story7758.xml

story7758.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-17

As I look back on the day that Alan Jackson called the day ?the world stopped turning,? I remember vividly the emotions and the actions of the day. It all seemed like a normal autumn day during the first week of school. I awoke tired, wishing for more sleep. I got ready for school and got on the bus. School seemed business as usual, talking with friends before class, and when the bell rang, it was off to health. Health was one of those classes you just wanted to get through, no matter what it takes. I sat in my chair, waiting for the bell to ring. When that joyous tone sounded, I left the trailer, and went back inside the school for a morning break we have in the bell schedule at my school. The twenty-minute break period went along just as if it was any other day. However, in the next five minutes, I found this would not be an ordinary day.
As I walked into my Latin class, the first thing I saw was that the TV had been turned on to CNN. That was the first glance I saw of the Towers. Only one had been hit; however I knew that something more was to come, and that the first was not an accident. I remember saying, ?This can?t be an accident. No one accidentally flies into the World Trade Towers.? This was about five minutes before class started. As my friends came walking into class, I could see the shock on their faces. We continued watching until we saw the second airplane hit. My Latin teacher, who had family working in the World Trade Center, was almost in tears. We continued watching the coverage until the Towers collapsed. After seeing the Towers collapse, we did not watch any more. We started to go on with the class, and I remember thinking, how can my teacher, who has family in the Trade Center, teach right now. I know it must have taken all she had, and I saw my teacher in a different light that day.
Later in the period, we turned the TV back on for a brief minute, only to hear that the Pentagon had been hit. My Latin teacher?s husband works in the Pentagon, and his office was right in the blast area of the plane. Fortunately, he was in Arizona that day, on a business trip. My Latin teacher had more with which to contend. However, she still forged on with the lesson. Towards the end of the class period, our principal came over the loud speaker and told the whole school what had transpired in the worst couple hours of our country?s recent history. He said that if any students had parents working in the Pentagon, they could come down to the guidance office, and there, and attempt would be made to contact the parents. I have no relatives that work in the Pentagon, but I have and uncle in the State Department and a brother in another Government building. I knew that they would be ok, though, because of the evacuations made during the day. However, I was fearful for another uncle of mine, who works in New York City, just a couple blocks from the Trade Center. I would come to find out later on that he was at a meeting clear across town. Luckily, my family was spared a loss of life.
However, in the days to come, I understood that although my family might have been spared loss of life, I was not without tragedy. I came to know that a friend of mine's father had been aboard the plane that struck the Pentagon. I was not the only one. Everyone was connected to each other and took part in carrying the burden. It seemed that everyone knew someone who knew someone that died that day. We were all connected by the very fact we were American. I think that out of the worst day of our country?s history, came the best couple months of our country?s history. There was no bickering; there was no feuding. The nation sounded the call to arms, and every citizen answered it, no matter what the call. The deck was stacked against America. Americans had to rise to the occasion, and we certainly did.