story422.xml

story422.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-04-16

The morning of September 11,2001 began like any other day. I was 9 months pregnant and looking forward to the impending birth of our first child. I went for my morning walk and returned home around 8:30am. I called my husband at work to tell him that I was ok, then I turned on the morning news. I was making breakfast when I heard on the broadcast that an airplane had crashed into the North Tower of The World Trade Center. I went into my bedroom, which has an excellent view of the skyline, and looked out the window. I saw the huge cloud of smoke emanating from the building. I stood there watching and listening to the news. A few minutes later, I saw a second plane hit the other tower.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. You never expect to see something like this happen so close to home. I was terrified to think of all those innocent people trapped in the buildings. As I watched, the unthinkable began to happen.

After a while, the South Tower began to crumble. I watched in horror as the building came down to the ground, leaving a single tower and a ton of smoke behind. The winds were light, and when they picked up, I could smell fire and smoke.

Then, the second tower came down. I was in shock. These buildings have been there my whole life, and in a matter of a couple of hours, the NYC skyline and life in America was changed forever.

Our son was born on September 16,2001, just 5 days after the attacks. As my husband and I were celebrating with our family, I couldn't help but think of all the families who had lost their loved ones in the World Trade Center. I think the one thing I'll remember the most is watching the Television in my hospital room, and seeing the people holding up pictures of their loved ones, begging anyone who may have seen them to call the numbers they provided. I held my son close and said a prayer for all of them.

It's been 7 months since the attacks, and New York is slowly getting back to normal. People still pass by the site and leave flowers and tributes, and more remains are being found. I know that nothing could ever heal the pain of those who suffered losses, but I hope that this archive will allow those in pain to read each other's stories, and help them realize that they are not alone.

I also hope that the accounts collected on this site will find their way into the history books, so that my son and his generation can fully understand the impact that September 11th had on New York and the world. Maybe their generation will see peace.