nmah6421.xml

nmah6421.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-01-28

It was a beautiful sunny day on September 11th. I woke up and did my usual routine in getting ready to go to work at Salomon Smith Barney. I took the N train to Cortlandt Street one of several train stations that was located underneath the World Trade Center. As soon as I got into the office one of my colleagues informs me that the World Trade Center has been hit by a plane. We both go to one of the corner offices to get a view of this unbelievable tragedy. My co-workers and I are stunned and puzzled. We cannot believe our eyes at what we are seeing. I am thinking how can this be pilot error on such a beautiful clear day? At that moment, we see the second plane hit the other tower. We are all shocked, crying and scared. We are in disbelief that this has just happened. We all start to run to the nearest staircase that we can find and head down 34 flights of stairs. There are people who are walking down the staircase in silence. There are those who you can see the shock and disbelief on their face as this tragic event is unfolding. We finally reach the lobby and head out of the building. Everyone is waiting in front of the headquarters which is located at Greenwich Street. We stand anxiously awaiting for someone to give us instructions. All you can hear are the sirens from the police cars, ambulances and federal agents driving by our headquarters to this horrific scene. I saw several people who were caught in the Towers in what I would imagine to be a fiery hell make the ultimate choice of perishing by jumping out of the towers. Finally someone makes an announcement that everyone should walk towards Midtown. The authorities are not allowing anyone to walk or go near the World Trade Center area. As my co-workers and I are walking towards Midtown the first tower collapses in front of our eyes like a house of cards. We see the billowy clouds of gray smoke and start to run and cry. The clouds did not reach us since there was plenty of distance from our location to the World Trade Center. I feel numb and feel like I am in a scene of a bad disaster movie. It's all so surreal. I'm going through so many emotions. I am scared, sad, shocked, angry and frustrated. I still keep walking and we stop by a car that is parked on the street with the radio turned on at high volume. Everyone is surrounding the car at attention trying to listen to the news. The radio announcer starts to talk about the Pentagon being hit by a plane. At that moment the second tower collapses. Everyone is suffering their own emotional roller coasters. I saw men crying when those towers collapsed. I heard and saw people showing their anger when those towers collapsed. I saw people crying and worried and in fear that their loved ones, friends, family might be a victim of this horrific and senseless tragedy. We walked to Midtown and waited. Every time I heard a plane I cringed thinking "Oh God please not again" This was my experience. I will never forget this moment for the rest of my life.

My life has changed in that as an American I was naive and thought that these horrific tragic events like 9/11 occur in other countries but not in the United States. This horrible event opened my eyes and has awaken me to the realization that Americans can no longer afford the luxury of being naive to the fact that we have become the latest targets to terrorism. After the 9/11 tragedy feelings of being vulnerable and not having any control awakened in me. I have learned to really appreciate life and value every moment of it. I think of the victims of the 9/11 tragedy: the mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives who woke up on that beautiful sunny day doing their routine to go to work at those two majestic buildings. It is a shame that it takes a tragic event like 9/11 to unite all of us. It takes a tragic event to open up our eyes and appreciate and value life and each other. We are all in this together and should learn to respect and embrace our cultural differences.

The focal point of remembrance from this tragedy should be the victims. Their deaths should not be in vain. Remember their lives, share the victim's life experiences by making the memorial more personal so that everyone who sees it will appreciate, value and understand the tragic circumstances of their passing. This memorial should commemorate the victims and be an instrutment to teach our generation and future generations lessons of preventing cowardly acts like the one of 9/11 from occurring again.

I believe that patriotism can be expressed in many different ways. I did not fly an American flag after this tragic event occurred because I am not a believer in jumping on the bandwagon just because everyone else says it has to be so. I viewed it as a source of comfort for those Americans to fly the American Flag as their way of dealing with this senseless tragedy. As a way of expressing to the terrorist that their coward and senseless act did not defeat us. I think this is a good message to send to those cowards who participated in this senseless tragedy. As an American my source of comfort was through prayer.