story2156.xml

story2156.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-10

I was at work at the U.S. Immigration and Natuaralization office, Omaha District. I had been in the office for 30 minutes when my cell phone rang. It was my mother telling me a plane had hit the WTC. As she gave me reports about it being a possible accident, a second plane had just hit the second tower. I remember feeling a little scared and was thinking if we could be under an attack. I got off the phone, turned on a hand held TV and watched in horror as the 2 towers burned. Then breaking news again, the pentegon was hit by a plane too. Now I was worried that government facilities were targets and I was in one. Security had all customers leave the building and then locked all doors. Later the employees were sent home. As I drove home I thought of the families of the loved ones in those buildings and planes. I began to wonder how many lives must have been lost and started to feel a huge sense of loss. I sat and watched TV all afternoon. I remember how quiet Omaha sounded because all aircraft nationwide was halted. I live not far from Eppley Airfield and Offutt AFB (Stratcom), so air traffic is the norm. Later that day I picked up my daughter from High School and as we waited at a red light we heard an airplane. Suprised by the sound we looked up at the plane, it was Air Force One caring President Bush to his next undisclosed destination. He had just taken off from Offutt AFB. My thoughts and prayers were with him as he flew away with the weight of the country on his shoulders.