nmah1453.xml

nmah1453.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-06

I was up making breakfast for my boys before bringing them to school. I remember my college age boy Cory was getting a ride that day, so I concentrated on my 5th grader Ryan and my 2nd grader Ricky. Just as I was telling them that we had to hurry and brush hair and teeth, I had Katie Couric interviewing someone on tv. It cut to the plane and smoke from the tower. At that time we all thought it was a replay of the small plane that hit the Empire State Building years ago. Someone tragically got lost and disoriented and accidentally hit one of the towers. I proceeded to get the boys ready and began to walk them to school. Going to a very large elementary school, I dropped the 5th grader off at the first building, and when I was walking back from dropping the 2nd grader off from the second building, other parents started asking me if I heard what had happened, I said yes, thinking it was only the one plane, but by that time it was the second plane. I couldn't beleive it, I walked very fast home, called my husband at work, he hadn't heard about it. I spoke to him a few times while watching the Today show, but then went to my job up at the same elementary school that my youngest boys were attending. I just wanted to be near them and I wondered how many of the children there had parents that worked at the WTC? I managed to contact my son from college they were sending them home. I thought to bring my am/fm radio with me to work so I could hear what was happening. I just had to be near the kids. When I got there, there were several parents coming to take thier children out of school. We were making preperations for a lock down, guarding the doors. I am also the president of the PTA there, and I wanted to help as much as I can, I know most of the kids, and thier parents. A neighbor whose son I was looking at worked at the towers, thankfully he twisted his knee, he was only one of two to survive from his company, but I didn't know that as I tried to occupy his son. We didn't tell the children anything was going on. It was hard, there were teachers crying in the hallway, we were trying to share our news quietly, informing each other of what was going on. Who had sons/husbands/fathers/ mothers/ daughters/ sisters that worked at the towers or surrounding areas? It was so hard, not knowing, not being able to do anything,and by that time, there was no cell phone usage either. The towers had collapsed the utter helplessness. My last cell phone call was from my college son. He was home safe. I told him to stay there. He listened, he was only 2 blocks away, I wished I could be with all my sons, but I didn't want to take my little ones out of school. For days the numbness hung about with the dispair and utter disbelief... But no one, not one parent or close realative of anyone at our particular school was lost at the towers that day. Not one. We were one of the rare ones. Almost everyone I knew lost someone, or knew someone who lost someone. No one was untouched. But our school was lucky.

I remember the no fly days, how erie that was.. I live on Long Island. I used to be able to see or hear a plane going to one of the 3 major airports around here every few minutes. To not hear anything for the first time in my life was scary. But to hear those helicopters in the middle of the night was scarier. I would wake up shaking. I checked my kids constantly in the middle of the night. Sometimes I crawled into bed with them. I will never be the same. Never. I cry whe I see / hear / or talk about 9/11. I still can't believe it. I am mortified at the thought of someone somewhere rejoicing and dancing in the street at the deaths of innocent people. We have to find a way to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again. There is no way to understand it. I recently went to a website and printed out the names of those who died on 9/11, on all the airplanes, at the Pentagon, and at the Twin Towers. It filled a loosleaf book single, typed, small font. It filled a book. Unfathomable. I keep it here next to me by the computer. I say so I won't forget. But that is assuming anyone ever could. I left my corporate job to watch children on the playground. I was thankful I was able to do that. But now I guard them. I watch everyone that drives by. I think of places to hide children on the playground. I think of different scenarios and what my action would be. I am more suspicous but more appreciative. I think I am a nicer person than I was, I definately volunteer more : with children. The end of the school year, I made sure the 50th anniversary of the school was celebrated in a huge way. A festive way. I wanted to replace some memories for the kids all 1000 of them in our school. I think I may have, the teachers and administration of the school were wonderful, they helped, and put on a show as well.

I don't think I could bare a national holiday unless all of the stores were closed. If it were legal to make all transactions cease for a day then I would want a National day of celebration of the heros that own that day. All of them. But I couldn't handle it becoming just another shopping sale day in my lifetime.

I put the flag out the second time I called my husband, as I got home from dropping my boys off at school. I told him I was going to get it and hang it in front of the house, where we usually just hung it on holidays. But it has been there ever since. We purchased a spotlight, and ran an extension cord out there, and put a timer on it. It has not come down. Neither have the ones on my car or in my garden. I have at least 20 t-shorts with American Flags on them in various designs. I have a purse that looks like a flag. I definatly am prouder of the flag, and wave it more, every chance I get.