story1822.xml

story1822.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-06

My job as a state investigator led me to be at a defense attorney's office near the Fairfax Courthouse interviewing a suspect with 2 other investigators. When the first plane hit the twin towers, an associate attorney came into the interview room and turned on a tv. We were shocked and said what a horrible accident. The thought of terrorism never crossed our minds. We continued the interview but left the tv on with no sound. As the interviewed continued we watched the tv from time to time and saw the second plane hit the twin towers.

That's when someone said that was no accident. Soon after the Pentagon was struck. As our cellphones and pagers began to go off, I went to a phone to call my wife. My thoughts were in getting our son from school and getting out of town. Needless to say the interview was over and we each went our separate ways. I know most of my co workers went home to be with their families. I rushed home. I remember feeling a sense of fear I had never had before. The sense that home wasn't safe. My city wasn't safe. I contemplated leaving the area and camping out in the mountains. I wondered if that would be safe. As the minutes went by and no more planes fell. Things began to calm down, but they would never go back to the way it was the day before. I would later go to the Pentagon. I was in shock, seeing the destruction and the ruins. It was horrible. I remember feeling sad that I had never seen the World Trade Center in real life. I remember feeling a sense of overwhelming anger and hatred towards those responsible and those who allowed it. Everyone at the Pentagon had a look of shock on their face. The Pentagon police officers had blood on their uniforms. Finally I remember as uniformed soldiers brought out multiple bodybags and placed them on the ground. The soldiers wearing masks prepared to go into the Pentagon. I left before they came out.