203 20 7169 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I AM A TRUE NIGHT OWL, SO I WAS UP ALL NIGHT. I WOKE UP AROUND NOON AND TURNED ON MY TV IN MY BEDROOM SO I COULD WATCH MY SOAP OPERA. WHEN I SAW THAT THEY HAD BROKEN IN ON PROGRAMMING, I THOUGHT "OH, WHAT NOW?", BECAUSE A LOT OF TIMES THEY BREAK IN FOR THE LEAST LITTLE INSIGNIFICANT THING. WELL, NEEDLESS TO SAY, I WAS IN SHOCK. BY THE TIME I SAW THE REPORTS, THE TOWERS HAD ALREADY FELL, AND WHEN I SAW THE NEWS FOOTAGE I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT I WAS SEEING. I THOUGHT THIS MUST BE SOME KIND OF MISTAKE. THIS COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE HAPPENING HERE IN THE USA. IT LOOKED TO ME LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A HORROR MOVIE. I STARTED TO CALL MY MOM, BUT THEN I REALIZED THAT SHE, MY UNCLE AND TWO OF MY AUNTS HAD GONE OUT OF TOWN TO VISIT MY GREAT AUNT. I HAD NO WAY OF GETTING AHOLD OF THEM, BECAUSE NONE OF THEM HAVE CELL PHONES. THE TRIP TAKES ABOUT 4 HOURS EACH WAY. I WONDERED IF THEY EVEN KNEW WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I IMMEDIATELY STARTED PRAYING. NOT ONLY FOR MY OWN FAMILY, BUT FOR ALL OF THOSE CONNECTED TO THE TRAGEDY. IT TURNED OUT THAT MY FAMILY WAS FINE, THANK THE LORD, BUT I CRIED FOR DAYS AND WATCHED CNN AND MSNBC NON-STOP. I THINK RUDY GUILIANI IS A WONDERFUL MAN, HE NOT ONLY KEPT NEW YORK TOGETHER, BUT ALSO THE NATION. I HAVE TOTAL RESPECT FOR HIM AND PRESIDENT AND LAURA BUSH. JUST KNOWING THAT THEY ARE CHRISTIANS GAVE ME PEACE OF MIND. THERE WERE 2 HUGE SONIC BOOMS AND I THOUGHT THE WHOLE COUNTRY WAS UNDER ATTACK. WHICH, ACTUALLY, IT WAS. AND I AM SO THANKFUL FOR ALL OF THE BRAVE PEOPLE ON FLIGHT 93. I'M SURE THAT PLANE WAS HEADED FOR THE WHITE HOUSE OR SOMEPLACE THAT WOULD DO THE MOST DAMAGE. THANK GOD FOR THOSE BRAVE SOULS, THEY ARE TRUE HEROES!!! I DIDN'T KNOW ANYONE PERSONALLY WHO DIED IN THE ATTACKS, BUT I FEEL LIKE I KNEW EVERYONE OF THEM. I AM SO PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN. THOSE TERRORISTS THOUGHT THEY WOULD CRIPPLE OUR ECONOMY, GOVERNMENT, ETC. BUT AS WE ALL KNOW ALL THEY DID WAS TO UNITE THIS COUNTRY AND MADE US EVEN STRONGER. GOD BLESS AMERICA!!! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8371.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-05 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.209.38 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Well, I was in my 1st Period class in 7th grade and the teacher told us that the world trade centers were being attacked. I never really new what the towers looked like before but when I walked into my second period class I looked at the tv and saw the last tower falling!!! I couldn't believe my eyes. I just stood there! I was confused and scared because then I heard that the Pentagon was hit too. I Called my mom and she told me that she was going to take me home because we had to find out the my dad was lucky he left earlier in Washington! He just had a meeting in the part of the pentagon that got hit! Im so lucky! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8567.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-22 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.33.186.175 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: My name is Rob, and have been in the US Navy for nine years. I was graduating from a school that morning. I left the base and was heading for my new home that i had set up prior to going to school. I was a newlywed of about 9 months, and found out about three weeks earlier that she was leaving me. I took it as best i could knowing that i would try to change her mind apon my return. I left the base about 8:30A and started to here the incoming news. All i knew to do was drive and call the one i LOVED. I contiued on and drove around the east side of Washington DC. The lingering black cloud over DC was so scary and sobering, that i was forced to call again. I continued on and tried to believe that i could change her feeling, but like the attack, i was not able to change what was going to happen. Today i am trying to understand all that has happened in the last two years and am unable to. I would like to say that i feel for those that have lost family or freinds, but know that those of us in the service are here to protect your freedom in which so many have died to protect. Including those of 09-11-01. BLESS THEM ALL!!!!!! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8605.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-31 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 207.5.205.23 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I will never forget that day, as probably no one else will. I live and work outside of Boston, and happened to be in the women?s lounge when our receptionist popped in to say my husband is on the phone and it?s important. So I very quickly hurried down the hall to a phone. He immediately asked if I was watching the news because a plane had just hit the trade center. I was one of the first people in the office to hear of anything happening. I quickly asked out loud across a room of cubicles if anyone had heard the news and proceeded to ask my husband for more details. You see I had immediately assumed he was talking about the Trade Center in Boston! (Located on the other side of the harbor across from Logan Airport.) At that point he said ?No the WORLD Trade Center in NYC? I was speechless and fell back into the chair. I told him I?d call him back once I found out more. Quickly I logged onto the Internet and asked someone to turn on the TV in the conference room. I?m a native New Yorker born and raised with family all over the city and long Island. I have cousins who work at offices in the business district, who are firefighters, and policeman in NYC. This was big news- but no one was prepared for what was unfolding. I still at that point only thought of it as an accident- when the Internet froze, I ran to the conference room. People from the office started gathering and we watched in absolute horror- a second plane had already hit and we watched the buildings collapse. I know the WTC very well, we make yearly trips to the city and it?s always a stop. I?m an architect and engineer so buildings are of particular interest to me. We?ve done silly things like standing against the side of the tall WTC building with our cheeks pressed to the side of the pillars staring up to see if we get dizzy. I remember walking the marble patterned plaza many times and gazing at the sculpture like it was yesterday. I remember riding up and down the escalators and taking pictures in the lobbies. But the only thing I kept remembering while watching the news is ?50,000 people on any given day working there? It?s crazy to think about- so many lives forever changed in one little moment in time! I broke down and cried- in front of everyone and just kept mumbling- ?all those people?- over and over again. I was more than just shaen up. In Boston the biggest building is Hancock Tower or the Prudential building. What many people didn?t realize was that each tower is at least TWICE the height and THREE times the area. That?s equivalent to FIVE Prudential buildings collapsing in the center of Boston. Incomprehensible! We closed the office early. The ride home was surreal- there was no music on the radio only news? The rest of the day was spent trying to make phone calls and watching the news- learning about where the planes came from and who was behind this. Not knowing if it was over with? learning about the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. Thankfully also learned that my relatives that are so deeply connected to the WTC area are all safe- shaken up too but safe. As the anniversary fast approaches and our lives move on, the years will go by but we should never forget whom and what was lost, or how fragile we truly are. We should never forget the good things around us- our family and friends. And to take time to do those silly things in life like pressing your cheek against the side of building and staring up to see if you get dizzy- the opportunity might not be there tomorrow. I will try to live today a little better than yesterday. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1324.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-08-20 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 141.154.106.162 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. Turned on the radio. Many radio stations said two planes hit the World Trade Center. Has your life changed because of September 11,2001? If so, tell us how. Made me be more patriotic and be thankful to live in a free country. What do you think should be remembered about September 11th. The public services people (fireman,policeman)so willing to save other people. Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of september 11th I bought a flag within the week of September 11th.Yes. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8748.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-12-16 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 216.54.14.84 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I listened to the radio all day but I remember not turning the T.V. on until late afternoon. I did not want to see what I had heard about. After seeing the images for the first time, I needed to get some air. I went out on my back porch. I was wondering why we were bringing another life into to such a scary, horrible place. (I was five months pregnant at the time.) How could we explain the actions of such hate to our two-year old and soon-to-come-along son when the time came? I was quite overcome with grief and anger. Then, I turned and looked out into our yard and noticed a beautiful bloom on a crepe myrtle I thought was near death. It had been run over by a lawn mover earlier that year yet here it was in all its glory! I remembered there was still beauty and peace in the world and we would teach our children about those concepts as well. The irony of the blooming crepe myrtle was its name: America. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story2884.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.90.197.151 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I am a 41 year old college student, mother of three 20, 17, and 15, married for 23 years. I was at home preparing for class listening to ABC news in the morning when the first plane had hit the tower. I watched for a few minutes and then headed to school as usual. I was in the hall of the Chemistry floor when the head of the department said a second plane had struck the other tower. Several of us followed him into a nearby lab and began to watch the coverage of the horrific scenes that followed. There was fear, disbelief, and confusion that covered us as we sat in stunned silence, trying to make sense of what was happening. No one accomplished much that day, and we watched helplessly from the Midwest. A fellow student decided that she was going home and removing her children from school to be with them. We cried, prayed, and continued to watch. The reports began to circulate about the possible attack at the Pentagon and the plane crash in Pennsylvania. It is such a blur to remember the sequence of the events, but I remember hanging on every report to try to make some sense out of what was happening. If things weren't at their worst already, the scene of the tower collapse forced us to realize even more that this horrible attack was directed at us...the United States of America. The innocence of the lives lost, and the unimaginable grief of those left behind has changed our nation forever. I will never forget the terror of that day and the days that follow. Little by little, our nation is trying to return to some normalcy...but we try in vain...the wounds are deep and the scars are permanent. We are forever changed by that day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story2661.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 150.200.66.131 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: i was in school and the principle came on the announcements and told us that a plane has hit one of hte world trade centers....everyone was devistated in shock...we didnt know what to do because we were all worried about what was going to happen next. Me and my friends just wished that everyone got out safe and that everything was ok. Then the principle came back on and said that another plane hit the second world trade center! We couldnt do anything else but think why and how they would do this to america. I wish that day would have never happened and i fear that something else will happen to our country and we will be hurt by it!! I pray at night and hope that this never happens again and that america is protected because i dont feel safe sometimes. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8565.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-22 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.67.163.198 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was working that morning at General Mitchell International Airport located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. My job title is (Aircraft Fueler) and on that day I was responsible for serving 14 flights for my daily task. I ended up only servicing 3 of the 14 flights and I will tell you why. I (Mike) was going into the Midwest Express Operations room to get a fuel release for my next flight. As I entered the room I saw 5 people watching cnn on tv with live coverage. I did'nt pay no attention to it, so I left the room with my fuel release and got back into my fuel truck. My co-worker (Jeff) asked me (Mike) if there were any more fuel loads up I said no, and told him to go inside and find out where the rest of our fuel loads were. That is when all hell was broke loose. Jeff came back out and said Mike there is about 20 people in here watching this cnn coverage come lets both go in and see what is happening. We soon find out that planes are being used as weapons to fly into buildings. No sooner after seeing the coverage on tv our dispatcher (Linda) calls us back to the office, she says come now County Ops is locking all gates. Linda had also told us that all flights were grounded by the FAA. By the time we made it back to our office, flights from Chicago's O'Hare were being diverted to Milwaukee. We had 727's,MD-80's,757's and DC-9's just piled up on the ramp. All of are employees were back at the office watching the tv, and calling home to families. The rest of the day we sat and watched the sad coverage on the tv of the twin towers falling to the ground, and people just terrified. That day will stay in my mind forever and my co-workers too. I work in the Aviation field so my heart and prayers go out to the pilots and flight stewards on the flights that crashed that day. They died doing something they loved and cherished, flying and serving the people. That is something the terrorist will never take from them, there love and passion for flight. Again my heart and prayers go out to the Aviation families they are wonderful people. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story10219.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-11-30 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.233.141.117 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was a freshman in high school. I was on my way to school when around 0630 hours i turned on my little pocket radio and heard he news. At first I thought that it was just a sick joke that the radio dj's were playing. As I listened longer, I realized that it was no joke, the World Trade Center Buildings had just been struck by two hi-jacked aircrafts. Later, it was reported that another plane had crashed into the pentagon and one more was headed for Camp David in Pennsylvania. I was devistated. the whole day I couldn't believe what I had just heard. I could not believe that my country, the greatest country in the world was attacked by a "faceless coward". I was beyond mad; I was downright LIVID. I cried all day and night; I went for a whole week of no sleep, just watching tv all day and night, falling asleep in school because of no rest. My mother finally made me go to bed and knocked me out with some heavy sleeping pills just to get me to sleep. September 11th was a tragic day that I will never forget. Over 3,000 people died, not including the hi-jackers. That is not something that anyone one could ever forget. I know that when I learned about the attack of Pearl Harbor, I was in awe, but I never could quite get the whole effect enless I lived through it;needless to say, I did live through it. I know that future generations wont get the whole effect of it either, just like i didn't, but for my generation and my mother's generation, and my grandmother's generation will never forget it until the day we die. After we are deciesed it will be the same..."September 11th was a bad day". But i know for a fact, it was more than just a bad day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6917.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.218.242.120 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: My story is not unique, but maybe recounting the tale will not only help me to heal, but relay the hope it conveys. A higher being was guiding many of us that day. I had been working for AIG in lower Manhattan for 5 years. My morning commute was pretty much business as usual except for the fact that only a few days prior, I discovered that I was 5 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child. My husband, who normally works on Long Island, had a meeting in mid-town that day & we decided we?d meet each other in Penn Station & ride home together at the end of the day. I arrived at my desk at 8:15 as usual. I went to the cafeteria of 175 Water to get my breakfast. When I returned to my desk, I heard through word of mouth that an aircraft has hit the World Trade Center. I ran to the South side of the floor & looked out the window & watched the plume of smoke rising. While many of my fellow floor-mates and I watched the Tower burn, there was a second explosion. We all thought that it was a blast related to the first collision, but one of the on-lookers was listening to the radio & he announced that it was a second plane. At that very moment, we all knew in our hearts that the first collision wasn?t an accident. I walked calmly back to my desk & called my brother who works for Marsh in mid-town. He had a direct view of the Towers from his desk & watched the second plane hit. While I was on the phone with him, the emergency alarms sounded & they began to evacuate our building. Outside the building, it was snowing papers & ash. Hoards of people were running towards us from the west side of the island. Emergency sirens were blaring from all directions. When our Fire Safety Director declared our building closed, I high-tailed it to the nearest subway station & fled lower Manhattan. My main goal was to find my husband in mid-town & get home. When I arrived in Penn Station, Long Island Rail Road trains were still running, however, for some reason, I was waiting for a train to my specific destination instead of just getting on the first train out. Penn Station closed before my train came in. While I was waiting I caught word from a passer-by that the South Tower collapsed. I then heard that a plane hit the Pentagon as well. All I kept thinking was that we?re in the middle of a war & I?m stuck in a hole in the ground. When the authorities evacuated Penn Station, I was back out on the street not knowing when & where the next attack will come. I walked to where my husband?s meeting was supposed to take place only to find a sign on the door & everyone gone. I had no way of contacting my family or friends & felt very alone. I felt a strong need to protect myself & my unborn child & the only thing I could do was walk back to Penn Station & wait for it to re-open. I was among tens thousands of people wandering around mid town, totally lost in thought, grief & shock. My trance was suddenly broken when I heard my name called out & there was my husband, also among the thousands. I have fought with the idea of ?God? for many years of my adult life, but I now believe that that moment could not have occurred if some Supreme Being wasn?t leading us to each other. In May 2002, I had a healthy baby boy. Someday I will tell him this story so he knows he was part of this day in history as well. To all of those who were not led to your loved ones that day, my heart truly goes out to you. There are no words to express the grief & shock I still experience. I knew many people who perished. I still follow planes with my eyes and I still feel uncomfortable when I hear sirens or loud ?explosive? noises. Although I have tried to maintain a ?normal? life in the wake of 9/11, my life will ever be as it was on 9/10. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story7116.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-13 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 167.230.38.7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: During breakfast, my friend, Robert told me of some sort of bombing in New York. Later, I was in 10th grade chorus class at Concord High, and we had television sets in every room. Over the intercom, we hear our principal come on, and tell us to turn our tvs on and see the news. The news was horrifying, and before our eyes, we saw as the second plane came down and impacted the second Trade Center tower, and I couldn't believe it was real life. I remembered some movies I had seen with people running away from falling buildings, and it didn't seem real, but I finally realized that I was in reality, and people were crying, I was crying, and I was one of the two people who had to leave the room having been overwhelmed with the possibility of such a tragety. The next day, we had a memorial service, and we, all the students of Concord High, listened to a local band from the school play a song that expressed the way they felt, and the special choir sang "America the Beautiful" and I was in tears again, but it horrified me to see how many people really didn't care and weren't effected by this horrible tragety of epic proportions. I am still apalled at the number of people who don't care at all about the lives that were lost. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1423.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-08-23 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 207.228.195.201 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was a nanny that year. Having just moved from Omaha, NE to NY three months earlier, the family and I were settling into our school-year routine. My charge woke up not feeling well.I made him breakfast and tucked him back into bed, watching cartoons. As I headed downstairs to clean up the breakfast dishes, how mundane, the Poland Springs man rang the door bell. At the same moment my boss yelled, screamed almost, "Oh my GOD!" His wife worked down with a building adjoining the towers. The two things I remember more than anything else from that morning was how crystal blue clear the sky was, and the sound of the door bell ringing. We weren't able to contact my other boss until well into late evening and she wasn't able to get home until very, very late that night because of the trains not running. By then the whole world had transformed itself into a strange alien environment and I was glad that their family was able to be together that night. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story11793.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2005-09-05 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.56.12.222 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: We were having our 1st coffee break in the DISAM (Defense Institute for Security Assistance Management) lounge watching CNN on TV showing the flames & smoke from the 1st plane crash when we saw the 2nd plane crash - this was a live show. We did not know if they were accidents or terrorism until 30 minutes later when the class was cancelled and we were instructed to return to our secure VOQ (Visitor Officer Quarters) where we were "stranded" for 3 days before we were allowed to leave the base and go home. If interested, I can provide more details of that terrible week. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story2535.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 204.34.199.252 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I never thought I would live to see the day that the whole world would stop in its tracks. It was a beautifully sunny day here in the capital city of NZ. I remember waking up late morning and jumping online to check emails. A friend who lived in Texas was online, he was talking about planes crashing into buildings, war, terror. He begged me to turn on my TV. I thought it was crazy because I was on the other side of the world. What could possibly be bad enough to be broadcast worldwide? What I saw made my heart stop. My knees gave way and i sank to the ground. I watched in horror as that second plane went into the second tower. At first I thought it was a movie but quickly realised that it was real. The next image was of people falling, people running, buildings collapsing, people dying, people dead. I spent the whole day trying to call friends in the US and watching the news. When my mother came home 5 hours later, I was still watching the news. We both watched the scenes in horror, over and over. We prayed that night for the families of the victims, we prayed that they would find more survivors. The enormous out pouring of grief all over the world was amazing. the next day when I drove through peak hour traffic to work, everyone was stunned and in shock. Everything seemed so insignificant. usually at that hour of the morning, you get more than your fair share of impatient drivers and road rage, but this particular morning people drove to work in an orderly fashion. It was as if we felt we needed to be more aware of those around us. More aware of our actions and how they affect others. My heart goes out to all those who lost their lives in those attacks as well as their families. Forever in my prayers. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1798.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 216.148.246.134 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: It is ironic that on *THAT* particular day, as I was driving my daughter to school, radio off because I wanted to talk with her about the upcoming day, I decided that it was THAT day I was going to make a concerted effort to NOT get on the computer and read the news and surf on current events. I was going to do some real time work and indulge in some writing. So what made me turn on the radio after I dropped her off? I think it was my thought to at least listen for any news on the drive home before I decided to shut the world out for the next few hours. How mistaken I was! When I first heard that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, all sorts of thoughts went through my mind. My God, what a horrible tragedy...what could possibly have gone wrong? I tried to visualize the buildings, but nothing prepared me for the sight of the tower burning on TV. By the time I had returned home and turned on the news, the second plane had hit...and it was that horrible crystalizing moment that I...WE...knew. My prayers and thoughts go out to all who were directly affected by this attack. I spent the rest of the day transfixed in front of the television, afraid to go outside. And when I went outside, it was as if the very air throughout America had changed. As it was pointed out not too long after that, we were all New Yorkers on that day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1314.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-08-20 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 207.218.202.109 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Hallo my name is Daniel, Icome from Germany, on this day call my best friend to my, that Terorist fly with Plane in the World Trade center and i think my friend make a joke and I say too him he is ill, and he say no it's really so.Than I come home and I watch TV and see that bad picture and I think oh no we can any people can do!And I see all the people!Any was Die!Any are cry!And I hope that people live under the world trade center!And the firefighter are Heros! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8663.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-11-21 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 217.83.204.193 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: At the time, I had been in Quito attending the Universidad de San Francisco for about 2 weeks. I arrived on Aug. 26th, 2001 as part of a group of 3 students from Michigan State University (all Spanish language majors) participating in the semester long study abroad program. 9/11 - That morning I had been in the process of getting ready for class, which didn't start until 10 am, when I knew it wasn't an ordinary day. Around 8:30 am my host mother yelled for me to come to her room, where she happened to be watching CNN Espanol while she was getting ready. At this time, only the first plane had hit. I thought it was a terrible airline accident, nothing more. I went about my routine and made my way to class with that image burned in my mind, not knowing that it was about to get much worse. At 10 am in my lit. class, no literature was discussed. Hearing "Pentagon," "Washington, DC," "dos aviones," "Torres Gemelas" intermingled with several words spoken in rapid Ecuadorean Spanish (it was only my second week there) assured me that something horrendous had happened. I didn't understand the full extent of what happened until I ate lunch around 12:30 pm. Everyone at the cafe was glued to CNN Espanol, not knowing what to expect. Later that day, in more classes, we just discussed what was going on in the US, though there were several conflicting reports. It gave me goosebumps to discuss all of this in my US, Latin American Relations course. One image that sticks out from that long afternoon at USFQ was the mass of students, Ecuadorean and American alike, glued to the large screen TV in the main lobby of the university. I believe Ecuador lost 30 some people in the attacks. Most striking, however, was the scene in the hall infront of the international programs office (most foreign students at USFQ are American, in all roughly 10% of the student population). Unlike me, most of the American exchange students were from small, private colleges/universities on the East Coast. It seemed as though everyone know someone in the World Trade Center or Pentagon. Anyway, in the hallway outside the international programs office, there was a large group of American students crying, waiting to hear something about their loved ones whom might have been in either the World Trade Center or the Pentagon. That image has stayed with me. Finally, I go back to my host parents' home in Quito. I glue myself to CNN Espanol while my host mother informs me that she heard reports that as many as 8 planes were still missing. Thank God that wasn't true! That evening, I called home, basically to have my parents's reassurance. Luckily, most of my family lives in Michigan and I knew no one who would have been in New York or DC at the time. A sad commentary on the state of the world - during this conversation with my family, my little brother, 10 at the time, proceeded to assure me that no one would ever attack our small Michigan town, there wasn't anything there. All I could think of was that my little brother shouldn't have to even think about that possibility. That Fall - Anyway, being so far away from the US at the time made the entire incident seem like a nightmare. It didn't seem fully real until yesterday - 9/11/02. I'll admit, I thought about who I'd call if a plane I was traveling on was hijacked and I knew we were going down. The was foremost in my mind as I returned from Ecuador, which is quite a story in itself (I flew home on Dec. 22, 2001 - the same day as the shoe bomber incident. Luckily I knew nothing about it until I was safely home.) Beyond - On 9/11 I believed that I was going to have to change my plans for studying abroad the following spring in Caceres, Spain. As an act of defiance, small as it seems, I didn't. After a harrowing experience returing home from Ecuador for the holidays, I turned around and got back on a plane Jan. 4th. 9/11 put a unique perspective on a year spent studying abroad. I am only now, one year later, realizing the profound impact it had on my personal experiences. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story6757.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.135.235.188 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On September 11,2001 I was,like everyone else,going about My normal daily routine. I am employed at a 16 bed group home,where i am the Food Service Supervisor. I remember that all of the residents had left for Day Training & I was busy prepping the Meal for that nights Dinner. My boss came rushing into the building and said "Turn the Tv on,i just heard on the radio that the WTC has been hit by a plane!" There were 3 staff on duty & We sat glued to the tv..still unsure what was going on & not even daring to think it could be terrorists. Then the 2nd plane hit and We didn't need to be told what was happening to Our wonderful country and it's innocent citizens. I remember feeling numb watching the events unfold on Tv..i remember crying alot and praying alot. It was hard to do any work that day,all I wanted to do was go get My 11 year old daughter from school & let Her know how much I loved Her. When I got home from work,I immediately turned the Tv on & then got online to talk w/ My friends. Everyone was feeling the same emotions..Anger,Fear,Sorrow all at once. A good friend of Mine who Served in Desert Storm,explained so much to Me that i didn't understand and gave Me links to lots of informative sites so i could read more on Bin Laden and Alcheida. He admitted He was as frightened as anyone else. When My daughter got home from school,she could tell i had been crying and asked what was going on...The Teachers were crying and whispering at school. Her school had decided it was best to let the children have a stress free day & let their families explain it to them the best they knew how. So i did My best at telling Her and she cried so hard...We watched Tv for the longest time and she had alot of questions that I didn't have answers for. I clearly remember Her saying the one thought on My mind all day.."Those poor kids who had Mom's and Dad's when They woke up this morning,and Now they are gone forever". We cried alot & We prayed together. Later I had to turn the Tv off..It was becoming too much & We both needed a break from it. I sent her outside to play,and I remember her being fearful of even being outside. I reassured Her that she Would be ok..and to play w/ Her friends and have a good time. A Year has passed now and I am in awe of the families who appear so strong on Tv..talking about their loved ones who perished on 9/11. I admire their courage & try to remember to say a prayer for them. Although Our Country still has a lot of predjudice & hate..I feel that We have come together through the hardest time America has ever seen. God Bless America & May Freedom Always Ring. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story2873.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.160.148.80 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: MARK VLAHOS? WTC EXPERIENCE Today is the first day of the rest of my life... my name is Mark Vlahos and this is my WTC experience. It was Tuesday morning and the date was 9/11 (pretty ironic - 911 = EMERGENCY). I usually get to work between 8 am and 9 am and Tuesday morning was no different or so I thought. I arrived at my desk at 8:26am and was about to eat my pop tarts for breakfast. After a few minutes of setting up my workload something very horrific was taking place. All my fears of coming to this building (1 WTC) and working on the 47th floor had just become reality. The building shook so violently for about eight seconds that it turned my stomach almost instantly. It was as if it teetered back and forth like a seesaw and when it's movement ceased, fear had overcome the 45 people who worked for First Union. My mind had immediately conjured the worst thoughts as possible. I said to myself "I can't believe I am going to die here and like this!" I turned around looking at my co-workers with fear all over their faces and their complexions as white as the clouds. We were all scared and for a short time everyone had frozen their movements and just sat there in a state of shock. People had trouble breathing; some were clutching their chests while others had tears rolling down their cheeks looking for some sort of response. The phones rang simultaneously and pandemonium was about to take place. My friend David had screamed out "It's okay guys, a helicopter has just crashed and we are going to be alright, just calm down!" Hard words to swallow when you are up so many floors up and knowing that if the building goes.... so do you. My mind quickly raced back to the WTC bombing back in 92' and I assumed that they had come back to finish the job. When I went to the window to look up at the smoke, I felt somewhat relieved seeing debris on the ground and for a while actually believed David's concept of what had just happened. The only thing I could then think of was what it would feel like when we dropped. Would it hurt for a second or would my death be quick and painless? That was when I looked up at the pictures of my wife Lisa and daughter Caitlin and said, "I don't want to die yet!!!" I went to the back where everyone was gathered and just said "JESUS!" aloud asking others to pray for our safety. Since then about 10 minutes had passed and still we sat there clueless waiting for some sort of instructions. At first we headed to the stairways but the smoke and dust were too much to bear. My supervisors then asked us to put the stock in the vault not knowing what kind of aftermath awaited us. I did so immediately and people were already out the door heading for the staircases. The last five people were myself, John Serra, Mike Pizzuto, Raymond Stephen and Joe Salgado. I made sure no one was left in the vault and also in the office thinking back to DTC (my last job) where someone was locked in the vault and perished. The last thing I did was go back to my desk, kiss a picture of my wife and daughter and grabbed a holy card of St. Mark that my friend John had given me a while back. As soon as we entered the hallway Mike and Joe immediately rushed towards the staircases by the elevators. My mind being at ease somewhat thought that the road less traveled was the better one so I yelled out at them "No! Not that one, this one here!! We waited for them and our journey to see daylight again had just begun. The first thing we saw were fellow employees from other companies in single file order all calm, cool and collectively aware of the situation. Reality had suddenly hit me, someone with an active cell phone had just informed us that it was not an accident and that another building (WTC 2) had been hit and more severely. It was an act of terrorism and we were all terrified. My friend John handed us torn garments that he had soaked in water to help us breathe because there were many fumes and a lot of dust enveloping the air in the stairwells. People were coughing, crying and talking to one another knowing that disaster could take place at any moment. I had a pocket bible with me and as always began to pray feverishly and begged Jesus to get us all out safely and unscathed .We heard voices telling us to move to the side and let the victims from the higher floors get through. Curious onlookers witnessed in horror the sight of flesh burnt off these people's arms and faces by the layers. It was as if they had laid in the sun for days and had just woken up. I was in shock that I was a part of such a tragedy and I often wondered if the faces I was looking at would be my last. Firemen were now working their way up with sweat on their brows and exhaustion on their faces. Picture carrying hundreds of pounds of equipment in the heat climbing flight after flight looking into the eyes of a fearful people. For me, the shoe was on the other foot. I looked at them and said to myself "Look at these brave men, heading towards the unexpected. Are they afraid? Look how young some of them are. Is this the last time anyone will look at their faces and see the concern in their eyes?" I was afraid for them and I prayed that GOD was with them all. About 20 minutes had now past and we were only on the 37th floor. Talk about nerves of steel! Not everyone could stay level minded. My supervisor Joe had become faint and seemed very ill. He handed me his bag and asked me to hold on to it. My friend Mike was dry heaving and looked as if he was ready to pass out any moment-his eyes watery and his face drawn. They were soon escorted out with the other emergency victims and as Mike said goodbye to me I wondered if I would ever see him again. Raymond and I were the last two guys from our company left on the stairwell each encouraging one another that we would make it out safely. The firefighters asked us to help them carry some of their equipment up a few floors for they had exhausted themselves. Raymond did so and as I looked down I saw a firefighter with his head slumped down and a look of disdain on his face. I asked him if I could help him and offered him my bottled water to refresh himself, he declined and proceeded to head upwards. Other firefighters were handing out water bottles and juices from the machines they had shattered with their axes. It was amazing how everyone was looking out for one another and how love and care was being expressed from every stranger. One man even tore the shirt off his back and passed out the garments to those who had nothing to cover their noses and mouths. We moved on and eventually landed on the 20th floor with about 40 minutes of time already elapsing since the first initial hit. Concern that time was of the essence was evident. People began to get antsy and inpatient. There was a moment where we just sat there for 10 minutes without movement and that's when I began questioning my faith. Was it still as strong as before? I am not going to lie to anyone reading this but I did not really worry until I actually got out into the open streets. We were now on the 5th floor and they asked us to wait for further instructions. With not a chance of that happening anytime soon, I looked at Ray and said, "Let's go!!" The only problem being the sprinklers had gone off and there was about a foot of water to tread through. People were slipping and falling everywhere but when your life is on the line and time is short-whatever it takes...whatever it takes! The street was near and people ran for their lives. We were directed through the ground level shopping plaza and there was darkness and broken glass everywhere. Ray was slipping everywhere because his shoes were not meant for watery grounds so I helped him all the way out. One we saw daylight we headed up North and mayhem was everywhere. People were bleeding, screaming, crying and clutching one another. I lost Ray but saw a familiar face in the crowd. My friend Rodney stood there in awe staring at the Twin Towers. I hugged him and all he kept saying was "Look at it Mark, can you believe it? Just look at it!!" Suddenly, we heard a roar. A roar louder than 100 thunderstorms combined and all we heard was ?RRRUUNNNN!!!? The second tower was collapsing and people ran like they never ran before in their lives. It was before I reached about 200 feet when I was engulfed in smoke and dust almost instantly. The thought that I was once free turned to the thought of being suffocated from the poisonous air. I had to think fast or I would have passed out. I jumped into the nearest building and there had already been maybe 50 people cluttering the tiny lobby. I felt uneasy, very afraid that this was it and the tremor I had felt in the building paled in comparison to what I was now feeling. The group of people in there was very confused and very negative. Ashes had covered everyone and they all thoughts of just giving up and they sat on the floor just crying and screaming one after the other. I had to get out of there because they were really starting to affect my state of my mind. I asked for the way out and one guy scolded me saying "What's wrong with you man? Look at it out there!! Can't you see what's going on? Use your common sense, you can't even see 2 feet in front of you!!" I just looked at him and said "You're right man but I'm not going to sit here and die either!!" I handed my wet cloth to a woman to clean her face, which was covered in mass amounts of chalky dust and made my way out. I covered my nose and mouth with my shirt and once again I searched for safety. The streets looked as if a massive snowstorm had hit but there was no beauty in this. The smell of fear was in the air and life was very gloomy for some time to come. I heard cars had hit people and others were walking into poles and walls because visibility was so poor. People were jumping from the burning towers seeking relief in a quick death rather than being burned alive. Could you imagine having to make that decision? Here I am looking at blood and guts on the street thinking about all the people who had just perished with tears in my eyes and pain in my heart. This was a tragedy and the worst thing was that we were unprepared and unaware that something like this would ever happen. By now I had made it to City Hall and was looking for a phone to call my family to let them know I was OK. There was a woman there with her two daughters trying to use their cell phones to contact perhaps other family members. I looked at them in a way that I didn?t even have to ask them to use their phones, they knew what my intentions were and asked me if I wanted to try and contact my family. I tried 3 or 4 times to no avail so I thanked them and wished them luck as I went on my way. I had asked the police officer where it would be safe to reside and he told everyone to just stay put and relax. How could anyone relax when there is no control over anything you do? There were no correct answers and instinct and prayers were all you had. Everyone was heading North towards midtown for the moment and my gut instinct told me to follow, City Hall may have been another prime target and I wasn?t about to sit there and wait to find out. Once again terror had turned its ugly face towards us and the loud rumbling began again only to sound more and more terrifying than its predecessor. The screaming continued, the fear continued and the worst thoughts the mind could possibly conjure started to arise again. I thought that the other plane that was earlier reported missing had come back to do more damage. So I ran and ran and ran this time not even turning back to look for fear I would be swallowed by debris and ashes again. What about the heroes who were risking their lives in my building to guide us out to safety? Did they deserve this fate? What about the firemen whose eyes I glared into as each one passed me by in the stairwells? Did they or their families deserve this fate? What about my co-workers? Did they all make it out alive or was this day a fateful one for thousands of hardworking men and women who had no clue that when they awoke this morning it would be for the last time. Every morning when I awake I walk over to my picture of JESUS (the sacred heart) and kiss him and tell him thanks for another day and before I leave I ask him to keep my family and friends safe throughout the day. That morning I had kissed my wife and daughter goodbye as always with the thought of never seeing them again ever entering my mind. This would all change from this experience and I would be lying to you if I said that this wouldn?t affect me for the rest of my life. Back to the streets, I continued to head North looking for a payphone to let everyone know I was alive but the lines were enormous and I had to make change. I walked into a magazine shop and asked the woman for change for the phone and she looked at me hesitantly as if she were going to say she didn?t have it. I already conjured my thoughts to verbally explode on her if she denied my request but she didn?t. I felt anger and my adrenaline was on high voltage from then on. I didn?t want to be afraid anymore and I wanted to be the aggressor. I wanted to tell people I was in the first building that was attacked and I did. They all listened in awe and hugged me saying get home safe. What a great country we live in that everyone shares the emotions and the pain of what had taken place and try to comfort you as best they can. That wasn?t the case for everyone. People still shopped and still looked unconcerned as if they were blind to what had just happened. Every store had the news on and some cars in the street had their radios blasting so that everyone could hear what was going on. I too sat there and listened for a while and then reminded myself to make that call. Finally I found a small Chinese video store with a phone and tried to call my wife. I couldn?t get through so I immediately called my mother to let her know I was ok. She had just recently gotten out of the hospital for chest pains and underwent a variety of tests to make sure her heart was in check. I was concerned that if she didn?t hear from me soon she may have had a heart attack. It turns out that she answered the phone and when she heard my voice she screamed for joy and thanked Jesus about 100 times. I told her I loved her and that I wanted to talk to my dad. For the first time in my life I heard my father crying but they were tears of joy. He lost it completely and told me that if I had not called sooner my mother would have died of a heart attack. The drama continues... I told him I love him and then tried my wife again. She answered and the sweetness of her voice made me breakdown in tears all over again. She could barely get her words out but I heard her telling me she saw my building drop and thought I was dead. I told her I loved her and she did the same passing the phone to my mother in law who also broke down hysterically. As soon as she found out I was okay she told me she loved me and passed the phone to my brother in law Chris. He out of everyone pumped my adrenaline the most. His words were "I knew you would make it Mikey! I kept saying you were alive and that if anyone could make it, it would be you!" I told him I loved him and told my father in law the same. I also said to make sure there was some beer at the house because I wanted to get plastered and relax some of my nerves that were already shot. On the road again.... I just want to go home was the only thought my mind was relaying to me over and over again. Was this the end of trauma for the time being? I walked for a little while and from the advice of my mother in law Pauline, I headed towards the Brooklyn Bridge. I was still carrying my supervisor's bag which had now become a security blanket which I clutched to my side along with my pocket Bible still in hand. On the way I heard two guys and a girl conversating about something aloud and what I did hear maybe I shouldn?t have. She said "Yeah, let's head to the bridge so that other plane could come and kill the rest of us!" I responded "Oh that's very encouraging as I head over there myself!!" We just laughed about it and continued our journey. Suddenly a black man taps me on the shoulder and says to me "GOD is good boy!" I said "yes He is" and when I looked up he was gone. Was he an angel or did Jesus send him to give me some encouragement and restore my faith that had just started to get stronger about two weeks beforehand? All I knew was that I wanted out of New York City in the worst way even if I had to swim all the way back to Staten Island. I met another guy named Rich who was also a believer and we talked about everything on the way to the bridge and over it as well. The crowd was moving a little to slow for me and we then decided to climb a wall about 8 feet high where there was more space to move and in a quicker pace. I looked over to where the Towers once were and saw nothing but black smoke filling the sky like an evil cloud. I still could not believe the whole situation. People were screaming ?USA! USA! USA!? and war was on their minds. They were over the fear and wanted revenge and they wanted it as soon as possible. I on the other hand still roamed the skies for other aircraft but there was none in sight for miles. Why weren?t our planes looking for them? Why was it so silent that the quietness was killing me softly? Finally we crossed over and I lost sight of Rich when I asked a police officer the way to Staten Island. Let me tell you how great America becomes in crisis situations, people were greeting us with bottled water and potato chips and offering us folding chairs to sit down and rest for a bit. I drank the water, ate the chips and just continued to walk towards Bay Ridge-my old hometown where i grew up. After walking a few miles I hitched a ride with these guys who with their friends had formed a sort of car service for the victims taking them in groups of ten at a time or until there was no room left to sit or stand. I then met this guy Bruce, a computer tech and father of 5, and we talked for a while with the other riders and after 20 blocks we had to stop because the roads were closed. I thanked the drivers and Bruce and I walked on. He called his wife and told me that she would pick us up and bring me to the Staten Island bus stop. Things were getting brighter and brighter and the sun was shining in full form. I actually think my bald head got a little sunburn from all the water I kept pouring over it to cool off. One guy on the street even commented while he camcorded us crossing the bridge "What a way to use the water, did you see what that guy just did?" I was like whatever man, I'm alive and I'm going home. Before Bruce dropped me off he informed me that his wife told him she was expecting again and I said to myself-we will go on, even though many a life was lost, we will continue to live and continue to bring life into this world. I thanked them warmly and ended up on 86th street and 4th Avenue, a place where I had visited perhaps 5,000 times as a child. I asked the officer standing there if the busses were running yet and he said no, just hang around and get yourself something to eat. I then met an old man who turned 92 today and when I informed him where I came from he shook my hand and said, "You have some intestinal fortitude young man, not a bad grip for an old man huh?" I then offered to buy him a beer for his Birthday but he declined saying he just wanted to get home-my thought exactly! I grabbed a pay phone and called my mother and wife again telling them I was half way home and they were relieved I had made it out of the city. I passed by so many familiar childhood hangouts and even saw a familiar face in Larry Bud Melman (aka Calvert Deforest) from the Letterman show. He was the only celebrity I had known as a child and he waved a warm hello to me as he satin a barber's chair that was already closed for the day. I then saw Mr. Lee, a Korean candy store owner whose video games possessed a year or two of my life and possibly $2,000 in quarters-ha ha hah! I told him my story and showed him a picture of my daughter. He smiled, gave me a Gatorade and change for the bus as another woman hugged me after hearing my story and thanked GOD I was alive. I got aboard the first bus to Staten Island and told everyone on the bus my experience and they all had tears in their eyes but at the same time they were possessing great attitudes that uplifted my spirit. We crossed the bridge and two busses later I was walking home finally coming up my block which I pretty much disliked because of the area but today I loved every centimeter of it and always will. I eagerly anticipated seeing my wife and daughter greeting me with warm hugs and kisses. As soon as I rang the bell my wife Lisa grabbed me so tightly and my daughter hung around my neck as if she knew something had been wrong earlier in the day. My cat Simba even followed me around the house like he was grateful to see me again and I was very moved. My entire family had come over and as I hugged them all and told them I loved them my whole body was repaired from the damage that those evildoers had caused for the time being. I told the story one more time and then received a phone call from my friend Brian Andrews. He informed me that 4 of our co-workers were not heard from (to this day as well) and I was deeply saddened thinking that our whole crew had made it out alive. My first thought was about their families and I prayed for them all hoping that there might be a chance that they may turn up later on. To this day, watching everyone pull together, other nations offering us aid, millions of people volunteering to help one another all makes me feel stronger and stronger as each day passes and with my family, my friends and my faith I know we will all get through this and go on. Although I still watch the television in horror seeing the whole scenario being replayed over and over I know that the past can never be changed and the future is what you make it. I still walk the streets and look over my shoulder and up in the sky when I hear planes or helicopters and I probably always will but I love life and I love everyone. God is good and this will be a wake up call for many. If this doesn?t put any form of religion in your life than nothing ever will. My faith saved me and now I will continue to teach others to the same-only one name saves and that name is JESUS- GOD bless everyone and please pass this on to anyone you like. For those who perished, they are in a better place now and I know we will all see them again one day ;) + Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story9046.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-02-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 169.200.215.34