nmah875.xml

nmah875.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-04

I WAS GETTING READY TO GO TO WORK THAT DAY AND HAPPENED TO TURN ON THE T.V. AND SAW THAT SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED TO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER. I DID'NT HAVE TIME TO CONTINUE WATCHING, SO I LEFT TO GO TO WORK. WHILE AT WORK, I KEPT GOING FROM THE PHOTO LAB BACK TO ELECTRONICS AND BACK AGAIN JUST TO KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON. I ALSO REMEMBER HOW STRANGE IT WAS TO SEE THE DAHLGREN BASE WITH HIGH SECURITY WHEN I TOOK MY THEN BOYFRIEND BACK TO THE BASE. I WAS'NT USED TO SEEING GUARDS STANDING THERE AT THE GATE WITH GUNS AND THE BARRICADES.

I;M MORE APPRECIATIVE OF THINGS IN LIFE AND TRY TO NOT TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED THAT NOTHING WILL HAPPEN TO ME. KNOWING THAT PEOPLE I KNOW COULD HAVE DIED OR BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED THAT DAY IS SCARY.

I THINK THAT THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE IN THE BUILDINGS, THE PLANES, THE FIREFIGHTERS, RESCUE WORKERS, POLICE OFFICERS, AND MEDIA PERSONNEL LOST THEIR LIVES THAT HORRIBLE DAY. THAT A NORMAL DAY OF GOING TO WORK CAN END IN TRAGEDY. TO REMEMBER THAT FIREFIGHTERS RAN INTO THAT BUILDING REGARDLESS OF THE DANGER TO TRY TO SAVE LIVES AND IN THE END LOST THEIR OWN LIVES. THAT FAMILIES LOST LOVED ONES. AND THAT WE SHOULD BE A LITTLE KINDER TO EACH OTHER.

WE DID FLY THE AMERICAN FLAG AFTER THAT DAY. MY MOM HAS A FLAG ON HER CAR AND WE HAVE FLAGS ON OUR WINDOWS OF OUR HOUSE. I HAVE A FLAG ON MY CAR WINDOW. I WEAR A FLAG ON MY WORK VEST. BUT MY FEELINGS OF THE FLAG HAVE NOT CHANGED SINCE THAT DAY BECAUSE IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE SAME THAT OUR FLAG IS A SYMBOL OF OUR FREEDOM.