story20852.xml
Title
story20852.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2006-09-12
911DA Story: Story
Well, where to begin? I was only ten years old at the time it had happened, and in the sixth grade at a new school. It was probably our fifth or sixth day of school, things were running smoothly so far. It was probably around maybe eleven ish AM, and a few kids had been called out of class to come home, one at a time but in what it seemed a ten minute or so time frame.
Nothing bad happening never occured to me, I just figured a few people had to go home or whatnot. That's what one would normally think. But throughout the day, even more people got called out to go home, three at a time almost. We also were not allowed to play outside for recess, our principal saying "Something is wrong with the lawn." or something along those lines. It sounded silly, and things just got really strange. Throughout the day, everyone around me, including myself, could tell something was wrong. Of course, we where young and wouldnt know exactly what, but it was almost the feeling of a dark cloud.
I finally found out some kinds of details by the end of the day. One boy in my class, one whom I was not fond of due to his rudeness, approached a group of his friends nearby. Practically laughing, he stated that the whole Pentagon had been blown up. It seemed as if he found it funny. But I didnt.
My father worked at the Pentagon at that time. So naturally, I broke down into a small fit of rage, raising my voice telling him "NOT FUNNY you jerk! My dad works at the Pentagon!". That moment, his expression changed. I could not tell if it was sorrow, but I doubt it was that. But it definetly changed.
I couldnt react at that time...but then I actually started to think "What if he's joking?" or "There cant be a bomb here that powerful. The Pentagon is huge."
On the busride home, I couldnt move, I was silent, and the air around me felt so thick, because I was so shocked I couldnt breathe. I kept thinking only one word.
Daddy.
I ran home once I got off the bus. I was greeted by my mom, who hugged me and said "Your dad's okay."
I felt so relieved. It turns out my dad was acutally on the opposite side of the building. He hugged me and my older brother, longer and more tight than he ever had.
But later, he told me about the Twin Towers. He said it had been a terrorist attack. It just hit me almost square in the stomach. A chill went down my spine, I felt really scared and didnt want to leave the house or go outside. I didnt understand what the terrorist attack meant. However, I was scared of just..something happening again. I couldnt think of what would exactly, but just something.
Although I did not experience it first hand, it was still a scare for me because of the fact it happened so close to home, my father working in the Pentagon,and how so many innocent people were killed so fast. I couldnt fully understand at the time why, what, how..but it was still a frightning experience.
From that day forth, I cant help but look at the sky every once in a while
Nothing bad happening never occured to me, I just figured a few people had to go home or whatnot. That's what one would normally think. But throughout the day, even more people got called out to go home, three at a time almost. We also were not allowed to play outside for recess, our principal saying "Something is wrong with the lawn." or something along those lines. It sounded silly, and things just got really strange. Throughout the day, everyone around me, including myself, could tell something was wrong. Of course, we where young and wouldnt know exactly what, but it was almost the feeling of a dark cloud.
I finally found out some kinds of details by the end of the day. One boy in my class, one whom I was not fond of due to his rudeness, approached a group of his friends nearby. Practically laughing, he stated that the whole Pentagon had been blown up. It seemed as if he found it funny. But I didnt.
My father worked at the Pentagon at that time. So naturally, I broke down into a small fit of rage, raising my voice telling him "NOT FUNNY you jerk! My dad works at the Pentagon!". That moment, his expression changed. I could not tell if it was sorrow, but I doubt it was that. But it definetly changed.
I couldnt react at that time...but then I actually started to think "What if he's joking?" or "There cant be a bomb here that powerful. The Pentagon is huge."
On the busride home, I couldnt move, I was silent, and the air around me felt so thick, because I was so shocked I couldnt breathe. I kept thinking only one word.
Daddy.
I ran home once I got off the bus. I was greeted by my mom, who hugged me and said "Your dad's okay."
I felt so relieved. It turns out my dad was acutally on the opposite side of the building. He hugged me and my older brother, longer and more tight than he ever had.
But later, he told me about the Twin Towers. He said it had been a terrorist attack. It just hit me almost square in the stomach. A chill went down my spine, I felt really scared and didnt want to leave the house or go outside. I didnt understand what the terrorist attack meant. However, I was scared of just..something happening again. I couldnt think of what would exactly, but just something.
Although I did not experience it first hand, it was still a scare for me because of the fact it happened so close to home, my father working in the Pentagon,and how so many innocent people were killed so fast. I couldnt fully understand at the time why, what, how..but it was still a frightning experience.
From that day forth, I cant help but look at the sky every once in a while
Collection
Citation
“story20852.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 14, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/7020.