story520.xml
Title
story520.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-05-06
911DA Story: Story
Thu Nguyen
History 103
Extra Credit
May 7, 2002
911 From My Point of View
On the morning of September 11, 2001, I woke up at around 9:45am from my TV set's alarm. The channel was on CNN and it seemed to me like there was smoke coming from a very tall building. I wasn't quite sure which building or where this building was situated and I wasn't even sure if the footage was from a movie or real life? I sat there upon my bed and watched for 5 minutes or so until I heard a reporter say that one of the World Trade Center Towers was on fire. At the time, I did not know what caused the fire. Because I had class that morning I had to get ready and prepare for class. As I was walking to my first class, a man hollored to me "Hey, did you catch the news this morning?" I asked "Ummmm...Do you mean, The World Trade Center?" He then said "Yes....We've been attacked!". When I heard him say that I was surprised, and I was feeling concerned for the people inside the building. In my mind, I was asking myself "Who could have done this to us?". I then asked the man, "Do you know who is attacking us?" He then says, "I don't know? It could be anyone but I have a feeling that it may be someone who's been a threat to us for a long time." The man I was speaking to then told me he had a friend who works there and he's not sure if they are okay or not. I then told him, "I hope that everyone will be okay and that help will arrive soon". Finally before I went into class, I wished the man good luck and hoped that everything would be okay.
Upon entering class, I realized something different about it. My class seemed empty with only half of the students showing up. While a few people walked out during the lecture, I decided to stay and listen to the whole lecture. Nobody was in the mood to learn that day including myself but as we all know, 'the show must go on'. After class was out I went to the commons at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. In there, everyone was gathered around watching, patiently and intently at CNN News. No person was speaking and everybody watched with interest and concern. It was the first time I've ever seen the whole school gathered around the television like that. Normally, there would only be a handful of people there during the week, but on September 11, it was a whole new atmosphere as throngs of people gathered around to witness the event.
After leaving J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, I immediately had another class at 1:45pm at a different campus, VCU. Before I walked into class, I saw a note on the door saying "Class will be cancelled today. We will continue class on Thursday". Soon after that, I went back to my car and started driving home. As I was listening to the radio, almost every station was focused on the situation and constantly reporting facility closings including airports, amusement parks, shopping malls, schools, and any place where you can find masses of people especially tourist attractions like Disneyland, the Sears Towers and Seattle's Space Needle. At this point, I realized the situation had become more serious than I thought. I never thought that the incident that occurred hundreds of miles away would affect my local town or other parts of the nation like this?
At home, the mood was the same as at school in that my family was glued to the television set. My family couldn't believe it was really happening. For eight hours we were watching intently as we saw the collapse of both towers, the scattering of civilians, the firefighters and policeman helping and directing traffic, the interviews with witnesses, and finally the constant updates from the news reporters. I was sitting there in disbelief not knowing what to do. I had an exam to study for, but was in no mood to do anything at all.
I was concerned about the turnout of events, for example, the number of fatalities and whether or not we will be safe in our homes. Watching the news made me think hard about my life. I thought to myself: "If we are in a war, will I be chosen to fight?" I saw what was happening on television and when I saw those two aircrafts hit the Twin Towers, I knew this was not an accident. Also when I heard that another aircraft hit the Pentagon and yet, another one crashing in Pennsylvania, I was even more convinced that this was not an accident but a heinous act of vandalists. I was so worried about what was going to happen next. The suspense and drama kept me on my feet and kept me up all night.
When the local news appeared, I got to see the reaction from people living in my area. I was so touched by the amount of support and care taken by the people living near me. I saw local residents (of different nationalities, religions, and ages) heading to the churches, holding candles, praying, and spending their time to support our beloved country. It was the first time I've ever seen my community get together like this. I was so proud to be living in such a caring and loving place. People were helping and supporting each other through their kind acts, their consoling words, and their time.
A few days after 911, I was even more inspired when musicians and actors came together to help support the victims. On MTV, I got to see artists including Bono, Destiny's Child, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jermaine Dupris, and many others trying to make a difference by recording a song together called "What's Going On? In Hollywood, I saw actors giving donations and expressing their remorse for the situation. The same love and support that I saw in my local town had been spread across the whole nation. It was an incredible event and it was great to see people putting their differences aside and coming together as a whole unit.
September 11 is probably one of the most terrible tragedies I've ever witnessed in the United States. I never thought that a war could ever occur in the United States. It took me a while to adjust to it because I'm so used to seeing wars fought on other battlegrounds overseas. Now, I know that anything is possible. As a result of 911, I now realize the strength and power of our nation. Our nation is filled with so many great ideas from people of all ages, races, and religions. It's a place where people can express thoughts freely and create opportunities. Best of all, the United States is a nation that cares for people during tragedies and times of need. After 911, I can now truly say that I'm very happy to be waving the American flag and being apart of the United States. There's no other place like it in the world, and I'm very honored to call it my home.
History 103
Extra Credit
May 7, 2002
911 From My Point of View
On the morning of September 11, 2001, I woke up at around 9:45am from my TV set's alarm. The channel was on CNN and it seemed to me like there was smoke coming from a very tall building. I wasn't quite sure which building or where this building was situated and I wasn't even sure if the footage was from a movie or real life? I sat there upon my bed and watched for 5 minutes or so until I heard a reporter say that one of the World Trade Center Towers was on fire. At the time, I did not know what caused the fire. Because I had class that morning I had to get ready and prepare for class. As I was walking to my first class, a man hollored to me "Hey, did you catch the news this morning?" I asked "Ummmm...Do you mean, The World Trade Center?" He then said "Yes....We've been attacked!". When I heard him say that I was surprised, and I was feeling concerned for the people inside the building. In my mind, I was asking myself "Who could have done this to us?". I then asked the man, "Do you know who is attacking us?" He then says, "I don't know? It could be anyone but I have a feeling that it may be someone who's been a threat to us for a long time." The man I was speaking to then told me he had a friend who works there and he's not sure if they are okay or not. I then told him, "I hope that everyone will be okay and that help will arrive soon". Finally before I went into class, I wished the man good luck and hoped that everything would be okay.
Upon entering class, I realized something different about it. My class seemed empty with only half of the students showing up. While a few people walked out during the lecture, I decided to stay and listen to the whole lecture. Nobody was in the mood to learn that day including myself but as we all know, 'the show must go on'. After class was out I went to the commons at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. In there, everyone was gathered around watching, patiently and intently at CNN News. No person was speaking and everybody watched with interest and concern. It was the first time I've ever seen the whole school gathered around the television like that. Normally, there would only be a handful of people there during the week, but on September 11, it was a whole new atmosphere as throngs of people gathered around to witness the event.
After leaving J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, I immediately had another class at 1:45pm at a different campus, VCU. Before I walked into class, I saw a note on the door saying "Class will be cancelled today. We will continue class on Thursday". Soon after that, I went back to my car and started driving home. As I was listening to the radio, almost every station was focused on the situation and constantly reporting facility closings including airports, amusement parks, shopping malls, schools, and any place where you can find masses of people especially tourist attractions like Disneyland, the Sears Towers and Seattle's Space Needle. At this point, I realized the situation had become more serious than I thought. I never thought that the incident that occurred hundreds of miles away would affect my local town or other parts of the nation like this?
At home, the mood was the same as at school in that my family was glued to the television set. My family couldn't believe it was really happening. For eight hours we were watching intently as we saw the collapse of both towers, the scattering of civilians, the firefighters and policeman helping and directing traffic, the interviews with witnesses, and finally the constant updates from the news reporters. I was sitting there in disbelief not knowing what to do. I had an exam to study for, but was in no mood to do anything at all.
I was concerned about the turnout of events, for example, the number of fatalities and whether or not we will be safe in our homes. Watching the news made me think hard about my life. I thought to myself: "If we are in a war, will I be chosen to fight?" I saw what was happening on television and when I saw those two aircrafts hit the Twin Towers, I knew this was not an accident. Also when I heard that another aircraft hit the Pentagon and yet, another one crashing in Pennsylvania, I was even more convinced that this was not an accident but a heinous act of vandalists. I was so worried about what was going to happen next. The suspense and drama kept me on my feet and kept me up all night.
When the local news appeared, I got to see the reaction from people living in my area. I was so touched by the amount of support and care taken by the people living near me. I saw local residents (of different nationalities, religions, and ages) heading to the churches, holding candles, praying, and spending their time to support our beloved country. It was the first time I've ever seen my community get together like this. I was so proud to be living in such a caring and loving place. People were helping and supporting each other through their kind acts, their consoling words, and their time.
A few days after 911, I was even more inspired when musicians and actors came together to help support the victims. On MTV, I got to see artists including Bono, Destiny's Child, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jermaine Dupris, and many others trying to make a difference by recording a song together called "What's Going On? In Hollywood, I saw actors giving donations and expressing their remorse for the situation. The same love and support that I saw in my local town had been spread across the whole nation. It was an incredible event and it was great to see people putting their differences aside and coming together as a whole unit.
September 11 is probably one of the most terrible tragedies I've ever witnessed in the United States. I never thought that a war could ever occur in the United States. It took me a while to adjust to it because I'm so used to seeing wars fought on other battlegrounds overseas. Now, I know that anything is possible. As a result of 911, I now realize the strength and power of our nation. Our nation is filled with so many great ideas from people of all ages, races, and religions. It's a place where people can express thoughts freely and create opportunities. Best of all, the United States is a nation that cares for people during tragedies and times of need. After 911, I can now truly say that I'm very happy to be waving the American flag and being apart of the United States. There's no other place like it in the world, and I'm very honored to call it my home.
Collection
Citation
“story520.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 21, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/8142.