story4928.xml
Title
story4928.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-11
911DA Story: Story
When I woke up on September 11,2001 and turned on the television, I saw the most horrific sight of my life- the United States was under attack. I was a mother to be and my husband, like so many others, was at work. He is a school teacher. I immediately called the school and they said they were not going to send anyone home: after all, this was Wall, SD. What could anyone gain by taking out such a small town? As I sat there in disbelief, the first tower collapsed. I started crying. I thought to myself, "What am I doing bringing a baby into such a violent and terrible world?". I continued to watch and saw families looking for their loved ones, people scattering eveywhere with ashes and blood covering their bodies. I called my mother to tell her I was alright and she said she was alright, too. We felt safe where we were. She was in another small town, Spearfish, SD. just 100 miles down the road. However, exactly half way between us is Ellsworth Airforce Base. Knowing that made us feel all the more safe and all the more threatened at the same time. What if these terrorists weren't done? What if they went after our military, too? I started to panic. About that time, my husband came home for lunch. We stood in the doorway hugging for ten minutes. Then, Tom Brokaw started telling the story of how stores were opening their doors to fleeing people and providing food and clothing and shelter at no charge. Strangers were holding hands in the street, praying for a miracle, that no one they knew was killed. It was then that I thought to myself "That's why I'm bringing a child into the world- to hold hands and pray with a stranger who needs comfort and to lend a helping hand in times of need." For this, I was proud to be "a mother to be". Knowing that my child may one day be a firefighter or a police officer or anyone like those heroes in the streets of New York City, Philadelphia, or Washington, DC. made me smile in the midst of all this turmoil. And as I watched everyday, common citizens turning into Angels of Mercy amidst the darkest hour in history, it was then I realized how proud I am to be an American and what it really means to have true freedom.
Collection
Citation
“story4928.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 10, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/4226.