story1429.xml

story1429.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-08-23

As I sit here and try to collect my thoughts about the day I feel a wave of emtions wash over. The pain is still with me, I guess.My story is as follows.
I worked at Ronald Reagen national airport as a telephone technician. I was in my office when a coworker announced to us that the WTC towers had been hit. It's War he stated. Me and my supervisor decided to go to the Operation center for the Airport to watch T.V. there. On the way,I recall telling him that the date was 9/11. The Operation Area is located in a long hallway and as We approached we could see a flurry of activity near the main office. As we got closer I heard the Airport manager ask an operations officer to move a camera so that they could view the Pentagon. He stated that it had just been hit. My heart sank, my mother works in the Pentagon and My father works across the way. Just then my cell phone rang, it was my sister, hysterical, asking me what was happening. She had just heard that the Pentagon was hit had tried to call Mom and Dad but got only busy tones. I dont remeber what I told her I think I asked her to keep trying Mom and Dad's cell phone. My supervisor could tell I was upset so he sent me back to the office. On the way back I could smell the smoke in the air and I could see a large ploom in the direction of the pentagon.I could not get myself together. I was walking around the office crying and hiting the walls and kicking the doors. I could not belive it. I thought my mother and possible my farther were dead. To make matters worse there was still a plane in the Air and it was headed to the D.C. area. My sister then called a coworker to tell me that she had reached my parents they were both safe, I then talk to my sister over the the phone while she talked to my parents. I wanted my parents to walk up the street to a location were I could get them and take them home(the Airport is located about Five minutes from the Pentagon). My supervisor wanted me to get everyone in the office to a safe location because of the threat from the plane that was in the Air. As we headed outside some guys came running up to us with big battle shotguns and bullet proof vest yelling at us to evacuate the Area ( to this day I am not sure which agency they worked for). Me and another coworker got into my company truck and heade out. My then girlfriend worked at the airport with me and I wanted to find her a take her with us but I could not find her. Later she told me she saw me drive by but she was so upset she could not scream out to me. I headed immeaditly were I thought my parents might be. My path headed right by the pentagon. There were smoke and flames and fire trucks outside the building. I was then forced to get off the main highway and take a side street. As I drove through Crystal City I actualy find my parents standing on a corner. I picked them up and took them to my apartment. On the way there My boss called me and told me that I needed to head back because there was some emergency work we needed to do. The way back thought was all blocked off. I actualy used my Airport badge to bypass some of the roadblocks to get to the Airport.
I spent the rest of the day and night at the Airport in case anything need to be hooked up. We did nothing but watch t.v. . I guess I watched T.V. all week long glued to every news report, we never shut it off scared that something else could happen.