story1188.xml

story1188.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-08-19

I was in rush hour traffic, traveling from Clinton, Maryland to my office on 16th Street, N.W. I
heard a report on WKYS that a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Building.
Immediately, I knew it was terrorist. One reason is because that is a "no fly zone." It didn't take
a rocket scientist to figure that out. I immediately called a friend who was working at GSA. I
told them about the first plane, suddenly, I heard on the radio another plane hit the second World
Trade Building. As we were having a telephone conversation, I noticed an American Airline's
Plane flying very low. I stated to my friend "there is a plane flying very low." Minutes later, they
stated the plane had just hit the Pentagon. I then began to panic. I thought we were being
bombed. I had now arrived at my office. There was panic in the streets and the building. They
told us to evacuate immediately. I grabbed my client bills and rushed out of the building. I
headed back to Clinton, Md and traveled down 9th Street. People were running down the middle
of the street and driving the wrong way. My daughter called me from college in Baltimore,
Maryland screaming that we were under attack and to get out of D.C. I assured her that I was
headed home. Traffic was very heavy on the SW Freeway. As I approached the exit for the
Suitland Parkway, I observed people parked along the side of the road video taping the Pentagon
on fire. You could see the black cloud of smoke. I actually thought the world was ending. Once
I hit Maryland side, I felt safe. I immediately stopped by a friend's house who worked in the C
ring at the Pentagon. She had taken the day office. Her phone was ringing off the hook. We sit
there and just cried and prayed for the country.

I believe this was a warning from God. Because we have taken prayer out of our lives and
replaced it with so much sin.

My youngest child attends Gwynn Park High, she called me from her cell and advised me that
their school was closing early. This day, I did not leave from in front of the TV. I could not
believe what was happening. I was afraid to sleep. Every time my daughter and I heard a plane
from Andrews fly over our house, we thought we were being bombed. My 15 year old slept with
me for about a month. She was terrified. I live very close to Hyde Airfield. I believe one of the
hijackers tried to rent a crop plane from there.

The next day, once things had set in, the question "why and how." My daughter discovered that a
lot of her class mates parents were missing. The whole time this tragedy of occurring, I thought,
my God, why didn?t they shut all airports down. This should be automatic, without any
executive decision. Here I am, just a working citizen, and I would have shut everything down, it
didn?t take me long to figure out what was happening. This day of mourn touched very close to
home and I will never forget where I was and what I was doing. My God Bless America and
keep us all safe.