story1371.xml

story1371.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-08-21

It was a beautiful day in Philadelphia, PA. At around 9:00 a co-worker called me and told me that a plane hit one of the World Trade Center towers. Thinking that it must have been some sort of private plane accident I went to the CNN site on the Internet. At that point it seemed that everyone around me was aware that something happened and we all tuned in to CNN. Then the other plane hit the other tower and we were stunned. The realization that someone piloted those planes into the towers was staggering. As that knowledge was passed among the rest of my co-workers the first tower collapsed. I remember standing at my desk, holding my head and repeating out loud in a very loud and panicky voice that this "can't be happening." At that point all of us in the office were in a state of shock, fear, confusion, you name it. We were told over the building's loudspeaker to leave the building and go home. We did so in an eerie, almost silent wave of humanity, heading home to where it was safe. I don't think I heard anyone speak on the train ride home. I got home, put on the TV, watched the replay over and over again and called my mother and my sister. I will never forget that day and all the days following. God Bless America!