story5385.xml

story5385.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I had left home at around 7:15 a.m.in route to BWI Airport for a flight to Reno, Nevada. We always drive to the airport and park, but this day we decided to get a shuttle. The driver had CD's playing all the way. We arrived at BWI in Baltimore at about 8:30a.m. The airport seemed very quiet, no TV's or radios of any kind on anywhere. I overheard a lady asking the baggage screeners why the TV's were not on. I heard them say, there was a storm last night and it knocked them all out! I never thought anything about it. We went to our waiting area and sat. My husband left to go to the mens room about 5 of 10am. Just then they called for us to board the plane. I got worried about my husband making it back in time. I saw him rushing over and we started toward the gate. Then they said Ladies & Gentlemen, please be seated we are not taking off just yet. Then I heard someone across the aisle say the Pentagon has been hit with a bomb! Someone else had a radio and said the Twin Trade Towers were hit. I immediately said to my husband I was going to the gift shop and purchasing a radio. I did. Thank God because there was no other way we would know anything. I then started trying to call my mother from my cell phone. Nothing. I was able to connect with her two or three times to try and get us out of there. I was more scared than I ever have been in my life! They then kept announcing for us to evacuate the airport! We had no where to go or no way to go. There wasn't a rental car, truck, bus or any transportation to get to go anywhere! They told us to get our luggage, then when we got there they said it was locked down and the air crew had left. We were frantic. By about 2:30PM we were able to get a limosine and get out of there. All the way home the roads were desolate! Once we got home we were glued to the TV for two days. We had to return to Baltimore to get our luggage on Thursday. The first day they opened the airport. We were skeptical so we made sure we had passports, license, ID and our tickets to pick up our luggage. We arrived at the parking lot and it was empty. We walked right into the airport there was NO SECURITY! No one checked any ID and we got our luggage and left! What a horrific experience. We were too close to the Pentagon and wanted to get home. Then I found out that a colleague who was going to the same Convention was on that flight from Reagan A/P and she left a 13 year old son. We were SO LUCKY!