story710.xml

story710.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-06-04

I woke up like it was just a normal day. But that is far from the truth. It was second period on September 11th and a plane just hit the first World Trade Building and a second plane hit the other tower and I was not aware of what had happened at that point. During third period in gym class Mr. Sanford heard what was going on and turned on the television so we all could watch. The television showed the planes hitting the towers, all the smoke, and the hundreds of people running with the firemen and trucks going in the opposite direction, which was into the buildings. My first thought was " we are going to war, we will find who is responsible for this and go to war." Everyone in the gym just looked around in complete shock and some were even scared. The next period we learned and saw so much more. We saw the replays of the first and second planes hitting the two buildings. Only a short time later both of the towers collapsed. The hundreds of people standing there watching suddenly ran as the two giant structures collapsed to the ground. After they hit the ground there was still a huge cloud of smoke that prevented you from seeing your hand in front of your face. If you were in New York City then you could see and smell the damage. After the smoke finally started to clear you could see many people walking around with cameras, blankets to help the cold or injured, and breathing masks. Many people with cameras took pictures of strangers helping each other. The stock market was also greatly affected, it had to be shut down for 3 and a half days. President Bush instantly started making many phone calls to the Vice President and the Speaker of the House to find out as much as possible. After they discussed the problem they knew that it was a terrorist attack. The only person they suspected was the infamous Osama bin Laden. The hijackers of the plane were from his terrorist camp in the Middle East. A few hours later all the damage was complete. At this time, the President and his colleagues were on the phone trying to make reason with what came about. The public began to call and start look for their friends and relatives. Both of the towers were completely destroyed and the Pentagon was hit in the army section. There was also another plane that was aiming for the White House. One brave passenger was the leader of the attack on the hijackers. That made the plane crash in Somerset, Pennsylvania.
It is now eight months after the tragedy of September 11th, 2001. The mood of the American people has changed dramatically. Before this people forgot about nationalism but now many flags and other American symbols are displayed with pride for our country. The fact that strangers helped each other during this time of tragedy shows that this horrendous act on American soil did not weaken our spirit or our confidence in the United States.