story289.xml

story289.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-03-21

The morning went unusually smooth. I got up at 5:30am to make it out of the house by hopefully 6:30am to make my treck up Rt. 66 to Rt. 123 to Tyson?s Corner. Like I said it was an unusually smooth trip that morning, and an absolutely beautiful day so far. I got to work a 1/2-hour early and did my running around for a 1/2-hour before I got pinned down to my desk. I am the receptionist, "greeter", for any guests that come in and love my job. I have a beautiful view of the world outside my 8th floor window, over looking the Tyson?s Galleria; I can see the Washington Monument and parts of Maryland and DC.
About 9am people are running up to my desk asking if I knew anything about the plane that hit the Trade Center tower or if I knew where a TV was. I logged on to the internet and went to CNN.com and saw the pictures and was in a little bit of shock, but wasn't too worried until one of my co-workers ran from one of the back offices and yelled "THEY JUST HIT THE PENTAGON!!" I started shaking. Then wondered where is my husband! I tried calling him and never got through, he is sub-contracted to the government. My boss finally got the news up in our VTC room and just about everyone in the company was in that little room, I got in there just in time to see the towers fall. I just started crying, hoping that none of my family that lives in NY was in the buildings. I got threw to my aunt that lives on Long Island and she said that she and my uncle were fine but couldn't get in touch with her girls, 1 in NY on the island w/her husband, 1 in NJ w/her husband, 1 in Mass, and one in Louisiana. Anyway, I found out later that I have an uncle that works at the Pentagon, and he was ok but a bit shaken up. No one left our company that day, even though we are part of one of the largest defense contractors in the world. I started hearing that FDNY lost a bunch of fire fighters in the towers. I started crying. I used to be a volunteer for a company in Fairfax County until I injured my back and couldn't do it anymore. But I know that I am still part of that "brotherhood" of fire fighters, even if I am a woman.

I know that this is a bit jumbled, but this is how I am remembering the day.

I finally heard from my husband, he was on at a coworker?s house and would be home shortly. He was telling me that about the time that the Pentagon got hit, he and a co-worker were headed up 66 to 495. They were listening to the news on the radio about the towers and all of the sudden traffic came to a complete halt and then said that he saw state troopers flying up the shoulder and then saw like 6 - 8 big black SUV's the size of a Suburban speeding by him. He and his friend were scared. Then he heard that the Pentagon got hit. I hadn't heard from my father and he works at Dulles Airport for the Airport Authority. I finally heard from him about 4:30 in the afternoon. The phones barely rang all day and I was glued to CNN.com and MSNBC.com for any more news and still shaking and keeping an eye on the skyline for a plane headed to the Washington Monument or worse toward Tyson?s Corner. I finally was able to leave work at 5:30, my normal time, now knowing that the day was not a typical workday and knowing that there will never be a typical workday again. I cried part of the way home and finally pulled into my drive way about 6:15, I got into the house and my husband held me as I sobbed and we watched the news for anymore information as to what was going on. I heard from everyone that I needed to that they were safe and sound and home. I will never forget how I felt and how scared I was at the time. To a point I am still scared, but knowing whom I believe in, I know that I will always be safe if I run to His love. For the days that followed, the guys that I work with, some of them ex-military, wanted to join the fight for our freedom. I know how they feel, if I could have continued with the FD I would have done anything to help. And to this day, I keep an eye on every plane that goes over my head or that I see. Thinking to myself, "is it going to happen again? Or what building could that one run into?"

Prayers to all those who lost someone continue to pour from my heart and I will never forget the day that our world was shattered by someone else's selfishness and hatred.