story1333.xml
Title
story1333.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-08-20
911DA Story: Story
My husband called me within minutes of the first plane crashing into the WTC. I had never seen, let alone heard, him cry. He told me he loved me. I knew something was horribly wrong.
I told the staff what was going on. The secretary, the director ,and the lead teacher all sat there with a look of disbelief.
For the first time in my entire life I felt vulnerable. I also felt the inmense responsibility that caring for children can bring in a situation like this.
What of the schools and hundreds of children in that area? What about my uncle and cousins that live in New York? What about us? What is going to happen next?
The staff took turns stepping outside to make calls on their cell phones frantically trying to reach loved ones in New York.
We also took turns crying.
Myself and two other teachers had lived in New York. It was the most difficult day of my life. I had to act as if everything was alright so as not to alarm the children.
At that time we did not know the full extent of damages the country had suffered. We knew the the second tower at the WTC had been hit. We knew the Pentagon had succumbed to a similar fate and the rumors of a crash in Pennsylvania were just that, rumors.
By early afternoon the majority of our children had been picked up by completely different people. Everyone had aged and the fear of the unkown lay heavy in everyone's eyes, as did the rage and fury.
And so began the day that changed my generation. My parents had the assasination of a president. We had the unthinkable murder of thousands. All for what?
So it goes, my life. Ive changed professions and many say I've changed myself. Maybe.
All I know is that in about two weeks I'm going home to New York. I'm going to say good-bye to an old and beloved friend. And I'll try not to remember visiting my uncle in what I thought was the "biggestest" building in the world: The World Trade Center.
I have a feeling that I'll fail at forgeting. Hopefully, so will the rest of America and the world.
I told the staff what was going on. The secretary, the director ,and the lead teacher all sat there with a look of disbelief.
For the first time in my entire life I felt vulnerable. I also felt the inmense responsibility that caring for children can bring in a situation like this.
What of the schools and hundreds of children in that area? What about my uncle and cousins that live in New York? What about us? What is going to happen next?
The staff took turns stepping outside to make calls on their cell phones frantically trying to reach loved ones in New York.
We also took turns crying.
Myself and two other teachers had lived in New York. It was the most difficult day of my life. I had to act as if everything was alright so as not to alarm the children.
At that time we did not know the full extent of damages the country had suffered. We knew the the second tower at the WTC had been hit. We knew the Pentagon had succumbed to a similar fate and the rumors of a crash in Pennsylvania were just that, rumors.
By early afternoon the majority of our children had been picked up by completely different people. Everyone had aged and the fear of the unkown lay heavy in everyone's eyes, as did the rage and fury.
And so began the day that changed my generation. My parents had the assasination of a president. We had the unthinkable murder of thousands. All for what?
So it goes, my life. Ive changed professions and many say I've changed myself. Maybe.
All I know is that in about two weeks I'm going home to New York. I'm going to say good-bye to an old and beloved friend. And I'll try not to remember visiting my uncle in what I thought was the "biggestest" building in the world: The World Trade Center.
I have a feeling that I'll fail at forgeting. Hopefully, so will the rest of America and the world.
Collection
Citation
“story1333.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 25, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/6132.