nmah3706.xml

nmah3706.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I was at work at a chemical plant in LaPorte, Texas. Out plant has a dock on the Houston Ship Channel. We watched on TV the events as they unfolded. I was watching the towers burn and saw both towers collapse, along with my co-workers. I knew that we had entered an alternate universe and that life would never be the same. About noon we heard a plane approaching. We were all alarmed because all planes were supposed to be grounded. We were amazed when we ran outside to see planes from nearby Ellington Field fly down the ship channel, on patrol. These were combat, armed aircraft. They were flying so low that we could clearly see the face of the pilot as he looked down on us. Security was immediately tightened. All gates were locked and only opened when the person was deemed not to be a threat. I work in an area where there could be a great disaster if the refineries and chemical plants were attached.

My last twelve months have been dark ones. On December 6, 2001, four days before our 25th anniversay, my huband died of a massive stroke. His father died the next month on January 19, from pancreas cancer. His uncle died the next month of heart failure. We have had a very hard time coping with all the stress but we are strong and we have survived as so many people have in this country.

Our prayers are with the victims families and with all families who mourn the loss of their loved one.

We are no longer carefree and confident that life will always be comfortable and secure. We have gradually learned to live without fear of the unkown but it is always waiting and we know that life can change in a heartbeat whether we want it to or not.

That our country are not cowards and that we do not back down from a fight. We became a country of many peoples with one voice. We will not stand still and do nothing and when we are attacked we will fight back with everything we have.

I still have a wreath that my husband made with small flags on the front of my house. I also have one on my car. I have always cherished our flag and respected what it stood for but now I know that many more people in the world understand that our flag is a symbol of our strength and courage not just a piece of cloth.