story2968.xml

story2968.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I first remember hearing about the plane crash from a parent I was speaking to on the phone. She said that some plane had hit some building. I didn't think much of it as plane accidents occur all the time. It wasn't until 1 or 2 calls later that a parent mentioned that it was the World Trade Center that had been hit and the second one had just been hit by a plane. I ran out to our lobby and stood watching the TV with many of my collegues - our mouths hung open in horror. We could not believe what we were seeing. As the realization that more planes could possibly be on their way to other buildings I began to get very scared. Living in a major city, and especially the birthplace of democracy I had no trouble in imagining that we might be a target, too.

My next thought was of my family. I first called my husband to see if he had heard. He had and he also confirmed my fear - that his father works in the heart of New York City. I then called my parents to see if they were aware. They were watching and were waiting to hear from my brothers. One lives in Baltimore, also a major city, another works for the government near Washington D.C. and the other lives in Connecticut. I figured my brother in Connecticut was safe but I was very worried about the other two. As I spoke to my best friends, and my husband, our thoughts turned our many friends who work in and around the World Trade centers. Many phone calls and emails were sent flying back and forth trying to find confirmation that all were well.

I spent the next hour or so frantically trying to reach any of my in-laws and my two brothers. During this time I also had to continue my duty as a nurse and take care of the sick children I am in charge of. I was torn between my duty and my fear. I also waited to hear if our hospital would go on alert to receive any injured children from New York or if they were going to ask for volunteers to go up to New York to help with the relief effort.

It wasn't until late that night I finally heard from all of my relatives. Fortunately, neither of my brothers were in an area that was hit and my father-in-law was in another part of the city when the planes hit. Within several days I had heard back from all my friends and knew that they were safe. Only by God's grace were a number of them who were supposed to be in the World Trade Center that morning were on business trips, in meetings elsewhere, or decided to skip their regular breakfast there.

In the months after the attacks as the stories of those who died were put into the public, I couldn't help but think "that could have been me; that could have been anyone that I know". It hit hard that all of those people had friends, family, loved ones and were going about their normal lives, never knowing that their lives would end that day. But what stood out the most were the stories of faith. Of how people found God in their hour of need or how God sustained them in the face of certain death. The calm with which they called or sent messages to loved ones telling them that they would not make it but that they loved them blow me away. Or how they sacrificed their lives so that others could escape or find safety.

The heros and those that died will always be remembered. And those, like me, who did not lose anyone but were ready to go and do what was needed, who wore pins and colors and hung flags everwhere and showed patriotic pride are all survivors and heros, too. We did what we could, with what we had, to give support to those who were on the front lines. History will look back on September 11, 2001 and remember not only the death of those in the World Trade Center and Pentago but the rebirth of American patriotism and love of country. May God continue to uphold, support and protect the United States of America.