story6900.xml

story6900.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

I was drving home from my morning classes that fateful September morning at 9am I was humming softly to myself , because it was a beautiful sunny day. I decided to turn on my car radio to hear some music when chaos greeted me. I couldn't understand what they were saying so I turned the cahnnel to another station. Oddly enough the same garbled report greeted me. I decided to listen for exactly what was happening when a reported named Peter Jennings said" It's confimed ladies and gentlemen god help us all a second palne has crahsed into the second tower..." I was confused trying to understand what he was talking about. " What!!!" I shouted in alarm. Then he came back on " America has been attacked by an apparent terrorist act. Two air liners have crahsed into the World Trade Center Towers and Tower 1 has collapsed... It's not known if the second Tower or surrounding buildings are in danger of collapsing.....{intense crashing sounds, screaming, roaring of explosions}... God halp us... This is a drak day in history... The second World Trade Tower has collapsed..."( Peter, J. 9/11/01). I sped home at breakneck speed crying and screaming " WHY GOD WHY!!!!" I screeched into the drive and ran to the door... I left my purse in the car... I left the keys there also... Forgotten as the peacful happy world I once knew was torn from me... I beat on the door and screamed when I was unable to place the key in the lock. I screamed , beat on the door and cryed for my mother to open the door... She was home sick in bed, when she sleepily came to the door and opened it..." What's wrong with you? Did you have an accident?" She saked growing alarmed at my hysterical behavior. " We have been attacked by terrorists and the World Trade Towers are gone... Turn on the tv now!" I cried in anguish... She was in shock standing there gaping at me... Not believeing me until I turned on CNN... There were the glaring images that are burned into every Amercan's memory... Plane one's impact on tower one, the second impact and the fire, the black column of smoke filling the nWe York Skyline and then finnaly , painfully slowly they fell... " On God no... "I kept saing over and over again as my mom cried with me for all of the people we knew were dead, dying , or hurt... I couldn't stop crying as anguish filled my heart. Then I realized my little girl was still in school... I frantically dialed the number to make sure she was safe... She was I asked if I could come and get her ,but they were on security lock down... They knew what had happened and to insure the children's safety they kept them inside... We then heard about the threat to the president and the other two planes still flying under terrorist power heading towards the Pentagon and the White house... I truly thought that we were in WWIII. They had destroyed a national symbol with our own planes and now they were after our Presdident! We prayed for our country, the victims in New York and the Pentagon. We didn't know about the herroism taking place in Pensylvania... I will never forget the horror of that day... I will never forget watching the report that evening as the Taliban bombed Kabul with ground missles... The reporter did not know excatly where they were originating from, but the images said it all... I was in a complete state of anxiety, I was crying and hyperventilating believening with all of my heart that this was the end of our world... I was afraid to go out, drive anywhere ,or attend college the next day... I did go ,but I was exhausted, depressed and teary... I ended up dropping the class, because I couldn't concentrate. A year of depression followed and we celebrated the anniversary at a memorial on the padestrian bridge at Rihele Plaza where a pice of the World Trade Center was placed for us to touch and lay flowers on. We all cried as we stepped up and placed a flower for all those who have perished... I cherish my family, my mother and my little girl... I value every single day God has blessed us with. I still get sad about what has happened to our country , but I have confidence that the President will insure our safety and our future. God Bless New York, God bless Washington DC, God bless all those who have died, and suffered at the hands of tyranny and evil that cruelly stole away their lives and dreams. My prayers are with all of you.