261 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 remember wanting to reach out and hold all my loved one close....never let them go.....Then I remembered that God was holding me at that very moment...Also, I relized what was really important....TODAY!! Live one day at a time and make it a MASTERPEICE, DON'T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF...Light switch just went off in my head...although I had heard those sayings befor,I really did'nt know what they ment until 9-11. Ant it good to be alive and be in the USA.. Thank you for ALL you do...I'M GRATEFUL:) 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 story2576.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. 129.176.151.122 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 woke up that morning and was getting ready for my morning class at the technical college when I heard about the attacks on the radio. I didn't know for sure what was happening because it just didn't seem real. I thought the radio announcer was just making stuff up because he's like that, but when I turned on the tv, I saw it was for real. I went on to school and for the first two hours of class, we sat and watched as first one tower fell, and then the other. It didn't affect me right then because it was all just too hard to believe that something like that could be happening to our country. All the tv's in the whole school were tuned in to see what was happening, and classes were cancelled for the day, but no one left. We all just stayed glued to our seats to watch this unbelievable tragedy. It finally hit me the Wednesday night after it happened. I was lying in bed with my boyfriend when all the suddden it hit me that so many lives had been lost, and how so many people had lost someone that they loved. So many people had family and friends in those two buildings and I can't even imagine the hurt and the grief that they must be going through to lose someone in such a terrible way. After the attacks, I took a long, hard look at my own life and decided to pay more attention to the little things, and not focus so much on who has wronged me or made life difficult for me. I have learned that life is indeed very short and you never know which day may be your last. So you better live and love as much as you can while you've got the chance, and not take the things you care about for granted because, tomorrow, they may not be there. 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 story1074.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. 2002-08-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 63.156.24.5 Annotation Annotations to this item. DOMESTIC 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 have no personally tragic story from 9/11. I lost no loved ones in either of the towers. None of my friends were any of the brave men and women on the plane that crashed in PA. And I don't know anybody who works at the Pentagon. I know people who's boyfriends or girlfriends or husbands or cousins, etc. died, God rest there souls, but I have no direct loss. However, I am still hit by the disgust I felt at 9am on Tuesday Sept 11th 2001. I worked as a server at an IHOP at the time, and had to be at work at 9:00. So I was walking to work when the first plane hit. After I arrived and dressed myself for the shift, an co-worker tells me "A plane crashed into one of the WTC towers," and of-course... I didn't believe him. So he pulls his phone out to show me the news update on his phone to prove ONE plane had hit when the update got UPDATED and we found out about the second plane. There were a lot of customers in the restaraunt at this time and no one had any idea what was going on, they just saw all of the servers bunched up in the smoking section trying to make a paperclip work as an antenae on a TV. I told what customers I got over the next few minutes, and they either left or joined the servers around the TV just in time for the UPDATE of the Pentagon attack. I stepped outside to have cigarette a few moments later and in a 5 minute perod saw a half dozen jets and 4 choppers fly just overhead. Of course, all of us were speculating and saying we were at war and were under attack, but after seeing the attacks on TV and our military move into action and patroling the air so quickly, there was no doubt in my mind that life as Americans knew it was about to change forever. I later found out that my father was supposed to be in the Pentagon doing some electrical construction at 930, but was stuck in rush hour traffic and saw the whole thing go down from a bridge a few blocks away. I thought it was amazing how we, as Americans, pulled together in the face of terror and horror and united as one.... For about six months. If only we could have kept it up. You see, our global unity ended with the dropping of the first bomb and the first rounds shot off by any soldier. Americans were back to being Americans... Tougher than anyone else. And to prove it, we'll bomb the hell out of you. And when people see these kinds of actions by our leaders, of course they're gonna say things like "F--kin Towel heads" and tell people to get the hell out of "OUR COUNTRY", as if we didn't migrate here in hopes of a better life to at some point. Humanity is all about what happened after the attacks of 9/11/01. Now if we could just remember how we felt on September 12th, 2001, and try to have that same sense of Patriotism and Humanity, then and only then, will we be able to say UNITED WE STAND. Thank you for reading my rant. Never Forget.......... 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 story20407.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. 2006-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.55.50.220 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: Photos at: toddshea.com/wtcpics.htm toddshea.com/fivethousand.ntm toddshea.com/911.htm Permission granted to post photos and copyrighted lyrics MY STORY OF 9/11 By Todd Shea So many others were hurt and impacted by the events of 9/11 far more than I was, this is just my little story in a book of millions. I can't even imagine the sorrow of those who lost a loved one or a dear friend. Still, 9/11 was absolutely the worst day of my existence to this point. Like you, I feared for my family, our country and our way of life. I called my son at least 20 times before I finally got through- I didn't know what would happen, he doesn't live far from Washington, D.C. And like many others, I didn't think the attack was over after the 4 airliners crashed, I thought it was possibly just beginning. He is 11 years old and had already seen television coverage of what had happened, so I had to "explain" this insanity to him as best I could. I told him I was sure he would be safe, but I had to be honest with him, and I had to tell him that if anything happened to me before we were able to see each other again, that wouldn't stop me from loving him until the end of time. That week, instead of doing what I love- playing and creating music, I spent over 100 hours with only 7 hours of sleep at a man-made gate to Hell, fueled by anger, adrenaline and caffeine, supplying some of the finest people I have ever come to know. In the middle of this surreal environment, I thought at times that perhaps I had finally lost my mind. But then, in our darkest hour, I watched hundreds, then thousands, then millions of good people respond to this despicable act. And so did God. And through the grief and pain, I found hope that Mankind will one day overcome hate, and go on to much better things... TERRIBLE TUESDAY I was staying at a hotel in Queens when the attacks happened. My fianc?e, Michele, and I woke up to a phone call from my manager Al Sirowitz. His call was expected- we were going to be working in a recording studio that day. I felt great and was very eager to get to work on my music. I answered the phone. Instead of his normally upbeat personality, Al seemed very subdued. He had the worst of news. We turned on the TV and watched the 2nd jet slam into the south tower. Then we watched the Twin Towers burn from a hotel window. In an instant, happiness and anticipation had been replaced by anguish and dread. Absolute terror, shock and rage would be an understatement. After getting control of my emotions to some extent, I set out to do the only thing I could do: volunteer to help. I am thankful that the good people who signed me to an artist development and recording deal also happen to run a successful company that has the personnel, expertise, resources, ability and credentials to respond instantly in a time of national emergency. DOING WHAT I CAN That first day and early Wednesday, I ferried Human Service Center's crisis intervention counselors and emergency service workers to various hospitals and staging areas, using some down time (while waiting for a couple of counselors) to write a poem about the disaster with Human Service Center's CEO Daniel Panitz, Sr., entitled "Evil Will Never Win" (see lyrics below). After bringing the counselors to the family of a fallen firefighter, I headed to the disaster center at Chelsea piers in Manhattan, where I was given my first mission to ground zero. I didn't want to go there, I had to- my life was and is and will be about using my music and my energies to fight the same kind of twisted philosophies, ignorance and hatred that brought the towers down and killed so many innocent people. I've loved those towers and what they stood for ever since I was a little kid, entranced by the sight of them as I rode with my family up The Garden State Parkway, traveling from Maryland to Upstate New York to visit relatives for Thanksgiving. My resolve to do whatever good I can has only deepened as a result of this evil. A SLIGHT DETOUR When I left Chelsea Piers loaded with 60 cases of gatorade, 50 cases of water and 25 grocery bags full of fresh fruit and a few US Marines in civilian clothes, I didn't even realize that in the chaos of the moment, Roberta (the official who sent me to ground zero), a wonderful woman who seemed to be doing 10 things simultaneously, hadn't given me any emergency tag or pass to go into the restricted area. When I arrived at the well-guarded checkpoint, shortly after being cheered by a large crowd waving American flags on West Side Highway, a police officer halted my van and asked me what did I think I was doing (I was the only civilian vehicle in a rather long procession of utility trucks, emergency, police and official vehicles). I told him I had been sent from Chelsea Piers to deliver cold drinks and fruit to firemen at ground zero. He asked for my pass- I told him I hadn't been given one, and that I had assumed my vehicle description and mission had been radioed ahead and cleared (In your mind, picture this long-haired "dude" driving a beat up 1985 conversion van trying to explain to an understandably suspicious police officer why he was trying to get into the restricted area without a pass). He got on the radio for a moment, then ordered me to make a left. I remember thinking "This is odd, all the other vehicles are going straight ahead." I complied with his directive by turning left and heading down the block, when the van was suddenly swarmed by about 25 very serious looking FBI and ATF agents with handguns and automatic weapons drawn. These were some of the scariest looking guys I had ever seen, and they clearly meant business. One guy looked as though he'd been chiseled out of rock: I'm guessing around 6 foot 6 inches and 275 pounds of nothing but muscle. The FBI Agent who was in charge ordered me to put my hands up and slowly step out of the vehicle. One by one, so were the others. They were taken to the back of the van while I was frisked against the driver's side. Rapid-fire questions and commands filled the air, and I answered and complied as quickly as possible. Agents were talking on radios and conducting various fact gathering activities. I heard one of the Marines who came with me state emphatically that he had just met me and another say "I was just trying to help out, I didn't know the guy was wanted!" They searched the entire van, opened the hood and all doors, removed the cases of drinks and checked the underside. They had my license but were having trouble finding my registration, which was in a small plastic bag between the seats under a few bags of fruit. I was ordered to very slowly go inside the vehicle and retrieve my registration. While the agent in charge held my left hand and kept his gun pointed at my side, I leaned inside the van and reached between the seats, fumbling under the bags of fruit. I looked up and noticed an M-16 rifle pointed at my head through the passenger side window, just in case I were to try anything stupid. These guys were at war, and they seemed to be on such high a state of hair-trigger alertness that If I had suddenly grabbed an apple and yelled "Praise Allah!," I probably would have had more holes in me than a Swiss cheese. I noticed the line of fire was carefully coordinated so that the agents couldn't have accidentally shot each other if the need for deadly force became necessary. When my hand found the bag, I announced this fact and was ordered to place it on the ground and get back against the vehicle. They checked my registration and tags. The Special Agent in charge asked me, "You've got a Tennessee license, Florida tags, you're living on Long Island, you've got a parking pass for a hotel in the city and you're trying to get into ground zero- What's wrong with this picture?" I truthfully explained to him my situation as a "financially challenged" musician who's rambled all over the country playing music, and that I came to New York to pursue a songwriting career, had been in the city to play a gig when the attack happened, and felt it was my duty to help the firefighters in any way possible. He accepted my answer with a puzzled look and got back on the radio. He then told me that my name, social security number, license number and tag number was in the process of being searched for matches in every law enforcement database in the universe. The whole thing lasted what I believe to be around twenty minutes. After completing the search and clearing everyone of any criminal activity or warrants, the Special Agent in charge became as friendly as he had been intimidating. He said he was sorry if they had scared any of us. He told me there was a citywide alert to be on the lookout for a suspicious van with Florida tags, tied with several threats to blow bridges and tunnels or detonate a bomb at ground zero. He stated that they had no choice under the circumstances but to detain us and investigate whether or not we posed a threat. Made perfect sense to me. I told him that I was very proud of the job they were doing, and hadn't the slightest problem with the way they conducted themselves. They quickly sent us on our way to the disaster site, as they went on about their business of protecting America without hesitation. If those agents had encountered a terrorist with a bomb that day, I feel confident they would have neutralized the scum. I wasn't angry with those guys, I was proud of them, and prouder to be an American Citizen. They conducted their investigation of me and my van with the highest degree of professionalism. They successfully balanced my rights with society's rights. They brought honor to their agencies and to their country. I salute them and will never forget why them and their colleagues are so important to the preservation of our way of life. WHEN COLD WAS MORE PRECIOUS THAN GOLD After my interesting encounter with federal law enforcement agents, I didn't have any further difficulties getting into the restricted area. I guess they recognized me- I was just waved through or they'd ask me for a gatorade. I made 3 more trips to ground zero from Chelsea Piers that day and into the early morning hours, loading up with ice and beverages and food, becoming a "rolling canteen" for officers and national guard troops who'd been stationed at street corners throughout lower Manhattan for God knows how many hours. Most of the firefighters, officers and troops I came in contact with were very thirsty, to say the least. A few places where I stopped did have drinks that weren't cold, so they were pretty glad to see me and my stocked coolers. FREE CDS AT 1 AM I was dropping a large load of ice and cold drinks at The Municipal building in lower Manhattan, when one of the guys helping me unload noticed my guitar amplifier sitting in the van. He asked me what kind of music I played, so I asked him if he wanted a CD. Then another guy wanted one, and another... I had a box of 50 CDs that I'd planned to give away at my now canceled gig at CBGB's Gallery on the lower East Side. My attitude was, "Well, I came to this city with full intention to give these CDs to away, to Hell with the terrorists, If these guys want my music, they got it." 50 CDs were gone in less than a minute. A GRASS ROOTS SUPPLY CAMPAIGN I am thankful that Dan Panitz, Sr. of Human Service Centers had enough faith in my initial intelligence reports to deputize me, as well as his son Damian and one of his security guards, Robert Rodriguez, and move swiftly to secure large quantities of donated products: saline, inhalers, nebulizers, benadryl, medical tape, bandages, flashlights, food, water and gatorade, as well as some important things that were notably absent at ground zero in the early stages of the rescue effort, like visine, contact lens wash, energy bars, ice and several kinds of over the counter medications. I am proud of the fact that we brought in these needed items in all the pain, confusion and chaos of the first few days, setting up temporary pharmacies and convenience stores at the foot of the wreckage, supplying triage centers, placing items in the hands of the people who needed them immediately (with the help of the administration and staff of Human Service Centers, Inc., with the generous donations of CVS, Walgreens, Duane Reade, Home Depot, Elmhurst Drugs, the folks at Chelsea Piers and others- and with the blessing and cooperation of The Mayor's office and F.E.M.A.), complimenting larger, more complex supply efforts until safe warehouse space could be found and mass distribution of supplies could become fully efficient. Seeing true heroes in action with my own eyes was unbelievable. I was in awe, and it was an honor and a privilege to be one of the people who served them. I don't know why, but something told me that me and my van could make a difference, and though it was just a small difference, I believe it made things a bit easier for a few people. I am also very proud of Michele, she was absolutely terrified and did not want me to go to ground zero, yet she found the strength to help out, gathering supplies for me to deliver. CAN'T WASH AWAY THE PAIN I saw some things at ground zero that will never leave me. I saw the results of hatred, I smelled and walked in a mass grave of mass murder. I saw things that I've written songs and lyrics about for the last five years, and feared would happen, become a reality and a recurring nightmare. The first time I had a chance to take a shower, early Thursday morning before dawn, it occurred to me in the most horrifying way that not only was I washing away asbestos, dirt, chemicals and sweat, I was also washing away the ashes of incinerated human beings who once lived, loved and breathed just like me, and have families who love and miss them dearly. The equivalent of 15 showers at 4 am one morning, and I couldn't wash away the smell of death. This was devastating. It's still devastating. ONE LIBERTY PLAZA On Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, and again on Thursday night, I was working across the street from where Tower 2 once stood- at One Liberty Plaza, a monolithic fifty story skyscraper that was, at that time, believed to have sustained significant damage to its foundation. On one occasion when the area was evacuated, I was handing out stuff to a company of weary firemen who were taking a much deserved break when a horrifyingly loud crack got our undivided attention. Seconds later, I heard a voice through a bullhorn screaming "Go, Go, Go, Go, Go, Go!!!" and so began a major "run for your lives" scenario. It looked just like you would think it to look- total chaos. I abandoned my van, which was parked at the building's side entrance. When I got a "safe" distance, I caught my breath, praying that everyone had made it out of the area O.K.. I heard all kinds of stuff- some said the building's collapse was imminent, the street was in danger of caving in, the building had shifted, etc. We later found out that One Liberty Plaza was structurally sound, just a lot of broken windows. And the loud crack was just a nearby crane winning a fight with a huge steel beam. Even though the building didn't fall, the whole experience was so powerful, I still have vivid dreams where I'm watching One Liberty Plaza toppling over into other buildings like a giant domino. A ROUGH THREE MONTHS I've dealt with this tragedy through my music, and by talking to others about what I went through and what they went through, but I also held many things inside for so long and tried to "move on" before I was ready. I only recently "saw" what this strategy was doing to me inside and out. I thought I'd be strong enough to just keep going and stay busy, but just before the holidays I had a minor physical and emotional breakdown, so I am taking this opportunity to tell my story in a continuing effort to respond to my anger and sadness in a positive and healing way. Also, I'm too busy these days to feel this bad- I have had two colds, lingering sinusitis, and a bad case of bronchitis, which I finally got over with the help of Biaxin. I've never been so sick or felt so tired over a three month span. Flying back and forth between New York and Florida, trying to write and record a new 14 song album didn't allow me to have much time to recharge, and I just couldn't seem to shake it off. I'm very lucky though- my chest x-ray showed nothing major, and I've been given a complete physical and blood analysis. Everything came out fine, just irritated lungs, an overworked immune system and mental exhaustion. I wonder- If I've felt this bad, what about the guys who've been there for months? I pray for them. I BELIEVE In the hijacker's cowardly actions born of a mindless, idiotic allegiance to a living demon's warped, convenient and self-defeating ideology, we witnessed the lowest depths of evil, the very worst of Mankind. Within the wreckage they caused, I witnessed the very best of Mankind. I also experienced what I'm convinced were some powerful signs from God, which Dan, Sr. and I recently wrote a song about, entitled "I Believe." (The Lyrics are posted at this web site) One of these signs was a black and white picture of a statue. The untitled photo had a Mother Mary and baby Jesus look to it, and I saw every mother and infant who ever lived. In contrast to the nightmare surrounding me, this beautiful image very powerfully represented human innocence and unconditional love. I found it as I walked alone, crying in the darkness through a graveyard of crushed police and rescue vehicles, some with their headlights and radios still on. It was just before midnight on the 12th, and having been separated from my vehicle as a result of the earlier evacuation, I was just wandering through the streets around ground zero for a couple of hours, praying and taking in every facet of this crime, getting a graphic and firsthand taste of the fruits of evil so I can be a witness for those who weren't there to see it up close. So I can describe, to my son and anyone willing to listen, my eyewitness accounting of the depths of depravity and ignorance some humans are willing to dive down to. I looked up into the night and asked God to somehow let me know that he was with me at this valley of the shadow of death, and that he still cared about this world he created. I thought about the Holocaust and about big and small acts of evil and indifference throughout history, and wondered if God had given up on this world somewhere along the way. Not 5 minutes later, as I turned a street corner, something caught my eye. It was the photo- completely untouched in a pile of ash and burnt papers and lit up by a beam of light from one of the huge lights set up over the disaster site. I picked it up and felt the presence of thousands of souls... and God. Not a vengeful God, not an intolerant God... simply a loving spiritual force beyond full comprehension who created us with the free will to choose a path of good or evil in this life. It was one of the most incredible moments in all my life. Right up there with the time I first laid eyes on my son. The photo is now in the hands of the folks in charge of the World Trade Center Memorial, in case they wish to attempt to locate its owner or find a home for it. On Thursday, coming back into Manhattan loaded with supplies, I had another extraordinary experience... As the first shades of dusk began to fall, I was waved through a checkpoint manned by national guardsmen with automatic weapons... I proceeded westward, crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, which was eerily empty - an army Humvee was the only other vehicle on the darkened bridge, which normally bustles with heavy traffic at the end of any given day. As I headed into a lower Manhattan that was devoid of any electricity or lights, I could not reconcile the familiar sight of the World Trade Center's towering domination of New York's skyline with the empty space that now silently and tragically existed before me. I asked God to please wake me from this nightmare... And I believe He answered me... again. I looked beyond the tower's absence and noticed the sky. It was the deepest, calmest, bluest blue I have ever seen. Words cannot fully describe just how blue and inspiring it was. I now know what it feels like to experience every human emotion at the same time, at its most intense level. The signs I saw have given me strength to get through the extreme sadness and anger I am still dealing with, as I know many of you are, too. Though I will never forgive the evil ones who perpetrated this crime against humanity, and will never forget the unimaginable death and destruction I witnessed at our nation's darkest hour, I was glad to be of service to some of America's finest and bravest men and women. Thanks to America's true heroes... Those who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice so others may live, and be free. Sometimes they don't make it back home. May God Bless those lost on 9/11, and their loved ones, and our emergency personnel, and our troops... I dedicate this story to them. PEACE, And God Bless America. Todd Shea, January 5, 2002 I BELIEVE By Daniel R. Panitz & Todd Shea As I walk through this canyon of sorrow I cry for countless stolen tomorrows In this graveyard of a million hopes and dreams I can feel thousands of souls all around me I search for truth and light in these streets of death For a sign from God at this man-made gate to hell When a beam of light illuminates the dark And a vision of mother and child fills my eyes and my heart A picture of a statue lying in the ashes of hate A message of hope and faith to give me strength Untouched in this destruction... not a scratch And laid down in the dust by the Lord's gentle hand I believe one day God will set us free And these wandering souls will find eternal peace I believe one day the world will find its destiny And many thousand silenced voices Are with me as I sing? I believe When the blackest night gave way to the dawn The morning sun revealed so many reasons to carry on Upon devastation hill, among the pain and loss In the twisted steel there stands a perfect cross While our heroes search for our fallen sisters and brothers Risking life to bring home a child, husband or wife, father or mother A peace came over me that I had never known As I realized I've never walked alone For I looked beyond the empty spaces in the city skyline And the ones who reigns in love gave me yet another sign The bluest sky my eyes ever gazed upon Fluorescent, deep and unmistakably from God I believe one day God will set us free And these wandering souls will find eternal peace I believe one day the world will find its destiny And many thousand silenced voices Will be with us as we sing? I believe Through the fires born of evil intention Thousands of souls make their ascension. Leaving behind a world that grieves for them Saying good bye to loved ones, until they meet again ?2001 Human Service Entertainment, Inc. A POEM, WRITTEN ON 9/11 The Evil One Will Never Win (Dedicated Those Lost) By Daniel R. Panitz & Todd Shea Our nation's horizon has been changed forever And millions cry for the fallen ones In deepest grief we mourn together An unspeakable act we prayed would never come to be Has now been so viciously perpetrated on our great country The Demon cast a sinister shadow of terror and deception And carved a path of destruction, with twisted, sick intention This Monster believes he's won, by striking at our hearts But he will never tear our souls apart This ploy to destroy the fiber of our faith And choke the breath out of peaceful days In the end, will be yet another failure for the disciples of hate All they've accomplished is today's sadness They've done nothing to help their causes with this madness The time has come to vanquish the evil beings Who aim to murder mankind's hope For they've now tied the end of their own rope Never again will we hesitate Never will we allow evil to be the master of our fate Though our lives will never be the same This nation will never be any devil's domain Never again will we allow the beast to send its serpents by air, land, or sea Our brave forces of justice shall remain a constant sentry We will stand together as one, With Liberty And Justice for all under the Sun This 911 date is recorded in infamy As now these cowards join the shameful ranks Of all who've tried to bring down democracy. With their lies and deeds of hypocrisy This evil deed will not succeed Our children will live their lives And this nation will survive For we will never give in to the Stalins the Hitlers, the Pol Pots, McVeighs and bin Ladens Today the world cries out 911 And stands against this crime as one For those who hate will one day be vanquished for all time By Kingdome come, Thy will be done On Earth as it is in Heaven Let the healing begin For the evil one will never win ?2001 Human Service Entertainment, Inc. 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 story666.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. 2002-05-23 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.12.104.168 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 9/11/01, I was at school. At the time no-one knew what was going on. On the p.a. we heard the office make an announcement for us not to worry and that we would be dismissed early. This made everyone go chaotic because no one knwe what they were talking about and got scared. Nothing personally happened to me except for the beefed up secruity where I live. However, my parents both work across the street from the Pentagon, and saw the airplane crash into it. Thier building shook violently and lost all power. Camden Unglesbee 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 story8059.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. 2002-09-22 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.78.123.19 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'll never forget my mom calling me hysterical at 6 A.M. She was screaming that we were at war, and the world trade centers had been hit by a plane. All I could do was cry. I couldn't even move to turn on the TV. It wasnt true, I told my mom to shut up!!! Then I sat down & cried, my boyfriend joined me, and I then called my best friend. We sat there all day glued to the TV still not comprehending the size... of this destruction, the people that each had special lives were taken away from all of us. I still cry & will never forget...ever. 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 story4504.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. 12.246.36.233 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 work for an american Broker. So we prepared us for the opening and watched CNBC. Then we saw the special report from the WTC building. We thought first that a piper has crashed to the building. Then we saw live on TV the second plane crashed to the building. We all started screaming..... we tryed to call our friends in New York. But all connections were broken. We all watched on the tv and didn't believed what we saw....... We all were americans at this moment!!!!!!!!!!! Americans fight for your land and destroy all the terrorists we are on your side....... 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 story1414.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. 195.50.96.195 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 husband was still sleeping; he always has Tuesdays off. I was up, puttering around, making coffee. It was a hot day, so we had the AC on and the shades drawn. The phone rang; it was my mother-in-law in Ohio. She sounded anxious and asked if we were okay. I glanced over at my husband on the bed in his underpants. "Yeah, we're okay." She said that the world trade center was gone. It made no sense to me. I stammered to my mother-in-law, "Uh, hold on, just a minute please." I went over to the window and moved the blinds. I couldn't believe what I saw. Instead of the glistening lower Manhattan skyline, there was just a giant pyroclastic flow of black smoke. I went back to the phone and said, "Holy Shit!" to my church going mother-in-law. My next words were, "I gotta sit down. My knees are weak. What happened?" She told me to turn on the TV. I hung up and screamed at my husband, "Get up, look!" I turned on the TV and could only get one station and it was fuzzy at that. I told my husband that we had to fill up every container we had with water, go to the bank, get some money and go grocery shopping for stuff like canned milk and dried beans. We ran into a neighbor who had just driven from lower Manhattan. She was sobbing and hiccuping, saying over and over, "I can't believe I got out." Later we went up to the roof and saw everybody walking across the Brooklyn Bridge as billows and billows of smoke continued to blossom out of lower Manhattan. We walked over to Ft. Greene Park and glumly sat on the steps watching the smoke. The next day we walked over to the Brooklyn Promenade and spent some time on the roof of a friend's in Brooklyn Heights. Another building collapsed on Wednesday sending another giant plume skyward. We ran into a friend who had been on the promenade when the towers collapsed and she said that people were screaming and throwing up and falling down on the ground. For days, everybody was walking around with puffy, blotchy, pale faces with a dazed look. I left Brooklyn the following Monday and have not been back. 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 story137.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. anonymously 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. 2002-03-05 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 129.44.15.185 Annotation Annotations to this item. NY:3 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 woke up and went to school like it was a regular day. In the middle of second period i was called to the front to go home, and I had no idea why. When i got to the front my step mom was freaking out and I still had heard nothing about it. She told me but I didnt understand and I didnt know why anything like this would happen, and when I saw it on the news I was shocked...I couldnt beleive it. Then after a few days it really started to set in adn thats what I began to worry what was going to happen next. As time went by i calmed down and realized that my counrty wasnt going to let somthing like that happen again. Now it has been almost two years and its still in the back of my mind. I dont worry about it all the time like I did before, but I still think about it pretty often. I just hope nothing like that happens again. I didnt have any family in the towers, and I am greatful, but I am very sorry for those of you who did. Thank you for taking time from your life to read my story. 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 story9274.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. 2003-04-28 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 216.53.180.182 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 didn't know anyone killed in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, or in Pennsylvania. In fact, I don't know anyone who lost anyone close to them. So, the visceral reaction I had to the attacks came as a surprise to me, as I'm sure it did to many throughout the nation and the world. My story is of how the world changed in the time it took to dress my 11-month old daughter. I like to watch Good Morning America as I dress for work. This day was no different. I listened to the news, the weather, saw the smiles of the audience and the hosts. I turned off the television in my room, and went to get my daughter out of her crib. I talked and sang to her while I dressed her and brushed her hair. Then, we walked to the sitting room, where I sat with her in my lap. It was our custom to rock and watch Good Morning America while she drank her morning bottle (Charlie Gibson makes her laugh). Turning on the television--the one I had just left moments before--was like turning on a different reality. The first picture was the hole from the first plane spewing smoke and flames. What a terrible, terrible accident, I thought. Accident. But, as my baby finished her milk, the second plane hit, and I felt the collision in the pit of my stomach. No accident. My daughter is almost two now, and old enough to sense when things aren't quite normal. Today, on the first anniversary of these attacks, she patted the red, white, and blue pin I attached to her shirt, and said, "special 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 story4109.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. 206.31.124.12 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 at home and had just sent my 8yr old off for school. Since I was up that early, I turned on the local news and that was when I saw what had happened. Then, I heard that a plane went down on the other side of Pennsylvania, the state I live in. I was a nervous wreck. I wasn't sure if these attacks were going to continue and if my son was in danger. I didn't know whether to go back to the school and get my son. Luckily, we were safe here, but I just wanted to hold my boy, but decided to leave him at school. I didn't want him to get upset. I thought he was handling it quite well for an 8yr old who's old enough to understand what was going on, until I got the chance to really sit him down and ask him about it. The poor kid wanted to come home because he said he thought I was dead and just wanted me. I lost it, cried and held him. He was more upset than I thought. He asked me why they did this. His exact words were,"What did we ever do to them?" How do you tell your son how much hatred is in this world for someone to do this to so many people? I didn't understand it myself. I'd like to express my deepest sympathies to all the victims. I'd also like to thank all the people who helped. The ones on the front lines and also the people behind the scenes helping with food, drink, etc. 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 story5898.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. 152.163.188.6 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 woke up early the morning of the eleventh sorting through my day in my head. As I headed downstairs excitement was building up inside of me as I thought of the things I had planned for the day. Late into my ninth month of pregnancy I was looking forward to a scheduled doctor's appointment to see how my son was doing. I flipped the television on to the news and turned, walking into the kitchen, to make some breakfast before I had to leave. Half listening to what was being said I didn't fully understand what was happening at first. I went back upstairs to tell my husband that on the news a plane had crashed into a building, I wasn't sure where but he should get up and watch the news with me. A few minutes later I ran back upstairs to tell him that one of the World Trade Center towers had fallen and he needed to get up right now. We watched in shock and horror at the chaos that was erupting on the streets of New York. On the way to the docotrs office (an hour drive for us) we listening in silence as the news gave details of the cowardace act that had brought down the towers and damaged the pentagon. When we arrived at the doctors office I was the last one to be seen and we watched the news while I waited to see the doctor. As I pried myself away from the television set in the lobby when my name was called I was filled with grief and sorrow for all the innocent lives lost. Then to add to my shock the doctor informed me that we couldn't wait any longer and I had to go into labor that afternoon. The mixed emotions that I felt at that very moment over took me. On such a sad day in our history, a day when so many innocnet lives were lost and our country came under attack unprovoked, I was going to bring a child into this world. All through my labor I watched the news. I cried for the children who lost thier parents as I thought of my son that I would soon be seing, I cried for the parents who lost thier children in the towers and aboard the planes, some as young as two years old, and I cried thinking of what kind of world my son had to look forward to. At 11:27 p.m. on September 11th 2001 Michael Seth McDougal was born into a world filled with pain and misery. A world where heros had died trying to save people they had never known, and the lives of these people meant just as much to us as our own. Now a year later my feelings and emotiong are just as mixed as they were on this same day last year. I am so happy to have a healthy happy one year old son, and excited about his birthday. But at the same time I cry for all of those who lost thier lives on this tragic day, and for the souls who survived and must remember. But I am proud to say that my son is an American Child. He was born into the greatest country in this world, where acts of terrorism will not scare us into a corner. On the 11th of September our nation became one with a common cause, to show the world that we will not waver and we will not allow cowards to control our lives with fear. My son will grow up knowing that on the day he was born, we became stronger as whole. And I am overwhelmed will love and pride for our country....there isn't a better place to raise my son. 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 story6555.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. 24.26.156.6 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 awoke unusually early, about 5a.m. (8a.m. est) with stomach pains, and a bad dream, thoughts of my father's ashes(my father died over fifty years ago, when I was one yr.)After feeding my cats, getting some fresh air, using rest room, I felt better, but I felt compelled to make three phone calls, all back east, to acousin, my ex-brother-in-law, and an old boyfriend, at 5:58,6:02, and 6:07 a.m. (that is8:58,9:02 &9:07 est.I did not turn on the news until @ 8:15 (ll:15 in N.Y.) I was transfixed and in shock, as everyone; But as a native New Yorker, who left to live in Ca. when I was 43, I felt particulary connected, taking the attack almost personally, feeling very victimized and powerless. I feel that I had some kind of psychic connection with what was happening in New York that morning, as I felt a certain panic as I made those calls. As I do not speak to these people really, I somehow felt driven to connect, wanting to find out how my sister was from my brother-in-law, for instance, as I have not spoken to her since l992. (again I did not know what had occurred until a couple of hours later.) Immediately following that day, I had a great desire 'to do' something, give blood, go back to N.Y. to help. (This was impossible.) In the weeks and months after, I reached out to friends back east, have tried to make a reconciliation with my sister. I have stayed in the house alot, basically depressed and immobilized. I am praying alot, that the hearts and minds of the terrorists, and all those who live in fear, and have envy, and hurt and pain, and those who feel lack and want and need; that a miraculous shift occurs. That a true sharing occurs, that we stop flaunting what we have, and understand what others need.I leave that kind of healing to G-d. I believe that our country can and should prevent this from happening again, quickly and firmly.I describe part of what I am suffering, as 'survivor's guilt', as I 'escaped from N.Y.' I feel some separation from N.Y. out here in the mountains of California, where I live, that people here are disconnected from Washington,and N.Y. Yet I know the events of 9/11 have brought us closer, more united, and I hope that 'the world will be as one'.(It has taken me this long to write, and find this website. Thank you for this opportunity to let go, and take yet another step toward healing.) (I just want to make a note that I did not speak with my cousin, or brother-in-law that morning and only briefly to my friend, as he was sleeping and didn't seem to know what had just happened.) 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 story6832.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. 208.12.101.134 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: The morning of September 11th was going to be a fun day,I thought. I sent my 6 year old at the time off to school, kissing her and saying Ill see you in a little bit. The 1st&2nd graders had planned a field trip,to the apple orchards in Southern Illinois. As I was getting me and my 1 year old ready I turned on the t.v to find some cartoon's. At the time the news caught my eye and I just started to watch and was in awe of what I seen, I continued to watch and called my mother in law and my best friend to turn on the t.v. 2 minutes later as I was watching I remember hearing Charlie Gibson saying how unfortunate etc etc and, as he said that, the 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower and in amazement I thought I was dreaming, And that time then hearing Charlie Gibson saying we can all assume that this is an act of terrorism. I hurried and finished getting ready and called my husband at work and let him know what was going on, he already heard and they were watching it on t.v. I rushed to the school- and waited for my daughter to give her a hug. And we went to the apple orchards walking and talking in a daze saying to my self" I cannot believe we are under attack" At the time all air traffic had been cancelled and to see a plane fly was scary. I was able to spend the day with my 2 girls, and I just didnt realize the intensity until I came home and watched the news for the rest of the day. We live in a very small town in Southern Illnois and the impact we had on the attacks affected us deeply, I can not imagine how it was for the ppl in New York, Pentagon, Pennsylvania. I woke up this morning a year later, again sending off my daughter to school,kissing her & telling her Ill see you in a little bit. Instead of a field trip, I went and met her at the front of the school by the flag pole for our the 9-11 memorial. My heart is breaking, the tears are falling and my thoughts are with the victoms of 9-11 God Bless America!!!!!!!!!!!!! Marimar Gray DeSoto Illinois 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 story4949.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. 209.131.252.157 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: Mi historia de ese d?a ya la cont? pero si me gustar?a hacer una reflexi?n que en ese momento no hice, por miedo a incluirla en este sitio ya que no es mi intenci?n herir la sensibilidad de alguien que lo sufriera de forma personal. No tengo ning?n tipo de odio hacia Estados Unidos, como pa?s, de hecho siempre he tenido la ilusi?n de viajar alg?n d?a y visitar muchos de sus m?s conocidos lugares. Sin embargo, cuando no tienes el "exacervado patriotismo americano" y eres de otro pa?s (aunque me apene que aqu? si das muestras de patritismo espa?ol te tachen de franquista por la historia reciente)... bueno, a lo que voy. Olvidando por un momento las v?ctimas inocentes que murieron ese d?a... no sent? esa herida en el orgullo americano. Ese orgullo americano que les hace creerse los m?s poderosos del mundo, que puede lo sean en armamento pero no en otras muchas cosas. Un pa?s que "carece" de historia, que mucho de lo que tienen como propio (cine, pizza, hot dog, hamburguesas, la Estatua de la Libertad...) realmente no son originarios de su pa?s sino de Europa... parece que esa "carencia" de historia les lleva a querer formar una historia propia: meti?ndose en guerras ajenas consider?ndose los grandes defensores de la humanidad... y eso, en su constante enfrentamiento con el mundo ?rabe, ha llevado a la situaci?n del 11 de septiembre. Que le llev? a Estados Unidos a mandar sus tropas a Sud?n?? Por qu? apoya tanto a Israel?? Cierto es que los palestinos no son angelitos pero Sharon y sus ?rdenes tampoco son lo mejor, parece que olvidan lo que sufrieron en Alemania y ahora lo hacen ellos conlos palestinos arremetiendo contra campos de refugiados palestinos, sin dejar que pase la prensa para que vea lo que hace. Israel ser?a jud?a en tiempos lejanos pero dej? de serlo y ning?n pa?s por poderoso que sea tiene derecho a quitar su tierra a los palestinos para d?rsela a otro pueblo. ?Y si quit?ramos a todos los americanos de los EE.UU. y devolvi?semos la tierra a los indios a los que ellos mataban porque quer?an sus tierras? Los indios de EEUU fueron masacrados con la misma mentalidad que impera ahora Bush. \"Salvemos el mundo de los malos, levantemos el Winchester contra el enemigo del pueblo americano\" (ser? parte del norteamericano hasta que el resto de paises no se pronuncie pero bueno...) \"y masacremos a quien haga falta, al fin y al cabo son malos y sus hijos tb lo ser?n. ?s? que compremos a los tontos dirigentes de los paises fronterizos y consigamos nuestro fin. El fin justifica los medios.\" Ahora tiene que bombardear a Irak porque dice que est?n fabricando armas... ?acaso no las fabrica EE.UU.? ?acaso no ha vendido, a espaldas, armas a pa?ses? ?qu? busca? ?iniciar un conflicto a escala mundial? Iba a aniquilar a Ben Laden, el culpable de la masacre de las Torres Gemelas. ?D?nde est? BEn Laden? ?Qui?n "cre?" a Ben Laden? ?acaso no fue la CIA? ?cu?l es la verdad? EE.UU. ha utilizado el 11 Sept para hacer crecer el sentimiento de patriotismo y de due?os todopoderosos del mundo, de poder controlar a todos los pa?ses (al igual que controla la ONU) ?Y que se hace con el terrorismo de EE.UU. sobre la naturaleza y la Madre Tierra? Bush encontr? una forma de gastar armamento (como hizo su padre en el Golfo P?rsico) y como no ha conseguido la cabeza de Ben Laden encuentra una excusa para conseguir la cabeza de Sadam Hussein, el fracaso de su padre, la asignatura pendiente que dej? a su hijo ??cu?l es la verdad de todo esto? ?quien sale beneficiado? EE.UU., como en otras muchas de sus intervenciones b?licas, ha bombardeado supuestos lugares estrat?gicos afganos, supuestos lugares de mando, supuestos almacenes de armamento... que no eran sino almacenes de Cruz Roja, hospitales y otros lugares civiles... Pero esas muertes civiles y ajenas a Bush y Ben Laden no cuentan porque no las hemos visto. Sin embargo s? duelen las de las Torres Gemelas porque se contemplaron en directo por la Tv, lo organizaron de tal forma que cuando los informativos estuvieran con la primera de las torres, se viera en directo el impacto del segundo avi?n... El poder de la televisi?n... eso hace mucho en la sensibilidad de la gente y m?s si lo convierten en algo religioso-cultural... Occidente-EE.UU (due?os del mundo y los m?s inteligentes) contra los Isl?micos (que viven en el pasado y son subdesarrollados. Siento mucho las v?ctimas del 11 de sept. y tambien siento las civiles de Afganistan (aunque las im?genes que impresionen m?s sean las del 11 sept. ... pero la herida en el orgullo americano... esa no la siento, esa la merec?an. Lo siento, descansen en paz 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 story2218.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. 80.34.50.194 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 work as a residential service worker for a local group home for disabled adults. I work the "graveyard shift" (9:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M. CST). My sister-in-law is a nurse that works the same shift I do. I'll never forget that look on her face as she plowed up into her yard with her pick-up truck. She looked pale and with a very frightened look on her face. "What's wrong, Cathy?" I asked her, "did something happen to your mother, or your kids?" "NO!," she screamed, "a plane has hit the World Trade Center in New York City!!! Turn on the television, NOW!!!" We turned on the television to "The Today Show". There it was. They had shown the first plane hit the World Trade Center. In my gut feeling, I knew this was not an accident, but a diliberate one. Cathy started crying and so did I. I couldn't believe what was going on!!! Next, we saw as the other plane hit the other building. I was worried about how all of those people would get out of the two large buildings with all the fire and smoke. I knew the firefighters were helping, but what came next terrified me beyond belief. We saw one tower become completely surrounded in flames, and then we saw the collapse. It was if someone had taken a iron frying pan to my head. I was in shock. I couldn't move. "Are you alright Michelle?" my husband asked me. "No, I'm not. Look what happened. How many people just lost their lives? What about all the people that just lost their parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers and other relatives." Then, the next plane hit and a half an hour later that tower collapsed. I fell to the floor because I was in a great deal of shock. I'm glad my little girl was at school and didn't see me like that. The Pentagon was hit next and I thought I was going to die from grief!!! How could people hurt us like this? Was our President in danger? It was later reported that he had just left an Elementary School in South Florida on Air Force One. About an hour later, the fourth plane, which was at first headed for The White House, had been hijacked as well. "Oh No!" I cried. "Where's this one going?" It didn't hit another building, thanks to the heroism of the Passengers on that airplane. They gave the ultimate sacrifice in order to prevent another attack. I was in shock, I still couldn't move. I called in work and told them I couldn't work because I was in shock. I don't know if my employer believed me or not, but my sister-in-law (the nurse) came to my defense. "She's not in a mental state to work tonight. She can't move and she's crying all the time." I still can't believe it even almost a year later. How could the security of the most powerful country in the world let this happen? My daughter drew a powerful picture of that horrific day. It's a picture of our flag, and of our President, going on live television, giving the State Address, with two large skyscrapers on the ground with the United States Flag on the rubble, "our flag was still there." My daughter is only seven years old, but understands completely. Just a story from the average American citizen. 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 story1614.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. 2002-08-31 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.158.108.89 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 got off work at 0730 hrs. I work 13 Victor Tour 1, for NewYork Presbyterian Hospital. Usually my live-in boyfriend, Cesar Escobar, works until 0900 hrs on 19 William, from Battalion 17..Cesar was in refresher that day in Fort Totten. He called me soon after the 1st plane hit...he said "Baby, turn on the TV..a plane hit the WTC" He woke me up, I was foggy..I turned on the tv, and was talking to Cesar when the second plane hit. He was hearing it over the radio..asking me what the Hell was going on...I had no clue...I told him I had to call work..I had to go back in...Cesar told me he was being dispatched to a citybus to go to the "scene". We hung up and I left, I ran to the corner to get a cab to 168th and b'way. I got to Presby and had a "bus" bring me to 68th street..Cornell...Gosh, from there it is so blurry...I remember standing on the parking lot looking at 2 pillars of black smoke... I remember "losing it" because it had been 4 hours and I had not heard from Cesar...All I wanted to do was talk to my Mom and Dad in Canada..but I couldn't get thru...I was told by my supervisors, that they could not let me go down to the "scene"..I was hysterical...So, instead, I worked a transport unit..I brought 7 critically burned patients from Bellevue Hospital to Cornell...only 1 survived..Shortly after, my CSID ( critical stress incident debrief) asked me to help with coffee, food, etc...As mad as I was, it was the best thing he did for me...So I waited,,and waited..for Cesar to call me..anything..I finally got thru to my Mothers boss at about 11:30 pm. I was so glad to hear from someone my Mom knew, I didn't know her...but at that point she was my lifeline...At about midnite or so, I got in touch with my father...I got him on my cellphone at his house in Canada.. He had been sitting in front of the TV since the 1st plane hit...praying..for me..for Cesar..for all of us...I cried, and cried...I hadn't heard from Cesar yet...My father and I prayed together over the phone. We got disconnected, and I was never able to get my family again that day...So I waited...and waited..i had everyone looking for Cesar..giving his shield number to every cop, FF, medic who rolled into Cornell....At about 0930 hrs..24 hrs later..Cesar pulled his car into Cornells' parking lot looking for me!!! My love, my life...I ran out to the carport to meet him...we didn't say much..I just kissed him alot....We went home...I had leftovers from 09-10...we were in a daze..we ate steak and potatoes at 10:30 am....watchin TV in disbelief....Glad to be alive....In Memory...Mario Santoro...Keith Fairben...James Pappageorge.... 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 story1442.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. 2002-08-24 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.207.188 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: Sept. 11, 2003 I'm sure I looked out the window that morning but is wasn't to admire the blue sky, it was to see what others were wearing down on the sidewalks. I was happy to see that I had at least one more warm day, fall had not yet taken hold. I wore a nice black top, a bright asian print skirt and my nude colored heels. I left the house around 8:20 and passed Tom on the first floor coming back from his run over the bridge and back. "Have a good day" we said to each other. We didn't kiss because he was dripping with sweat and then I was off to Borough Hall to catch the 2/3 to work. I usually look at my watch when I'm getting off the train at 34th so I can determine how fast of a pace I need to set for myself to be at work by 9:00. I don't remember looking but I must have and what ever time it was, I concluded that I could take my time. I walked west across 34th on the north side of the street towards 8th, crossed to the New Yorker and headed north to Intermission Deli where my coffee was ready for me seconds after walking in the door. When I stepped off the elevator on the 19th floor of our office building there was Ben sitting in front of the door. I looked at my watch again, not really paying attention to what time it was, but to what time it wasn't. It wasn't 9:00 yet. Ray was supposed to open because it was Tuesday and Carol has an appointment every Tuesday morning. It wasn't long before Ray arrived and let us in. It must have been around 8:50. I did my usual routine. I walked to my computer, turned it on, put down my bag and headed to the kitchen to doctor up my coffee. On my way to the kitchen the phone rang and I answered it at Charlie's desk. "Ray, it's your mom on the phone" I yelled as I put her on hold and continued on to the kitchen. I hadn't even gotten a spoon out of the drawer when Ray yelled "Shawna, come here....quick". As I rounded the corner and saw Ray and Ben standing at the window I immediately thought that someone had jumped from a floor above. As I rushed closer Ray said that a plane had hit one of the towers at the World Trade Center. I looked south and there it was, a gaping hole in the side of the western most tower. We shot a few questions at each other, "What else did your mom say?" , "How many floors do you think it will effect", "How will they put out a fire that high?", "How could a pilot not see the towers on a day like today?". I called home to tell Tom to take a different subway line since ours runs beneath the WTC. I thought that with all the confusion, it would probably take forever for him to get to work. I was at my desk about to check emails when Eileen walked in. She looked so white and could only say "Another plane just hit the other tower". We all rushed back to the window only to see both towers were on fire and that's when we knew that this was no accident. We watched in horror through teary eyes and then started making mental lists of who we know and where they were. Somewhere in the next 20 minutes Stacey, Marnie, Jim and Scott showed up. Stacey got her little black and white TV out of her office and hooked it up behind Ray's desk. We flipped the little black and white TV back and forth between the only two channels that would come in. One had a decent picture but was in Spanish and the other had a horrible picture but was in english. We all wandered around the office from windows to computers, from the kitchen to the conference area. Stacey came to each one of us in private to ask if we needed anything, to see if we had found our loved ones and if everything is alright. There was no reason for Tom to be in lower Manhattan that morning other than being on the subway so I didn't panic but I was worried. I wanted to talk to him just to be sure. I called home again and left a message. I emailed him at work and told him to let me know as soon as he arrived. I waited about 10 minutes and then called him at work but he wasn't there yet. Suddenly I heard gasps from all around a few "Oh my god" echoed and I jumped up from my desk and ran to the window to see only one tower and then a cloud of smoke moving in all directions. I had been pretty calm until then but all that changed. Did I just see what I think I saw? How could the tower just crumble like that? Would that have collapsed the subway lines below the WTC? Where is Tom? I checked my email again, but nothing from Tom. I answered an email from Staci, my sister, and from Jenny McGinnis and then called home. Through a lot of tears I assured my mom and dad that I was ok and that Tom was bound to turn up at work any minute. They were the ones that told me about the fourth hijacked plane that was still unaccounted for. People in northern WV were watching the skies as they tracked the plane in the area and finally down in Pennsylvania. I promised them I'd get back to them soon, said I love you one more time and then said good bye. Moments later Tom called to say that he was safely at work. Finally a sigh of relief. I had my coffee in hand and was standing at the window next to Stacey when we saw the antenna of the second tower start to sway and then the unthinkable happened. The second tower came down. We just stood there and watched. I couldn't begin to comprehend what I had just witnessed. We were immediately trying to calculate how much time had passed and how long it would have taken to evacuate the area. It didn't take long before we realized that most of the people probably didn't get out. None of us knew how much worse this could get. We heard about the Pentagon and then the plane in PA going down. We all kept glancing out the window at the Empire State Building wondering if that was the next target. They closed off all the bridges and tunnels. The subways were stopped. We we trapped. Someone suggested getting some food and money incase we were spending the night at the office. Marnie and I went together to get some cash and I despertly wanted a change of clothes. Somehow it just felt wrong to be dressed up at a time like this. When we reached the lobby and headed out onto 8th Ave were were engulfed in a sea of people. Every face I looked into had the same distant gaze. The sidewalks were packed and pouring into the streets. Businesses and shops were closing up but the workers had nowhere to go. We heard sirens coming from the south and everything just stopped to see a badly beaten ambulance covered in debris, back doors missing, heading north on 8th. Once it passed we all resumed our trek to where ever it was we were going. Marnie and I walked across 34th to Citibank but there was a sign on the door that said "Closed". We turned around and headed back to the Duane Reade on 8th. We didn't talk too much on the way. We shared a couple of glances but mainly just watched the others on the street. As we were about to cross the street at 8th we heard a sound that just hours before would have gone unnoticed. It was a plane heading south over the island. Every person in sight stopped and watched as it passed overhead. We all knew that the FAA had grounded all flights so we watched and waited for the worst. Nothing happened. We went to the drugstore where I immediately jumped in line to use the cash machine while Marnie grabbed some crackers, tampons, a flashlight and cigarettes. We left and went to Bargain Hunters down the street to try and find me some clothes. I bought a t shirt, mens shorts, socks and flip flops. We headed back upstairs where I was relieved to find that Tom had just arrived and was waiting for me at my computer. After a long tearful hug and kiss I asked where he had been and what did he know. Tom was in the shower when the first plane hit. As he was getting dressed he turned on the TV to hear the news of the "accident". He quickly got his things together and headed down to the promenade to see first hand what was going on. In the time it took for him to get the two and a half blocks to the water, the second tower had been hit. He stood among a growing crowd and took pictures of the two burning towers. After about 10 minutes he headed towards the subway. There were considerable delays so by the time he actually reached work the first tower had already fallen. It wasn't long before Cardinal Communications closed it's doors for the day and Tom walked to my office to be with me. We were all waiting desperately for some news of subway openings. We were ready to head home. Tom and I decided that we would wait another hour or so and then start walking towards the Brooklyn Bridge. I emailed Mom, Dad and Staci that we were going to try to make it home and that I would try and call when we got there. I knew that getting through was going to be difficult but we would try. Around 1:00 they announced that a few subway lines were going to open up, one of them being the A,C,E. We gathered our stuff and headed out together. When we got to the subway station we made our way to the middle express tracks and waited. The crowds kept getting bigger as we waited. We watched as a C train arrived on the local side, packed with people. We waited. We saw an A train approaching the local side so we, along with hundreds of others, rushed down the stairs, across the hall and up the other side to the local track. To an outsider it probably looked like a panicked mob but surprisingly, everyone was calm, just focused on getting on that train. Once the train doors closed and we all looked around at each other, I started to cry. There were people staring out the window into the black tunnels, there were others quietly crying into their hands, there were some covered in dirt and dust with visible scratches and wounds. One thing was universal, no one said a word. Instinctively, as we passed the lower Manhattan stations, we all looked up as though we could see the chaos above us. The doors did not open as we slowed down and passed through the lower Manhattan stops of Canal, Chambers and Broadway/Fulton but we could smell the fires burning. We finally reached High Street stop in Brooklyn and got off. Thomas and I immediately walked down to the promenade only to be greeted by hundreds of others. Most of lower Manhattan was hidden in a dark cloud of smoke and debris that was heading our way. The air was thick with smoke and unfamilliar smells of burning debris and flesh. We covered our mouths but still there we stood. There was a glitter like halo around the entire area, it was office paper floating around catching the sun and then flitting away. We stood and watched for awhile and then headed towards home. When we came into our apartment we were shocked to find that the smoke had followed us home. We immediately closed our windows to try and keep it out but it was too late. Turning on the TV we realized that we had lost all channels except for a barely visable CBS. We changed clothes, into something comfortable and then settled down to watch. We knew that it was going to be a long night so we opted to pick up some chinese and rent a few movies so we could get a break from the coverage. As we were walking down Montegue with our movies and food, something fell from the sky into Toms arms. We looked closer and it was a partially charred page from a financial book...obviously from the WTC. We kept it and went home. The next few hours were long. We couldn't really stand to watch anymore news but we were afraid to turn it off. We watched as WTC 7 collapsed. We watched as they found no survivors. We watched as the mayor spoke to us about being strong. We watched as the experts estimated how long a person could survive in the pile. Thomas and I walked back down to the promenade later that night only to see the smoke eating up the horizon and a steady stream of police, emergency and fire vehicles lighting up the FDR and the bridge. All other traffic was halted. Sleep did not come easy for me. I was exhausted but my brain was in overdrive. I kept replaying the day in my head and then adding in images from TV. Then I began thinking about the view from the planes...the view from the top of the towers, the view from the street. I kept thinking in horror about what it must have been like for them and that kept me awake for hours. I wasn't sure what I was going to do the next day but Tom said that he was going to work. Stacey had told us that she would be there if any of us wanted to come in. We knew we wouldn't get any work done but she felt that some of us would rather be there than be home. She was right. The thought of being home alone all day made me feel sick. Tom and I left together that morning. Our choices of subway lines was limited so we took the 4/5 to Grand Central Station. We kissed goodbye and headed our separate ways at 6th and 42nd. I started walking West and looking for a NY Times. After a block or so I realized how empty the streets were. None of that hustle and bustle that keeps the city going 24/7. When I reached Times Square I was shocked and actually frightened to find that there weren't even a dozen other people in sight other than the uniformed and armed soldiers on each of the corners. I walked slowly beneath the lighted signs and past the store fronts. It was a ghost town. I must have stopped 10 times to find a paper but could only get the Post and Daily News. I cried as I walked slowly and tried to take it all in. This was a first and hopefully a last in my life, to see a city on hold. I reached my office building and knew that no one would be there this early so I went to my coffee shop downstairs to wait. The coffee shop was missing it's usual line of New Yorkers waiting for their caffeine fix for the day. I got to the counter and there were no words, just a nod of understanding, a small cosoleing smile and that was it. I took my coffee and my papers and planted myself at one of the far tables looking out towards the street. It only took a few minutes before I reached a page in the paper that I could not handle. I closed it and cried and then started again. When I finally did make my way upstairs to the office I felt a little better. I felt safer there than anywhere. Being in the same place with the same people somehow made it better. We gathered around the TV set up on the conference table and did brainless tasks such as labeling job bags. We all shared news of others and were all relieved to find that none of us lost anyone particularly close to us. They all knew a friend of a friend who was still missing but I was fortunate..I didn't have that many friends in NYC. The next few days and weeks seemed surreal. There were armed guards everywhere, bomb threats in office buildings all around us. Each day as the subway car would approach lower Manhattan stops it would slow to a snails pace so as not to cause too much vibration above at the pile. Each day the stench seemed to get worse. After about two weeks we were able to open our windows but a faint burning smell was still in the air. People seemed a little nicer, a little more patient for awhile. Not a day would go by that I didn't see a dust covered construction worker on the subway with that look in his eye and just know where he was coming from. Police and firefighters in their best dress were seen all over town going to and from funerals. We all saw them and knew where they were going. The missing signs were up all over the city for months. The candles at the Promenade covered the ground to make a mosaic of wax with wilted flowers mixed in. It was months before the sound of an overhead plane ceased to send my heart pounding and my hands shaking. Each milestone caused an almost paralyzing fear...one week, one month, two months, six months... Tom and I went downtown a few weeks later. The streets were dirt and the only traffic was armed guards and workers on four wheelers and a few police SUVs. I was shocked to look down the street and see that a large frame like portion of one of the towers still stood and beneath it was part of the Borders Bookstore window, still in one piece. The tangled metal looked like splintered wood and garbage. There was nothing recognizable about it other than that window. We walked around and looked at the nearby buildings that were covered in dirt and debris. Many of the stores and buildings had begun to clean their ground floor facades but anything above that was colored a strange gray/brown color. Windows were blown out everywhere. We walked towards the church to find that people had begun hanging flowers and signs on the fence surrounding it. We looked up to see that the trees in the cemetery behind were littered with papers and debris. There was at least 8 inches of dirt and debris covering the entire cemetery so that many of the tombstones were mostly hidden. At the 6 month anniversary I took my video camera and made my way down to the promenade to see the two beams of light being turned on. We stood in silence and remembered. Those two beams of light filled the sky and soothed our hearts. They filled that gap that had been there for 6 months now. For a month I could look out my window and see that light as it disappeared into the sky. On the one year anniversary I took the day off so that I could remember in my own way. I grabbed a cup of coffee and walked down Montegue towards the promenade around 8:45 that morning. When I began my two block walk towards the water there weren't many people out but by the time I was a block away, hundreds of people came pouring out of homes and shops. Construction workers from a nearby site came marching down the middle of the road with hard hats on and a flag in hand. We all gathered in silence as we watched that empty space, each one of us remembering and reliving it in our own way. Around 9:30 I headed towards Ground Zero to take part in the ceremony. I found a place to stand, backed up against a police baracade across from the Burger King on the corner. I had been there many times over the past year but today it was so very different. I listened as they read names of people I did not know. I looked up to the sky in silence as they paused to mark the collapse of the first tower. I waited until I felt like I had had enough and then walked down to Battery Park. I didn't want to go home yet but I didn't know what to do so I almost with out thinking bought a ticket to go out to the Statue of Liberty. There weren't many people out there that day, everyone was at Ground Zero. I walked around in silence. I saw a women with a T-Shirt on that read on the back, "I survived the 96th floor of Tower Two" and people were coming up to her, shaking her hand, huging her and taking her picture there infront of Lady Liberty. I cried on the ride back to Battery Park and then I headed home. Just this past Tuesday I was heading to Macy's when I found myself getting tears in my eyes. I looked around at the people on the train next to me and wondered if any of them remembered what it felt like that day. I got off at 34th and headed directly to Pronto. It wasn't the 11th but it sure felt like it to me. It was a beautiful Tuesday morning. I went to the one place other than my apartment that felt like home and I cried with Marnie. It's now two years later and I've chosen to stay at home and write down as much as I can so I will never forget even though their are constant reminders all around me. There is still a huge gap in the skyline that I had grown to love. There is still a visible police present at all the subways in the city. There is still an uneasy feeling each time I hear sirens in the distance or a plane overhead. When I go through my closet and see that skirt I think of that day. Each year as the seasons start to change and we get one of those beautiful blue skies and cool breezes, I think of September 11, 2001. When friends come to visit and stand at the end of our street and ask, "Where were they", I know what they mean and there we stand, looking at something that is no longer there. ************************************************************************* I remember sitting next to the sculpture in the plaza between the towers with Shannon and Mike while we ate our pasteries and drank our coffees during their first visit in 2000. I remember standing between the two towers and looking up but feeling too dizzy to look for too long. I remember sitting at one of the little cafe tables in the plaza with a bottle of seltzer water one afternoon in 2000 and just watching people pass by. I remember heading to the ticket counter for the observation deck a number of times but turning away and saying, "Maybe another day, the line is too long." I remember teasing Tom each time we came around the corner and saw the Ben & Jerry's in the shopping area beneath the towers. I remember wandering into Papryus during one of Toms eye appointments and buying a sympathy card that I had been searching for for years. I had first seen it in Portland when Mrs. Reppert died and once I sent it, I realized how much I loved the Native American poem that was in it. I searched for years for that poem and found it at the mall in the WTC on August 11th, 2001. I bought it just to keep. I remember I remember that same day, sitting outside on the ledge drinking my coffee as I waited for Tom who was at the eye doctor downstairs. I sat there looking up at the Marriot Hotel and noticed how odd the few open windows looked against the sleek black facade. I remember the huge planters and the concrete benches that decorated the plaza across from Century 21. I remember on September 9th, 2001 listing off a number of options for how Tom and I should spend that beautiful Sunday. The WTC observation deck was one of them but we opted for the cheaper, hassle free option of hanging out on the back deck of Pier 17 and admiring the view of Brooklyn instead. 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 story10139.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. 2003-09-24 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 69.22.244.250 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 began the day, like any other day. I work nights, so I sleep through most days. I remember singing "This is the Day the Lord Has Made" in the shower. After that, while all hell was breaking loose in America, I was walking my daughter to school. I went straight to sleep after that, unaware of our national crisis. I was awakened by my husband, right at 3pm, as he returned from work. He began telling me about all that had happened. I was numb, and I watched the news for a while. They were talking sporatically about the shock and reactions, but not explaining the videos. All I knew was that one tower was hit, and I thought I was seeing the second being hit live, and nothing was said about it. I finally realized that it had all happened that morning. I knew that the stock markets and everything would be affected, so I began to worry about if were we about to go into financial chaos. My daughter would be getting off the school bus, had she been told? Would life ever be normal again? Could what they said about this all being deliberate be true? How could someone be that evil? Why was the media telling everyone where our president was at all times? How could they be so irresponsible? After a short while, I had to go to Walmart. I was totally amazed that, while they usually have those dinky commercials running on their televisions in the store, every television was on CNN and it was over the store sound system. While I was there, another building had collasped. While I was checking out, people were talking about being charged enormous prices for gas near Little Rock, something like $8 a gallon. I had noticed alot of people getting gas before I'd gotten to Walmart. So I called my husband and told him to fill up the truck, and I did the same with the car on my way home. As time went on, days, weeks, months... I watched the magazines and news shows about all the events related to this disaster. I ached in my heart for all the lost souls and people searching and searching for survivors. I wondered how it could rain in New York so soon after the collapse, how did that affect the searching? I just thought about it all so much. I found a couple of magazines dedicated to the tragedy. I found a story in one that just broke my heart. I might have known one of the children that was on one of the planes... We had lived in several places before my husband retired from the Navy, including San Diego. I had worked at a military child development center. One child's name was China, and I had cared for a little girl named China in the San Diego area. The age of the girl, on the plane added up to how long it had been since we'd been there and the tragedy. I'm not absolutely certain it's her, but it just breaks my heart that anyone, after seeing young children on board an airplane, could still be willing to take over and cause so much death... how callous! I still, today feel a void in my heart concerning these events. This morning, at the nursing home, where I work nights, we tried to dress everyone in red white and blue, and tonight, I'll be wearing those colors as well, when I come in. I saw flags up all down the streets in my town this morning. I've been praying alot today for God's blessings and protection for our nation. I refuse to live in fear! We must live as normal as possible and keep our heads up, or the evil will win. What should have happened didn't. Our flags were put up everywhere, and as the year went on, less and less cars could be found with flags. Many people started attending Church again, but more and more don't go now. We need to be proud and stand up for our country. We need more than that for God's hand of protection for America. I just pray that God won't forsake us, as we have forsaken Him. We need God to bless America again! I'll be praying for just that. Lora Bailey September 11, 2002 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 story4779.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. 209.206.198.181 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 my moms car, and we were an the way to school. I was going in late because I was just at a doctors appointment. Then right as we were coming up to the school, I heard the radio man say that both of the towers of the World Trade Center had been hit by planes. I had no idea what the towers were like. For all I knew, they were like towers at a power plant with no one inside. I remeber hearing my mom say somthing about terrorists. I did not think much of it at the time. Then I got to school and went to the last few minutes of first hour, the whole thing had left my mind. I was now thinking about the extra civics home work I would have since I was gone. Then I went to my next class, which was science. We were giving presentations. In the middle of one the principal came in and asked to see the teacher in the hall. None of us knew what was going on. We did not expect it to be this serious. The thought of what I had heard on the radio earlier didn't even come to mind. When Mr. Christopherson came back in he let the group finish their presentation, then he told us what had happened. Throughuot the rest of the day we say horrible images on the news and in most of the classes we just talked about what had happened. 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 story1927.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. 2002-09-08 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.159.101.236