story1553.xml
Title
story1553.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-08-29
911DA Story: Story
My husband and I were with a group from my church. We were on a mission trip to help build apartments for elderly women near the Austria/Italy border in the Alps. I called my mom when we had our afternoon break to check on our two children. We had a quick conversation and they were going to eat breakfast.
After I hung up, I walked across the street and returned to caulking the new bathrooms. One of the elderly women came over to tell us in broken English that America was being attacked. We continued to work thinking she was mistaken.
Thirty minutes later, another elderly woman came over to tell us someone had bombed the World Trade Center. We thought they might be watching an old news clip from the car bomb that went off in the parking garage several years ago. Finally, she insisted our team leader go to an apartment to see CNN.
When he came back, he said, "Guys, this is very serious. America is under attack. The World Trade Center has collapsed, the Pentagon had a plane crash into it and there are several flights still in the air that they think are being hijacked. President Bush is on Airforce One." We sat stunned for a moment but we returned to work in silence.
Those elderly women were counting on us. We were their help. Nobody in their village cared enough about them to help. If we didn't get their apartments in move-in condition, nobody would. Americans love and help other people. Villagers came to watch the Americans work all week. Apparently it is uncommon for people to work so hard for so long. They came again to watch us work even though our countrymen were dying.
The next day, as we worked, an old man with a cane walked down the lane and called to me. He spoke Corinthian so I could not understand him. I said, "I speak English" and pointed to myself, "I am American". He began to cry. He made a motion with one hand like an airplane and his other hand was a building. When he crashed one into the other, tears rolled down his cheeks and he took off his hat and held it over his heart. No words necessary. We cried together and I hugged him.
Five days later, we arrived at the Vienna airport. It was the first day flights were allowed to return to the United States. It was so crowded with Americans, the line must have streched a mile long. Austrian citizens showed up in droves with drinks and refreshments and walked around serving Americans and expressing their sorrow. We felt loved.
Arriving in Washington and seeing Old Glory draped on the control tower was too much for most of us. Tears and clapping errupted from that entire plane. We had all been stranded in Europe and were thankful to be home. We arrived home, to One Nation Under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for ALL.
After I hung up, I walked across the street and returned to caulking the new bathrooms. One of the elderly women came over to tell us in broken English that America was being attacked. We continued to work thinking she was mistaken.
Thirty minutes later, another elderly woman came over to tell us someone had bombed the World Trade Center. We thought they might be watching an old news clip from the car bomb that went off in the parking garage several years ago. Finally, she insisted our team leader go to an apartment to see CNN.
When he came back, he said, "Guys, this is very serious. America is under attack. The World Trade Center has collapsed, the Pentagon had a plane crash into it and there are several flights still in the air that they think are being hijacked. President Bush is on Airforce One." We sat stunned for a moment but we returned to work in silence.
Those elderly women were counting on us. We were their help. Nobody in their village cared enough about them to help. If we didn't get their apartments in move-in condition, nobody would. Americans love and help other people. Villagers came to watch the Americans work all week. Apparently it is uncommon for people to work so hard for so long. They came again to watch us work even though our countrymen were dying.
The next day, as we worked, an old man with a cane walked down the lane and called to me. He spoke Corinthian so I could not understand him. I said, "I speak English" and pointed to myself, "I am American". He began to cry. He made a motion with one hand like an airplane and his other hand was a building. When he crashed one into the other, tears rolled down his cheeks and he took off his hat and held it over his heart. No words necessary. We cried together and I hugged him.
Five days later, we arrived at the Vienna airport. It was the first day flights were allowed to return to the United States. It was so crowded with Americans, the line must have streched a mile long. Austrian citizens showed up in droves with drinks and refreshments and walked around serving Americans and expressing their sorrow. We felt loved.
Arriving in Washington and seeing Old Glory draped on the control tower was too much for most of us. Tears and clapping errupted from that entire plane. We had all been stranded in Europe and were thankful to be home. We arrived home, to One Nation Under God, Indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for ALL.
Collection
Citation
“story1553.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 13, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/8687.