lc_story94.xml

lc_story94.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-12-17

I'd been at work for about 1/2 hour, and was watching the news as the second plane hit. I was scheduled to go to a meeting in another part of the city and listened to the news broadcasts all the way there. The reality of the horror didn't really sink in until my meeting - and work - was cancelled, and I was heading home. Listening to the horror in hardened reporters' voices, hearing one break down and start to cry; the horrible destruction not just of buildings but of a way of life. A belief in ourselves and a basic sort of trust in others.

The looks of horror on the faces of those people racing out of the clouds of dust and debris from the falling buildings. They truly came out of the jaws of Hell.

The attacks were a harsh awakening for the American public. I don't think, until then, any of us were truly aware of just how vulnerable our country is to this sort of attack (we still are).