31 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 wake up for work at 8:30 am every morning. When I woke the morning of September 11th, 2001, it was unlike any other day. I remember listening to Howard Stern, and a caller called in to the show to say something about airplanes crashing into a building in New York City or otherwise. I didn't think much of it, and I went on my way to work. I arrived at work at 9:15 am, still not knowing what was going on. At 10:30 am, my Asst. Director came to us and told us that and airplane had struck The Pentagon in Washington D.C. We had no idea what was going on, but soon after, everyone was concerned. I work in a daycare in the downtown area of Pittsburgh and of course, everyone was on alert. We immedately turned to the news channel on am radio and I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The entire daycare and the city was in chaos. After hearing that a hijacked airplane was around the Pittsburgh area was very frightening. We immediately starting evacuating the children, calling parents, sending children home to be with their families. Since I am not married and have no children of my own, I volunteered to stay at work until the last child was gone for the day. I left work at 2:30pm. Downtown Pittsburgh was so quiet at this point. Nothing was open. The buses were quiet, very few passengers aboard. People were already on the streets, selling hot-off-the-press newspapers of what had happened that day in NYC, D.C. and Shanksville, PA. I continued to take the bus to my parents house to be with my Mother who had already been watching the news all day long. When I arrived, I was finally able to watch images of what had happened on CNN Headline News and I was appalled. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Nothing will ever be the same. It took a very long time to get back to normal, to be able to feel safe going to work let alone walking outside the house. God Bless those who lost their lives on September 11th, 2001. We will never forget. xo 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 story8721.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-12-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.226.16.123 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 the morning of September 11, I woke up not knowing that this day would be remembered for years to come. I arrived at school and went through first period, still oblivious of what was going on in the world around me. It was only until my second class that my teacher informed us that the World Trade Center had been attacked. I did not understand the extent of what he was saying until he allowed us to go online to research the event. My computer screen filled with horrible pictures of smoke, airplanes, and the crumbling towers. It was then that I realized how many lives would be changed, and how many people were now gone due to the terrible tragedy. After school, I rushed to turn on the television to find out more information. I saw the replay of the events of that morning. The stunned look on the faces of the newscasters, the people running down the streets of New York, staring up in disbelief at what was going on before their eyes. It was a horrible shock to the nation and a day I'm sure none of us will ever forget. I wonder if there will ever be a day when the date September 11 will be said without bringing on the rush of emotion that we now associate with it. 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 story8304.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.79.81.243 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: OF course the morning was frightful... I wasn't sure if my dad as okay. E-mail ended up being the savior. Thank god for T3 lines. 9 days later, on 20 September 2001, I was sent this e-mail message from him. It relates someone else's story, and I think it really does belong here... The first part is what my dad said, and the latter part is un-edited (including last names... perhaps this should be changed?)... --------------------------------------------------------- To All- This was sent to us from someone we know who was in the WTC north tower last Tuesday... Pretty powerful reading... Jim I am committing this to "paper" so I never forget. SO WE NEVER FORGET. I am sure that this is one of thousands of stories that will emerge over the next several days and weeks. I arrived as usual a little before 8am. My office was on the 87th floor of 1 World Trade Center, AKA: Tower 1, AKA: the North Tower. Most of my associates were in by 8:30m. We were standing around, joking around, eating breakfast, checking emails, and getting set for the day when the first plane hit just a few stories above us. I must stress that we did not know that it was a plane. The building lurched violently and shook as if it were an earthquake. People screamed. I watched out my window as the building seemed to move 10 to 20 feet in each direction. It rumbled and shook long enough for me to get my wits about myself and grab a co-worker and seek shelter under a doorway. Light fixtures and parts of the ceiling collapsed. The kitchen was destroyed. We were certain that it was a bomb. We looked out the windows. Reams of paper were flying everywhere, like a ticker tape parade. I looked down at the street. I could see people in Battery Park City looking up. Smoke started billowing in through the holes in the ceiling. I believe that there were 13 of us. We did not panic. I can only assume that we thought that the worst was over. The building was standing and we were shaken but alive. We checked the halls. The smoke was thick and white and did not smell like I imagined smoke should smell. Not like your BBQ or your fireplace or even a bonfire. The phones were working. My wife had taken our 9 month old for his check up. I called my nanny at home and told her to page my wife, tell her that a bomb went off, I was ok, and on my way out. I grabbed my laptop. Took off my tee shirt and ripped it into 3 pieces. Soaked it in water. Gave 2 pieces to my friends. Tied my piece around my face to act as an air filter. And we all started moving to the staircase. One of my dearest friends said that he was staying until the police or firemen came to get him. In the halls there were tiny fires and sparks. The ceiling had collapsed in the men's bathroom. It was gone along with anyone who may have been in there. We did not go in to look. We missed the staircase on the first run and had to double back. Once in the staircase we picked up fire extinguishers just incase. On the 85th floor a brave associate of mine and I headed back up to our office to drag out my partner who stayed behind. There was no air, just white smoke. We made the rounds through the office calling his name. No response. He must have succumbed to the smoke. We left defeated in our efforts and made our way back to the stairwell. We proceeded to the 78th floor where we had to change over to a different stairwell. 78 is the main junction to switch to the upper floors. I expected to see more people. There were some 50 to 60 more. Not enough. Wires and fires all over the place. Smoke too. A brave man was fighting a fire with the emergency hose. I stopped with to friends to make sure that everyone from our office was accounted for. We ushered them and confused people into the stairwell. In retrospect, I recall seeing Harry, my head trader, doing the same several yards behind me. I am only 35. I have known him for over 14 years. I headed into the stairwell with 2 friends. We were moving down very orderly in Stair Case A. very slowly. No panic. At least not overt panic. My legs could not stop shaking. My heart was pounding. Some nervous jokes and laughter. I made a crack about ruining a brand new pair of Merrells. Even still, they were right, my feet felt great. We all laughed. We checked our cell phones. Surprisingly, there was a very good signal, but the Sprint network was jammed. I heard that the Blackberry 2 way email devices worked perfectly. On the phones, 1 out of 20 dial attempts got through. I knew I could not reach my wife so I called my parents. I told them what happened and that we were all okay and on the way down. Soon, my sister in law reached me. I told her we were fine and moving down. I believe that was about the 65th floor. We were bored and nervous. I called my friend Angel in San Francisco. I knew he would be watching. He was amazed I was on the phone. He told me to get out that there was another plane on its way. I did not know what he was talking about. By now the second plane had struck Tower 2. We were so deep into the middle of our building that we did not hear or feel anything. We had no idea what was really going on. We kept making way for wounded to go down ahead of us. Not many of them, just a few. No one seemed seriously wounded. Just some cuts and scrapes. Everyone cooperated. Everyone was a hero yesterday. No questions asked. I had co-workers in another office on the 77th floor. I tried dozens of times to get them on their cell phones or office lines. It was futile. Later I found that they were alive. One of the many miracles on a day of tragedy. On the 53rd floor we came across a very heavyset man sitting on the stairs. I asked if he needed help or was he just resting. He needed help. I knew I would have trouble carrying him because I have a very bad back. But my friend and I offered anyway. We told him he could lean on us. He hesitated, I don't know why. I said do you want to come or do you want us to send help for you. He chose for help. I told him he was on the 53rd floor in Stairwell A and that's what I would tell the rescue workers. He said okay and we left. On the 44th floor my phone rang again. It was my parents. They were hysterical. I said relax, I'm fine. My father said get out, there is third plane coming. I still did not understand. I was kind of angry. What did my parents think? Like I needed some other reason to get going? I couldn't move the thousand people in front of me any faster. I know they love me, but no one inside understood what the situation really was. My parents did. Starting around this floor the firemen, policemen, WTC K-9 units without the dogs, anyone with a badge, started coming up as we were heading down. I stopped a lot of them and told them about the man on 53 and my friend on 87. I later felt terrible about this. They headed up to find those people and met death instead. On the 33rd floor I spoke with a man who somehow knew most of the details. He said 2 small planes hit the building. Now we all started talking about which terrorist group it was. Was it an internal organization or an external one? The overwhelming but uninformed opinion was Islamic Fanatics. Regardless, we now knew that it was not a bomb and there were potentially more planes coming. We understood. On the 3rd floor the lights went out and we heard & felt this rumbling coming towards us from above. I thought the staircase was collapsing upon itself. It was 10am now and that was Tower 2 collapsing next door. We did not know that. Someone had a flashlight. We passed it forward and left the stairwell and headed down a dark and cramped corridor to an exit. We could not see at all. I recommended that everyone place a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them and call out if they hit an obstacle so others would know to avoid it. They did. It worked perfectly. We reached another stairwell and saw a female officer emerge soaking wet and covered in soot. She said we could not go that way it was blocked. Go up to 4 and use the other exit. Just as we started up she said it was ok to go down instead. There was water everywhere. I called out for hands on shoulders again and she said that was a great idea. She stayed behind instructing people to do that. I do not know what happened to her. We emerged into an enormous room. It was light but filled with smoke. I commented to a friend that it must be under construction. Then we realized where we were. It was the second floor. The one that overlooks the lobby. We were ushered out into the courtyard, the one where the fountain used to be. My first thought was of a TV movie I saw once about nuclear winter and fallout. I could not understand where all of the debris came from. There was at least five inches of this gray pasty dusty drywall soot on the ground as well as a thickness of it in the air. Twisted steel and wires. I heard there were bodies and body parts as well, but I did not look. It was bad enough. We hid under the remaining overhangs and moved out to the street. We were told to keep walking towards Houston Street. The odd thing is that there were very few rescue workers around. Less than five. They all must have been trapped under the debris when Tower 2 fell. We did not know that and could not understand where all of that debris came from. It was just my friend Kern and I now. We were hugging but sad. We felt certain that most of our friends ahead of us died and we knew no one behind us. We came upon a post office several blocks away. We stopped and looked up. Our building, exactly where our office is (was), was engulfed in flame and smoke. A postal worker said that Tower 2 had fallen down. I looked again and sure enough it was gone. My heart was racing. We kept trying to call our families. I could not get in touch with my wife. Finally I got through to my parents. Relieved is not the word to explain their feelings. They got through to my wife, thank God, and let her know I was alive. We sat down. A girl on a bike offered us some water. Just as she took the cap off her bottle we heard a rumble. We looked up and our building, Tower 1 collapsed. I did not note the time but I am told it was 10:30am. We had been out less than 15 minutes. We were mourning our lost friends, particularly the one who stayed in the office as we were now sure that he had perished. We started walking towards Union Square. I was going to Beth Israel Medical Center to be looked at. We stopped to hear the President speaking on the radio. My phone rang. It was my wife. I think I fell to my knees crying when I heard her voice. Then she told me the most incredible thing. My partner who had stayed behind called her. He was alive and well. I guess we just lost him in the commotion. We started jumping and hugging and shouting. I told my wife that my brother had arranged for a hotel in midtown. He can be very resourceful in that way. I told her I would call her from there. My brother and I managed to get a gypsy cab to take us home to Westchester instead. I cried on my son and held my wife until I fell asleep. As it turns out my partner, the one who I thought had stayed behind was behind us with Harry Ramos, our head trader. This is now second hand information. They came upon Victor, the heavyset man on the 53rd floor. They helped him. He could barely move. My partner bravely/stupidly tested the elevator on the 52nd floor. He rode it down to the sky lobby on 44. The doors opened, it was fine. He rode it back up and got Harry and Victor. I don't yet know if anyone else joined them. Once on 44 they made their way back into the stairwell. Someplace around the 39th to 36th floors they felt the same rumble I felt on the 3rd floor. It was 10am and Tower 2 was coming down. They had about 30 minutes to get out. Victor said he could no longer move. They offered to have him lead on them. He said he couldn't do it. My partner hollered at him to sit on his butt and scoot down the steps. He said he was not capable of doing it. Harry told my partner to go ahead of them. Harry had once had a heart attack and was worried about this mans heart. It was his nature to be this way. He was/is one of the kindest people I know. He would not leave a man behind. My partner went ahead and made it out. He said he was out maybe 10 minutes before the building came down. This means that Harry had maybe 25 minutes to move Victor 36 floors. I guess they moved 1 floor every 1.5 minutes. Just a guess. This means Harry was around the 20th floor when the building collapsed. As of now 12 of 13 people are accounted for. As of 6pm yesterday his wife had not heard from him. I fear that Harry is lost. However, a short while ago I heard that he may be alive. Apparently there is a web site with survivor names on it and his name appears there. Unfortunately, Ramos is not an uncommon name in New York. Pray for him and all those like him. With regards to the firemen heading upstairs, I realize that they were going up anyway. But, it hurts to know that I may have made them move quicker to find my friend. Rationally, I know this is not true and that I am not the responsible one. The responsible ones are in hiding somewhere on this planet and damn them for making me feel like this. But they should know that they failed in terrorizing us. We were calm. Those men and women that went up were heroes in the face of it all. They must have known what was going on and they did their jobs. Ordinary people were heroes too. Today the images that people around the world equate with power and democracy are gone but "America" is not an image it is a concept. That concept is only strengthened by our pulling together as a team. If you want to kill us, leave us alone because we will do it by ourselves. If you want to make us stronger, attack and we unite. This is the ultimate failure of terrorism against The United States and the ultimate price we pay to be free, to decide where we want to work, what we want to eat, and when & where we want to go on vacation. The very moment the first plane was hijacked, democracy won. 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 story1086.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. 198.11.17.30 Annotation Annotations to this item. Firefighters Missing Persons Police Officers Rescue/clean-up workers/volunteers Rumors Struggle to get home Telephones and Cell Phones Terrorism WTC, attack WTC, worked in (ever) DOMESTIC Sep 11- Sep 21, 2001 Feature Notes Notes about this item. Move to emails 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 day before September 11th everything was fine, I had work the next day so i set my alarm clock for about 8 am... it did go off about 8 am and then I hit the off, well some how did when off again and I thought I was dreaming, I was still 1/2 asleep, then I hear planes, fire, crashing, and New York! Then after a few mins of waking up I told myself that it was not a dream! I ran into my living room were my mom and sister were watching a movie, I grabed the remote with them yelling at me, and I turned the movie off and put the chanel on 4,5,8 and 11(Dallas TV) I so remember everyone shuting up, my mouth open wide, I couldn't believe it! My mom, sister and me all just hugged each other and I remember I started to cry, we called my dad and was so shocked! And then there was plane #2 and we saw it crashed into building #2 I we could say was Oh My God!!! I think about all those familys who died and all the children who will never know there daddy or there mommy, it just make me want to cry all over again! Then when the other 2 planes crashed I KNEW it was all together. Let my say everywhere I went in my house I always had the TV with me. I when to work about 2pm and me and the lady I work with was just talking, and we had a TV in a sitting room (I worked in a hotel) and unless someone came in the front area I stayed at that TV. I can not believe how someone can be that mean and evil could do that to anyone. All I have to say is... GOD BLESS AMERICA, GOD BLESS BUSH, GOD BLESS THE PEOPLE & GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS 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 story9384.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. 2003-07-23 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.216.236.209 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: It was almost just another morning for me. Sometimes when things happen to the rest of the country it doesn't really effect us in ALaska .I woke up, got on the internet and there it was. I thought it was a movie. Some big hollywood picture. I didn't know if it was true. The school day was a mix of buisness and emotion.SOme teachers but CNN or MSNBC on, some tried to get by with out talking. WE all had questions, I know I did. But now, I know they couldn't answer them. I remember that on the bus ride, there was a sign on one of the windows. It read " Were At War." THe bus driver told us we weren't. I f we weren't, I didn't know what war was. What had the most impact on me that day was the quiet. Never in my life have I ever heard everything around me so quiet. I remember my mother crying. And my 3 year old sisters world changing before our eyes. I won't forget, and hopefully know one ever will. I will tell my sister what happen. What I remember from that day. WE all know who the heroes are. Godbless you NYPD FDNY KM 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 story11578.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2005-07-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.237.104.65 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: While i was in history class my principal came on the loud speaker and told us all that one of the World trade towers had been hit. I did not realize what was going on exaclty untill i got to my Journalism class and my teacher explained everything that was happening. It wasn't untill then that i realized the seriousness of the events that had occured. Luckily neither of my parents work at the Pentagon but many of my friends'parents do so there was over a hundred students trying to contact their parents. 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 story2251.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. 208.31.154.100 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 day was going as usual the kids were being kids when over the intercom came an annoucement that we need to go to the church. once we arrived our principal Sister Margaret told us the news and we prayed for those involved. A fellow teacher sister worked at the pentagon and was in the area where the plane hit, I held my friend hand as she made frantic phone calls, and finally she was able to reach her sister, she was at home with the flu. I guess for once being sick really was good. We returned to the students and consoled them until their parents arrived and then we all just looked at each other in shock. We left school to go home to our friends and families. 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 story3456.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. 68.55.193.150 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 the day of this tragedy I was sitting at my desk at work listening to the radio. When the first plane hit, I thought it was an accident. I thought, "Oh my god, those poor people." It was a horrible plane crash. Then they announced that a second plane hit. Following that was the plane in to the pentagon and then the plane in Pennsylvania. It was very clear that we were under attack. We immediately turned on the TV at work to find out what the heck was going on. You could see the fear in everyone's eyes as we watched in horror. There were people trapped above the fires, people running on the streets. I just sat there hoping that people were getting out of those buildings and wondering if there were to be any more. Is something going to happen in Boston? No one knew. Something that still gives me chills is that my work had asked me if I wanted to fill in a 3 month position out in California. The week of September 11th would have been when I would have headed out if I would have said yes. What if it was my plane that was hijacked? What if it was me going in to those buildings? I still feel guilty knowing that when this happened, for one brief moment, I thanked God that it wasn't me. Is that wrong? When names started being released, it was shocking to hear local people had died in this tragedy. Names that I actually recognized. The Oganowski farm is a few houses up from me in Dracut. I have never met any of them but knew the name. I even sent the family a card of sympathy even though we never crossed paths. I just felt and still feel so sad that they lost a father-husband-brother-friend. The amazing thing that came out of all this was the way people came together. Flags were flown high. Tears were shed during services of people you didn't even know. I started reading quotes from the people whose lives were lost and I cried. They had called loved ones after the first plane hit letting them know they were ok and then were never heard from again after the buildings collapsed. Still to this day, hearing the stories of families that lost someone, hearing the last words of people on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, knowing what they did. It just makes me cry. Songs on the radio in rememerance makes me cry. And today, one year later, I wear my red, white and blue, my rememberance ribbon in pride. Knowing I am an American and even though they knocked down our buildings and destroyed countless lives, we will fight for our country, for everyone that died and all those struggling to cope with htis tragedy. Stand tall America! Don't be afraid to remember 9/11/01! 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 story2470.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. 137.237.247.62 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 my job and it just so happens that I was watching the news on TV in our conference room when all of a sudden everything was interruped with this tragic, horrific news flash. For a few moments, I thought I was actuall dreaming at work. I just couldn't beleive what had just happened. It was almost as if I was in New York. That entire day, I was just in amaze, I could not get anything accomplised; I had to keep shaking my head to clear it.This has really took a toll on my life and I'm sure millions of other Americans in our great country. 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 story2741.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. 147.206.5.1 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 wasn't doing anything in paticular, just getting ready to take my son to school. I was getting him ready to go when I started to take notice of the coverage of tower II in flames. From there I was just glued to the TV. I still had to take him to school, so on the way I listened to AM 720 until I returned home then I was back at the TV. I then thought of where my husband was and called him, by that time, the second plane had hit tower I. I started to cry and asked my husband what kind of world have we brought our son into. My husband and I just sat and talked a few minutes about the coverage and hung up. I then asked myself where is my dad. Could he be delivering his load or lumber in Chicago. Just then they had something on TV about the Sear Tower being closed down in fear of a terrorist attack on that, so I immediately contacted my dad. He was in Chicago, but only a suburb. He was actually on his way out of Chicago in a traffic jam. I told him that I loved him and to please be careful. From then on, I was just glued to my TV set, with no expression just a somber feeling the next few days. I have family in New York area, they were called and I found out they were found. I have never looked at life the same again. I try so hard not to take life for granted. I also tell my son that life is too short to worry about silly things. I am also finding myself letting my family know how much I love them a whole lot more now. I feel for those poor souls who lost their lives and those who lost loved ones. God bless us all. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story3740.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. 205.188.209.38 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I left Norway only three weeks before the September 11th attack. Im was a foreign exchange student in Oklahoma City, and i didnt really know much about US's relations to terror and their relations to the rest of the world. well..it was 1st hour in biology. As we were working, our teacher said that a plain had crashed into the World Trade Center, and that we had to come and see it on tv. I didnt understand much of what was going on. I just saw a tower with smoke coming out of it. Then another plane crashed in the other tower, and even another plane had crashed into the Pentagon. During the day, when we were watching tv in all the other hours, i realized that what happened today was terrible. What affected me most of all, were all the people i saw jumping out of the windows in the tower, and the collapsings. I got frightened because OKC was mentioned on tv, and i thought something might could happen here too, reagarding to the bombing six years ago. I wrote notes from tv down in my book to try to understand why this was happening. My question was: why would somebody do this to America, what have they done to deserve this. (I write "they", because im not a American citizen). As a matter of fact, this day was the day that decided the rest of my year in OKC. My IECs (contactpersons) was going to keep me in their family after my first host family went wrong. So it was a happy day for me, but was sorry for all the American people that the attack affected. Now I've been beck in Norway for Two months. Ive read Norwegian articles about the terror attack and for me, its special to think that i really was in the US when the attack happened. I was there and i participated in your pledges. I went through the days after September 11th, just as you. It made me to a new person somehow, and im happy that i got to be there during that time. 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 story922.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. 2002-07-20 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 217.70.229.49 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 daughter and I travelled to Hempstead from Glen Cove for a Section 8 appointment in a government building. I do not have a radio in my car so I was surprised when the security guard turned us away, giving us another appointment to come in. I had confirmed the appointment before taking the 40 minute trip. He said that we were under attack and that two planes had hit the World Trade Centers, and that no, did it look like he was kidding - I couldn't believe it!! So I went outside into the very large, clear parking lot and looked towards the city at the horizon and there was all the smoke ( we are only about 10 or 20 miles away). My 4-year-old daughter Naomi asked me if we were going to die now and I said no, doing what I could to comfort her. On all TV's on the street, all the radios and all anyone standing around talked about was the WTC. One man had just driven his truck from the area and had been hit by debris but was ok. No one knew what was happening, but all I could think about was getting home to my other children. As soon as we arrived in Glen Cove the phone rang and my 12-year-old son Nile, hysterical on the other end, told me he was out of school and at his father's house and that 10 or 12 planes were still unaccounted for (rumors exploded). I told him to relax and stay there till his father got home and not to listen to rumors - wait for the facts and stay by the phone. He was in Glen Head. Three neighborhood firemen never returned home that day, a child at the North Shore Middle School lost a handful of immediate family members, including both parents (he was pulled out of the school and went to live with grandparents) and a neighbor's child returned home safely, being one of the first to catch the ferry from the city where she was in school across the street from the WTC. A couple from Brooklyn came in to stay with her parents because they couldn't breathe in their apartment. Before they left they picked up a piece of paper floating to the ground and it was a 4 million dollar Peruvian bond. A couple of days later I woke up and jumped out of bed because I thought the house was on fire - then I realized the wind just was blowing in our direction. There was a small little memorial built at Crescent Beach, where smoke billowed for weeks on the horizon. I have never been able to go to Ground Zero, though my four children did. I feel like I've been close enough. God Bless Everyone. -Debbie Borgono 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 story6477.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. 206.187.219.43 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: It was 9pm in Perth, Western Australia. My cousin and I had just returned from picking her parents up at the airport. They had just flown in from England. We had settled them at the house they were staying at, near ours, and sat down to watch Rove Live on television. 10 minutes into the show, the screen switched to what looked like scenes from a new action movie. Confused, we switched channels, wondering what was going on. Once we realised that these images were on every channel, we listened and realised with horror, that someone had flown planes into the World Trade Center in New York. It took many minutes to realise that this was not a movie, or a prank, that this was real and horrifying. I ran into my study and got onto Instant Messenger, trying to contact friends in the US. One friend, a news producer, in Michigan at the time, responded to my, "what is going on over there?" He, in shock, replied, "we don't know". No one at that point knew if the entire country was under attack, and people were still talking about more planes hitting other places. I raced to get a photo albumn out. I had pictures of me standing on top of the World Trade Center in 1995. That place no longer existed. My cousin and I raced over to where her parents were staying, and woke them up. We sat around the television until about 2am Perth time, which would have been 3pm in New York. We couldn't watch any more of the horror. I think we all fell asleep in shock. I was an elementary school teacher in Perth at the time. When I went to work the next morning, there was a television on in the normally quiet facutly room. Other stunned staff members were huddled around it. It had been 12 hours since the attack and night had fallen on New York City. While we had slept, the full horror of the attacks had been realised. Talk of the, "planes hitting America" was all that the children wanted to focus on. There were many questions, fear and shock - from children a world away. I took my class onto the oval for PE. A plane, heading into Perth Airport to land, took its normal daily route, coming in to land right over the oval where we were standing. Half of my students dropped to the ground, covered their heads and looked at me with faces conveying absolute fear. It was at that point that I realised the world would never be the same, even for children a world away. 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 story11575.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2005-07-01 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 69.161.9.36 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: ?Where was I on September 11th?? Unknown to me that morning, for the last time I would be able to step on the plane with minutes to spare. I settled in aboard the 6:00am American Airline flight from Minneapolis to Dallas (and ultimately on to Houston). I had taken this flight numerous times over the last year. My children had moved with their mother back to Minnesota, and I had taken on the traveler role. Once a month, for five days with the return flight out of Minneapolis on a Tuesday. The last year ??.so much had happened. The falling apart of a marriage, the separation, My wife taking the children back to Minnesota, the divorce, my mothers cancer, the pressures of work. Each day before September 11th was a reminder of what a challenge life had turned out to be for me. Falling asleep, I began the pattern that I knew so well. As I seasoned traveler I had become savvy in the airports, knew my way around delays, and could fall asleep in a heartbeat once sat. As we landed in Dallas, I began to make my way towards my connecting flight on the next concourse. I noted a few people gathered around a television, and approached. The pictures were unclear, the sound was down. My first thought was ?What building is on fire in Downtown Dallas?? Reflecting back on the next few hours is still a bit of a blur for me. So much happening, incomplete information coming to me as I continued to push on towards my gate. I actually still felt like I was going to be flying on to Houston. The cell phone began ringing with the many family and friends that knew I was flying. I settled into a seat in front of my gate and watched as the Pentagon was hit, the towers collapsed, and the airports were shut down. A friend in Dallas was able to help me sift through the mountain of luggage, get out of the airport, and get me one of the last rental cars in Dallas. After contacting my boss, he had let me know that he wanted me to get down to Houston; ?Get to Houston-you are supposed to work tonight?. That pressure, the unknown of what was happening with the attacks, the massive weight of being away from the children again, stayed with me as I pressed on towards Houston. I decided to drive with the radio off, so that I could absorb what was occurring. Making it into town, into the restaurant, and then home sealed what was working in me. I cannot fathom the sadness of the many that lost loved ones that day, suddenly, unknowingly, so violent. I do not know if I ever will be able to. For Me, September 11th crystallized what I knew I had to do. Within 6 months, I had left my job of 10+ years & relocated back to be with my children. I also had the opportunity to be together with my family as my mother passed. September 11th reminded me how much I love those around me, and that I had the energy, power and will to show them that. I continue to feel that as I make further steps forward in life. I look forward to being in New York with my children in the coming week, as I show them the ?persevering? spirit that life calls for on occasion, and the energy that occurs when people work together. God Bless 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 story1666.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. 2002-09-03 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.29.51.196 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 Sept. 11, my husband and I was on vacation. We were on our way to Nasheville Tenn. And we pulled into a gas station. My husband comes back to the car and says "Quick turn on the radio we have just been hit." I said what do you meen we have just been hit? And he says that we are at war. We could't pick up any thing on the radio. So we drive on to Nasheville any way. And as we pulled in next to the Grande Ole Opry. We decided to go in a restaurant that was beside of it to se if we could find out any thing. And I remember looking at the big screen TV as it showed the towers and it showed one of the towerers being hit. I remember thinking "Oh my God who could do something like this." 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 story6015.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. 66.168.122.85 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 awoke like I did every morning to get my 12 yr old son (at that time) ready for school and by chance he missed his school bus and had to drive him to his school. I had the radio off in my car so I knew nothing of what transpired at 8:46 am that morning. Upon returning home at 9:10 am, as soon as I opened my front door and stepped inside I heard my brother yelling for me to come and look at the television and of the events that were taking place in NYC. Myself and my family being from Baldwin, NY stood there in shock as I saw footage of a plane crashing into the other tower. My brother informed me that a plane had crashed into the first tower and that it was on fire. I sat down on his bed and just looked at the TV in horror. As a child and growing up on Long Island I would see the towers from the Long Beach bridge on a clear day and I would see the outline of the towers from Jones Beach on a clear day. I was glued to the television for the entire day and when the South Tower collapsed my brother thought it was just smoke and I kept telling him that the tower collapsed. He just kept saying no it didn't. It could not have collapsed and it was not until the news casters announced that the South Tower had collapsed that it truly hit him. Then when the North Tower collapsed we both knew at that moment that the City of New York would never be the same to us. The New York City skyline would be forever changed for us. I can remember going up into the towers when I was on a trip with my girl scout troop and looking out over the city and thinking it was beautiful. Now I will never be able to experience that with my children. They will never know a NY skyline with the Twin Towers. The towers were the symbol of the NY skyline. What did you think of when you thought of NY before September 11th, You thought of the NY skyline and of the Twin Towers. Now future generations will never see those giants and what they meant to NYer's in general. They will forever see the emptiness of Manhattan as you fly over it. I remember back in December of 2001 when I had to fly into NYC for a family emergency. I remember looking out of the plane's window and just staring at where the towers stood and it was like I was reliving that day all over again when I saw Manhattan. My son who was sitting next to me pushed me out of the way and then just sat back and said that NYC will never be the same again and I agree with him. He had seen the towers from the air everytime we flew in or out of NY and now he can never see those giants ever again and it makes him sad. On that fateful day our freedom was attacked and the heart of all NYer's was wounded when a symbol of their fine city was destroyed because of stupidity and cruelty!! 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 story3277.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. 205.188.209.38 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I am one in a family whose members experienced September 11th very differently. Some experienced the events from as far away as the island of Hawaii while another was as close as four blocks from the World Trade Center site. We are more than a dozen siblings and spouses whose religious beliefs span the spectrum. Not only do we practice under different faiths, but the extent of our beliefs range from dedicated religious observance to unconvinced atheism. Despite our differences, we are a close family. Like all other Americans, we have shared our thoughts with each other and tried to make sense of what happened in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania and what we should do next. Our discussions have been at times contentious, sometimes sorrowful and at other times our talks have left us in a state of despondency. As the one-year anniversary approaches, I sense our fears and feelings of confusion are becoming acute. I am reminded of the emotions that we have expressed these past 12 months: hatred, a need for retribution, anger, fear, confusion, and a lack of control. In our email messages to one another in the days following the attack, I expressed the thought that we should not let our feelings of retribution and anger diminish our humanity. I still believe that today. We did not have a choice when the terrorists decided to attack us, but only we can choose how to respond. I do not mean a response with weapons and greater security measures, but the way in which we respond with our hearts and our souls. We need to deploy weapons, military services and security forces to help prevent another act like this from occurring again. However, if we prosecute a war against terrorism yet fail to fight the concomitant attack on our hearts and souls, we will have lost the battle that really matters. We cannot let any people or nation threaten an America where people live under democratic principles that celebrate freedom, liberty and tolerance. Bringing arms to bear against terrorism is only part of our response. We must also address the spiritual and the emotional. We must summon all our courage and bravery and not harden our hearts to those who are the natural targets of our anger. We must accept the challenge that has been laid before us and, in picking up the gauntlet, remember that what makes us great as Americans is our compassion and love. Although we mourn the almost 3,000 lives who were taken from us on September 11th, the tragic events of a year ago will not diminish us. We have and will continue to reach for our courage and our faith knowing that our optimism, our hope and our spirit can never be extinguished. 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 story8931.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. 2003-01-08 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.50.44.179 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 attend school at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond Kentucky but I am originally from Hamilton Ohio. On Septemeber 11, 2001 I didn't have class until 12:30 so I was in asleep when the first plane crashed into the first tower. My roomate came running into my bedroom crying and screaming saying that the world was coming to an end. I quickly got out of bed and turned on my television and began to cry with her. Richmond was a mess, we have an army depot here that hosts many toxic gases that if every released would kill everyong in Richmond in less than twenty minutes. We have evactuation routes and everything protecting this depot. Everyone in the United States was taking extra precautions that day and so was Richmond. There were planes everywhere portecting the depot and all of the local guards were called in. My parents were vactioning in the Outer Banks of North Carolina at the time and I remember I couldn't get a hold of them. All I kept thinking was is this really the end of the world. For a few days after the attack it did feel like it was the end of the world. But I will have to say that everyone's pride in America began to show bright and it takes something like this to pull a nation together and even though what happened was the most devasting thing I will ever experience I am so happy to be a part of this nation and I am so proud of the American people for pulling through such a hard time. My thoughts, prayers, and hope go out to all those who lost loved ones. 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 story2486.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. 157.89.46.111 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: As one of the few Americans who did not know someone who died on 9/ll, I would like to share how deeply this day impacted me. At first, I did not understand or sense the severity of what had happened. I started my day as usual by taking my children to school, even though I had just heard the report of the first airplane impacting one of the twin towers and saw live on television the second airplane fly into the other twin tower. It did not seem real, yet. I arrived home to see the first tower collapse -- and then the second tower. Now I was nervous. As the day went on and I watched the coverage appear on each channel - local and cable, I suddenly realized that I had taken my children to a location (school) that may not be all that secure. One of those schools was located very close the the State Capital Builing in Boise. Suddenly panick overcame me. What was I thinking to send my children off to school when America was under attack. I called the schools to inquire and was told that alternative plans were in place should anything further occur. As I watched the devastation on televison, I found myself being wrapped with feeling for the lose of those in New York (even though I did not know anyone there) and needed to be with my family. My class Tuesday night at Boise State University was cancelled by the instructor. She was feeling the same as I was - that we needed to be with family that night. For a week, I was glued to the televison coverage of New York, Washington DC, and Pennsylvania. The feelings of horror, sorrow, empathy for the families of victims, and anger that such a thing could happen to the United States brought me to tears - many tears. My only contribution was to pray - for the victims, their families, the cities, our wonderful nation and those of us who felt so helpless and wanted to do something but were so far away. As a year has passed since that horrific day, I am encouraged by the strength and resilience of the American people - particularly the families of the victims. President Bush and First Lady Laura, the Congress and Senate, and the men and women in the military who have stepped up to defend our country (including Mountain Home Air Force Base, Mountain Home, Idaho)have shown such courage and strong leadership that I am more secure going about my daily life. It makes me proud to be an American. The positive results and efforts that emerged from this tragic event only honor those whose lives were taken on Septemer 11, 2001 and make us all stronger Americans. Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts. 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 story4706.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. 198.81.17.176 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: Like many Americans, I will never forget where I was or what I was doing that fateful morning. My story is not of some personal tragedy, but simply that of a spectator at the most horrible event in my life and my generation. I was preparing for the workday and turned on the t.v. as I normally do. After getting out of the shower, I heard the anchor saying something about a "tragedy". I came into the living room and watched as the first tower burned. I could not believe my eyes. Everyone thought it was simply an accident. A horrible, horrible accident. My mind went to the attack on the twin towers some years ago and I thought, "How awful for those poor people." Then, as I and thousands watched, the second tower was hit. And in the pit of my stomach I knew this was planned. This was real. I continued to get ready for work because I had no idea what else to do. And then the Pentagon was hit. I grabbed my keys and drove to work in shock, glued to every word the announcer said on the radio. Then came the news from Pennsylvania. And as I drove to work, I saw people waiting for busses, walking their dogs, going for a jog --- all oblivious to what was going on. I wanted to scream out the window, "Don't you know we are under attack?!? Haven't you heard?!?" It was surreal. At work, everyone was surrounding a few t.v.'s tuned into CNN, or using the internet to get what news we could. I turned the radio at my desk up so all could hear. Our building security was suddenly stricter. Co-workers could not concentrate on work. We all looked stricken, as though someone had just punched us in the gut. And so someone had. We were dismayed to learn that one of our co-workers was in Pentagon city that day. We waited for any news of his well-being. We sighed with relief when he was reported safe and on his way home. As we later learned, he was in a meeting and they were discussing the tower attacks when the building he was in suddenly shuddered and a large explosion was heard. He was across the highway from the Pentagon when the plane struck. It took him the better part of a week to drive home from the DC area to Colorado. I donated blood the very next day. I prayed for those lost and for the families hoping against hope to find a loved one alive and safe. I sobbed as I realized my country, my beloved country had been attacked. I called my parents, my boyfriend, my friends. I made contact with those I loved and realized how fragile that relationship was. We were an arrogant people before 9/11/01. We were self-assured that the evil in other countries would never come here. We were wrong. We were humbled. But we did not falter. I want generations to know that. We stood strong and did what needed to be done. The healing will take a bit, but if this time comes again, then we will unite again and come back again. God Bless America. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story7067.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-13 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 166.34.144.80