story7368.xml

story7368.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-14

I was at work, a co worker by chance put on the radio just as it was announced that a plane had just crashed into one of the Towers of the World Trade Center. Thinking of an unfortunate accident, I was working when minutes later it was announced that another plane had crashed into the other Tower. It is very hard to describe the feeling that came over me at that point. The best way is an incredible feeling of fear and doom. At that moment came the realization of what indeed was really going on. It seemed like minutes later there came word of the The Pentagon attack and of planes that were unaccounted for. We had a television at work and put that on. Although I did not want to watch, I needed to. I called my mothers house where my daughter was staying as she was home sick from school. I asked her if she was watching television and she was. She was thirteen at the time. The World Trade Center was one of her favorite places. She would go there when she was visiting her father. When the Towers fell she called me crying saying "Mommy, my Towers are gone." I remember watching the Towers falling and the cloud of smoke coming around the corner with people running. It seemed so surreal that I was expecting Godzilla to come around the corner next. But it was not a monster movie, it was reality. The sadness and fear that began that day did not go away for a very long time. For weeks afterword I did not want to be alone. Each night my friends and I would get together at our Elks Lodge of which I am a member and officer, just to be with each other. The feelings have subsided but never will go away completely. I know though that this is not a bad thing because although we must perservere and go on with life we can never forget or become complacent again.