story10571.xml

story10571.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-04-30

My mother called me as I was getting ready for school. She and my father were down in Texas to see my sister graduate from her Air Force flight-nurse training. She told me to turn on the news because something odd had happened?a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. This astonished me but I was in a hurry so I didn?t turn on the television. I finished getting ready and left for school.

I tuned my car radio onto WTOP (1500am) to get more information and they announced a second plane had hit the other twin tower. There was commotion on the radio as it seemed no one could understand what was going on. They were spewing out words like terrorism, tragedy, infamy, and attacks. I couldn't believe it. I was confused, scared, worried, and astonished all at once. What was going on? I was dazed as I drove down Braddock Road towards GMU. I wanted to turn around but where would I go? What else would I do?

As I was parking my car, the broadcaster announced a plane had gone into the Pentagon. Now this hit too close to home. This was now in my area, my city, my territory. Although I did not know anyone at the Pentagon, I felt like this attack would not end. What target would be next? The Capital? The White House? My boyfriend works at a government agency only 2 blocks away from the White House. I had just lost my twin brother 3 months prior and the thought of losing someone that meant so much to me was overbearing. I couldn?t handle it. I was crying hysterically at that point. I prayed. I ran into the closest GMU building, Lecture Hall, and called him at work from a payphone. I told him what I had heard and pleaded that he needed to leave DC now. He seemed so calm and promised me he would leave soon. Only later I would find out that I was the one that informed him of the Pentagon crash first but he could tell I was already upset and didn?t want to worry me anymore. I hung up and there was someone there staring at me. Did they not understand? Did they not know what was going on? Thousands of people lives were gone in an instance and they were staring at me? I went to the bathroom in the same building to calm down and clean up my face.

I then went onto my 10 a.m. class--CS421, Systems Engineering. I walked in a daze. When I got there everyone was talking about what had happened. My teacher entered and told us that ?there was stuff going on but it didn?t affect our class so [we needed to] get out our books to start our lesson.? I was appalled and relieved at the same time. I guess I could now attempt to focus on something else but I also hated the fact that there were a serious event going on and he seemed so callous about it. He later apologized and stated that he either didn?t know or didn?t realize the gravity of the situation. After class, I left and came home because I didn?t have any more money to call my boyfriend. I needed to see if he was home and safe. He was. Surprisingly he did not encounter terrible traffic.

The next few days I sat glued to the television watching and hearing the same thing over and over again. The horrific images of each tower falling will forever be ingrained into my memory. I learned more about what had happened and who had caused such terror. I couldn?t comprehend why someone would inflict such terror on innocent people. I still don?t and I probably never will. But then I worried more because such an attack would surely cause retaliation from the U.S. I worried about my sister who was no longer just a nurse for the Air Force but a flight nurse?the kind that rescues wounded soldiers. I worried about my brother-in-law who was an attack pilot for the Air Force. Once Bush declared war, they would have to go over to Afghanistan. For the next few months, I prayed for my sister and brother-in-law who were over there, I prayed for the U.S. troops, and I prayed for the Afghani civilians caught in the crossfire. That was the day that my generation lost their innocence.