story11350.xml

story11350.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2005-03-27

Five years have passed since the tragic day known as 9/11. To many Americans, this day was more horrifying than Pearl Harbor. I guess for many who have expressed that opinion, they were too young to have experienced Pearl Harbor. As I am as well.

My story is a bit different than most people's I have heard. But the main thing we have in common, is the effect 9/11 had on all of us.

9/11/2001 - 12:30 PM:
I was 24 years old, living with my uncle, and unemployed. At the time I was more interested in partying, drinking, and other wasteful activities, than a career.
The rule in my household was, I had to be awake on the week days, at 10am, and no later. I wasn't working, but my uncle thought I was. I told him I was working at a local K-Mart, down the street from us, just to avoid being kicked out.
I never got to sleep until 7:30 am that morning. I had a bad sleeping schedule back then.

On the day of September 11th, 2001, I woke up at 12:30 PM, hearing the television sound, blasting loud. My bedroom door was wide open, and the first thing I saw was my uncle, and two of our neighbors, talking outside, while the front door was wide open.
I thought nothing of it at the time, because I knew I was late getting up, and was afraid of getting yelled at by my uncle.

So I quickly ran to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and put on clothes.
When I was finished with that, I came into the living room, hearing racket, and what sounded like news reports off CNN. Again I had no idea what had happened.
I walked outside, and saw a worried look on both my neighbors and my uncles' face. So I asked my uncle, "Unc what in the hell is going on here? Why is the TV on so loud, and the front door wide open?".
He turned to me, and said in a stern and unapologetic tone, "Go watch the TV and you will find out".
He looked extremely unsettled, even for a guy who is normally strict and disciplined for his years in the Navy.

So I went back into the house, and looked at the TV. I saw something I had dreamt of for many years. My nightmare had come true. The planes crashing into the huge towering skyscrapers. People crying, in horror, everything.
I stood there motionless. Speechless. My fears consumed me. And I didn't want to believe those images of the planes crashing into the towers. I was hoping this was another one of my nightmares. But it wasn't. I was awake and it was real.

I ran out of the house and cried "Unc tell me this isn't happening. Tell me this isn't real".
He replied, "This is real Charlie. We're under attack.".
Those words brought me down trembling in horror, because I thought it was a military attack. I thought some unknown country was attacking the United States. Like in my nightmares.

My uncle was not good at calming me down really. He just told me not to worry and to head to work. Amazing to me, he went right back to work after that. As if nothing had happened.

I stayed inside for hours, watching CNN, gathering as much information as possible. I called everyone I knew, because I was alone, and I didn't want to be alone.
I even called up my buddy Steven and cried on his answering machine.

Later that evening, my friends gathered everyone we knew, and went to a Denny's. There we all sat, drinking coffee, smoking, and trying to make sense out of this disaster.
We all came together to aid one another. Some were more distressed than others.
In my head, I just kept remembering my nightmares, and comparing what really happened.
It felt like the end of the world for me.
I was angry though. I wanted revenge for this. And so I attempted to sign up for the army. Little 5'4" 100 LB me, in the army. Because I felt the people who did this needed to suffer and I wanted to be apart of that.
Luckily my friends talked some sense into me, making me realize that even if I did go to sign up, odds are I'd be rejected for my size.

9/11 changed my life, as it did others. I ended up moving into a friends apartment, picking up a job to become independent. 9/11 was my rude awakening. And I woke up big time. Someone got my attention, and made me see the errors of my old ways.

The nightmares I had, they are gone now. Sometimes I feel that maybe I had those nightmares for a reason. Like a hint from God. Then again I'm probably not the only one ...