60 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: The story has been told so many times, suffice to say I watched on t.v. as many people did the drama unfold. I cried and still have feelings about this day and will continue to have them for the rest of my life. Many unanswered questions began that day and still are unresolved on this anniversary. I am troubled that last night I heard a mosque in London celebrated the "terrorists" as heros who died on September 11, 2001 and the questions still ache in my heart. Someone must show me when in their religious writings it states that killing is "just". Someone has to show me why with all the billions of dollars in arab countries they still live in poverty after all these centuries. If I look at the Bible, I can see a image that is mostly the arab world today. Someone has to tell me why they haven't come forward and prospered in todays world. Someone has to tell me why these "bastards" who live in caves and sleep with the scorpions and vermen of the night profess a Diety which allows them to kill other human beings without remorse or guilt. Someone has to tell me why bin laden who professes to be a religious leader can watch his people live in squaller and not spend his money to build for his people; yet instead will buy weapons and instruct his children to kill themselves for the sake of allah. bin laden is a snake who tempts his inept people with the apple of hate and disdain for mankind. Someone must tell me why these people exist in today's society to hurt so many. Why other arab nations do not stand fast and fight for their people is beyond me. Their rulers live in luxury and the people praise them and worship them as in biblical times. "al kida" or whatever they are called as well as "hamas" should and will be eliminated in time. These "bastards" will always have the ability to prey on the innocent because we know no boundaries of fear any longer. I am not afraid of death any longer and want to fight these "bastards" and eliminate them from this planet. "Vengence is mine" sayeth the Lord....however, in this case He may need alittle help from the United States. Hate me for what I feel.....yet explain to me why these "bastards" of the night continue to exist without the world seeking them out and destroying all of them. Israel will live forever and if arab and Jew cannot acknowledge each other then WE are at fault. We must educate our young not to be prejudice in any manner and to love our neighbor...as ourselves. I cried today and will cry again tomorrow and many tomorrows in the future. I want to leave this world knowing I contributed something to humanity other than wishing my black neighbor death; or my spanish friends to get better jobs; or my Indian friends to wear more deodorant. I want to know I left my children with some principles other than "hate" and "vengence" towards others. Am I so different from an arab? Do we think that differently? My wife and children are Jewish. I am Catholic. Did it take an act of God for me to fall in love and decide to marry this woman and have children? Did I consider anything other than the fact I loved her and not the rationale that Jews own most of New York and are Capitalistic in nature. No, I loved the person and took what came with it because that is the way I was raised. My in-laws and all Jews are beautiful people. They care and love life. I ramble on and must stop. arabs if you are reading.... understand what you have done. You solidified a nation and we see you for what you are......"bastards in the night" who are not human. God Bless America Larry, Ruth, Tess, Abigale, Andrea, Jonathan Williams 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 story6898.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.188.6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: Sept. 11, 2001, I was to depart from Newark Airport to Denver, Co. at 8:05AM. As we were taxing off the gate (late as usual) at about 8:15, our pilot anounced there was a problem with one of the cockpit's lights and that we were pulling off the line in order to clear the problem. The pilot also said that while we waited for the test, we could watch what looked like an spectacular fire in one of the twin towers (the north tower had just been hit). I remember sitting there trying to look across the isle trying to see the fire, but not seeing much. A few minutes later the pilot reported the problem solved and that we were ready to resume departure. As we took off from Newark at about 8:35AM, the plane first headed south before turning east and then north up the Hudson River, this route took us west of the twin towers, and gave me a clear view of the burning North Tower. I remember wondering what could cause so much smoke on an office building, because by this time the colunm of smoke extended south for a few miles. The next few minutes were normal as the crew stated preparations for the morning breakfast, but even before anyone was served, the pilot annouced the due to high shear winds in Denver we were being diverted to Cleveland. Eventually we landed in Johnstown, Ohio along with six other planes (minutes after flight 93 flew over the airport on its way to the Pennsylvania field). The rest I guess its the same as for every other American; sadness, rage, pain and tears. Memories of looking at the towers on the night of Sept.8th from Liberty State Park, and thinking how imposing they were but just taking them for granted, just as we do our life, liberties and freedom. I for one we'll never look at life the same way again. 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 story5622.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. 67.83.35.104 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I woke to the images of the trade center towers on fire on my television, which I leave on while I sleep. Even though Alaska is so far removed from New York City, I felt an indescribable sense of horror, terror, and fear. I was 29 years old, and all I could think was that I wanted my mommy, someone to hold and cuddle me and tell me that everything was all right, that the world wasn't ending. I have a large group of online acquaintances on www.livejournal.com, and I turned on my computer to see what information I could find online, and what my friends knew. I found the same reactions amongst my online friends, ranging from the same mix of emotions from those somewhat geographically distanced from the sites of the horror, to people terrified that their loved ones in New York and Washington were involved somehow. I sent frantic e-mails to a friend living in NYC, since each time I tried to call, I was told that all circuits were busy. I was comforted the slightest bit by sharing my feelings with my online friends. It may behoove the archivists of this site to visit www.livejournal.com, and visit any of the over 600,000 journals housed there. You can click on the "Calendar View" of any journal, and then follow the links to find what they posted on September 11 and the days following. There could be quite a bit of interest to you there. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1209.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. 137.229.63.173 Annotation Annotations to this item. Internet DOMESTIC Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I am a school bus driver for South Lake School District...I had just finished my first run...and had arrived home approx 8:45....I was in my bedroom cleaning up....I seen this one plane crash into the tower....I at first thought ..this was a movie or somthing....only to then hear it was real....My husband had come into the bedroom...and I said..OMG...you should see what just happened...it played it over...no sooner did we see another one.....I started crying...and told him....This is not the end...they are not stopping here.....Both of us were in shock...as everyone was....sad...crying........I kept saying to him....I mean it..they will not stop at this...He said ..there is no way...Kimberly....after all of this...they would never go onto do anymore...But I knew ......my gut told me that this was not it...as i continued on to tell him.......Then when I went back to work...heard of the plane in Penn.,......and still knew ...this was not it.......then the Pentagon.....I was sick......and was sick when I first uttered those words.....They will not stop here.........This has been the most tragic.....scarey.....horifying......experience....Then we seemed to all come together......people were nice to each other....humble...kind....we were all grieving together....The sad part of it all........is that it didn't last very long.....I always believe there is a reason for everything.....and the ONLY good....that could ever come out of such a tramatic situation...such as this.......Is that people all would come together as one....and stay this way......But to my sorrow......thoughout this yr..grieving for all those who lost their lives...and their families.....things...neva stayed the same as they did.....that day........People....genuinley caring...and showing one another ...that this was it........the only thing...tragic as it was ...to bring us all together......I am not only sad....and touched by all the men and women and children...that were actually involved......but sad for our country.......to at least carry this on......coming together as ONE.....and staying this way....Forever......yes the donations...and the kindness was shown and still is by many.......but some...have forgotten.......what we became..that day September 11th 2002.....one nation...under God........no matter what God or religion they believe in.....we are all connected 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 story4494.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. 64.12.96.8 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was in second hour of Highschool in my nineth grade class. My english teach came into the room and whispered something to my math teacher. Then my english teacher explained what happened and then they turned on the television so we could see what was going on. We turned on the television just in time to see the second plane hit the twin towers. We were all in shock. 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 story1770.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. 2002-09-05 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.222.48.200 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: Someone came out and said the first plane had hit the wtc. we allwent to the bar area to watch the tv. I mentioned the fact that I hoped it wasn't a terrorist act and that it was horrible. We just watched in silence and then I saw the 2nd plane comming in. I guess we all saw at once because everyone there gave a collective "Oh my God!" Some started to cry, and other than that it was silent. What could you say. After that they started breakin in about the other 2 hijacked planes. I knew at that point, that our country had lost all of our innocence. We were no longer on the outside looking in, but living what we only saw on the news about other countries. Some of us went home early. I went and got my 2 boys out of school and we came home and watched. they are both teenagers and understood most of what was going on, but still had questions. Are we safe was one of them and at that moment I couldn't look at them and tell them yes. Not ever again could I say that to them. We do alot more family things together and stay home alot more than we did now. It saddens me to think that our lives are forever changed due to this event. I will however, not be afraid. Not now, not ever. I love my country and will do whatever I can to insure that my children have some sense of security in their lives growing up. I will fly. I will go to NYC. I will show compassion for my neighbors. I will stand strong. I WILL NOT LET THIS TERRORIST ACT BREAK MY SPIRIT! GOD BLESS AMERICA AND ALL SHE STANDS FOR. NOW AND FOREVER! Lest we not forget ALL of the innocent victims, but honor their memory by showing what America is, and always will be. 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 story5005.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: The morning of 9-11 seemed to be just like any other morning. I was two days back from Arizona, tired and jet lagged. I woke up just in time to stumble in front of the TV set and see the replay of the first plane hit the towers. My mother was watching it with the utmost disbelief. She turned to me and all she could say is ?look?. I didn?t pay it very much attention, I figured some idiot navigated off course and lost control of the plane. So I proceeded to the shower. After a long, hot, refreshing shower I now felt myself to be more assertive. So as I stumbled back into the living room to see if they had discovered why the plane went off course ?BOOM,? the second one hit. This is when it finally occurred to me that this was no accident. From that moment on, I sat their glued to the television set, watching helplessly. It almost seemed like one event after the other, the whole day was filled with terror, the Twin Towers the Pentagon, and the third plane that was neutralized before anything else could happen. I believe that everyone that day in America watched with disbelief and sadness in their hearts. I don?t think there is a person alive who didn?t want to help in some way on that tragic day. I believe the day of 9-11 has helped to rekindle that fire we call the American spirit 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 story10247.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. 2003-12-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.53.151.178 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: It is the day after September 11th, 2002, and still I cry at the stories and the images I see. It was shortly after 8:00 a.m. Central Time, a year ago, when the phone rang and mom was asking if I had the TV on. I said yes, I am watching something I had taped the day before. She told me to turn on the regular channels because 2 planes had hit the World Trade Towers in NYC. Never having been to NY, I knew of the Towers but was not really familiar with all they stood for. That of course changed that infamous day a year ago. My life has also changed and how I think about certain things. Even though I think we all knew in our hearts it was terrorism, it wasn't until after the Pentagon was hit that I was certain. I was on the phone with a good friend and we were saying, oh my God (literally crying out to Him), what is next? What is going to be struck next? When I heard about the plane crash in Pennsylvania, I immediately knew it was a hijacking that had been thwarted. I stayed glued to the TV for 3 days and in shock for weeks. I don't even remember sleeping or remember the few weeks after the 11th of last year. It is a blur except for what I saw. I don't believe this is something we will get over in just a year. I haven't. I still shake my head in wonder at what occurred. I still cry thinking about what those people must have gone through. I pray for all those that have lost someone, all those that survived the horror and live with it everyday. I pray for peace, but I pray also our country prevails and is safe from anything ever happening like this again. I have always been a proud American, but never more proud than I am right at this moment. I say this with all my heart, God bless the USA and all those that stand beside her and with her. 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 story6833.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.234.4.173 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: Since I am originally from New York, I thought it was a little more than strange when a co-worker popped her head into my office the morning of 9/11 to let me know "a plane had flown into the Twin Towers." Sitting at my desk, where I worked at a hotel in Virginia Beach, I suddenly had a very bad feeling. I went into the restaurant in the hotel lobby and of course on TV was the vision of the burning Tower. I was in shock. No body there could understand however, because no one knew how astronomically big the Towers were. They were all native Virginians, they had never been to the World Trade Center. They thought a tiny little plane had accidentally lost control and hit the building. I tried to explain to them that a-that was more than a tiny plane, b-how big the Towers were, and the hole in the building had to be at least 10 stories and c-planes don't fly over NYC so something was not right. They didn't get it until the second plane hit. I think I screamed but can't remember, maybe it was just in my head. I sat on the floor but my eyes never left the television as I watched. A million thoughts were running through my head...family & friends in NY who worked in the city, where were they, who did this, am I safe? I called my boyfriend to let him know what was going on (he was home sleeping). He picked up the phone and by then I knew...my exact words were "America is under attack." He hung up, thought I was joking or something. I called back on told him to turn on the f**king TV, any channel. He did and said "Oh my God" then hung up. It was absolutely horrible to be in another state, surrounded by people who didn't know or had never been to Manhatten...they couldn't understand why I was so upset, they didn't get the mass destruction, the lives lost. As we watched the first tower fall and then the next, I think they began to get it. I didn't talk for a long time. People kept coming up to me and asking me if I knew anyone in the city; all I could do was nod my head. I had been to the Twin Towers a million times, but had always taken advantage of them. They were there, a part of the city. I never knew their beauty until they were gone. I remember after the second tower crumbled I had seen enough (I didn't know that those images would be replayed over and over again, to haunt me). I walked across the street to buy a pack of cigarettes. I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone. I remember looking at the beach, and the sky, it was so beautiful outside, the sky so blue. This had to be a dream and I willed myself to wake up. But I didn't. I felt very unsafe walking across the street. It was so quiet. I kept listening for planes. I went home to watch the news and all day they kept replaying the planes, and the fires, and the people running, and screaming in torture and pain. I cried. I cried for America, for my generation who never had to think about war on our soil, who were taught that we were a 'superpower.' Where the hell were our superpowers now? Someone had come onto our turf and destroyed our freedom. I got mad at our governement and military for being so relaxed and letting this happen. I watched people on TV holding pictures of loved ones who were missing. This should have been prevented. The days to follow were hard. I wanted to be home, in New York. I heard about a few friends that had died, some who worked at the WTC, some were firefighters. I heard the stories about the people who took over the plane tat crashed in PA. I had never in my life felt so much pride for America. It took me almost 3 months to go home. The first time I saw the city sky line, I had to pull over. I couldn't see through the tears. It didn't even look like the New York City Sky Line, it never will again. I went to Ground Zero and apologized to all the people there who lost their lives that I was so fortunate as to be alive. It was a very eerie feeling, I felt as if their spirits were still lingering. I am so proud to be a New Yorker, because of the way we came through, as Americans. I feel for all the families and loved ones in NY, DC, PA, of the people who were on the planes, of the military personnel who were and still are fighting for our country. There is no better place than America and it is a tragedy that it took something so horrible for me to realize 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 story9920.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.85.31.75 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: this is not a really story about what happend 11 september 2001, but it's to remind you all not to forget the people who were in the four airplanes! they were the ones who knew what was going to happen, who knew that they were going to die! they knew it longer than the ones in wtc and pentagon! but all we think about when we hear the date, is the one in wtc! dont missunderstand me; im NOT saying that we shouldnt think about them; WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT THEM! but we must not forget the passangers in the planes! specially the ones in the plane who crashed in a feld, or something like that; the one that didnt crash into a building, because the reson for that it didnt crash and kill more people, was because the passangers in the plane tried to stop the terrorist from crashing the plane; thats heroic too!! And we also have the people in the third tower that fell, tower 7, here in Norway, we haven't heard anything about them (almost anyway!) * DON'T FORGET THE PEOPLE THAT DIED 11 SEPTEMBER 2001 JUST BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T IN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER! 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 story6441.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. 217.70.229.54 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 worked downtown in the financial district for an environmental consulting firm four blocks directly east of the World Trade Center. That fateful Tuesday morning, however, I was scheduled for a downtown dentist's appointment at 8:15 am to get my three wisdom teeth removed. I was actually half excited that I was finally going to get the procedure over with and was even planning to take the next couple of days off to recuperate and relax from all the previous days of demanding field work. Oh, and what a beautiful day it was! The cloudless sky, an ocean blue and the air, clean and balmy. Who would ever have imagined the events to come this day would be of epic proportions? I reached the city from Brooklyn by 8:00 am and walked over to Broadway and Maiden Lane (a block away from the World Trade Center) to see Dr. Azar. I remember feeling refreshed that morning because of the pleasant weather and the fact that I was able to grab some coffee along the way while it was still early. And then I also remember looking forward to the actual procedure. I don't know why, I was just looking forward to it. I guess I was interested in finding out how much tolerance I had for mouth pain. And maybe even the prospect of keeping my own teeth as morbid trophies from the surgery. At 1 Maiden Lane, in I hopped in the old-fashioned, small capacity elevator which slowly eked its way up to the seventh floor. There, Dr. Azar personally greeted me at the receptionist's desk and I was led upstairs to one of the rooms to sit in a dentist's chair that faced a west-side window with the twin towers in near perfect view. I even remember peering out the window and marveling at the towers' height and architectural simplicity while I waited for Dr. Azar to gather his extraction tools. It wasn't long before Dr. Azar went over the whole procedure, telling me what tools he was going to use, how long it might take and asking whether I was comfortable with local or general anesthesia. I opted for local; a decision that was perhaps later proven to be near life-saving. I'd much rather be conscious and sound like a half-wit than be hopelessly passed out in a dentist's chair during an emergency. I doubt anyone would want to pick me up out of the chair and carry me out of that building. I've always sort of enjoyed my past appointments at Dr. Azar's mainly because he has one of those spotless, high-tech dental offices. Not to mention the fact that he, himself, is a tremendously interesting guy whose real expertise is in cosmetic dental surgery and deep-sea fishing. Soon enough, he performed a series of anesthetic injections that seemed to take a very long time. During that period, I could tell he was trying to gauge my emotions and determine whether or not I was feeling any kind of anxiety. It was clear enough that I showed no anxiety, but he handed me these audio/video goggles that played off a DVD player anyway. He then offered me a selection of DVD movies to choose from. And as I looked through them.... "Ms. Congeniality," "Family Man," "Runaway Bride"... I was thinking, "Wow, this is a pretty poor selection of movies." But I realized I missed one - "Armageddon." Then I thought, ?Well that?s perfect.? All the explosions and destruction would serve as a great distraction from the surgery. So, "Armageddon" it was and boy... was I in for more than I had bargained for. Numb at last, about quarter to nine, I donned the video goggles and watched the rolling credits, when all of sudden, "KABOOOOM!!!!" I ripped off my visor, just in time to hear my dentist say, "What the hell was that??!!" I mean, of course, it sounded like a massive explosion, but in my mind, I had rationalized it as a tractor trailer running over a massive speed bump at about 80 mph ? then multiplied that by 10. I remember Dr. Azar and I looking out the window only to see literally millions of office paper, stationery, and binders dispersed so perfectly throughout the city sky, it was like watching oversized confetti being strewn at the ticker-tape parade after the Yankees beat the Padres in the 1998 World Series in New York. Only it was scarier. Dr. Azar immediately turned the radio on. We started listening to Howard Stern who was telling his listeners in disbelief that a small plane, what looked like a Cessna, had accidentally hit one of the World Trade towers. We all believed it as we looked on in fear. I watched from a 7-story height, people running out from the ground level of the WTC looking confused and frightened. The dental hygienist and assistants were already becoming very upset, concerned for the welfare of the people trapped in the building. Then, fifteen minutes later, at about 9:00 am, while Dr. Azar and I were already viewing the fire trucks, cops and other vehicles creating a massive log jam down below, it happened again... only much, much worse. Right before my eyes, I saw a sight I will never forget. A second plane hit the south tower - "KABOOOM!!" - at such a velocity that upon impact, it caused a devastating explosion that produced a ring of fire that spread out in every direction for hundreds of feet (because the plane's impact happened so quickly, the explosion looked almost as if it had come from inside the building). I could see the flames up close as they rolled and churned like orange liquid in strange patterns that I had never seen before except in movies like "Die Hard." At that very moment, amongst all the onlookers, the radio-listeners, and the TV-watchers, one single thought passed through everyone's minds - the U.S. was under attack. It was New York's Pearl Harbor. Total chaos ensued as thousands of people poured out from the ground level of the WTC in droves with great panic and confusion. Traffic was at almost a complete stand still and the sound of sirens and horns was deafening. It was an eerie sight for me to see because I was already imagining how many people must have literally vaporized upon impact from that second plane. I called Kieran. When he answered, I realized that I was barely coherent. The Novocain had set in well and all the muscles in my face were almost completely immobilized. I actually used my left hand to assist in moving my lower jaw to create words that were comprehensible to him. It was tremendously frustrating knowing that I was going to have difficulty communicating to anyone else how I was feeling and what I had seen. In an urgent, forceful tone, Kieran instructed me to leave the building I was in immediately and take whatever possible mode of transportation I could "to get the hell out of the city." I agreed and we said good-bye. And that was the last I would speak to him for a long, long time. I tried to call my parents, but the cell phone lines were already completely tied up. People were in a panic, trying desperately to call their spouses, lovers, parents, brothers, sisters, children. It wasn't long before the city was on *lock-down*. Every subway, train, PATH, and bus was evacuated and shut down. Inaccessible. There were no available cabs anywhere. There was no way out of the city, except by foot. And so, I resigned to walking. After consoling a dental assistant in my arms for about twenty minutes, I finally left her alone as she wiped away her tears. She asked me, "How will I get home??!!" And I told her, "We?ll have to walk to the Brooklyn Bridge. It's the only way out." She nodded in agreement. And so we walked. As I made my way to the East River and towards my office on Maiden Lane, a woman abruptly approached me, seizing my forearms tightly and staring with crazed eyes into mine as she spoke these words: "The bodies.... I watched the bodies fall. Did you see the bodies?" Her ghostly pale face frightened me as I stood there speechless. Then she released me, and walked onwards, staring blankly in front of her. And before I knew it, someone else had approached me from the office. It was Jeanne, our office manager, who had seen virtually nothing from their building, but stood outside to see the towers billowing smoke, dense and black, already wafting towards Brooklyn. I tried to relay everything that I saw from the very beginning, but she nodded with furrowed brow, half comprehending what I was saying. Finally, we returned to the office on the 5th Floor. There, all were visibly shaken and many were crying, some hysterically. There was a lot of confusion amongst our office because we were not entirely sure how many people were planning to come in today and how many had actually already left to evacuate the city. To make matters even more complicated, we happened to be having a project management meeting that day that encompassed personnel from several other offices in the country. It was about 9:30 am when someone in the office who was listening to the radio informed us that two passenger planes that were allegedly hijacked had caused the explosive impacts. Everyone was stunned. "Both planes?!," someone yelled. I managed to get a hold of my roommate, Lisa, in Brooklyn who also worked with me in the office as another geologist. Though it was no surprise, I was still glad that she hadn't made it into the office yet. It was perhaps the first time in her life, coming late to work had gotten her out of trouble. Her voice trembled. She was panic-stricken. She told me she would not have had any idea about what was going on except for the fact that while she was in our bathroom, she happened to overhear the blaring news reports from a downstairs apartment that the World Trade Center was hit by two hijacked planes. Then Lisa screamed as she watched the news, having just learned of the fact that another hijacked plane had crashed into the Pentagon! It was 9:40 am. Lisa started to get upset. I was stupefied. Jeanne convened a staff meeting to report who was missing and where they were. As it turned out, there were several people in our office that had left almost immediately after the second plane hit and had walked uptown to meet their spouses and loved ones. All were eventually accounted for. And we were grateful. Those who were left were still in the office, trying to determine our course of action. The events that continued to unfold were astounding and numbing. All of a sudden, it was about 10:00 am when we heard on the news that yet *another* plane was hijacked and had crashed about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh in an apparent botched terrorist attack. Just when I was unable to comprehend any more catastrophic news, the south tower collapses. There was a low rumbling noise followed by vibrations through the floor like a small earthquake. Someone screamed, and then people were crying hysterically. I didn't even know what was happening until it was too late. And then there was darkness for a long time. And I cried. I told my work-mate that I had seen everything as he stared at me with a saddened face. And so I cried in his arms for a long, long time. And for coming to the realization that man could be capable of such cruel acts of hatred against our own kind. And so we stayed and we waited for further word to evacuate our building. Maybe we were safer in the building then we were outside? We didn't know, we weren't sure about anything. When the air began to clear again, I opened the window and peered out to see the single most apocalyptic sight I had ever seen in my whole life. People were literally buried in dust and debris and I already knew that this wasn't the end of it all. It was a whiteness that was eerie and strange. All the pulverized concrete had begun to settle on every surface area and every human being that was still outside on the street. They looked like the walking dead. We forbade the worst - the north tower was due to collapse as well. In fact, it was less than half an hour, when the north tower did collapse. And again, like a minor earthquake, I felt the low rumbling beneath my feet. And I watched it with my own eyes the black cloud of dust and debris that came rolling down our street on Maiden Lane like a pyroclastic flow from a volcanic eruption - only it wasn't pulverized rock, but concrete, metal, glass and perhaps even flesh. Jeanne yelled over at me, "Shut the windows!! Shut them quickly!" So I shut my window and it was barely 3 seconds before the black cloud of ruin reached our office windows and suddenly, it was pitch blackness outside. All the people, the cars, the street itself, were completely shrouded in darkness like night time once again. And the sight of that *really* scared me. Eventually, the dust began to settle again like before and it was then when the building manager commanded everyone to evacuate the building immediately. We gathered ourselves and proceeded down the stairwell. And for a moment, as I climbed down the stairwell, I imagined what it must have felt like being those people trapped in the towers. How frightened they must have been when they realized that they would not likely survive against such incredible odds. When we reached the lobby, we were crowded together, shoulder to shoulder with every possible tenant in the building like Penn Station on a Friday night before a holiday weekend. We must have stood there for almost 40 minutes before someone tested the air to determine whether or not it was within breathable limits. Finally, we left the building, placing wet rags over our noses and mouths, along with thousands of others who had left their homes and their offices downtown. It was a sight to be seen. The sun, barely filtering through the clouds of dust still unsettled in the air, felt like an unnatural fluorescent light shining down on us as we walked uptown to the Brooklyn Bridge. And so we walked in stunned silence over the thick layer of incinerated ashes of everything that was once the World Trade Towers. I was still not able to fully comprehend the fact that both towers had completely collapsed. I saw the aftermath. I saw what material was left behind. And conservation of mass tells me that it wasn't physically possible. But somehow, it was possible. The events from this day were enough to drive any person to insanity. It seemed to defy all probability and all the laws of physics. It wasn't long before we reached the Brooklyn Bridge and we continued to walk along with thousands and thousands of others. As I looked north of us up the East River, I could see thousands of other survivors march across the Manhattan Bridge also heading over towards Brooklyn. These were the only escape routes for the young and the healthy and the old and crippled alike. I remember looking back towards the towers while on the bridge, but I could see nothing. The pall of smoke was so thick and so pervasive that the entire downtown area was no longer visible. I walked on, passing abandoned cars and a FedEx truck. It seemed like the end of the world. It was truly apocalyptic. Upon reaching Brooklyn, the atmosphere was completely different. All the businesses were still in operation and postal workers from a nearby post office were handing out bottles of water and paper towels for everyone walking by, much like a marathon. Every business, church and caf? opened their doors to the public, allowing the use of restrooms and drinking water. It was these flowerings of kindness that made me feel warm and alive again. And it almost made me tearfully joyful how so many people had come together despite incredible adversity to help and assist perfect strangers. And then I thought about all the rescue workers and firefighters, those who had already lost their lives so that others could survive. Eventually, our large office group broke into smaller groups to go to individual homes. I walked 11 miles home and along the way, found bits of office paper that had flown across the river all the way to Brooklyn; a grim reminder of what was lost. Our company was on administrative leave for a week and was quickly followed by grief counseling upon the return of employees. Still, some did not even return for the next two weeks. I remember feeling angry all the time, especially at the grief counselors who didn't even know what the hell they were talking about. Everyone told me that I was suffering anxiety symptoms, but I didn't think so at first. In time, it became apparent to me when I came home again with Lisa. For days and days, she would watch the footage and the rescue efforts 24 hours a day, non-stop, not sleeping, and not eating. And it drove me insane because I would hear people asking about members of their families as they flashed pictures of their missing loved ones on television, weeping and pleading to the public for hope that they had miraculously survived somehow. It was the single most heartbreaking footage I had ever seen in my whole life and I would just turn away from the voices and the photos and the people because it was too much for me to take. I would just cry and cry all over again. And it wouldn't stop. After being subjected to this for four days, I started to develop genuine cabin fever, leaving the house for the next 3 days. Eventually, I went back to work again and thankfully, immediately out on a field assignment. But I knew that I would never forget the events that occurred that day for as long as I live. And as long as I am alive, I will pass down my experiences to those whom I love so that they will always be reminded of what great acts of horror and what great acts of heroism our race has achieved. As for my three wisdom teeth, Dr. Azar eventually did extract them. As a matter of fact, by some twist of fate, my new appointment occurred on March 11, 2002 ? exactly six months after September 11. When I came in, we looked at each other and smiled. It was the last time I was to see Dr. Azar before I moved to Philadelphia. I'm sure I will be a patient of his whom he will never forget. And you know, I never did see "Armageddon." I suppose I never will. But I guess, in a way, I already have. 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 story10354.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. 2004-01-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.84.32.217 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 first hint of what was unfolding came from a radio news report that a plane had run into a building. My wife and I were getting ready for the day (6:46 AM, Mountain Time), and while the report caught our attention, it did not, at first seem dramatic. Even the broadcaster, though he reported it as breaking news, did not seem overly alarmed. We thought it was probably an isolated incident. We weren't even sure what kind of plane or where the incident had occurred. We continued our morning routine, but decided to turn on the TV to see if there was any more news. The coverage of the second plane slamming into the Twin Towers was just hitting the airwaves, and we, like most other Americans, sat riveted to the TV screen, unable to fully comprehend all that we were seeing. We shook ourselves free and took our children to school then hurried home to watch the coverage for about an hour afterward. When I reached my office at the church (I am a pastor), we immediately lowered our flag to half mast to honor those who had undoubtedly perished. The schedule for the next day, Wednesday, included our normal Midweek Prayer and Bible Study service. It is also the day we had planned to kick off our AWANA Club children and youth ministries. We decided to postpone those ministries and began to plan for a special service to pray for our nation, our leaders, those who had lost loved ones and those who had been injured in the attacks. In the mean time, our oldest son's scheduled High School soccer game in Denver was cancelled, and our yonger children were released early from school as precautionary measures. As evening approached, the enormity of what had taken place was sinking in. This could mean war. With whom? When? Where? Here? Since we live in the shadow of NORAD, the possibility that whoever had done this might want to strike Colorado Springs seemed all too probable. My wife and I sat down with our four children and discussed the events of the day. We told our oldest sons (15 & 14 at that time) that the attacks we had endured could mean there would be a war. I looked at my teenage sons, as so many other parents have down through the years and realized with a mixture of pride and apprehension that the defense of liberty would be falling on the shoulders of young people like my boys in the next few years...and that some of them would die in the process. Before we broke up our family meeting, we prayed together. We asked God to give our leaders wisdom and to protect them. We asked Him to comfort those whose loved ones had been killed. We asked Him to spare those who were trapped and still living in the rubble in New York and Washington, DC. We told Him that we trusted Him with our nation, our lives and our futures. We thanked Him for His love, and we went to bed. 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 story3526.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 204.33.116.245 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: A fellow co-worker and I were busy preparing to open the restuarant for the day, when her mom called. She explained, crying that someone flew a passenger aircraft into the World Trade Center in New York. She called 20 minutes later to tell us that the 2nd Trade Center had been hit as well. Stunned my co-worker and I just stood there with silent tears running down our faces and saying prayers for the people who's lives would never be the same. Including ourselves. Normally, we listen to music throughout the day, however we turned to talk radio so that we could hear the latest up to date information of what was happening. We also heard of the Aircraft Flight 93 going down in Pennsylvania and cheered and wept at the same time. Cheered because it would never hit it's intended target and for the bravery and courage of ordinary citizens who made an agonizing decision to protect our country. We wept for those families who lost a loved one, that would never return home. When the Pentagon was hit, we once again stood in shock, lots of people had already seen the terrible tv footage, it would be hours before we would even comprehend the attack on our country. For one month in honor of those in the Armed Forces, Police, Fire and EMS I had the employees give those people in full uniform their meal free. It was a small way for me and my store to give to those who put their lives in jeopardy every day to protect my right to Freedom and Liberty. God Bless, Stacey Spellmeier Subway Manager Part Time Kansas EMT-Basic 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 story4771.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. 65.168.30.98 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 spent September 11, like most of America, glued to my TV and on the phone, watching with a sense of horror and disbelief as the terrible events unfolded. The only difference was that, unlike most of America, I live in Arlington, Virginia. I heard the plane crash into the Pentagon, had a steady siren soundtrack for hours on end as one emergency vehicle after another from every neighboring jurisdiction rushed by on the state road near my home, and saw a marked decrease in my water pressure due to the volume of water being used to try to put out the fire. By mid-afternoon, burned out from the TV and the phone, I ventured outside and chatted with my Arlington neighbors. Gino, the old man Mayor of 17th Street, was holding court in someone's driveway. After remarking at how I had lost weight ("I can see it in your face"), he continued with a diatribe against the perpetrators he suspected were behind the day's awful crimes. "If I was President, I'd nuke 'em all. Iran, Iraq, the whole lot of ?em. Osama Bin whatever-his-name-is and the rest of them fanatics should be wiped out." He said that the plane that hit the Pentagon flew so close to his house, which is two doors down and across the street from mine, that things fell off his walls and shattered. As I hadn?t noticed any particularly low-flying aircraft, I decided to reserve judgment on this until the investigation determined the flight path. He also said that he was out directing traffic so that the ambulances could get through. Although I didn't see it, I have no doubt that he did and can clearly picture him out in the middle of the road leaning on his cane and barking orders. After more chit-chat, I told Gino to be sure to sign me up for his militia and bid him good-bye. Now it was about 4, and I decided to wander up Columbia Pike to see how close I could get to the scene. As I looked up the street, I was surprised at how much smoke was still coming from the building. I was also surprised by the above-average numbers of pedestrians and bicyclists, even though I should have expected that others, like me, would want to be a witness to history. I walked as far as Washington Blvd., which is the road that everyone takes who leaves my house heading north, swinging past the Pentagon toward home. They were stopping cars at this point, but I saw people walking toward me on foot and others on bikes, so I knew it was possible to go farther. Just as I was about to pass the vehicle checkpoint, a man who wore a brown "Sheriff" T-shirt and inexplicably had an Australian accent stopped me to ask whether I lived up that way or was "just sightseeing." I sort of resented his characterizing it as if I were going to have a picnic while the Pentagon burned, but I admitted that I lived about a mile back in the other direction. He told me that only people who lived up that way were permitted to go further. I knew it would do no good to point out that if I had only crossed the street and gone up the Pike on the opposite sidewalk, I would have been able to get past him just like the rest of the people strolling and biking toward the Pentagon. I also knew that, having already been identified, I couldn't just cross the street and continue heading east. I instead climbed the hill by Washington Blvd., crossed over the exit ramp, walked down the road a bit, then exited at another ramp on the other side of Sheriff Aussie. I was able to go as far as the Virginia Department of Transportation Building, which apparently had been commandeered by the FBI terrorist unit, across from the Navy Annex. At this point they had Marines stationed to keep you from going any further. Now when I say "Marines," I mean they were wearing Marine fatigues that had their names on them. But these Marines, a young man and young woman, looked like they should have been wearing McDonald's colors and taking my order for fries, so non-intimidating were they. There was a group of people, numbering about 15 at any given point, chatting with each other and the Marine-ettes as we looked toward the smoldering Pentagon. I had thought to bring along my late mother's old binoculars, so I was quite popular with the group as I freely passed them around. The side of the building that had been hit was facing us, so with the binoculars we could clearly see the section that had collapsed. The events of the day were, of course, the primary topic of conversation. I spent much of the time correcting the misinformation they were spreading among themselves. "No, it turns out that there wasn't a car bomb at the State Department. They retracted that story." "Well, actually, the second building that was hit collapsed before the first building hit did. I saw a diagram of it on TV." I also held forth with my ideas about why the World Trade Center imploded the way it did, based on the vast information I had garnered from watching the "Skyscraper" episode of the "Building Big" series on PBS. As we stood there, heavy digging machinery, porta-Johns, klieg lights, and telecommunication trucks passed by in a macabre large-scale search-and-rescue caravan. After a half-hour of this, I was about to head back. A Marine, a real Marine, not one of the pretend ones, was talking with a couple standing near me. They were trying to convince the Marine that the woman might be useful, as she was a nurse and had experience with smoke-inhalation victims. The Marine, something-Sergeant McClellan, asked who was there to volunteer. Someone else asked, "You mean experienced medical workers, right?" Sergeant McClellan said, "No, I mean all sorts of volunteers," and he gave us a description of what he had in mind. I think we were all surprised, since we hadn't heard any call for volunteers on TV. Seven of us advanced forward, including me. We got to move a little further up the street, a little closer to the Pentagon and beyond the reach of the Marine-ettes. Sergeant McClellan then reiterated the speech he had given us back at the checkpoint, but in just a little more hard-core version. "You could be waiting around here for four hours before you're called to do something, so if you have kids at home, this probably isn't for you. Of course, I told the last group it would be four hours, and then I sent for them in a half-hour. But I can't tell you how long it will be. You will be doing what I tell you to do. Is that understood?" As we realized the gravity of the situation and the need for discipline, we all stood in silent assent. "I saw someone earlier down there who was dressed in, well, I guess you'd call them his dress greens. He was spattered with blood all over his shirt and slacks. You have to realize that you'll be seeing things that made him look that way. There will be bodies. You may be carrying water to the rescue workers. You may be carrying bodies. You have to think if you can handle seeing this type of thing." Could I handle seeing this type of thing? How the hell should I know? The only dead bodies I'd seen that weren't on TV were ones that had already been carefully coifed and made-up and were lying in a casket. Could I handle it? To me that really wasn't the issue. In my mind, the issue was, "Are you going to pass on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?" I looked down at my beige khaki shorts, buttoned shirt, and sandals, and tried to imagine them covered in dirt, sweat and blood. There was no way I was leaving. All seven of us stayed. There were the nurse and what looked like her husband. There was a yuppie late 30-ish couple, he dressed in Ralph Lauren Polo shorts and she in New Balance running shoes. There was a 55-ish guy dressed in a Seventh Calvary T-shirt who had ridden his bike to the scene. Finally, there was a 5'-4" gentleman with a black moustache and a blue cap who appeared not to understand English very well and, if you had put us all in a line-up, would have been voted "Most Likely To Be an Illegal Alien." I sat down and leaned against the fence, trying to conserve my energy for what might turn out to be a very long night. I thought about the credit card bill I had due and wondered if I would get back in time to pay it the next day. I wondered why the other volunteers were still standing and acting so nonchalant. Hadn't they just heard what they had volunteered for? Eventually, I got up and joined one of the conversations. It was now about 5:30, though I thought it was more like 6:30 until somebody corrected me. I was in the middle of regaling the group with my tale of how I had sneaked past Sheriff Aussie when Sergeant McClellan came up and interrupted me. "Excuse me, sir." Of course, I piped down immediately. "I just got a call from Quantico. They are sending a bunch of people up who will be here shortly. It looks like we're not going to need you after all." He thanked us and made it a point to shake each of our hands individually. I wished him luck. Our stint as rescue workers was over, maybe 25 minutes after it began. I headed west on Columbia Pike, looking back over my shoulder and thinking about what might have been. I stopped at the supermarket and picked up groceries in a fog, not the usual fog of routine, but something altogether different. I returned home and there was the American flag I had put out before I left. It was still in the sun. An hour before and one mile away, I had pictured it hanging in the dark most of the night. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1330.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-08-20 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 162.33.63.199 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was in bed when i got a call from my stepfather....I can remember the exact words "They got the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. I was amazed I needed clarification on what he had just said to me. That day there were kids everywhere watching the coverage and it was just an unforgettable day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story9936.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 134.53.214.160 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: At the time the first jet hit the World Trade Center, I was in my kitchen, ready to leave for Omaha and my job. My husband was getting ready to begin harvest on our farm. I dropped my briefcase and called my husband. We stood there with our mouths open, transfixed, as if we were watching some strange horror movie. After the second plane hit, I grabbed a small TV and headed to my office, so everyone could see what was going on. We were greatly relieved to hear that the President had landed at SAC airbase. His heading straight back to Washington amidst the uncertainty was the last thing we wanted to see. The entire day was surreal, as if we suddenly weren't in the same world. Someone mentioned the "Twilight Zone." We couldn't even laugh at that....it was too close to the truth. We live so close to SAC, in Bellevue, NE, that during the "cold war" we joked about having a bullseye on our back. Now, I have that feeling again, even more so. As the daughter of a retired Air Force officer, I have a much deeper understanding of how others in the world might look at us in the US - right or wrong. I am also beginning to think I have a more realistic view of international relations than many people I have known and many more I hear and see every day. What happened last year on September 11 had nothing to do with "relations", "diplomacy", Islam, or "understanding." It has everything to do with evil, hate for hate's sake, and a society so spoiled and coddled that we still can't imagine being attacked like that unless we somehow deserved it. My second thought on that morning was that NOW, maybe people will realize that sometimes you have to fight back. My first thought this morning - one year later - was that, based on what I have heard and seen from pundits and so-called leaders here and abroad, we still don't have a clue. I am more afraid of that than I am of the terrorists. 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 story3204.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. 67.0.26.155 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 desk at a neurology practice in Lutherville, MD going about my daily routine as usual. It was quite strange that the phones were not working at their usualy hectic pace for a Tuesday, and that patients were not arriving on time, cancelling, not showing, etc. A patient came in and informed us that a jet had crashed into the World Trade Center not once but twice. I called home to my parents in Dundalk, MD (a suburb 18 miles from me) and they were frantic telling me what happened, and as they were telling me, the third jet took out the Pentagon. At that point, I got frantic, knowing in my heart and from my priot military training that the US was under attack! My folks put the phone to the TV so I could hear the newscasts. I was totally numb, passed the news to my coworkers and we got a radio and tuned it in to hear what was going on. Then the fourth plane crashed in PA. A State of Emergency was declared for MD--schools started closing, etc. I put a message on the voice mail at home to reassure my daughter that I was all right, and to check in with me at work. I called my other daughter's dorm at college to let her know I was ok and to check on her. She put the phone to the TV to let me hear what was going on, at that point the World Trade Center collapsed! She also informed me that she was chewing out a classmate with a cynical attitude about what was going on. My boss at the time didn't have a total clue as to why someone would do what they did, or why they picked the targets they did, and no matter what anyone tried to say to him, we couldn't reach him on the magnitude or the gravity of the attacks--he was more p.o.'ed that he couldn't fly down south to give a lecture!! When I got home from work that day, my boyfriend and I just stood in his living room teary eyed at the TV, not believing what we were seeing--all we could do was hold onto each other. I lost that job 13 days later for a myriad of imaginative reasons (he never did say why he canned me, but it was for the better--after a short period of working temp jobs, I have redefined my life, priorities, and family, and found a great job with better pay and bennies!! Quite a lesson in priorities... 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 story2951.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. 162.129.67.187 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 thirteen at the time. We had begun school, and about 2nd period was in session. The one thing that me and my classmates distinctly remember, was that the lights went out. Briefly, but its still a small memory. As we entered 3rd period things began to get scary: the principle and staff made announcements over the PA system saying "If any of your parents or relatives are in the New York Area, please call them to tell them transportation getting home will be very difficult and that the subway is not in use." and thats all they would say. In the halls, rumors of people going home early and in tears began. During lunch, i asked my tutor what was happening. She explained that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Thinking that it was just a small (1 passanger type)plane, i pretty much shrugged and said "Oh, ok." I think that the whole school was then informed of the situation in NY and were offering students to make house calls. I go to call my dad to see if my relative was ok and found myself choked in tears as everyone was listening in. But she was ok. But when we were let out, and was about to get off the bus, i see through the window all the parents from the block standing at the hill to meet us. I was scared and nervous and didn't know what to think of this. We get home and they show me to the TV....and so, i was exposed to the horrible events. Reka, one of my dad's co-workers, was there. Dad said she didn't have any place to go till her husband came. I remember how i couldn't cry for the longest time. Even when i was alone. And finally when i could, my tears felt like they were burning. My tutor(who's also a close friend)stopped by that evening (i think we got out early now that i think about it) to see how we were. We were sitting on our couch in front of the tv when my brother Andrew comes in and tells us that our new neighbor was in the 2nd plane that struck the WTC. I ran out of the room crying. We stopped by their house that night as the old residence of the house were going to meet them too. They had just come from Temple services...one of the older brothers had lost his best friend. They were very emotional, especially the father. Anyways, we go to the new neighbors house and are told that the wife (who had just lost her husband that morning)was still in shock and it sunk in that she'd just lost her husband quite yet. We were to be careful of what we said. I remember her VERY pale face; emotionless it seemed and not mentally aware. It was kind of an awkward situation. When the grown-ups said something, it was short. I was afraid to say anything. I'll always remember her face. And also how her children were playing outside, laughing and prancing; oblivious to what was happening. He was the father of one toddler, an infant, and a baby. I didn't know them personally, but i spotted his name in the newspaper among the flight victims. It scares me sooo much...the reality of how close to home it hit. I mean, they lived just 3 houses down the street from ours! It could have been anyone of us. It could have been my dad who takes many buisness trips. They decided to move not long afterwards. I cried that night when my father came up to check on me. We cried together. "Its not fair" i said. That night i wrote a poem about 9/11 and had it published in several newspapers. What's kind of freaky is my next door neighbor had her Bat-Mitzvah 3 days prior 9/11 and her theme was City Rhythm, and as a gift, she gave us pillows with the Twin Towers up front and the surrounding buildings in the background. Its hard to believe that three days from then, those gorgouse towers would no longer be standing. I send my love and prayers to those whom have lost someone to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. God Bless you all! http://www.sonicmemorial.org/sonic/public/index.html 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 story10736.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. 2004-08-07 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.192.191.92 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 day started out in the usual way, getting my grandkids ready for school and dropping them off. I came home,read the newspaper and then went on my computer.Around 9:10am my sister came on and IM'd me and asked me if I had the tv on(which I didn't) and she told me to turn it on.When I did I saw the one tower burning and then I saw the replay of the second plane hitting tower two.I thought I was watching a movie it was just so unreal! Then I heard that terriorists had put the planes into the towers on purpose. I just sat and cried I could not believe what just happened. In the days that followed I watched as the Firemen.policemen and all the other people trying to clean everything up I could not imagine what they were going through all the pain,sorrow and devastion they must have went through. Being a Christian I know that God was with each and every innocent person that gave their lives that day and now a year later we remember all those people and their families and how proud God is that they sacrificed their lives for their country and the American people. May God continue to keep us all safe. 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 story4915.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. 64.0.99.233 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I was going to work as usual that morning and I was listening to the radio and I heard that the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center. I thought it had to be an accident. I was in the parking lot at work, when I heard about the second plane. I was just sitting in my car and I called one of the guys I worked with over and we listened for a few minutes. He did not believe what was going on. To me it seemed like a movie, like "Independence Day." We rushed to work and turned on the T.V. It was unreal what we were seeing. Soon after we saw about the Pentagon and Pennsylvania. The military immediately went to Threatcon Delta and we split our shops to two 12 hour shifts. I had to go home and come back at 6:00 pm. I didnt go to sleep that day or night, because my eyes were glued to the T.V. for the next 24 hours. I remember doing century duty on top of a Reserve building with a M-16 trying to defend our country. That was my contribution. 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 story9602.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 132.16.115.15