story6456.xml

story6456.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-12

In the early hours of September 11, 2001, I called my parents from where I was living in Maryland. I was extremely sick and needed to go home. My dad left Allentown, PA around 2 am to drive to MD and back to PA. On September 11, 2001 I was eating breakfast at my kitchen table when the phone rang. It was my next door neighbor calling to tell my parents and I that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. My parents and I rushed into the family room and turned on the TV. The sight of fire and smoke coming from the tower was unbelievable. Then the unimaginable happened--I saw the second plane collide with the other World Trade Center tower. I stood there in disbelief and wondered what was going to be attacked next. Minutes later, it was announced that a plane had struck the Pentagon. I recall crying and shaking in fear. How could this happen to our country? Who would commit such an atrocity?
The attack on the Pentagon was particularly tough for me to handle. I had moved to the Washington, DC area in June 2001 to work for the Navy in DC. I obtained the job because of an internship I completed in Spring 2001 at the JAG office. The office was grateful that I was hired , due to lack of staff in the office. They knew I needed a job, so they were able to convince those in charge of hiring personnel to hire me. Basically, they did me a favor by hiring me, and I did them a favor by helping to lessen the work load. Unfortunately, my job was not a permanent position. My position as a paralegal was full-time temporary. On my second day at my new job, my boss talked with me about a vacancy at the Pentagon, doing the same work, full-time permanent with benefits. He said that he hoped I would stay in the DC office but told me the Pentagon would be a better opportunity. That night, I decided to stay at my current position, even though the Pentagon was an amazing offer. I felt that I should be loyal to those who worked so hard to get me into the government position. Well, that turned out to be a life saving decision. The woman who was hired for the position I was offered was killed. If I would not have remained loyal to those who helped me, I would be dead today.
Through this year, I have had a tough time dealing with how close I was to being a casualty. One decision saved my life. My heart does out to everyone who perished and to everyone who lost a loved one in this attack. They are all heros, especially the rescue workers who lost/ risked their lives, and the passengers on Flight 93, which crashed in Shanksville, PA. Without the bravery these individuals displayed on that horrible day, many more lives would have been lost. God bless the victims and their families.