story6305.xml
Title
story6305.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-12
911DA Story: Story
I went in to work that morning as always in my building in Tysons Corner, VA. My routine had always been log into the computer, check the news, then get to work. I clicked on msnbc.com and saw the picture of the WTC with a big explosion against it like some sort of movie still. "Breaking news. World Trade Center hit by plane." No story, just the picture. I gave the news to those in my office, and no one believed me, until they went to their computers as well. Of course by this time, it was hard to log into the internet and pages weren't loading. I called my housemate and asked her to turn on the news. So on speakerphone, she gave the news as it happened, and the horror in her voice when she said a plane went into the other building. Shock. Realization that this could no longer be some bizarre accident caused by a confused pilot. Then we got the news that the Pentagon had been hit. We ran to the back window and saw the smoke curling into the sky. Confusion. Fear. What's next? Tysons is a big place for defense contract firms. Are we targets? Are the schools targets? Go home, get your kids.
Traffic was intense. Well, it's always bad in Tysons but it seemed especially bad that day. One eye on the road, one eye on the sky, all the way home. No planes. I live 10 minutes from the airport. There's ALWAYS planes. No planes. I got home and found out that one of those planes had taken off from Dulles. I had been at Dulles that morning before going in to work. Scary to think how close I was to messengers of death and evil. The rest of the day was spent glued to the news and the phone. Calling family in New York, making sure they're okay. Getting calls from old friends around the country to make sure I hadn't been on any of those flights or been at the Pentagon.
I was torn between letting my children see the news with us and trying to protect them from it. I chose protecting them, but now a year later, they're confused by all the hubbub about 9/11. Except for my daughter. She watched the reports last night. And now she's afraid. So I'm glad I protected them then. I wish I could do so still. And I still occasionally keep one eye on the sky.
Traffic was intense. Well, it's always bad in Tysons but it seemed especially bad that day. One eye on the road, one eye on the sky, all the way home. No planes. I live 10 minutes from the airport. There's ALWAYS planes. No planes. I got home and found out that one of those planes had taken off from Dulles. I had been at Dulles that morning before going in to work. Scary to think how close I was to messengers of death and evil. The rest of the day was spent glued to the news and the phone. Calling family in New York, making sure they're okay. Getting calls from old friends around the country to make sure I hadn't been on any of those flights or been at the Pentagon.
I was torn between letting my children see the news with us and trying to protect them from it. I chose protecting them, but now a year later, they're confused by all the hubbub about 9/11. Except for my daughter. She watched the reports last night. And now she's afraid. So I'm glad I protected them then. I wish I could do so still. And I still occasionally keep one eye on the sky.
Collection
Citation
“story6305.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 25, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/8599.