story4597.xml
Title
story4597.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-11
911DA Story: Story
LET ME START BY SAYING THAT IT'S NOT LIKE ME TO EXPRESS MY FEELINGS IN ANY WAY, ESPECIALLY TO TOTAL STRANGERS. HOWEVER, I FEEL THAT IN A TIME LIKE THIS, ON THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE WORST TRAGEDY THAT I HAVE EVER WITNESSED IN MY SHORT 27 YEARS, AND CERTAINLY ONE THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE, I NEED TO SAY SOMETHING.
MY FATHER AND I WERE WORKING ON THE MORNING OF THE ATTACK. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY, NO CLOUDS, NOT TOO HOT, JUST RIGHT. WE HAD THE RADIO PLAYING, IT'S EASIER TO WORK WITH A LITTLE MUSIC TO LISTEN TO. THEN THE MUSIC STOPS. THEN A VOICE COMES THROUGH THE SPEAKER AND SAYS THAT A PLANE HAS CRASHED INTO ONE OF THE TWIN TOWERS. LOOKING AT MY DAD IN DISBELIEF, I SAID, "DID YOU HEAR THAT"?? HE SAID NOTHING, ONLY NODDING HIS HEAD. AT FIRST WE THOUGHT IT MUST BE SOME KIND OF JOKE OR MOVIE ADVERTISEMENT. THEN, MORE NEWS OF THE SAME THING ON A DIFFERENT CHANNEL. THEN THE SECOND PLANE HIT!! THAT'S WHEN I KNEW THAT THIS WAS NO ACCIDENT.
STRUGGLING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON, I STARTED TO FEEL THIS RAGE BUILDING INSIDE MY CHEST. I DESPERATELY WANTED TO KNOW WHO DID THIS, WHO COULD POSSIBLY DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS. I WANTED TO RIP SOMETHING APART, I WANTED TO RIP SOMEONE APART, WHOEVER DID THIS!!
THE SADNESS DIDN'T SURFACE UNTIL WE GOT HOME, AND COULD SEE THE DESTRUCTION AND THE WOUNDED ON THE STREETS OF MANHATTEN. MY HEART FELT LIKE SOMEONE WAS SQUEEZING ALL THE LIFE OUT OF IT. I COULDN'T BREATHE. I WANTED TO RUSH TO NEW YORK, TO HELP IN SOME WAY. EVEN IF IT WAS JUST PUTTING MY ARM AROUND SOMEONE, ANYONE WHO NEEDED IT. I FELT SO USELESS, JUST SITTING THERE, WATCHING IT ALL ON TV. STARTED TO THINK ABOUT ALL THE CHILDREN, IN THE BUILDINGS, WHO NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO LIVE, NOT EVEN A LITTLE. ALL THE CHILDREN WHO HAD JUST LOST ONE OR BOTH OF THEIR PARENTS, BROTHERS, OR SISTERS. HOW WOULD THEY POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND ALL THIS. HOW COULD ANOTHER HUMAN BEING DO THIS??
IT MAY SOUND FUNNY, BUT I REMEMBER FEELING SUCH A SENCE OF PRIDE TO BE AN AMERICAN, I STILL FEEL THAT TODAY, AND I KNOW I WILL FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!
IF THERE IS A HEAVEN, AND I LIKE TO THINK THERE IS, I HOPE EVERYONE OF THE INNOCENT PEOPLE THAT DIED THAT DAY ARE UP THERE. MAYBE ONE DAY I WILL GET TO MEET ONE OF THOSE POOR CHILDREN IN HEAVEN. MAYBE THEN I WILL GET TO PUT MY ARM AROUND ONE OF THEM AND TELL THEM I'M SORRY, AND I WISH I COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING TO HELP.
FINALLY, I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED, 10 FOLD. HOPEFULLY THAT CAN EASE SOME OF THE PAIN.
IF WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN CAN OR HAS HELPED ANYONE WITH THEIR OWN FEELINGS, I AM GLAD!!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!!!
MELVIN SHELTON JR.
AMERICAN MADE!
MY FATHER AND I WERE WORKING ON THE MORNING OF THE ATTACK. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY, NO CLOUDS, NOT TOO HOT, JUST RIGHT. WE HAD THE RADIO PLAYING, IT'S EASIER TO WORK WITH A LITTLE MUSIC TO LISTEN TO. THEN THE MUSIC STOPS. THEN A VOICE COMES THROUGH THE SPEAKER AND SAYS THAT A PLANE HAS CRASHED INTO ONE OF THE TWIN TOWERS. LOOKING AT MY DAD IN DISBELIEF, I SAID, "DID YOU HEAR THAT"?? HE SAID NOTHING, ONLY NODDING HIS HEAD. AT FIRST WE THOUGHT IT MUST BE SOME KIND OF JOKE OR MOVIE ADVERTISEMENT. THEN, MORE NEWS OF THE SAME THING ON A DIFFERENT CHANNEL. THEN THE SECOND PLANE HIT!! THAT'S WHEN I KNEW THAT THIS WAS NO ACCIDENT.
STRUGGLING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT WAS GOING ON, I STARTED TO FEEL THIS RAGE BUILDING INSIDE MY CHEST. I DESPERATELY WANTED TO KNOW WHO DID THIS, WHO COULD POSSIBLY DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS. I WANTED TO RIP SOMETHING APART, I WANTED TO RIP SOMEONE APART, WHOEVER DID THIS!!
THE SADNESS DIDN'T SURFACE UNTIL WE GOT HOME, AND COULD SEE THE DESTRUCTION AND THE WOUNDED ON THE STREETS OF MANHATTEN. MY HEART FELT LIKE SOMEONE WAS SQUEEZING ALL THE LIFE OUT OF IT. I COULDN'T BREATHE. I WANTED TO RUSH TO NEW YORK, TO HELP IN SOME WAY. EVEN IF IT WAS JUST PUTTING MY ARM AROUND SOMEONE, ANYONE WHO NEEDED IT. I FELT SO USELESS, JUST SITTING THERE, WATCHING IT ALL ON TV. STARTED TO THINK ABOUT ALL THE CHILDREN, IN THE BUILDINGS, WHO NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO LIVE, NOT EVEN A LITTLE. ALL THE CHILDREN WHO HAD JUST LOST ONE OR BOTH OF THEIR PARENTS, BROTHERS, OR SISTERS. HOW WOULD THEY POSSIBLY UNDERSTAND ALL THIS. HOW COULD ANOTHER HUMAN BEING DO THIS??
IT MAY SOUND FUNNY, BUT I REMEMBER FEELING SUCH A SENCE OF PRIDE TO BE AN AMERICAN, I STILL FEEL THAT TODAY, AND I KNOW I WILL FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!!
IF THERE IS A HEAVEN, AND I LIKE TO THINK THERE IS, I HOPE EVERYONE OF THE INNOCENT PEOPLE THAT DIED THAT DAY ARE UP THERE. MAYBE ONE DAY I WILL GET TO MEET ONE OF THOSE POOR CHILDREN IN HEAVEN. MAYBE THEN I WILL GET TO PUT MY ARM AROUND ONE OF THEM AND TELL THEM I'M SORRY, AND I WISH I COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING TO HELP.
FINALLY, I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED, 10 FOLD. HOPEFULLY THAT CAN EASE SOME OF THE PAIN.
IF WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN CAN OR HAS HELPED ANYONE WITH THEIR OWN FEELINGS, I AM GLAD!!
GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!!!!
MELVIN SHELTON JR.
AMERICAN MADE!
Collection
Citation
“story4597.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 13, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/4437.