story10877.xml
Title
story10877.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2004-09-10
911DA Story: Story
The first time I heard about the plane crashes on the World Trade Centers was during my third period class at Washington Irving Middle School. I was sitting in civics class with all of my other classmates (I think we were taking notes at the time) when a teacher from the hallway ran in and told us to turn on the television to any local news channel. Our attention quickly turned to the TV as my teacher, Mrs. Gardella turned it on. The first image we all saw was the first tower completely engulfed with flames, and then the news channel played a replay of the plane actually crashing into the building. The classroom was completely silent. I don?t think we all knew if it was real at first; it sure seemed like a joke. I believe the first words that came out of my mouth was ?What?! What?s going on?!? I was a bit confused. Then I realized that they were indeed the Twin Towers in New York; the same towers I?ve seen over and over when we drove by them going up north for various soccer tournaments and trips. When they showed the replay of the huge plane hitting the tower, the room was full of gasps. Nobody could believe it. Could this really be happening to the United States?
Before we knew it, they turned the attention over to the Pentagon in Washington DC. They didn?t show the plane hitting the Pentagon, but we saw the live broadcasting of all of the flames and ash rising from the building. Almost immediately, kids in my class began crying with their hands over their mouth in disbelief. I then realized that a lot of the students in this area have families that work in the government; many of them had parents working in the Pentagon. One girl actually got up and ran to the phone that was behind my teacher?s desk. Her dad works at the Pentagon and so she called her mom to see if she knew any instant details. The news channel played the same video over and over again of the plane hitting the towers. She actually turned off the TV which really made me angry. We were forced to stay in the classroom until the principal came on the announcements and told us what to do next. Nobody could stay calm for the rest of the day. I myself wasn?t directly effected by it, but I knew a lot of kids that had family members that worked in the Pentagon or nearby. I couldn?t stand not knowing specific details about the attack; why it happened, was it by accident, and who was behind it. I was very surprised that they kept us in school until regular time. Actually, it made me very furious. Many of these kids needed comfort from their families, and school was not the place to provide such comfort. I didn?t learn answers until later on in the day. A lot of this attack still remains unanswered. Terror levels have been high ever since, and many views on foreign countries have changed. Many people have compared this attack to the attack on Pearl Harbor, but personally, I believe the attacks on the trade centers and the pentagon are more intense, probably because I lived it myself.
Before we knew it, they turned the attention over to the Pentagon in Washington DC. They didn?t show the plane hitting the Pentagon, but we saw the live broadcasting of all of the flames and ash rising from the building. Almost immediately, kids in my class began crying with their hands over their mouth in disbelief. I then realized that a lot of the students in this area have families that work in the government; many of them had parents working in the Pentagon. One girl actually got up and ran to the phone that was behind my teacher?s desk. Her dad works at the Pentagon and so she called her mom to see if she knew any instant details. The news channel played the same video over and over again of the plane hitting the towers. She actually turned off the TV which really made me angry. We were forced to stay in the classroom until the principal came on the announcements and told us what to do next. Nobody could stay calm for the rest of the day. I myself wasn?t directly effected by it, but I knew a lot of kids that had family members that worked in the Pentagon or nearby. I couldn?t stand not knowing specific details about the attack; why it happened, was it by accident, and who was behind it. I was very surprised that they kept us in school until regular time. Actually, it made me very furious. Many of these kids needed comfort from their families, and school was not the place to provide such comfort. I didn?t learn answers until later on in the day. A lot of this attack still remains unanswered. Terror levels have been high ever since, and many views on foreign countries have changed. Many people have compared this attack to the attack on Pearl Harbor, but personally, I believe the attacks on the trade centers and the pentagon are more intense, probably because I lived it myself.
Collection
Citation
“story10877.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 19, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/7453.