nmah5043.xml

nmah5043.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-16

I was at work that day in Manhattan at 32nd street and
7th Avenue. Most of the day was spent in shock. I never felt scared even though I work near the Empire State Building and across from Penn Station. Of course, for some time, it was not possible to leave Mahattan. I lived far enough away that walking was not an option. I finally left when they announced that the trains were running. By then, it was like a ghost town and everyone who was leaving at that time had shocked and sad looks on their faces. For several days, I would wake up in the morning and think it was a dream. When I realized it wasn't, I often started crying. I did not know anyone directly who lost their life that day, but the stories of friends who were in the area and what they went through, were amazing.
I have often thought that the deaths of so many strangers that day hit me as hard emotionally as the deaths of people that I had loved and been close to in my life.

For a long time, every time I heard a lot of sirens, it made me uneasy. I finally got past that but it came back shortly before the anniversary and I am still feeling
that uneasiness now. The business at our company dropped significantly and we took pay cuts for a period of time. We also saw one of our competitors who had been in the area of the World Trade Center go out of business. I still am not fearful that something will happen to me. I did find the time leading up to the 1st anniversay rather stressful. After talking about those days events for months, we went a long time without bringing it up everyday. In August,I was at a cultural resort, Chautuaqua, NY, and they had planned several events during the week I was there about 9/11. There was a play and art exhibit as well as a number of discussions. While I did attend most of the events, I found it very sad to begin talking about all of this again. I felt that way through
the anniversay this year and found it difficult to watch many of the specials on TV. The firehouse by my office building had events on all day and we all went from my office throughout the day. While I am not a religious person, I did feel the need to go to a church.
I think the main way that my life has changed is in worrying about people I know that were down there that day or during the rescue period and the long term affects it will have on them. It is understandbly hard for many people to talk about that day. I think it will be a memory that will haunt most of them the rest of their lives.
Like many people, I feel a much greater pride for my country and even more for the indivduals who make up this country. I am proud of all the people who stayed down there and gave up so much of their daily lives. There were so many heroes that day. Some of them worked jobs where part of their training was to help people. But, so many others did not. They died heroes, all of them, and we will never forget that.

Of course a monument of some kind in the area. I think particularly at the World Trade Center, there should me a non-denomonational place for either prayer of meditaion. I think we should remember the incredible strenght of the people that day. Someone recently told me that they think in 50 years that we will not have such strong memories of this. Afterall, when Pearl Harbor happened it was also a terrible tragedy and we don't do anything as a nation to remember that day. With projects like this, I hope we are able to remember it all, the good and the bad.

At first I had a flag in the back window of my car. I also wore a lapel flag pin for several weeks. I later felt that the patriotism had become less genuine. Flag items were popping up everywhere. I even noticed a flyer on my car one day that was a flag on one side and an add on the other. I think the true patriotism we all have comes from inside and not from the red,white and blue hat, shirt and socks that so many of us were suddenly wearing. I do think the flag itself, is still a very powerful symbol of our country and I am glad some many people and businesses have contiunued to fly it.