nmah4431.xml

nmah4431.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

God, take care of the victims that are now in heaven as your companions. please bless their families and friends. My witness: It was one of the strangest things. September 10, 2002 was supposed to be a day that I was to go to a sort of open house located on the 46th floor of 1 WTC for clerical work. I was excited because if I would have had the opportunity to work in such a grand building I would finally feel as if I were slowly but surely working my way up. As a college student, that would be a great feat. No matter what the position was, I wanted it. I thought about it for the entire weekend. But that Monday, I had other commitments to attend to. September 10th was also my first day of class and through a last minute choice I scheduled an interview downtown. Even though, ultimately, my main interest lied in whatever the position was that was offered in the World Trade Center. So because the recording stated that applications can be filled either the tenth or eleventh day I decided that Tuesday, September 11th I would dedicate the entire morning to be at the World Trade Center. My interview on the tenth turned out to be sort of suspicious and I ended up missing school anyway. My boyfriend had waited for me after the interview and for some reason we didn't have a good feeling about the next day at the World Trade Center. He felt that I couldn't miss another day from school and because I wasn't certain what the position was I should be weary of it. I experienced some turmoil but remained optimistic and decided that I would have to try it out, because who knew when I would have another opportunity. what if that was my last chance? My favorite jobs have come through pure chance. I set my alarm clock but when the time came to get ready I remained dazed on my bed contemplating whether I should actually get up or not. Hours passed and my phone rings. I ran to get it and its my boyfriend thanking God that I am still home. I asked him what happened. He asked me over and over, "Where were you going, the World Trade Center right?!?" I just laughed and asked "Yeah but I guess I won't be going because I am running late or should I?" but before I can even finish he is screaming that there was an explosion, he didn't know what it was they say it might be a plane and that he is just a few blocks away because he was doing building maintenance with his boss, instead of his routine highway maintenance. He still wasn't making sense to me. I heard every word, but it didn't make sense. My mother was in her bedroom getting dressed and he informed me to put on the television because by now it should be on the news. We turn it on and immediately my mother says "That was a terrorist attack." I thought she was watching too many movies but we continue to watch, I tell her that I was supposed to go there she yells at me to stay home all day, but it still didn't hit me. I thought that even though there was a distinct hole on the side of the building the plane must have miscalculated its distance. I hang up with my boyfriend tell my mother goodbye and to be safe when my phone rings again. My boyfriend is yelling another plane has hit and this time he saw the explosion. He says the ground shook beneath him and pushed him back, smoke, smog, and soot is covering the entire area he wants to go home that's all he wanted, to be home and be with me. pain, that's all i felt. for all the people that were on the planes, whoever was in their office. for all of their families. for all of the people that worked there. for everyone that knew someone there. for all of us new yorkers. for all of us in the world. it was such a bad movie playing over and over in my head and on every channel that I turned the tv to. i turned off the tv but the phonecalls came in. my relatives were worried about my mother's cousin's husband, my mom's boyfriend, and my mom. My sister was teaching her third grade class in the South Bronx when parents were picking up their children and told her "All of Manhattan was blown up!" more family called to inform me to alert all family members who work in hospitals to be on alert for any of these people... i hate that day. after i picked up the younger children in my family from their school and my sister came to my house from work and the actual truth was explained to her, we cried while watching over and over what would change us forever.

Everyone's life has changed after last years disgusting, dispicable, horrific... act. The building was a place that I wanted to go with my boyfriend one day. I had gone once when I was in the third grade but always remained confused as to whether the World Trade Center was the same as the Twin Towers of the city. He has never gone. Now he'll never be able to see them. Like many after that day we realized how important we truly were to one another. He has now become my fiance and we value every day that we see each other. September 11th also woke up the officials that run our country. We were really sleeping on what other people could do. some rare moments i feel as if I don't hate the people that did this to us because we thought it could never happen and it was our wake up call. i ask God to forgive us both. for America for being so damn cocky and the evil people because they need guidance. we are not inferior to anyone. we are just as vulnerable and they took the opportunity to destroy us. our spirits, our souls, stripped. everyone I know has an empty space there in their heart. so empty. but like many, on those other days that I can't find it in my heart to feel sorry for ignorant people like those terrorists, i hate them. i hate the terrorists. each and every one of them. the people that funded it, the people who acted it out, the people who thought of it. all of them i hate them. i ask God for forgiveness of such anger and while I know that I have no right to hate anyone, I still feel it though. just a few days preceding the attacks my father was discussing how much safer he feels in the sky than on ground. that has changed. it did not help the matter that just two months after the WTC attacks the flight of 587 killed my neighbor. my father was on a plane to and from DR just days before that. therefore i am now terrified. iam told that is what they wanted, it worked. i don't feel secure.

The compassion that everyone felt. The helplessness, but also the courage. At one point or another everyone went through the same process. It hurt us so much,especially us here in New York. But we managed to come together for the same cause. To demonstrate that no matter what we are all Americans and love our opportunities here. We might not have known one another but this is where we all rest our heads, this is our home. We value our lives and try to make the world safer for our children (though I don't have any). It hurt every soul when those terrorists tried to take that away from us. So many people lost their lives without any conceivable or sane explanation. Everything needs to be remembered. History was a subject that I always hated until now. The future generations need to know, I never thought that I would experience anything as remotely detestable as this.

I never had an American Flag publically displayed prior to the events of September 11th. After the tragedy I took its actual importance for what it was worth instead of overlooking its value.