story5801.xml
Title
story5801.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-12
911DA Story: Story
I had a class at 9:35 AM. I have a habit of watching the news in the morning, so I can keep up with current events. I remember turning on CNN and seeing a reporter from NY describing how a plane had hit the World Trade Center. I few minutes later, there was another explosion. The reporter assumed it was the airplane exploding and I assumed it was an accident and went to class.
At 11:00 AM I returned from class. My three roommates were huddled on the couch, one sobbing and the other two just staring. They told me that two planes had hit the World Trade Center and they had fallen. I found out about the Pentagon and the crash in Shanksville.
We were frightened. We were 45 minutes from D.C., 20 minutes from the Pennsylvania state line. We had friends who worked at the Capitol Building and friends who worked in New York. We didn't know how they were or what was going on. I remember calling my parents and asking what to do. We live in a small town, secluded by mountains. My parents said that if anything else happened, I was to come home and bring as many of my friends as I could. It was scary. We didn't know what to do. We just sat and watched the same images of the towers falling over and over and over....I'll never forget that dust cloud rolling down the street.
We also went to a local church to give blood. They took our names and turned us away. They were running out of blood bags. Our local FBI office was blocked-off. There were jets flying overhead constantly. I never thought the sound of jets would be comforting, but on that day, it was the most wonderful sound in the world. It meant that we were being watched out for. I remember honking as I passed local firefighters and waving when I saw police officers. I never really appreciated these public service workers until September 11, 2001. I still honk when I see a fire truck passing by.
I guess all I can really say is that I'll never forget what I was doing or where I was or who I was with. My mom can remember where she was when J.F.K. was shot; I can remember where I was when our world turned upside down and I'll never, ever be the same.
God Bless America. Keep us free. Keep us safe.
At 11:00 AM I returned from class. My three roommates were huddled on the couch, one sobbing and the other two just staring. They told me that two planes had hit the World Trade Center and they had fallen. I found out about the Pentagon and the crash in Shanksville.
We were frightened. We were 45 minutes from D.C., 20 minutes from the Pennsylvania state line. We had friends who worked at the Capitol Building and friends who worked in New York. We didn't know how they were or what was going on. I remember calling my parents and asking what to do. We live in a small town, secluded by mountains. My parents said that if anything else happened, I was to come home and bring as many of my friends as I could. It was scary. We didn't know what to do. We just sat and watched the same images of the towers falling over and over and over....I'll never forget that dust cloud rolling down the street.
We also went to a local church to give blood. They took our names and turned us away. They were running out of blood bags. Our local FBI office was blocked-off. There were jets flying overhead constantly. I never thought the sound of jets would be comforting, but on that day, it was the most wonderful sound in the world. It meant that we were being watched out for. I remember honking as I passed local firefighters and waving when I saw police officers. I never really appreciated these public service workers until September 11, 2001. I still honk when I see a fire truck passing by.
I guess all I can really say is that I'll never forget what I was doing or where I was or who I was with. My mom can remember where she was when J.F.K. was shot; I can remember where I was when our world turned upside down and I'll never, ever be the same.
God Bless America. Keep us free. Keep us safe.
Collection
Citation
“story5801.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 10, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/4853.