story18.xml
Title
story18.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-01-29
911DA Story: Story
I woke up around six am and after my husband left for work, I went outside to do some yardwork. It was a beautiful day. I came inside around 8 am and turned on the Today show on NBC. I took little notice initally of the image of the burning building, assuming it to be some local fire or explosion that would soon be brought under control.
I was brought up short when I realized exactly which building was involved and looked on in horror as the second plane dove into the second tower.
Mesmerized by the images, I was rendered to a state there are no words for when I saw the report of the plane striking the Pentagon.
My husband was in the building.
He won't tell his story, so I'll tell it for him.
He was called to watch CNN to see the damage done to the WTC.He and a crowd of coworkers were gathered aroud the TV images. In his area of the Pentagon, there are frequently loud thundering noises caused by carts transporting goods throughout the building and striking the walls.One such noise ensued. Everyone started. My husband quipped "Must be a plane hitting the building". Everyone laughed. Then, there was running in the hallway and smoke billowing through the halls. Suddenly the joke was not funny. My husband and his collegues shut down and secured all of the machinery, and fled. The consensus of opinion was that if you can be of no help, get out. Wise.
Meanwhile I was trying to call with no answer. Frantic calls from my husband's family were tensely greeted with promises to call when I had news.
Somehow, in my heart, I knew he was OK.He was, and he finally called from the home of a coworker who took him away from the site.
I, on the other hand, could not get a telephone line out. So, I used an email contact to get information to my husband's family.
It doesn't sound like much on the face of it, but it was a powerful day for me.
I was brought up short when I realized exactly which building was involved and looked on in horror as the second plane dove into the second tower.
Mesmerized by the images, I was rendered to a state there are no words for when I saw the report of the plane striking the Pentagon.
My husband was in the building.
He won't tell his story, so I'll tell it for him.
He was called to watch CNN to see the damage done to the WTC.He and a crowd of coworkers were gathered aroud the TV images. In his area of the Pentagon, there are frequently loud thundering noises caused by carts transporting goods throughout the building and striking the walls.One such noise ensued. Everyone started. My husband quipped "Must be a plane hitting the building". Everyone laughed. Then, there was running in the hallway and smoke billowing through the halls. Suddenly the joke was not funny. My husband and his collegues shut down and secured all of the machinery, and fled. The consensus of opinion was that if you can be of no help, get out. Wise.
Meanwhile I was trying to call with no answer. Frantic calls from my husband's family were tensely greeted with promises to call when I had news.
Somehow, in my heart, I knew he was OK.He was, and he finally called from the home of a coworker who took him away from the site.
I, on the other hand, could not get a telephone line out. So, I used an email contact to get information to my husband's family.
It doesn't sound like much on the face of it, but it was a powerful day for me.
Collection
Citation
“story18.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 8, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/5339.