story3589.xml

story3589.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

When I woke up on September 11, everything seemed like a normal day. I got ready for work, and before I left, I turned on the radio. The DJ was saying that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon. I just thought it was an accident. I went in and kissed my mom good-bye, and told her what I heard. We didn't think much of it. On my way to work, I turned on a news radio station and heard the whole thing. The World Trade Center, the ariplanes, the Pentagon. It was just too much for me to handle. I started crying uncontrollably and tried to drive the rest of the way to work without getting into an accident. When I got there, I immediatly turned on the radio and called my mom. She was still in bed, and when she heard me sobbing, she knew somethiing was wrong. I said "Do you have any idea what's happening?" After I told her, we just sat there in silence. Once I got off the phone, I tried to work and listen to the story over and over again on the radio. I work for the Fire Department, and everyone at my work seemed really upset. They all knew that our Search and Rescue team would be deployed to go to New York. I started thinking about all those firefighters in New York, and about their families. I couldn't concentrate on work, and I was allowed to go home. My fiance worked for the 2002 Winter Olympics, and all the employees were sent home to be with their families. We went to his mom's house and watched CNN for the rest of the night. Probably the rest of the week. It was really hard to accept. I couldn't believe anyone would do something so terrible. It was a rude awakening. One year later, I still feel like it just happened. I have a lot more appreciation for my family, my coworkers, and my religon. I know that if we stay united we can make it though times like these.