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              <text>It was my Junior year at the University of Michigan and classes had only been underway a little over a week. Barely awake, I dragged myself to class for yet another day of Arabic Grammar; not quite my idea of a good time. Class was from 8-10:30am, and we went about business as usual. It wasn't until after class, on my way to lunch, that I first heard of anything that was going on. A student ran by us as we waited for the cafeteria to open "We're under attack!" Confused, we all went into the lounge where there were about 25 people huddled around the television; the World Trade Center Tower was on fire...then, we saw the second plane smash into the second tower. I was in shock.

My first thought was "please God, don't let it be Arabs or Muslims who did this," for I knew all too well what the repurcussions would be if that turned out to be true. Stereotypes already abound here in the States, the "land of the free" and "home of the brave," and all I needed as an Arab-American was to be thrown into a collective scapegoating gauntlet as people's dispositions quickly changed from shock to anger. Being a Muslim, I know that Islam is a religion of peace, love, and respect. No Muslim would ever do such a thing where so many innocents would be killed. Nevertheless, the media was was quick to paint Muslims as ruthless killers and as dangers to society, save a pathetic footnote stating otherwise. In general, people were quick to feel that Muslims must hate the United States. Yet, what I did not see was an active attempt on the part of most people to look into reasons for such hatred, or research into the Muslim faith to see if roots for such violence or hatred exist. Clearly, if one were to conduct such research, Islam strictly forbids such acts of violence and aggression. 

I must say, however, that I did see an unexpected effort by many people to learn more about Islam and to question the attackers motivations for such actions. In the wake of things, I didn't personally suffer any serious violations of my personal or civil rights. However, I know of many, many others who have. Furthermore, with the passing of the Patriot Act, and other such legislation, the rights of US citizens are being compromised every day in the name of "the war on terror." What is happening instead is the singling out of Arabs and Muslims all over the country, the denial of their rights, and the gross mistreatment of them and their families. I feel like I am being constantly watched. I was born and raised in the USA, and I don't even feel like I am home. People give us wierd, suspicious looks, the "random checks" at the airport always happen to pick me, and the government reigns free to trample upon and bury the most basic rights that our forefathers died to establish as the roots of this great democratic nation. 

As I stand today, I am confused. I am sickened by the liberties taken by the government in order to create the illusion of protecting the people. I am disgusted by the violations of civil and human rights that occur every day. I am beyond tired of the media and its very biased and selective coverage of news events. And I am uncomfortable because I feel like a stranger in my own country. This is the land of no colors, the home of diversity, or at least it is supposed to be. Rather, what I have known to be a segregated and divided country is even moreso now than ever. I don't understand how we are all supposed to live in peace when we are always doubting and questioning our neighbors. What about innocent until proven guilty? Evidently, Bush and co. thinks it okay to compromise these basic tenets that have upheld our justice system for so long and replace them with "guilty until proven innocent." How conveniently dyslexia can come into play...

Honestly, with Ashcroft trying to dip his greasy fingers into every piece of legislation coming across congress' table, I am deeply concerned about the future of America. Once we start to compromise the rights and freedoms the Constitution guarantees each and every one of us, then the great ideas this country was based on become just that; ideas. Memories. The past. We are on a road to nowhere my friends, and what makes this country so great will soon change, and you may as well move to a socialist country. 

But I hope to God that doesn't happen. I hope the American people will realize that once the rights of one group of people go, it leaves the door wide open for them to be next. Freedom, liberty, and justice for all cannot be compromised for fear, loathing, and insecurity. What needs changed is foreign policy and the way in which we deal with the Middle East and the rest of the world. Perhaps then so many people won't hate us...

September 11th, 2001 sure changed many things...for me, it opened my eyes a little more than they were before. Let's not be afraid to learn from one another people...we're all the same in the end anyways....

Wishing everyone peace and happiness...</text>
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              <text>September 11, 2001

September 11, 2003 is a day that I still remember as if it were yesterday.  At that moment, I was living in Colombia ? South America.  I was working when everything happened.  Suddenly, my boss called everybody and gave us the news.  We immediately turned on the television.  All the channels were explaining that the United States had been attacked.  All the people in the company stopped working.  All of us were frozen watching the news.  It was horrible to see those imagines over and over.  We did not know anybody that died in those terrorist attacks.  However, it was a sad day for all of us.
For a month, we had masses in honor of all the people who died on September 11, 2001.  Additionally, the president of our country (Colombia) ordered that every day at 10:00 am everybody should observe five minutes of silence.  Definitely, this day had a big impact in everyone and in everything.
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              <text>La tarde del 11 de Septiembre, como muchas otras, me encontraba en mi oficina, yo trabajo en una empresa de desarrollo web. Eran poco m?s de las 3 de la tarde cuando me enviar?n un email que tan solo conten?a unas pocas lineas "?Te has enterado de lo de NY?".
A continuaci?n cambi? la ventana de mi Pc y abr? un browser, tecle? la URL del un periodico y all? apareci?.
Mis pupilas se dilataron y mi garganta se sec?. 

Pas? las siguientes 3 horas intentando recopilar informaci?n sobre lo que realmente estaba pasando, las noticias del exteriormientras mis compa?eros se agolpaban alrededor de una peque?a radio y las caras de incredulidad recorrian todo el edificio. Recuerdo que en aquellos momentos diversas sensaciones recorrian mi mente,tristeza, dolor, rabia y miedo. 

Despu?s de casi un a?o, me sigo poniendo en el lugar de toda esas familias que perdieron alg?n ser querido, para ellas mi recuerdo y mi apoyo.     </text>
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              <text>I remember hearing about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. I thought what a freak accident this was. I started watching the news at work and called my wife about it. I was amazed that someone lost control of a plane and hit the building. I was watching the news more as I was hanging up the phone with my wife and I thought to myself what would my little fire department do if a Hi-Rise structure was hit in my town. Could we get the fire under control?! I remember watching on when all of a sudden the other plane was being shown coming in and hitting the other tower! I immediatly thought to myself that this was no accident, it was intentional! I called my wife back and told her of this as the news was reporting that another plane had struck the Pentagon. My wife thought immediatly that something was wrong from my first phone call to her. I had no clue until the second plane hit. I remember my boss asking me about 1 hour into the burning, "what is that smoke coming out of the bottom for?" I looked at the TV screen and to my horror, and before I could get it out of my mouth, the building came crashing down. I remember thinking like the fire fighter I am, about pancake collapses, and the dust, debris, and asbestos being lifted into the air. I also thought of my brotherhood of fire fighters being trapped, smothered, burned, and crushed. I started praying at once and went to school to pick up my children and nephew as my wife and I felt better with them being at home. I was glued to the TV all the rest of the day and week because of the rescue effort involved. I remember Mayor Guiliani talking about finally going to body recovery and my heart just sank for all the families. I also was caught remembering the famous statement Roosevelt made when Pearl Harbor happened. "Today is a date that will live in infamy." I mostly remember from that date, that we found the heroes that alot of people forgot about! We refound America the Brave!</text>
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              <text>A MAN IN THE ELEVATOR TOLD ME THE WTC HAD BEEN HIT BY A PLANE.  WHEN I RETURNED TO MY OFFICE I INFORMED MY CO-WORKERS AND WE WATCHED THE UNBELIEVABLE HORROR UNFOLDING BEFORE OUR EYES.  IT WAS SO SAD AND AS EACH SUCEEDING DAY APPROACHED IT WAS SADDER.  I DIDN'T REALIZED THAT THERE WERE IMMIGRNTS IN THAT BUILDING THAT THEIR FAMILIES WERE AFRAID TO LAY CLAIM TO.  I CRIED FOR THE LOSS AND REJOICED IN EVERY WONDEFUL STORY OF SURVIVAL.  I CAN SEE THE PICTURES OVER AND OVER AGAIN BUT IT IS SO UNBELIEVEABLE IT IS LIKE A BAD DREAM.  MAY GOD BLESS EVERYONE EFFECTED BY THIS SENSELESS TRADGEDY.</text>
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              <text>The day started off so normally. I drove into worked, parked
in my regular space and headed to the office which is right
next to the Sears Tower. I remember hearing something on the
radio about an explosion in New York and thought to myself,
that it was probably something electrical. I had no idea.
To backtrack a little, when I pulled into the garage, I 
asked the attendant had he heard anything about something
happening in New York. He said no. I went to work. When I
arrived I was instantly bombarded by a couple of my 
co-workers who wanted to know if I heard about what happened
in New York. I said yes, thinking that I was pretty much
up to date on the issue. Then I saw the televised
coverage of the events... live. I initially saw the first
tower on fire and then I saw this airplane just bash straight
into the second tower. I really can't put into words 
everything I felt at that moment. When I saw how the plane
crashed into the second one, I felt a piece of me die. I 
mean there were people in there. Young, old, Black, White,
Asian, Indian, Hispanic, rich, poor... human beings. It was all so
unbelievable and still is. Then I saw people running, 
screaming, crying, jumping out of windows. It was 
the most devastating thing I'd ever seen during my 36 years.
At that point the tears came with an immense sadness which
I am still trying to deal with today. That grief was for 
those in the Pentagon and the commercial airplanes as well.

The events of that day really brought to life the fact that
we are all truly connected. I never realized that I 
could be so effected by the loss of those that I have never 
met before or knew in any way. My feelings went beyond 
simple human compassion, but my very spirit and soul had
been struck in the most horrendous way. I sure that I not
only speak for my heart but for the hearts of every decent
American. 

Needless to say my grief was later accompanied by fear and
we all spent the rest of the morning trying to get
home especially since we were right next door to another
targeted building. For anyone that is familiar with Chicago,
then they know how congested the downtown area can be. That
day approximately an hour after the attack, it was a virtual
ghost town except for the roads which were packed with 
people who like myself who were trying to get home to be 
with and in anyway protect those they loved and then thank 
their God,in a most unselfish way, that they were blessed
enough to be able to see them again.


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            <description>The IP address of the device used to submit the item.</description>
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              <elementText elementTextId="98259">
                <text>216.125.49.254</text>
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              <text>Hi my name is Sandro, I'm come from Switzerland and I still remember this awful day.

I came home from school and I switched on my TV. I saw the twin towers and thought, what kind of stupied movie is this. After a little while I realised it happen at this moment. I was so shocked and I couldn't say anything. I remember also, I had to make my homeworks, but I didn't, I was watching the whole evening and night. Next day at school, we were talking about that the whole day. 

I knew after this day, nothing is going to be the same in the whole world. 
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            <name>Described by Author</name>
            <description>Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author.</description>
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                <text>no</text>
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            <name>Date Entered</name>
            <description>The date this item was entered into the archive.</description>
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              <elementText elementTextId="98246">
                <text>2003-09-10</text>
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            <name>IP Address</name>
            <description>The IP address of the device used to submit the item.</description>
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              <elementText elementTextId="98247">
                <text>217.8.202.229</text>
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              <text>It was an unusually clear and beautiful late summer day. The air was just crisp enough to beg for an early morning jog. Two neighborhood friends and I were clearing the last leg of our usual Battery Park route, when a plane flew too low straight over our heads, causing Jon to jokingly duck. Seconds later, I heard the bone-crushing sound of massive amounts of metal colliding. It simultaneously assaulted my eardrums and rose up from the earth--where it registered a low-level earthquake. I have never heard such a chilling sound, and it stopped us cold. We turned to see the entire top of the World Trade Center?s North Tower engulfed in flames, a second after the impact. The ball of fire collapsed to reveal a gaping black hole, at least 10 stories high, its jagged edges licked by flames. We all stood stupefied, absolutely unable to process the information we were receiving through our eyes. There was an eerie silence that lasted for several minutes, during which I thought it must all be a hoax. Then began the sirens and ambulances, at first just a slow trickle, soon a flood. It wasn?t until I heard the sirens that I knew I wasn?t hallucinating.

Jon and Julie and I speculated with others on the jogging path about what had happened. Many seemed to think it had been a plane that had innocently lost its way. ?Buildings simply shouldn?t be that tall,? one woman concluded. I had to side with those who had more ominous thoughts: a man in a suit said that plane was not anywhere near a normal flight path. A hysterical woman cried ?Terrorists!? over and over, and I was inclined to believe her.

Glued to this terrible image of the tower on fire, none of us could ever have imagined that it would not stop at that. Jon and Julie and I walked closer to home, our eyes glued to the towers that are fully visible from almost every street in our neighborhood, which lies only a few blocks north of the towers. Stunned, we stood in the street, along with the hoards of others that were making their way north and streaming out of buildings.  The South Tower still stood calm and serene against the brilliantly blue sky while his twin brother burned. 

And then, out of nowhere, inexplicably, an explosion in the South Tower as well. From where I stood I could not see the second plane approaching, and it seemed to me an internal explosion. I was now frantic-- running up and down the street unsure of what to do or where to go. I ran upstairs to my apartment to call my family and boyfriend to do the mutual check-up, and then turned on CNN, to see what the establishment--apart from the chaos and wild speculation I had just fled on the street -- had to say about the attacks. It was then I learned, from reporters that still knew little else, that the Pentagon had also been hit. Now truly terrified, I ran back outside--passing a woman cradling a baby, immobile with fear and tears on the stairwell, begging for reassurance that the building was secure--to join the crush of people on the street where I felt a certain safety in community (and at least the promise of mobility). 

It was then I heard someone scream, ?Oh my God, people are jumping!? Surely, she was mistaken, taking the bits of debris falling from the building for human bodies, an understandable leap in this day of disbelief, but impossible. No one would ever jump out of the World Trade Center. And yet, I turned to look, giving in to that strange human impulse that draws us watch. I saw a lone figure on a very high floor hanging out the window, frantically waving a white flag, or T-shirt, beckoning the rescue helicopters that would never come.  I then saw two people, unmistakable human bodies, their black figures etched clearly against the hard sky, hurl themselves from what I later learned was a fire upwards of 1500 degrees. I can only imagine they were choosing a death slightly less heinous, a death that gave them in their last moments at least, a few more breaths of freedom. There were many others after that, each followed by a collective scream from the helpless on-lookers below, but I could not watch any more. 

There is a coffee shop and magazine store in the heart of Tribeca that serves as a sort of village square-- people gather here to gossip, exchange information, and connect with their neighbors. It is a block from my apartment and it was here I now fled. The streets of my usually sparse neighborhood had become crushed with the hoards fleeing from the disaster from below and those who had come for a better view. I was relieved to see the owners, Mary and Fred, a lovely couple dear to many people, and several other familiar faces gathered around a small TV. For the next 15 minutes or so we ran from the door to watch the towers and back to the TV to hear the reports. The terror was palpable. Then, suddenly, a scream rose from the crowd on the street and we all ran out just in time to see the first building collapse. A huge ball of dust, debris, and paper rolled up the streets and stopped a block short. In a panic, Fred locked the door to his cafe, and screamed at everyone to run for their lives. All of it impossible, impossible. 

Hysterical, I ran two blocks to Jon and Julie?s apartment. On the way, my boyfriend miraculously spotted me and we were thankfully reunited. He had been evacuated from his midtown office building and walked all the way downtown to find me. Even though I knew he was far from the danger zone, I thought the whole city could be under siege, and was unbelievably relieved to see him. That night we camped out at Jon and Julie?s, along with Lee, another friend from the neighborhood. We were all too scared to be separate. After watching what must have been 14 straight hours of CNN, never sure whether or not we should evacuate our area, we dropped into a fitful sleep.

The next day we watched from the roof as another building collapsed and the fires raged on. The wind shifted and suddenly all the thick soot and smoke that had been blowing to Brooklyn yesterday filled Tribeca, and the apartment. We all fled, unsure when we would return, and became refugees at the homes of parents uptown. 

Chris and I have since returned to our apartment as the air quality has improved somewhat. We have everything--electricity, phone, water, TV--which people only a few blocks below us do not. The area is virtually a war zone however, with police checkpoints where we must provide ID to prove we are residents of the area, to streets still littered with thousands of office papers from the WTC, scattered by the blast and ominously singed around the edges. The emergency workers, police, firemen, and National Guard out number the residents at least 50 to 1. The only vehicles allowed on the streets are theirs. Food stores are tentatively opening, and some restaurants are serving limited menus to the residents, since both delivery trucks and people without a neighborhood ID can?t get in.

In a way, I don?t mind the ordered chaos that shapes my neighborhood, my home, so much. Sept, 11, 2001 was filled with sights I will never be able to forget, sights no one should ever see, and it all serves as a daily reminder that I?m not crazy, I am depressed and anxious for a very real reason. My neighborhood has not ?gone back to normal? as our politicians are all urging us to do. It never will, and neither, I fear, will I.



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   I still remember the panic and dread that I felt. I was so panicked that I couldn't do something as simple as turn on a TV. I remember the temperature, it was nice and sunny, the perfect weather, about 80 or so. I remember the eerie silence as all of a sudden, there were no planes in the air. I never realized how much noise they made as they flew overhead, until they were gone.</text>
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              <text>I was 16 years old and it was around 10:15pm, in my hometown of Adelaide, South 
Australia, when the first plane plowed through the first
tower. I was totally unaware since my mum and sister had 
already gone to bed, as did I. We were blissfully unaware of the 
turmoil and shock that was unfolding on the other side 
of the world.

I woke up at 6:55am the next day to my clock/radio, lying
in bed waiting to have a shower. I listened to the 7:00am
news. The words that the newsreader spoke didn't register
with me.... I had no vague idea what the twin towers were.

My sister came from the bathroom so I relayed the news back 
to her. I don't think we had any idea how big this really 
was. I took a shower thinking about the news I had heard.
I was in shock.

I got changed and turned the TV onto a music channel. Half of me 
didnt want to face up to the stories the other half was still 
in shock. On the bottom of the screen came up something like this:
"Twin towers collapsed. Turn onto all news channels. I put the
TV onto channel 9 which would normally have idle chit chat
on the Today program but not today. I believed it more when I 
actually saw it. A plane cutting into a concrete structure
like a hot knife through butter. I couldnt believe it. 
I still dont.....

I called my sister into the room. she asked me questions 
but how was I to know the answers? It was incomprehensable.

Those images on the screen scared me. I was used to my
safe, routine life but now I was scared. What was happening?

The rest of the morning was a daze. The bus seemed more 
silent than usual. Everyone looked straight ahead trying 
to carry on. Just as confused as the next.

The day was spent watching news channels. Those images 
played over and over and over. I wanted more information 
because knowledge is power but I also didnt.

I got home and my parents wanted to watch the news non stop.
I was sick of it. I was sure that watching it too much
would give me psychlogical damage.

Terrorists. Filthy. Cowardly. Murderers.

It was 
weird seing business people covered in dust with pain and
terror in their eyes. Disbelief. I think that this event 
helps us focus on our loved ones and Life. Not numbers

I was scared for Australia. My family and my life. Were we 
safe?

I felt so sad for all the people killed and hurt. It was
wierd how something that happened on the other side of
the globe could affect me so much. 

Two years on I am 18 and I still dont believe it. It's just too much.
I want to visit the trade centre site to get closure and to
see it right there. Thats what happened.

My thoughts are with all of the people who died and their 
family and friends.

XOXO Rachel O'Brien</text>
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              <text>TJK:

My cousin Steve in Oregon twisted my arm to write down what I saw on 9/11.  About four weeks ago, I finally sat down (during working hours, of course)  and wrote out as much as I could remember.  Steve is an native NY'er so he is familiar with the street locations, etc.  I wrote this on 10/22/01 You may find it interesting (or crushingly boring) but here it is:

Dear Steve:
I just wanted to let you know how much it means to all of us to know of your concern. It has been very tough since the disaster. The building Grace worked in has been closed since September 11th as it sustained structural damage. The building, 90 Church St. is two blocks north of where the WTC once stood. She has been relocated to other quarters. She was in an interior office and was unaware of the plane crashes until she was told to evacuate and go north. She reported that when she went into the street, there were shoes everywhere, probably from the plane, and also because lots of people wear sneakers and comfortable shoes to work, and change into dress shoes when they get there.

My story is as follows:

The morning of September 11th was truly amazing, great weather and not a cloud in the sky. I had a routine court appearance that morning in Foley Square and started for the courthouse via subway. About 9 am, the subway stopped at Houston Street, and the conductor announced there was a delay in service due to a "smoke condition" at the Cortlandt St/WTC stop. I consider that the understatement of the century. Houston Street is 4 stops north of the WTC on the same subway line. (What they should have said was "Due to the apocalypse occurring at Cortlandt St....")

Stuck in the station, I decided I was close enough to walk to the courthouse, and I climbed out of the subway and there they were, both towers in flames right before my eyes. Both towers had orange rings of fire all the way around the upper stories. Bizarrely, and I don?t know what I was thinking, I guess because the enormity of what was going on did not sink in, I walked to court, on the assumption that "Just because the WTC is on fire is no reason not to go to work." So I walked south from Houston Street to the courthouse, which is also closer to the WTC; no one tried to stop me from heading south, though there were literally tens of thousands of people in the street watching. As I walked south, all the while there were hundreds of fire trucks and police heading past me going to the WTC. When I got to the courthouse at about 9:30 am, I was told everything was closed, so I just stood in the street and watched the towers burn like everyone else. At this point I was six blocks from the WTC. I have to tell you, I was close enough to see dark objects coming out of the upper floors and falling to earth. I could not tell what they were, but knowing what we know now, many of them had to have been people. No one got out above where the planes hit.

About five minutes to 10, I decided to call the office and let them know I was going to have a problem getting in that day, and I walked down Worth Street about 50 feet to a telephone booth. So I was not looking at the buildings when suddenly there was a tremendous "CRACK" sound, and the ground rumbled. I ran back to the corner, to where I had been watching, and of, course the south tower was gone, and the dust was coming. The south tower did not drop straight down, but rather fell over to the south down Greenwich and Washington Streets, right past the building I worked in between 1986-91. I later found out that three people in that building (Bankers Trust, 130 Liberty) were killed also. 

Until the south tower fell, no one thought they were going to collapse, they had both taken direct hits by jumbo jets, and the jets just seemed to be absorbed into the buildings. I just kept thinking, "This is going to be an amazing repair job." After the south tower fell however, we all knew it would just be a matter of time before the north tower followed its twin.

At this point, the police who had been relatively calm about letting me and everyone else in Foley Sq. just stand around and watch, started yelling at us to get out of there, and we did. I was lucky to be where I was because I was allowed to go north and stay in Manhattan. People just south of where I was standing, were forced to go over the Brooklyn Bridge into Brooklyn, where they were stranded for hours. All public transit was stopped. I know this because a friend of mine was one of the unfortunates stuck in Brooklyn until late afternoon, even though she lived in Manhattan. Generally, you could leave Manhattan, but once you did, you could not get back in.

I started going north as quickly as I could. Even though there were thousands of people heading north, we were travelling at pretty good rate, since everyone was going in the same direction. Some people were covered in white ash, and a number of women were without shoes. About 10:20 a.m. I found myself at Sixth Avenue and Bleecker Street, and I decided I had seen enough and I was entitled to a cigarette. I went into a shop, bought a pack and went out into the street to light up. By this time there was no traffic. All traffic was ordered off the roads and cars were pulled into the side with the radios on. The north tower was still standing, and because I was north of it, and the wind was blowing south I had a perfect unobstructed view. As I was puffing away, the north tower just suddenly crimped on both sides, the antenna on top fell to the side, and the tower dropped straight down onto itself. It was all over in five seconds. That is the only consolation the families have is that it was over so fast, no one inside would have had time to know what was going on. By this time the enormity of the situation had sunk in, and as the north tower collapsed straight down into itself, I knew I was witnessing the moment of death of thousands of people. I do not remember anyone in the street screaming or shouting, as it happened, everyone just stood.

I knew all public transit was shut down and I had to start walking home to 96th and West End Avenue, a long walk indeed. I started for the Hudson River to walk up along the bike path, when the first of the fighter jets came over us. When I got to the river I started north. All along the route, there were cars pulled over to the sides with their radios on and clusters of people gathered to listen. Everyone was listening to Newsradio 88, since most of the other radio stations went off the air when the WTC antenna was destroyed. That is where I heard about the Pentagon and the crash in Pennsylvania. There was also a report that there were 8 more hijacked planes, but thankfully that turned out to be false. There was also a substantial detour at 34th Street at the heliport because of the tanks of helicopter fuel.

Also there was a line of ambulances from about 42d Street and the West Side Highway, up to 59th Street and the West Side Highway and the police were sending about ten at a time south to the site. Actually, as it turned out, very few people were injured, people either got out, or didn?t.

There were thousands of people heading north along the river, some covered in dust, but we were all moving in the same direction, north. All the tunnels were closed, so I was lucky that I was only going to 96th Street, there were people I talked to who were heading for the George Washington Bridge at 181st Street to walk home to New Jersey. 

I got home at about 12:30 p.m. There were several messages on my answering machine, the most frantic one from mom. I called her right back.

Lower Manhattan was closed for the remainder of the week, and we were not allowed south of Canal Street until the following Monday. The building I work in, 26 Broadway, was closed for a week, but we are back in business. Battery Park has been closed and turned into an army campsite with tents and trucks. When lower Manhattan was first re-opened about a week after the disaster we had to show photo ID and have a reason for being down there. To get to my building I had to pass through two army checkpoints and have my briefcase searched, something we are not used to in NYC. Actually, once you were cleared through the checkpoints, you were pretty much free to roam around in the area you were cleared to enter. Because of the location of my office, I was as close to the site as civilians were allowed.  

Even though I had seen it all on TV, over and over, and thought I knew what to expect, when I first saw the site from the corner of Nassau and John Street (2 blocks away) I gasped. That 13 story piece of the skin of the building was still standing, and it looked like a giant claw. You have  seen the pictures of it. Also, it was not silver colored like it had been; it was copper colored from the fire. The site was stunning, the only way to describe it is as six stories of flaming rubble. I know you have seen the pictures, but the devastation is far vaster in person than you can get a sense of on TV. The big problem in lower Manhattan now is the dust, it is everywhere, and just keeps coming as they work on the site. The building I work in has put in special vents and air purifiers, which do seem to work somewhat. The smell of burning plastic is hard to get over. I was given a face mask to wear on the street, and people with breathing problems like asthma were given gas masks.  Even now five weeks later the smell of burning plastic is still obvious and many people still wear the face masks (a lot depends on which way the wind is blowing)  The site is still on fire.

At lunch on the first day back I walked down to Greenwich and Washington Streets (which was pretty close to ground zero) and every window was cracked or shattered. Afterwards they closed that area and you could not get as close again until this week.

There are lines of dumptrucks and large flatbed trucks all the way down Trinity Place to Battery Park, they go up Church St, load up, and then go down Broadway right past my office window.  The parade of trucks goes 24/7.  On the flatbed trucks sometimes there is only one giant piece of twisted metal.

Actually, a funny story from the day of the disaster is when Marc called.  Marc is now a sergeant in the NYPD. When he heard about the planes loaded with jet fuel hitting the WTC, he called my office to tell me to get the hell out of there. When the receptionist told him I was not in, he just said, "That?s good, thank you," and hung up, without bothering to tell my co-workers to get out.   As it turns out, they were stuck in the building until about 3pm until the police could evacuate them safely up the East Side Drive.

The enormity of the disaster did not sink in for several days, but I can tell you, I have not slept through the night since 9/11.  I generally wake up around 3:15 am, and that is it, I am up for the day. Many other people do the same, and when we talk about it, it is funny everyone seems to wake up between 3 and 3:30am.

Let me know when you come into town, either for Thanksgiving of Christmas.

Regards,

GPK</text>
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              <text>     September 11 was huge tragedy and a wake up call for many Americans.So many people dead...So many loved ones lost.The question that has been asked so many times is "why?"
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     I think that the unoffical memorial that they have made  on ground zero was a great idea but they should really hvae an official memorial to honor the heroes and the lost.</text>
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              <text>I was in 5th period that wonderful bright morning. I just finished running into class late when my teacher turned on the news,like every other morning,to check last nights foot ball game scores. When we looked at the tv, we didnt see numbers we saw destruction. My friends laughed and so did I because we thought who would have been stupid enough to crash into the WTC..so we kept on watching to see what was going on...until finally we saw that that was not any ordinary accident, we were being attacked. I cried thinking it was the end of the world. Recently on the anneversiry of September 11th no one here cared... and it hurts. Well thats My story.</text>
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              <text>On 9-11-2001,I was in 3rd grade, in computer lab,I was only 8 years old ,so I didn't relize what had really taken place. All, I remember is going home from school early and on every channel was crying people and destroyed buildings. Now that I am older I have come to find that 9-11 was a wake up call for all Americans. At the time of 9-11-2001, I was navie and knew nothing but,5 years later I know that this event was one of the more upsetting events in my history. Now , I know what really went on and I am now,afraid to think what it would be like to actually know what was going on. </text>
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              <text>Terrorist Attack On America

         Many things changed on 9/11/01 when we were attacked by the Al Queda.  That horrifying day when nothing went well.  The twin towers in New York fell, a part of the pentagon destroyed and a plane crash about 100 miles outside Pittsburgh.
          That day went to school like any other day but this day would be like any other day.  In math class that day which was third period I remember someone came over the intercom and said there was an attack on the world trade center in New York and an attack on the pentagon in Washington DC.  That day I remember the teachers having the internet on and in science there was a clip of the towers falling but was hard to make out.
           When I went home that day my mom was already home from work and I asked why she was home so early. She told me that her work sent all the workers home.  That?s when I started to realize it was a big deal. Over dinner that night we described how we felt and how we could believe that something this would happen.  Then for like the next week in school I don?t remember learning that much well what was supposed to be on the agenda.  We talked about what had happened and if you new anybody that was evolved.  Then for then next week I think I only watched the news 24/7.
            I think everybody was affected one way or another even if they didn?t even know anybody that was killed.  I know that I felt sorry for all the victims and their families and so did the rest of America.  
             Now with the one year aneversery I thought of all the victims and what happened on 9-11. I know that I will not forget the attacks on America.  Like the president said in a speech after the bombing of Pearl Harbor this day will live infany, and longer then that!
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              <text>On the morning of September 11, I had class. Music theory. The 20 of us sat through the class, having no idea what had happened. Once the class was over, we went downstairs to the commons area as we always did. I'm a music major, and most of the music majors at my university hang around in an area known as the 4-point. So, like always, that's where I headed. 
Once I got there, one of my friends, Ed looked at me and said, "Have you heard what happened?"
"No." I replied. 
"A plane crashed in to the world trade center."
My first thought was that a small few person plane accidentlly crashed into the building. So I looked at him and said, "Well, that's weird. How didn't they see the building? Was it just like a small plane?"
My friend said, "Alison, it wasn't a small plane. And actually another one crashed into the second tower as well."
This may be the most naiive moment of my life, but I really looked at him and said, "Well, isn't that weird. How do you think two planes crashed into the buildings on the same day? They must have just been small planes, right?"
"No, they were two passanger jets. Someone hijacked them and crashed them into the world trade center."
I remember it was like something cold spread through me. I realize now, that it may not have been something spreading, but something leaving. I now think this was part of my faith in other people rushing out of me. 
I went back to my dorm and starred at CNN. An hour later I had another class. I walked in, and everyone sat down and was eeriely quiet. The professor walked infront of the class and very quietly said, "I'm sorry. I can't teach class today. If you haven't heard about what happened, I can't be the one to tell you. I'm sorry. Go home." Just a few hours later the university closed for the day. 
I went back to my dorm again, and sat and watched TV again. The door to my room was open and I remember a guy walked in and sat down next to me. I don't remember his name, but I do remember that he was in our ROTC program. He said hey, joined me on the couch and we just sat in silence that was only occasionally puncuated by "But, why?" and "I can't believe..."
I know I will never forget what I did that day and all of the strange emotions that were running through everyone. </text>
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              <text>	Before September 11, 2001, the fact that my mom worked for the government was not a big danger issue to me.  She works across the street from the Pentagon for the Defense Department.  Up until then, I never thought that her life might be endangered because of whom my mom worked for.  That day I went to school and my mom went to work.  It seems like another ordinary day for my family.  However, that was about to change.

	I was sitting in my fourth period class reading something for AP Lang when I heard what had happened.  Another English teacher came running into our room announcing that airplanes had struck the Twin Towers.  I immediately turned to my friend Christina and said, "At least they haven't hit the Pentagon".  Less than five minutes after I said that, our assistant principal's voice came over the P.A. system and announced that the Pentagon had also been a target.  Rumors were beginning to circulate that these were terrorist actions being taken against the United States and who was behind these sorts of actions.  My thoughts were far from that.  They were focused on, "Where is my mom"? and "Is she ok"?  Since her office is across from the Pentagon, I kept looking at the TV for a glimpse of her office in the background.  I had no luck succeeding in this before I realized that my mom was out of her office and up at Capitol Hill for the day.  I went to Mrs. McDowell's room and called my mom's office, hoping to get in contact with anyone.  I was still calm until I heard her voice on the answering machine and I immediately broke down.  I then went to lunch in Mrs. Owens' room and called my dad.  I asked him where my mom was and he answered me with, "I don't know.  Where is she"?  A lot of help my dad was.  I then went through the rest of the day thinking and worrying if my mom was ok.

	I got home and there were five messages on my answering machine; most of them from my step-grandma informing me that my mom was ok.  She had spoken to her earlier and wanted to let me know that my mom's cell phone wasn't working in her area, but that she was ok and would be home as soon as the mess and traffic calmed down.  A huge sigh of relief went over me and I was able to calm down.  My next concern was dealing with my friend, Tim, who is a member of the United States Marine Corps.  I was worried that he would be sent away before I could get a chance to say good-bye.  He, however, was only assigned to stay within the barracks of Camp Lejeune, and would not be sent out immediately.  This caused another wave of relief to come over me. 

	It's been a year and six days since the attacks and my life has gone back to normal.  My mom still works across the street from the Pentagon, in the same office as before.  Security is a little bit stricter at her office, but no drastic changes have occurred.  My friend Tim was recently sent overseas for a six-month float in the Mediterranean Sea.  My family is more patriotic now, which in a sense is sad.  It's sad that it has taken an event like 9-11 to cause people to realize how lucky we are to be living in a country like the United States and that we really aren't an invincible as we think we are.  It took the attacks on the WTC, the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania to cause a surge of American pride to go through the country and for us to recognize that we are just as vulnerable as any other country.  However, I am still honored to say that I am a proud American.  God Bless the USA!
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              <text>I was getting ready for work and turned on the TV to check the stock market.  There was an image of a burning building and I thought I was on the wrong channel, but I wasn't. I turned up the volume and learned a plane had crashed into the WTC.  I was stunned, but assumed it was a horrible accident.  A woman was on the street talking when she basically went hysterical.  A second plane had hit the other building.  I was stunned.  I couldn't take it in, I started actually getting physical ill as the reality sunk in.  Someone had declared war on us and was using our own planes as weapons.  I frantically tried to calculate how many planes were over the US at any given moment, a hundred? a thousand? more?  I called my mother and told her to turn on her television.  Then the Pentagon was hit.  I started to cry.  My daughter was in the suburbs of NYC, was she OK?  The phone lines were busy.  People were jumping from the WTC buildings.  I saw their falling lives that had mere seconds of life left.  Everything was spinning out of control.  And then they collapsed.  Something inside me turned off.  If I took in any more I would not be able to withstand the pain.  I filled every container in my house with water and mechanically went to work and did my job.  It was something to do.  Anything not to have to deal with reality.  A plane had crashed in Pennsylvania came the frantic whispers from co-workers.  Oh God, I prayed, please make it stop.  That night I was glued to the TV as the videos played the nightmare over and over again.  And I did have nightmares.  Every night for two weeks.  My daughter was OK, but America would never be the same.  I am thankful for the safety of my family.  I mourn the loss of all those magnificent lives lost that day.  I can never say thank you enough for all the people that risked their lives to save others that day.  I still look up whenever a plane goes overhead, but we survived.  God bless the USA.  </text>
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