was so unusual. I couldn't help but think of friends in the police department and in the military, wondering what their necessary response would have to be.
Although I did not personally know anyone who died as a result of the attacks, I still can not hear "God Bless America" without crying. Someday, we will understand the meaning of the September 11 attacks and look back to see how our country pulled together in the face of terror and tragedy.
Downtown San Francisco was eerily quiet as people milled around the streets and buildings trying to make sense of the attacks. A unsubstantiated bomb threat at the hotel across the street from my place of work caused my manager to close the store for the day and send us all home to be with our families. I drove to my daughter's school to pick her up at dismissal time.
I remember sitting on the steps of the school, trying to comprehend what was happening and wondering if the attacks would continue. The school is in the neighborhood I grew up in and is in the flight path of San Francisco International Airport. The silence was deafening - the absence of airplanes in the sky was so unusual. I couldn't help but think of friends in the police department and in the military, wondering what their necessary response would have to be.
Although I did not personally know anyone who died as a result of the attacks, I still can not hear "God Bless America" without crying. Someday, we will understand the meaning of the September 11 attacks and look back to see how our country pulled together in the face of terror and tragedy.
Collection
Citation
“story6976.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 28, 2024, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/19701.