story8602.xml
Title
story8602.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-10-30
911DA Story: Story
My son woke me up early in the morning and told me we were attacked. I wasn't quite awake yet and mumbled something like I don't think so. He said a plane hit a building in New York and it was on T.V. I got up, went downstairs and started watching the news. He was right. At first I thought it was an accident but after viewing the video you could tell that the plane purposely headed for the tower. I was dumbfounded. Who would do such a horrible thing!
As I watched, a second plane hit the other tower. I was numb. It didn't register with me. Attacked? Well, we are in California away from any attacks I rationalized. We are safe. It was like watching a movie. I rationalized it, denied it was that serious, and went about my day. I felt really sorry for the people on board the two planes but it didn't really register with me until that night when I watched the 11:00 news. Then, reality hit. O my God, I thought. We were attacked and all those poor people were killed. Watching the footage of the buildings collapsing and realizing how many people were trapped and buried alive just tore my heart out. I really started praying for their families, for them, for the workers not only in New York but Washington and for the people on the flight that was taken down.
As I watched people being carried out of the rubble of the towers I wept and one year later I still pray and weep for the lives lost or forever changed.
My children and I commemorated September 11th by attending a patriotic memorial service in Norco. We honored the firefighters from Norco who went to New York to help, we honored the everyday heros who day in and day out dug through the rubble and meticulously found the dead. We honored our country and prayed prayers of thanksgiving for the United States and honored all who have fallen in service to our country. It was done Norco style with horses and horse drill teams (we are a horse town)and music.
Every year my family and I will remember and in honor of our brothers and sisters who were killed, we will do something to help others to make this a better world.
We will never forget. Our brothers and sisters did not die in vain and their memory will long be remembered.
Sincerely,
Donna Mc Quillan
As I watched, a second plane hit the other tower. I was numb. It didn't register with me. Attacked? Well, we are in California away from any attacks I rationalized. We are safe. It was like watching a movie. I rationalized it, denied it was that serious, and went about my day. I felt really sorry for the people on board the two planes but it didn't really register with me until that night when I watched the 11:00 news. Then, reality hit. O my God, I thought. We were attacked and all those poor people were killed. Watching the footage of the buildings collapsing and realizing how many people were trapped and buried alive just tore my heart out. I really started praying for their families, for them, for the workers not only in New York but Washington and for the people on the flight that was taken down.
As I watched people being carried out of the rubble of the towers I wept and one year later I still pray and weep for the lives lost or forever changed.
My children and I commemorated September 11th by attending a patriotic memorial service in Norco. We honored the firefighters from Norco who went to New York to help, we honored the everyday heros who day in and day out dug through the rubble and meticulously found the dead. We honored our country and prayed prayers of thanksgiving for the United States and honored all who have fallen in service to our country. It was done Norco style with horses and horse drill teams (we are a horse town)and music.
Every year my family and I will remember and in honor of our brothers and sisters who were killed, we will do something to help others to make this a better world.
We will never forget. Our brothers and sisters did not die in vain and their memory will long be remembered.
Sincerely,
Donna Mc Quillan
Collection
Citation
“story8602.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 27, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/6072.