84 20 7169 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I remember how beautiful the day was. I can remember how ordinary the news was; they were talking about whether Michael Jordan would return to basketball. But I also remember as I was getting ready for work, that I had a strange thought pass through my mind, like my inner voice was trying to get my attention..."This is going to be a bad day..." it said. I instantly thought, "why did I think that?" When I arrived at work I changed my voicemail greeting, "Today is Tuesday, September 11, and I will be in the office all day..." About five minutes later my mother called to tell me that a plane had crashed into the World Trace Center. I immediatley assumed it was an accident. I sarcastically said, "Oh that's real good, how did that happen?" I just didn't quite grasp the severity until I walked over to a co-worker several minutes later who told me a second plane had hit the other tower. I still didn't 'get it,' until she said, "It was quit intentional." By now they had a television playing in one of the conference rooms. I walked in to watch the coverage just at the time they were switching to Washington to show the smoke billowing from the Pentagon. I didn't actually see the towers fall, which is probably a good thing, I don't think I could have handled that, seeing hundreds of Americans die on t.v. I kept pacing the halls, walking in and out of the room showing the live coverage. We kept hearing rumors that were were planes headed for O'Hare Airport or the Sears Tower...anything seemed possible at that time. Another rumor said the State Department had been hit. When the news came across that all US plans were accounted for I remember feeling a sense of relief. I've always been proud to be an American, ever since I was a small child and I felt a sence of greif and anger, but I didn't know who to be angery with. I remember I started to cry and my father told me to be strong, to "be an American." One of our buidling's facility men told me his daughter was to be at the World Trade Center that morning and he had not heard from her. I thanked God when he told me she finially was able to get word that she was safe. She told him how she had watched two people holding hands as they jumped from the towers. That night I was too afraid to turn the T.V. off, I was afraid of what might happen next. The next morning, I knew that the America I used to know would be gone forever and that we had all awakened to a different world. I didn't actually brake down and cry until the evening of September 12. I would spend the next several weeks crying; every day that went by I could get a deeper sense of how terrible this was and how my country was in pain. I drew strength from everyone in our American family. I tried to find something good out of all the pain. And the only bright spot I could see was that the American spirit was still alive. I saw so much goodness in people and it gave me hope that we can outlast the darkness. I only fear now that we will become complacent once again. That we are too quick to forget how we felt that day, that we too easily retreat back into our own lives. September 11, 2001 was my generation's Pear Harbor or Kennedy Assassination. I will never forget anything about that day or that time and how I felt. I pray to God for peace. Amanda 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 story10444.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. 2004-02-18 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.37.134.102 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: When I heard that a plane had struck the first Tower, I had a feeling that this was something more than an "accident" and my first thoughts went to my grandchildren and the world that they were going to have to learn to live in for their entire lives. The things my mother had told me about WW II came to mind and I couldn't really comprehend that this was happening. (She died in Oct., 2000 at age 92 and I was so glad that she wasn't here to experience this - so much had happened in her lifetime. I was glad she was spared.) At any rate, in my time, I could never had imagined the feeling of grief for my country that I felt. I called my daughter immediately (her husband is in the Air Force and I was worried about them, of course), my husband and tried to call my son. We all wept together that day, and we all became closer that day. Fortunately, for us, that feeling has lasted. I resolved that day to try hard not to get all tied up with trivial things and try to rejoice in every day that we have on this earth. I also mad a resolution to try to make just one person smile every day. So far, so good. I'm proud of my country, family, my President and his Administration, our military and so many people that have crossed my path this past year. I know that America will survive and rise up stronger than ever. I hope the people never forget how grateful we should be every second of every day to live in this great country. GOD BLESS AMERICA!! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story4506.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.223.26.110 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: That day I was in my 8th grd. 2nd period class at C.O. Wilson MS Nederland, TX USA. I will never forget September 11, 2001. I believe anyone around the United States of America that was alive day will never forget either. As a result of Sept. 11, 2001 the citizens America were brought closer to each other, their government, and God especially. More people prayed for their rescue workers, government, and government leaders. God bless the USA. 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 story1541.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. 2002-08-29 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 208.191.87.61 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: Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was a clear sunny morning, and I was on my way to work. The radio was playing the Howard Stern Show, and all felt right in the world. All of the sudden I changed stations just to listen to a bit of music, then I changed back to Howard Stern, that?s when I heard them talking about planes hitting one of the World Trade Center Towers or something to that effect. As I parked my car, I walked out pondering what I had just heard on the radio. I started questioning myself whether I understood correctly. I walked into my office at George Mason University. It was a bit past 9am. I was working as a Desktop Support Technician at that time, so I picked up a couple of service calls, and went to see one of my customers of the day. Since I did not see any of my colleagues I could not share with them about what I had just heard, but as I was walking across the campus, I remember looking around and everything seemed normal. It seemed as nobody knew of the events. I went into King Hall, one of the buildings in the University, that?s when I saw David, my customer, talking to one of the professors in the hallway. As I walked up to them, I told them about what just heard on the radio, then the professor asked us to come into his office, he had a small black and white 13 inch TV. As we watched the events unfold, I was in total disbelief as we witnessed the plane hitting one of the towers, then all of the sudden you saw the other plane crashing into the other building. Also saw in total disbelief, people jumping out of the burning building. It was just like a dream. At first, I thought they were accidents, but when they later confirmed the planes had been high jacked, I was enraged and sad for the people in the planes and the families. Then, we heard about the Pentagon and the other plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. I remember thinking I can?t believe this is happening in the United States. All of the sudden it felt like d?j? vu. I was a young kid living in Nicaragua, when I remember hearing news about mines being planted and people dying. Those are the things that are hard to forget. Suddenly, I had sense of fear and a feeling of vulnerability in the United States of America where it?s supposed to be 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 story11209.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. 2004-12-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.98.148.219 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I woke up late that morning. For me it was the start of a new day,I never imagined that for so many it would be the end of that day and all the other days that were ahead of them. I walked into my kitchen and put on the television.Out of the corner of my eye I saw a tower on fire.At first I thought that it was a science fiction movie,almost like a King Kong type of film."Strange to have a science fiction movie on TV so early in the morning" I thought to myself.I soon realized that I was watching a horrible tragedy.Withing a few minutes I saw a plane flying very low and then hit the second tower.All this was right in front of me in my house and on my TV set. I wanted to rush out and help the people,I felt so helpless.Then came the news of the Pentagon and the airplane crash in Pennsylvania.Now there was no doubt that it was a terrorist attack,I could do nothing but watch.My heart went out to all the victims,innocent people targeted by cold blooded,fanatical killers.I hoped that they did not suffer.Those fanatics thought that they would destroy our spirit but instead they made us realize that we live in a wonderful and caring country. Flags now fly over homes and cars and we have become patriotic.We are one family. 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 story5512.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.209.38 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I AM A LIFE LONG NEW YORKER. MY WIFE, MY SON, MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS WERE ALL IMMEDIATELY AFFECTED BY THE TRAGEDY AND ALL I COULD WAS WATCH THE EVENTS UNFOLD AND WONDER WHETHER OR NOT I HAD JUST WINESSED THE PASSING OF SOMEONE DEAR TO ME. AFTER A VERY LONG DAY OF UNCERTAINTY I WAS RELIEVED AND THANKFUL TO LEARN THAT THE TRAGEDY HAD NOT TAKEN ANY OF MY LOVED ONES BUT AS THE DAYS PASS I REALIZE THE ENORMITY OF WHAT HAD OCCURRED AND THE PROFOUND EFFECT THE EVENTS CONTINUE TO HAVE UPON EVERYONE. IN THE MONTH FOLLOWING SEPTEMBER 11TH I WORKED TO CONCLUDE MY ASSIGNMENTS IN JAMAICA AND HURRIED HOME. I HAVE NOW DECIDED THAT MY CAREER IS SECONDARY TO MY LIFE. I HAVE GIVEN UP INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS TRAVEL SO THAT I CAN BE WHERE I BELONG - NEW YORK, KINGSTON, JAMAICA, WEST INDIES 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 story796.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. 2002-06-19 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 146.96.92.54 Annotation Annotations to this item. Americans overseas INTERNATIONAL N-YHS 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: Although i was not accutally there when the planes hit i did see it on the news as it was happening, a sad day it truely was and it was not going to be the last time that i heard of it, that day we talked all threw classes about it even all threw that week we continued to talk about it threw that month and even threw the year we still remember images burned into the back of my memory of the first plane and all the recage then the second one, news reports showing all the people running out and at the same time all the people running in to save people trapped, that day america waged war on terrorism and all contrys harboring terrorists or suspected terrorists president bush saying how that we would not live in fear but we would fight back which we did and we are now stronger becuase of it. And to all those who lost someone or knew someone who was lost my heart is with you. 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 story8221.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.79.81.231 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 sitting in the library just reading and Mr. Vargo, our principal, walked in and whispered something to the librarian. I was sitting just close enough to them to hear what he said. I heard " We've been attacked". At first I didn't know what to make of it but once she turned on the T.V. we all found out. It was really disterbing. They just kept replaying the events over and over as in a movie but it was nothing like a movie this really happened. At that moment i just wished it was all a dream although i knew it wasn't. And what really made me mad was that the teachers wouldn't let us watch the events. We all knew our lives would never be the same ever again but the key is not tring to forget but to learn to live with the horrible memories. 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 story2258.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. 156.63.41.73 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 had been working at the BBC for only a month. I was working as a Planning Assistant when the first plane hit. As we had televisions on our desks, we were already watching the TV when we switched over to BBC News 24. One of the towers had been hit, by what we thought, was a light aircraft. That's just before we saw a second plane coming in and it hit the other tower. We were all sat there in shock. A few minutes later it was announced that they were passenger planes. What we had witnessed was horrific - no one seemed to know what was going on. A few of us went to get a coffee and as we came back it was announced that the Pentagon had been attacked too. It felt as if the whole world had gone mad. As I was working at the BBC, we were immediately put on high security alert, as was most of London that day. I will never forget those scenes I watched on the TV - no one should ever have had to watch so many people lose their lives in such a horrific way. 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 story10740.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. 2004-08-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 83.104.18.115 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: Hi, my name is Karen Kohn and I am currently living in Celebration, Florida. On 9/11 I was living in Hunters Creek (which is only a few min. away from here). I was in my Health Career class at school. A girl walked into our classroom telling the teacher to put it on CNN, almost at that moment the first tower fell. We had no clue as to what was going on, until we kept watching and someone said "we were being attacked". Everyone just sort of froze and stared carefully at the television so to make sure they didn't miss a thing. Our class is usually so loud it is hard to even think, but that whole time while we were watching what was going on, it was utterly silent. I think that things just got really clear to everyone. Everyone at the same time knew that thousands of people lost their live, thousands of family and friends lost their loved ones. I know that sadly enough, after that point on I was very aware of how thankful I am of having a mom, dad, sisters, friends...I think that it is a horrible thing to have happend. I know in my heart that as a nation, as one, we are going to be alright. And thanks to everyone who is helping us be united. 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 story6762.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.188.6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: I had the Today show on tv, as I usually do, when they reported a plan crashed into the WTC. As I watching the show the next another plane crashes into the other Tower. I could not believe my eyes. I assumed the first plane was a freak accident but when the 2nd one hit I just new this was no accident. I stopped what I was doing and stared in disbelief...I called my mother and my daughter-in-law. Customers were asking what what was wrong and I was explaing to them...they all left to go home to see what was going on...A few minutes later i was waiting on a customer when the Pentagon was hit. The man I was waiting on asked what was wrong when i jumped and made a sound. I explained to him and he said "are you sure" and I told him yes...He then explained he had to leave his daughter works there. Needless to say when Flight 93 crashed I felt like this was going to be the end of feeling safe in our Country. I remember not hearing a signal plane for a couple days and the first time our airport opened and I heard a plane I jumped out of bed frightened. I really felt like I was in shock. I dont pray that often but I prayed that day. All I could think of was all those innocent people. The families that would be devasted, children without parents, husbands without wives, wives without husbands; sons, daughters, the list is endless. I was 14yrs old when President Kennedy was assasinated and remember how I felt then. But this was horrifying. I still can not look at plane without thinking something will happen. Since then I have pulled my family into my arms so much closer than before. I pray my grandson will live a long and wonderful life. Also, I did not vote for President Bush, but I wish I had. He has done a remarkable job and brought diginity back to the Presidency. I am a child of the 60's and I have always loved this Country. However, I love this Country more now than I ever have before. I have found a new appreciation for 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 story7216.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-13 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.14.66.206 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 day will always be bittersweet for me. My daughter turned four on September 11, 2001. I was home preparing for her birthday celebration. I was in the kitchen baking her birthday cake watching the events unfold. The horror as things kept unfolding & thinking what could happen next. The worry from having a husband who worked at the power plant knowing that terrorists could easily bomb these to cause trouble on american soil. The excitement of seeing my four year old having a birthday expecially since she was born with a heart defect & was labeled failure to thrive but she fooled them all by thriving & growing. The sadness in people faces when they find out her birthday is the same day as this horrible tradgedy. Our daughter is a true miracle & even though this day is a tragedy it lives on as a celebration through my child 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 story3063.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: it was a very big shack on the whole ninth grad class that day. it was very scary to some of us to and we took the rest of the day to discuse about it. then the day after in the same class we had a boom thret and that was also scary. 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 story1758.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. 2002-09-04 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 198.81.26.236 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: September 10, 2002 As a President and CEO I communicated to my company through e-mails called ?ramblings?. These ramblings would cover all sorts of topics but have a common thread in most cases. This rambling has to do with my observations from September 10th through today. Reflections of an Unintentional Observer Prior to? It is interesting for me to understand where I was before September 11th. My family and I were living in a nice house in San Francisco on a typical 25? by 100? SF lot. Our 4 year old was in pre-kindergarten, our two year old twins at home raising hell and driving my wife Kathy nuts. I was working my standard 60 hour weeks as the CEO of Ventaso, a high tech software company. The company was surviving but it was very tough in a market that was going south on a weekly basis. We had just raised $21M in a very difficult investment market and I had told the Board in August that it was necessary to bring on a new CEO that was more of a marketer than me. I had tinkered and adjusted every position in the company but my own and now it was time to adjust and hopefully upgrade that position. No set timeframe, just a desire to make sure the company had the best possible chance of succeeding. On September 10th I boarded a United Airlines 777 for a typical cross country business trip to New York City. I have always enjoyed my visits to New York. The food, the people, the energy are all quite unique to the American experience. Only once was I unsettled in New York and that was in ?93 when my wife and I walked around the World Trade Center around midnight. The next day Arab extremist tried to blowup the towers with a truck bomb parked in the underground parking garage. My wife and I both felt like we dodged a bullet. With regard to this trip my company had been trying to finalize an agreement with Morgan Stanley for months and I felt the need to meet them myself, privately, to see if we could hammer a path forward. Prior to boarding the plane I bought ?One Day in September?, the story of the 1972 Munich Olympics where the PLO massacred 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team. The flight was a success as it was uneventful and the book was more than interesting. Reaching the Embassy Suites across from the World Trade Center I could not sleep?.that damn west to east travel thing. My roommate Nate, a consultant for Ventaso, was working so I decided to catch up on e-mails prior to going to bed. My appointment with Morgan Stanley was at 8:00 am so I would need to wake up by 6:30 or so but if you can?t sleep, you can?t sleep. After sending roughly 50 e-mails I retired to my bed and continued to read about Munich. The book was insightful in that it shows how a normal day can turn into the nightmare of nightmares. There were heroes, bystanders and evil. Little did I know that within eight hours I would witness the same. 911 ? September 11, 2001 I awoke and made my way to the World Trade Center complex. After coffee and a bagel in the underground mall attached to the WTC I made my way to security for the South Tower, WTC 2?and what security they had. I provided my license, had my picture taken, and patiently waited to receive clearance from Morgan Stanley above. While waiting, I moved into observer mode and watched the multitudes move through the process, the turnstiles, the elevators. I specifically noticed six guys in their overalls checking in and then proceeding to the 105th floor. They were there to set up cubes or do other construction and it was quite the contrast to see these good ole boys, laughing and joking, joining the white-collared, button-downed crowd as they made there way up to the upper reaches of Tower Two. I was finally given my pass card that allowed me entry to the 64th floor and I made my way to the elevators on the other side of the lobby. The express elevator that we boarded would rent for roughly $500 a month in San Francisco it was so spacious. Everything in the WTC was big it seemed. After reaching a sky lobby I boarded a ?local elevator? to bring me to the 64th floor. I was soon escorted to a conference room on the northeast corner of Tower Two and the view was simply amazing. To the north was the skyline of Manhattan with the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building dwarfed by the altitude. Tower One, the north tower, was to our left like a brother sentinel. To the east a beautiful view of Brooklyn and the Brooklyn bridge. I stood and enjoyed the sights for over ten minutes and thought how lucky people were to have such a view. We were really on top of the world. The meeting with Sandy and Liz from Morgan Stanley was collaborative and we quickly defined the path necessary to move the business relationship forward. We talked about the important things such as proof of concepts, taking one step at a time, building trust. The three of us were taking copious notes and my confidence in a win-win agreement increased as we agreed on definitive next steps. Everything changed at 8:46 am. The sound was one of a loud whirling jet engine streaking past our window, impacting and then exploding. Three distinct sounds that lasted approximately one second each; WHIRL, CRASH, BOOM. We looked at each other and Sandy said, ?What was that??. I immediately got up and looked north at that amazing view I was admiring forty minutes before. Everywhere in the air were papers, papers, papers?.the sky was full of 8 ? X 11 paper. It looked like a parade going down 5th Avenue. Looking towards Tower One, about twenty-five floors above us were approximately 20 broken windows with flickering flames protruding from most of them. I sat and watched in amazement not realizing the damage on the north side of Tower One. ?Everybody out now!? screamed Sandy around the office making sure everyone was moving. In hindsight we were lucky that Morgan Stanley had taken the lessons of the ?93 attack very seriously and Sandy was doing what she was trained to do. I looked around and found myself alone in the conference room on the 64th floor. My first instinct was to sit and watch the drama being played out before me, a voyeur instinct I inherited from my father. I could have easily pulled up a chair and watched the action from thirty floors below. But I picked up my bag and walked out the door, not really fearing for my safety but not wanting to be alone. On the way out I noticed that both Sandy and Liz had left their notes regarding our future business relationship on the conference table. Looking back at those critical seconds I realize now that an American Airlines plane had crashed into the north wall of Tower One and we were viewing just a small portion of the real damage. I also realize that if Sandy had not acted with authority and urgency that my own personal outcome could have been very different. I owe her something that I can never repay. Following Sandy and Liz towards the stairwell was like any fire drill we have all participated in. We moved through the door and joined the multitudes making their way down in a methodical fashion. There was much talking as floor by floor we moved towards ground level. Sandy jokingly mentioned that if she survived I would get their business. Occasionally we would pass someone standing in a doorway watching but everyone was moving in a crisp yet not hurried fashion. At 8:59 the first announcement talking about a fire in Tower One was broadcast. The guy behind me bitched about it taking 13 minutes before we heard any news about what was going on. Due to the noise level in the stairwell many of us only overheard that a fire was in Tower One and that no issues existed in Tower Two. That was about to change. At 9:03 Tower Two was punched with the second plane. Those of us snaking our way down the stairway were immediately thrown to one side and many fell or sat down. The building swayed left and then right with a diminishing frequency that lasted approximately five seconds. The guy with the watch screamed ?Let?s go. We have twenty-five floors left people. Let?s move.? The urgency multiplied in everyone. The fear in the air and on people?s faces was tangible. The march towards the ground was now faster and a bit more erratic. Two men were helping a woman down and I waited for my turn around this group. That was the last I saw of Sandy and Liz, as they were moving quickly downwards. The guy with the watch was getting impatient behind me but everyone was respectful and did the right things on the way down. But things were now different. No longer was this an accident. My first attempt at reasoning was that someone was lobbing mortars from the river towards the WTC buildings. When we got to the Plaza level I walked towards the windows as we were making our way towards the down escalator to go to the underground mall. I still hadn?t comprehended the magnitude of what was going on but the smell of smoke was in the air. Looking out on the Plaza it was a war zone with a pair of shoes, lots of paper and one piece of insulation that looked very similar to things I had seen at airplane crashes on TV. It seemed like it was snowing. My eyes were drawn towards a large mound of ooze about three feet high. It was the remains of something or somebody. I quickly headed back towards the escalator. Below we were guided by people every fifty feet or so. Port Authority personnel making sure we didn?t run but moved quickly in the right direction. They saved many people including my own by keeping us orderly but in return gave their lives. I still remember many of their faces and they were not unlike yours or mine. Outside people were gathered about 100 yards from the buildings near an old cemetery and City Hall. All were looking up at the twin candles as they burned. Someone next to me said that she saw an American Airlines plane fly directly above her floor, the 44th, and hit the building. My mortar theory bit the dust. I quickly realized the need to contact my wife. Over and over again I tried to call but at the same time people were saying not to use cell phones and to reserve them for the emergency workers. Everywhere I looked someone was trying to call home. I gave up and decided to make my way towards the Village and find a payphone there. I walked fifty feet, stopped and watched. A lone F-15 streaked across the sky circling the Towers. The crowd gasped as if to think that plane number three was coming our way. A bit late but it was calming to see a friendly in the sky. For some unknown reason I looked down at my phone and noticed that Joe Terry, my VP of Sales, was calling me. Picking up I told him to call my wife now and fifteen seconds later we were disconnected. Thank God for Joe Terry and for sending the message home that I was ok. I continued to walk north stopping every fifty feet and watching. Then there was a jumper and the crowd groaned. I had enough?.I stopped being a voyeur and made my way north. As I walked I could see on the faces that were looking towards the towers that every few minutes more people were making the fateful decision to jump. I kept walking. Walking around City Hall I noticed the throng of people making their way across the Brooklyn Bridge. It was full of people headed toward Brooklyn and no cars could be seen. Three blocks north I turned left and headed west towards West St. My foolish thought was that I would head back to my hotel, across the street from WTC One in order to retrieve my computer and luggage. Heading west in a counter clock-wise circle around the WTC I went into a store and purchased a coke to alleviate my thirst. Inside as I filled my glass with ice the building roared and rumbled. This was not the natural rumble of an earthquake that either rolls or jolts you. No, this was unnatural, chaotic. Running outside I was told WTC Two had fallen down. So in slightly more than an hour I had moved from sitting in a 64th floor conference room in WTC Two to sitting on the street knowing the building, the conference room and many souls no longer existed. At the next intersection I stood with fifty people and looked at the 110 floors that were now a pile of steel and people sixty feet high. The dust cloud moved primarily south and east as the wind was from the north that day. I thought of Sandy and Liz?s notes grasping for the way things used to be. I continued in my fantasy world, heading west towards the water, towards my hotel. Reaching West St I found the staging area for the FDNY, the New York Fire Department. Dressed like warriors, walking single file towards the behemoth of fallen debris from Tower Two and the still standing Tower One. The bravery and image of these men at that time will never leave me. Everyone was running away from the carnage and they walked forward, determined to do their job. Amazing people showing amazing courage. I continued to stroll southward towards my hotel until the rush of people told me that moving forward anymore was unrealistic and?.foolish. Since all the cell phones were not working the lines at payphones were huge. I hopped in a phone line and watched Tower One burn. Then the end began. The antenna on top of the building tilted ever so slightly and the building came down. It was fast, only lasting ten seconds. People were racing past me as I watched. Watching as if the action were miles away and MSNBC was on the scene. The panic and fear in people?s faces flashed on me as they moved past me. At one point a sliver of the building was standing above the rubble below like a defiant finger to whoever had done this. This sliver was no more than ten feet across but it soared twenty-five stories above the rubble?and then it fell. I slowly made my way north hoping to find security and peace in the Village. I walked and walked stopping only at the occasional car, all doors opened, radio playing loudly. At each car roughly forty people stood and listened. The Pentagon. Gasp. Two planes. Gasp. Another plane missing. Gasp. I finally sat down at a park and just?well, sat. I noticed that the park was commemorative to the Stonewall incident where the gays fought back against the police. I was now in the Village. A disconcerting image in the park was a group of statues, all gray, just staring out towards the mass of people moving slowly north. I anxiously got up and walked east and sat my butt down in a bar named Barney Macs. I finally had a home with two phones, two televisions, company and as much beer as I could consume. Calling Kathy I checked in again and asked her to locate Nate, my traveling companion, and inform him of my new found home. The rest of Tuesday was made up of drinking beer trying to forget the day, anxiously locating a hotel room, and finally eating our first meal. Nate and I walked all over Manhattan that night looking for the way things used to be. We ended up being awake till 4:00 am after a restaurant owner took us in, fed us, filled us with alcohol and in essence held us till we could sleep. During the night we mostly talked about work. The Week Towards Home Wednesday morning started at 7:00 am after a restless three hours sleep. Turning on the television I began to see new videos of the planes hitting the WTC. One specifically, showing the second plane hitting our building around the 75th floor, hit me especially hard. I could have easily stayed on the 64th floor and watched the action?.but Sandy had gotten everyone out. I lost it. Like a microwave oven the previous 24 hours had no real impact on the outside but inside I was a mess. Calling Kathy we both cried on the phone sharing our mutual desire that I was home and far away from New York City. The next twenty-four hours Nate and I were in survival mode, finding clothes, toiletries, chargers for our cell phones and my credit card I had left at the restaurant. That first night we ate a steak and drank a nice bottle of Silver Oak?.trying to appreciate the fact we were still here. Now it was time to get our butts home. Thursday morning Nate made plans to get to Boston where his family lives. He would take a train to Hartford and his mother would drive him home. I later found out that Nate had the luck of sitting next to a psychologist on the train. He just talked and talked. For myself I needed to get out of the city. Two friends, Karen and Sue in New Jersey, were my next journey. By bus, through the shaking terminal and the erratic driving, I made it to their front door. I had only lost it twice. Most people that would take you in after a disaster would want you to stay, would want to take care of you. Sue and Karen allowed me to do what I needed. I had decided on the drive that I needed to get control of my life again. I needed to make progress towards home. I needed time to process all this in order to get my shit together. After holding their new child and shutting down for a few hours it was time to head home. Sue, Karen and Susan (another friend) supported me and gave me food, blankets, liquids, CDs, toilet paper?.everything I would need. They also procured a brand new Cadillac from National rental car, no mileage, no drop-off. They showed me the love I needed at the right time. Thursday at 3:00 pm I was on my way towards home on Interstate 80. That night I drove to Toledo through a horrendous rainstorm. I felt that the heavens were letting go, crying from all the pain and smoke. Driving through the rain I cried all the way to Toledo. Friday I awoke to the morning tears I had become used to. Every morning I cried for anywhere from a few minutes to a couple hours. It started in the shower and would end when my movements were once again towards home. Driving west I noticed the exit for Notre Dame and exited. Asking for directions to the Basilica of Notre Dame I passed by the campus firehouse draped in black. It was a touching moment. I sat in the Basilica and wrote the foundation of this memo as I tried to dump the experience rather than hold it within me. Two ushers came by noticing my tears and wished me the best on my journey home. I wandered outside, spent additional reflective time at the Grotto and finally headed back towards my Cadillac. Passing the firehouse I noticed two men jumping into a truck heading out. As I approached, the older man in a strong muscular voice asked ?how can we help you?? Looking down I explained what I had seen in New York and the bravery I witnessed among their fellow firefighters. I told them I was in awe of their profession and them. Tears flowed again as I spoke to them. Looking up to walk away I noticed both of them in tears as well. I wished them good health and headed west. Driving south of Chicago I hopped off of I-80 in order to avoid the traffic jams of the big city. I started driving through small towns and was amazed at the spirit of America. Town after town had flags on every pole, in every window and on every Main Street. It made me feel like I wasn?t alone driving home. Everyone was together helping everyone else. North of Omaha I spent an hour talking to a convenience store clerk in yet another small town. The simplicity of their lives seemed very attractive to me. I finally slept at 2:30 in the morning. Saturday I made my way to Wounded Knee. I have always studied the ways of the North American Indians with special interest on the Ghostdance religion. In the 1880s when the Indians were being slowly wiped out they created this religion based on Ghostdancing. The theory was that if you dance with your Ghostdance shirt on, you would be picked up from the face of the earth and the white man would be wiped clean. Then the green grass, the buffalo and the Indians would be placed back on this ?new earth?. In essence it was a religion wishing for the way things used to be. While driving home I was wishing for the old days while trying to comprehend the new ways. Pulling up to Wounded Knee I was amazed at the simplicity of the land, just a few rolling hills with little in the way of historical markers. I conversed with two Indians that just happened to be drunk at 8:30 am and very conversational because of it. They explained the abbreviated history of the massacre at Wounded Knee. It seems the Indians were dancing the Ghostdance and the US military did not grasp what was going on. The cavalry got scared and shot many of the Indians. It has ever since been a special place in Indian history. I bought a dream catcher from one of my guides and again started moving west. Driving my Cadillac I now had a dream-catcher on my rear-view mirror, a large American flag on my back windshield, and a tear in my eye thinking about how lucky I was to be experiencing life itself. That night I ended up in Laramie Wyoming. After a nice meal I decided I wanted to escape a bit. I headed to the movies and sat down to enjoy ?The Others? with Nicole Kidman. Holy crap! Little did I know that this was a movie about a person being haunted by dead people and ghosts?only to find out that she is the one that is dead. I couldn?t sleep for three hours after the movie Sunday I made a dash for home. Woke up early and drove through Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California till I hit San Francisco. In Salt Lake City I saw my first airplane, taking off from the airport, and it forced me to pull over and watch. It was a strange feeling and one of utmost trepidation. I continued to drive and finally made it to San Francisco and home that night. Exiting the freeway and driving through my hometown I was saddened by the lack of flags and patriotism. It was the first town across the country where I did not feel an understanding or a caring for what happened in New York. It hurt. I was soon in my driveway with my four year old, Daniel, climbing on top of me, the twins grabbing my legs and my loving wife holding me like she would never let go. I was home. The drive home was a cherished event for me. I had the opportunity to talk to people about the events and the attempt to understand. My sister, a Buddhist, shared her view as well as my brothers, Catholics, theirs. I leaned on family and friends equally and had the pleasure of talking to my parents three times a day as I made my way home. I cherished the times I talked to people and at time I really really needed to talk. But I also needed the time alone. I found the mornings were the hardest. The thought of the number of people and families that were torn apart was agonizing. Why them, why not me? I feel for those people and their families more than I could ever express. I also found solace at Notre Dame and at Wounded Knee in South Dakota. Both I found to be spiritually healing in their own ways. I found that Jolt cola is equivalent to cocaine in a bottle. It should be outlawed. It took eighty hours for me to drive (and sleep) the 3060 miles to my family and my home. But in those eighty hours I grew and processed years. The First 90 Days My first week back was one of adjustment. I wrote my story and shared it with my employees, friends and family. Little did I know but that simple sharing allowed me to tell my story and discuss my feelings over and over again. I received many unsolicited e-mails and voicemails from strangers thanking me for sharing my experience. I met with my professional coach and she assured me that I was doing all the right things to settle into my new environment. The fact that I was living in a place where I was an oddity helped me immensely. My friends in New York have much less opportunity to talk it out. In fact they are still living with the destruction, loss and rebuilding. Two weeks after being home I had a night of what I would call unsettling dreams. I woke up startled multiple times and in the morning felt odd as disconcerting dreams are not the norm for me. I also did not cry that morning. Since that day I have cried many times but for a reason and not uncontrolled. I cried during President Bush?s State of the Union speech. I cried during all of the personal stories of loss or heroism that I have seen on television. I cried as I watched the movie ?Pearl Harbor?. My uncle Bill died on the USS Arizona after he volunteered to flood the aft powder room (ammunition hold) and went back down into the ship AFTER the Arizona had been hit with a devastating bomb. In the eyes of the fireman of the NYPD I saw Bill determined to do his duty and help others. My immediate goal after New York was to turn September 11th into a positive in my life. The first result of this drive was an awareness of an impatience to do the right thing. My company had been struggling and I had resisted the deep layoffs that were now obviously needed even more after September 11th and the resulting eroding economy. Within two weeks I had proposed to the Board, outlined the direction to the executive team and performed a 33% layoff across the company. It was painful but it was done with empathy, communication and the right way. There were tears and hugs and we all knew it was the right thing to do. I had previously discussed with the Board a need to hire a CEO that was a marketer. We were close to succeeding and I did not want to be the cog that slowed the wheel down. I understand that empathy and the title of CEO don?t go hand in hand but that is my style. We found a guy whose resume and presentation seemed to be a great fit for the company. After a month long courtship the Board hired him with a start date in November. I had promised my wife six years earlier that we would only stay in San Francisco for three years. What can I say? I got a bit busy and let things slip. Now our son was going to be entering school and I had also promised that he would enter school in the same city where he would graduate from high school. We took a trip to Tucson and within two weeks we had placed an offer on a house that was accepted. We would close the beginning of December. Our San Francisco house was placed on the market and sold within 45 days. The difference in housing markets allowed us to save a significant amount of money from the SF house. At the same time we lined up our children for school and set up Daniel to start in January and the twins to be in a three-hour toddler program. Things were moving fast and with a purpose. During these months I was reading every article I could acquire with regard to the World Trade Center and September 11th. I read the New York Times everyday and reviewed their ?Nation Challenged? special section. The Times set up a special section where people could write a 3-4 paragraph obituary on their loved ones that were lost. I read every one including the ones about the good ole boys I saw going up the elevator that morning. I read magazine after magazine including who died where and why. I was driven to understand. The first week of December I flew to New York on a United 777 and stayed in the same Times Square Marriott that Nate and I had after September 11th. My good friend Dave came into the city and we proceeded to head down to what is now known as Ground Zero. Walking towards the site the first item I saw was a bumper sticker that read ?Tucson is with you?. It felt like an omen. We walked around the site and read and observed. The most touching moment was when I read a note from a small boy that said, ?I miss you Daddy. Even if you are dead, I hope you are happy. I love you.? That very easily could have been written for me or many other survivors. On December 11th, three months after my Morgan Stanley meeting in New York, Kathy and I and the kids moved into our new house in Tucson. Our three acre lot and house provides us with all the birds, quail, javelina, coyotes and desert we can handle. In 90 days we had changed my job, our house, our city, our schools, our lives. My impatience to do the right thing moved me to a place I had hoped to be for years. The Longest Year The first month in Tucson brought additional pain and struggle. Just before Christmas, Kathy?s mom, who was visiting for the holidays passed away at our new house. For me it was the shock of a family member?s death so close. For Kathy it was the difficult loss of her last parent. She handled it with grace as she handles everything. I sat with Daniel later that day and explained that Grammy Grace was no longer with us but she would be watching him and rooting for him from heaven. After dealing with the WTC and the death of a grandparent I am concerned about my son growing up too fast. Playtime should take a priority for all of us. The following three months was a time of treating my addiction to work. Since I was 14 I have worked full-time and for the past 15 years I was used to the 60 hour weeks a start-up or a CEO job provides. In many ways I needed the 60 hours to fulfill my needs?to feel that I was succeeding and was fulfilling my duties as a husband and father. What a bunch of bull! The fact is anything in excess destroys the soul and that includes work. The slippery slope I was on ends up in a life focused on business and missing out on what your family, your spouse, your friends and the world around you can share. Moderation and a nice 35-40 week sounds extremely appealing now-a-days. I slowly grew out of my self-imposed despondency and during the past six months have begun to think of our house as a project, something to work on and to rehabilitate myself. We proceeded to redo the house, and the front yard, and the backyard, and the guest house, etc. I was the super contractor juggling schedules and working with people; whether it be the pool gal, the landscaper, the general contractor, the painter, the gutter guy, the cooler people and on and on. At first I viewed this as me having trouble shutting down but have since realized that my level of activity is just part of me. My mother is the same way. It was during this time that I figured out my true job requirements. As I slowly begin to reenter the pool of business America it is important that I understand what suit really fits me the best. My job requirements in no specific order; flexibility of time, competitive environment, dealing with people, ownership or income and most of all, balance. No more 60 hour weeks for this boy. I would rather bring my son to swim class. I find myself still unsettled on this one year anniversary of September 11th. Not so much the events themselves as I have read and researched more about that day than anyone I know. It has more to do with the path I am on. September 11th awoke something within me that I cannot easily control. It would be so easy to jump back into the rat-race and be somewhat happy working my butt off. But instead I am unsure of where I will be a year from now. I know I will be successful at whatever I choose but fitting that business into my life, into the life of my family and friends is the challenge now. It seems my challenge for this coming year will be to accept change and the unknown in all their forms?then relishing in what they bring. For someone as anal as I, continued growth this year is a certainty. Reflecting on this past year I am stunned by the changes in my life. Everything is different, inside and outside. Still my goal is to turn the events of September 11th into a positive force in my life. Following is some of what I learned as an unintentional observer? ? Love, hold and always go back to your family. ? Anything in excess is destructive to the soul. ? We are all in the same boat, make the best of it. ? Be proud to be an American and vote Republican. ? Do what you want and do it now. Don?t wait. ? Educate yourself. Read non-fiction. Read history. ? Airports: look for terrorists not for weapons. Profile. ? Enjoy the rollercoaster of life as much as possible. ? Playtime is critical for mental health. ? Be true to yourself. That last one is a bit tricky. But the way I look at it is that we are each writing a book about our lives. And when we die and go to wherever we go, will we be able to look at our decisions today and say we were true to ourselves? It may be more of a stretch goal with all the outside influences but for each of us it should be our most important goal. So thanks for listening and God Bless America. Jim Campbell jc@ghostdance.net Recommended book ? A Nation Challenged by the NY Times Recommended website ? www.politicsandprotest.org 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 story9290.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. 2003-05-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 68.84.192.120 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: on sept 11 i think was the most horrible day of my life i have never felt so scared in my life i was at work that day a call came in in from our other unit from 5 world trade which is a food service company but any i thought it was ajoke at first being as though we had the tradgy with the r&b singer because they was saying her pilot was drunk and all so i assume it was another druken pilot but when the second plane hit iknew it was for real and only thing i could do was break down and cry then i thought my kids what am i going to do if they are boming the whole city i can't i get to them all the line were dead and then i really start to get scared because at the time thier was know way for me to get home but then finally a call came through and it was my kids telling me that they were ok that they were up stairs with my aunt after that i heard thier was a big whole in the buildings so me and another co worker went up stairs to the 10th floor and we could see nothing but a big whole and alot of smoke i tell you it was the sadest and scarest thing i ever so in my life by the time we reached down stairs the first building had fell then the panic came back on again and then my boss corey mother called to make sure we were alright and she begin to cry and then i begin to cry saying to my self this is real i never came so close to anything in my life we always say that we know how those other countries feel when thing happen we say we feel bad and then we go on with our own lives but now that it has hit us our country will never be the same we will always wonder when will these people plane somthing else to try to kill us i just hope that we are ready for them but through out all of this i just want to say that evryone in that worked in our unit in building 5 was alright only bad thing happen that a lot of people lost thier jobs but look at it this way they still have thier life and they will be able to find another job and wake up the next day not alot of people can say that i finally made it home at 11:00 but it was ok because i stayed and helped out we gave free food to all our custmors it was fun trying cheer the people up it just made a diffrence trying to keep the people happy and focused on something positive and thats my story Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story4686.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 sitting in my science class 2nd period and we were learning about the elements of the periodic table and all of a sudden the pricapal comes on the announcements and told us that the World Trade Center has just been hit by an air plane every one was what what is he talking about and then he said turn on the tvs so we can watch it and they were talking about the terroists taking our airplanes and running them into the world trade center and every one was in shock and no one could say a word you had people say that they had relatives in there and everything my friend got an email sent to her that some one sent to the person that sent it to my friend and every one was shook. well my dad was gone my parents were gonna get a devorce and when i was in school my dad called my mom and my grandmothers house asking if we were ok and my dad came back on September 11 2001 it was sad i cried and felt so sorrie for every one that lost some one every one was shocked and no one felt good the rest of the day it was a quiet world out there those couple of days and no one will never ever forget what happened that day on September 11 2001 i hope every one out there that lost some one and even the people that didnt i wish them all good luck and hope every one stays safe and that we will get them.! in loving memory of September 11 2001 (9-11-01) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8207.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. 2002-09-30 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.189.136 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 from a college town is southern Minnesota called Mankato. Although during that dreadful day myself along with my two sisters and my sisters husband were in San Fransisco. (Our Aunt had died and we were settling her estate). It was early morning, we had just go up and turned on our t.v. in our hotel room....what we saw we thought was a movie, but as we changed stations the same thing played. One tower was hit and them the next, we could not believe what were watching was really happening! We kept saying this can't be real....but as it was obvious it was we cried in horror!! It wasn't long before all flights were grounded, what was commmon from our hotel to hear a plane take off or land practically every other minute drew silence....and eary silence, it was like life all of a sudden stood still!! Everyone was glued to the t.v.....it was very difficult to get motivate and go out the door for breakfast, but as we did so even them we were glued to the t.v. as well as all the other patrion of the hotel!! We still had four days left of our stay in San Fransisco...not knowing for sure if were even going to be able to (or wanted to for that matter)fly back to MN. We called the rental car agency and basically told them we were not giving up our rental car and were considering driving back if necessary! Although by the time our trip came to an end and flights were starting up we thought it was as safe as ever before to fly and we did so. This last year has been a difficult time for everyone....we thought we were so safe....who would have ever thought of using passenger airliners as bombs!! (didn't realize how much hate some people hold within themselves)!! As the Anniversary arrived and all was shown all over again...it came back all over again!! I can't even image what it must be like for those who lost loved ones on Sept. 11!! But I will continue to pray for them and America. We took a lot of thing for granted, but we as a nation are stonger than before.......we are a nation of God!! PEACE!!!! 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 story6573.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.197.199.212 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: Septemeber 11th, was a day of great tradgedy for the people of the United States. It was a bright day but the skies soon turned into two huge heaps of smoke as three planes hit both of the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon. These were acts of terrorism; not something that children in the U.S. are used to or understand very well. September 11th was a learning expirence to children as well as adults. The September 11th, attacks really "hit close to home" for me. Little did I know, my father was flying to New York that day for business. He was flying out of Logan Airport around 8:00 AM. The same time that the two flights that were to hit the North and South towers of the World Trade Center took off. Once my mother heard the news that two flights from Logan Airport hit the World Trade Centers, she was terrified. She thought that my father was on one of those flights. She figured that those planes were actually going to New York City. Meanwhile, my dad, who thankfully was on a different flight, was just flying over the city when tragedy struck. He told me later that the captain came of the plane's speaker and said "Look to your right, you are witnessing today's news." My dad's flight was the last one to land in LaGuardia Airport before it shut down. He tried calling my mom on his cell phone, but had no luck since the cell phone towers were on top of the World Trade Centers. He then took a cab and headed out of the city as fast as he could. My father soon got in touch with his boss, who was also in New York City, and met in the outskirts of town and headed for home in a rented car. Sam, my dad's boss, called the office and told them to call their families and say that they were both safe, together and were coming home. My mom was realived when she got this phone call. I was told at school what happened that morning, but was shocked when I heard my dad's story of what went on that day. Since September 11th, my life has changed in many ways. Terrorism wasn't something that I, as well as many other children were familiar with before these attacks. Now I am knowledgable about this subject. Since my family goes on vacation at least once a year, I am more cautious about the environment that I am in, Also, I have learned not to take things for granted. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, so I learn to not sweat the small stuff, and I get along with people easily. Finally, I've been more patriotic since 9/11. I've done this because, like the lyrics say in "Proud To Be An American" by Lee Greenwood, "There is pride in every American heart and they can't take that away". I've learned that people may not like what we do, or how we live, but they can't take away our American spirit. I think there are many things to be remembered about the attacks that occured on September 11th. ONe thing to remember is all the lives of the innocent people that were taken on that tragic day. Another thing that we should remember is to analyze things very carefully. Now reporters are saying that there were small warnings that maybe an attack would occur, I also think that after the U.S. Cole bombing, security could have been "stepped up". Finally, I think that we can't let the terrorists "win" by cancelling trips and events just becuase we are afraid to fly. Our economy dropped since these attacks and have left many people jobless and hard for them to feed their families. Toegther we need to show our American spirit and help boost our economy back up. We must never forget about this terrivle day of great tragedy. 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 story8506.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-18 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.60.58.139 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 on my way to school, on September 11, 2001, when the brutal attacks occured. I remember driving to school listening to the radio when we heard the bone chilling words, "We are being attacked". By this time we my mom was already in tears and my brothers and I werent sure how to take things. As we kept on driving the feeling was getting worse and worse. That day at school, in all classes, we talked about what was happening and going on in New York. September 11, was a very dull, with the presence of fear in the air. As my family has come to find out, one of my brothers friends' parents were killed in one of the planes that got highjacked. It was very sad, but to our amazement, he didnt take it that bad. His words were, "I know they are in heaven, and that's all that matters to me." We had a light vigil for not only his parents, but every single person that was lossed in the attacks. Til' this day we can look back and remember that sad day that has changed the lives of many. This event will be a very memorable and touching event that, I am sure will be in the history books of our grandchildren, or maybe our children. 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 story8301.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.79.83.59 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On September 11th, 2002 terrorists hijacked four and flew them into the twin towers, The Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvannia. On that day I was at the Marlborough Middle School figuring it was going to be a regular day of school. During literature class, the principal came over the loud speaker and informed us that there had been an attack. I had no idea what he was talking about because he didn't give us the details. Regardless, immediatly I felt sympathetic for whoever was attacked and the families that lost loved ones. None of the teahers would let us watch it on T.V. or even talk about the details because they didn't want us to know about it. One of the teachers decided to turn on the televisionto show us what was going on. That's when I relized the Twin Towers had collapsed and thousands of people had died. I continued on with my day as all the other did, feeling sorry for all of the victims and the families affected by this tragity of September 11th. When I got home I turned the T.V. on right away and learned a third plane had crashed into the Pentagon and a fourth plane into a field in Pennsylvannia. Until I fell asleep, I continues to watch the newsand couldn't believe my eyes ever time those two planes crashed into the Twin Towers. My life has definatly changed because of September 11th. For Instance now on a daily basis I think about what goes on in other countries and how they always have to deal with terrorism and innocent people being killed. I think about how every day in some countries, they don't know if abuilding is going to blow up and if their families are going to be gone forever. Maybe a car that they are walking by has a bomb in it and it will go off. Also I think about the families who were affected by September 11th and how it could have easily been me in one of those planes or one of my family members. Finally my life has changed because of what happened on September 11th because now I might not want to fly on planes or travel very often. Many things should be remembered about the tragedy of September 11th. For instance, the firefighters and policemen of New York should be remembered. They should be remembered for their heroic actions on September 11th. They risked their own lives to dive into all the decay of the Twin Towers to save as many people as humanly possible. Also the passngers on the plane heading for the Capitol Building should be remembered. These passengers overtook the terrorists, crashed the plane so that no civilians would die. They died for their country. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story8471.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-10-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.60.58.139