66 20 2325 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. It was a normal school day. It was in the beginning of geography when our teacher rushed in, her face white. She ran to the TV and turned it on. There it was on action news. We saw the first tower burning. We all gasped and one kid asked,"Is this real or is this a movie? It is real" she replied. Suddenly, we saw a small dot flying towards the second tower. Then there was a huge fireball at one side of the second tower. The reporter said that a plane had hit the second tower. Everyone started talking. Then we watched the towers crumble. That is how I experienced September 11th. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. Yes, my life has changed because of September 11th. I respect the flag more and I realize how lucky I am to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Before September 11th I had taken for granted how much we have here. That is how my life has changed. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think we should remember how bravley the firefighter rushed in to help the people get out and how bravely the people on the flight that crashed into the cornfeild. The people on that flight overuled the terrorists and did not let them crash it into another important landmark. Also how everyone came together to heal and mend after the towers collapsed. NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? Yes, my family bought tiny flags and put them all over our lawn and bought on big out to hang in frount of our house.Yes, my feelings have changed about the american flag. I respect and honor it more. 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 nmah3711.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. 209.3.137.130 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. I was at school when we first heard that two planes had crashed into the twin towers in New York City NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I never want to fly in a plane again as long as i live NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? all the people and kids that died on that day NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? no 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 nmah489.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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. I was in school and it was about seventh period, and someone said that a plane had crashed into the Pentegon and the Twin Towers. When my mom picked me up from volleyball practice we listened to it on the radio and watched it on T.V. It was one of the most saddest things I ever saw. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. My life really never changed because of 9/11, but it did make me think of those families that lost loved ones and how it must feel. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think a memorial cerimony would be enough because those families that lost loved ones wouldn't want to remember 9/11. In the cerimony everyone would light a candle and that it will never happen again. NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? My family didn't fly a flag. I don't any different about it because you should always feel the pain of what we went through to become free. 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 nmah4594.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. 207.28.166.251 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. I was teaching art in my elementary school classroom in Winchester, VA, when suddenly, another teacher came to my door and informed me of the terrible events which took place that day. The kids knew there was something wrong by the look on my face. I don't know how they knew... but they knew. They asked me what was wrong. I said, "Many people died today. Today is a day you will remember for the rest of your life." We weren't allowed to tell the children what had happened that morning. The decision was made to let the parents tell them after school. Some of our students have parents who work at the Pentagon. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? 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 nmah5353.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-01-02 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 208.11.222.136 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. I was in 7 th grade geograpy when I heard about it , another teacher came in and told my geo teacher what had happen. She was shocked, she quickly turend on the T.V and flipped to the closes news channel she could think of. The whole class turned around.We all were shock by what we had just witness. Then we had to ask questions why , that was when discussed the event that we just saw. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. Yes,Sept. 11, 01 changed my life because it made me more thankful to be alive, but sad to see all those people die. It made me thankful for what and who I have in my life. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I thank all the people who risked thier life to save the people who desperatly tried to get out of the twin towers. I think all of the people died in this so tragic event should be rememebered. I think the people from NYFD and NYPD should be remembered the most for being the first ones in the towers. NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? YES, I flown the flag after sept. 11. My feelings changed about sept. 11 , because now i fly the flag with bravery , and i just proud to be in America and be an American. 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 nmah3876.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. 209.3.137.130 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. September 11th was a day of distress, a day of suffering, a day of anguish, a day of pain, yet a day of pride, and a day of unity. What happened on this day will always be in the hearts of the American people who lived to witness this extravagent event that changed the lives of Americans and the land of America forever. I will never forget watching that TV screen in my first period class, so far away from everything that was happening right in front of my eyes, yet feeling as if my soul was running along with those people fleeing for their lives in the land of freedom and safety. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. The day before September 11th, I didn't pay much attention to the people around me, we were all just people living our separate lives, practicing our separate religions, taking advantage of our freedom. Isn't that what America is all about? But I whitnessed something on September 11th that taught me a lesson in life I couldn't have learned more clearly any other way, how to work together and unite as one. I saw our country come together and join as one nation, no matter what religion, what race, what culture, we came together and defended our right of freedom, and pride, and showed to the world that we would not tolerate these acts in our country. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? My family has kept an American flag up outside of our house ever since September 11th. The flag has come to a totally new meaning to me. Everytime I look at a flag, I think about the blood that was shed for our country, the emotion that was roused up from this horrible day, and the courage that was shown from the people across 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 nmah2429.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. 2002-09-10 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.79.73.140 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. Living in Atlanta I didn't witness September 11th in person, but feel I was there. Literally a week prior to the day I had been in New York on business and spent the evening with my friends whom I had known in Columbus, Ohio. That evening we had dinner and took the train to the Trade Center station. I remember standing at the base of the towers looking up in sheer awe at the clean lines and gleaming buildings at dusk. I remember discussing with Dwayne and Stephen the events years earlier when the parking garage was bombed, and the desired effect from that attack of bringing the towers down, discussing what a tragedy. When the first plane struck, I remember thinking what a horrible accident, never imagining that it was a passenger jet. I called my parents in Parkersburg, WV to see what was on TV about the accident. As we were talking, the second plane struck the complex. Immediately the realization hit that neither was an accident. The morning was chaotic, with me making several phone calls to Mom and Dad to find out what was going on. I once again was on the phone with them when the first tower collapsed. And, I was on the phone with friends trying to find out about Dwayne and Stephen. They lived a few blocks from the complex, and Dwayne worked in an adjacent building. Dwayne's routine was to stop at the Trade Center for coffee each morning and then head to the office by 9. For some reason, he had gone to the office first and was just walking out of his building when the first plane hit the tower. It wasn't until the next day that our close circle of friends finally found out that both he and Stephen were okay. Dustin Hughes NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? 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 nmah6546.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. 2004-06-23 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.134.148.187 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "September 11: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. I witnessed the planes crashing into the towers and the buildings collapsing by watching the news coverage on television. At first I thought the attacks were occurring in Israel because I was so used to hearing about daily Palestinian terrorist attacks there. Because I am religiously and emotionally connected to Israel, I felt as if my own extended family was being attacked. When I realized the attacks were carried out on the World Trade Center in New York, I felt a strange surge of emotions rush over me: First, I felt relieved that Israel was not being attacked again, but as the reality sunk in that I -- my own country -- was being attacked by some unknown enemy, I went into immediate denial. I had always thought of America as the one secure country, the one country that was cool and in control. An American plane overtaken by foreigners crashing into the towers and the Pentagon, America's symbol of strength, was too absurd to believe. The attacks suddenly drifted farther and farther from my reality with every video clip the news showed of the burning buildings, the fleeing people, the thick black smoke choking the sky. This was happening to the little world inside the TV, not to my world, not to me. I went to school and sat in history class as everyone expressed her own theories about who did it and why, which made the reality seem even more remote because the events were being turned into yet another political argument. At the conclusion of morning prayers at school, one of our rabbis sounded the shofar (rams horn), which is customarily blown during the days preceding the Jewish days of judgment (during which September 11 had fallen) in order to awaken our souls to reflect upon the past year and return to the right path. One of the reasons why the shofar is used for this job is because the sound it makes resembles a long, wailing cry. When I heard the shofar blasts on that day, the sounds chillingly echoed the masses of shrieking people running down the streets of New York, the screams of people trapped in the collapsing towers, the sickening moans of those realizing their loved ones will never come home. I think the sound of the shofar was what solidified the event in my consciousness and made it into something real. When I came home, I saw on one of the news channels live footage of the international reaction to the terrorist attacks. I watched in disgust as Palestinians in Israel danced in the streets to music blaring out of loudspeakers and threw candy. Finally, I thought, the world has revealed the twisted mentality of a group of people that thrives on death. At last the world will understand Israels frustration when the UN condemns Israel for being unable to negotiate a peace plan with people who do not value human life. How wrong I was. Slowly, the footage of those gross celebrations began to be pulled out of the news coverage of September 11th as if they had never happened. The U.S.s policies regarding Israel and the Palestinian Intifada remained unchanged. Instead of realizing that we are all fighting against the same enemy, a fine distinction has been drawn between acceptable terror in the name of a supposed cause (against Israel) and plain intolerable terror (against America). NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. After September 11th, I now realize how twisted are the minds not only of the terrorists who perpetrate these attacks but of the people who fail to internalize the blatant messages that are revealed by these horrible events. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? If we do not learn from every moment of our precious lives, which we found out are even more fleeting and irreplaceable after the attacks, what truth is there to learn from? NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? 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 nmah3055.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. 24.126.0.172 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. My husband, daughter and I were taking a flight to Disneyworld the morning of September 11th. We passed and viewed the towers around 8:15-8:20 am. My daughter asked me what the World trade Center towers were used for, so the next half hour of our plane ride was a disussion ouf our country, our economy and our American pride for business. as our flight progressed I knew something was wrong, the attendents at one point all gathered into the cockpic for aboue 15 minutes. our flight was accelerated, wemade it to Orlando internationalabout 30 minutes ahead of schedule, which I know from experience something was wrong. Once we landed, our pilot then announced what happened. Anger and total shock overwelmed both myself and my husband. At the same time I thanked God that we were safe. Orlando was in total chaos. We did manage to get a car rental and to our hotel. we were able to regroup catch our selves, Disney open up all of their long distance service free of charge so that we could call family and friends to let them know we were safe. I felt so bad being so far away from home, not knowing what to expect next. Well, we were stranded in DIsney the parks were closed that Tuesday but re=opened the following morning. I don't know if it was a good or bad distraction being there, being in such a happy place with such a heavy heart, my daughter being only 8 could not comprehend the severity of the tragedy that just happened, she was focused on this trip. The people(employees) in Disney were WONDERFUL in every way. When it came time to head back to New York we had to drive because the airports were still closed. What a wonderful journey up the east coast. to see in so many differet states, the support and patriotisim of everyone, and how we pulled together. we saw the remaining smoke rising from the Pentagon, the increased secuity around the Mall in D.. We observed first hand, our country and its people change. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I have become more aware... Especially of people and society as a whole. For the first time in many years I have restored faith in society, our military and our government. Were are the world prototype of democracy, sometimes our freedoms can get too out of hand, we can become too selfish with our freedoms. we need to remember that, use our freedoms in the right way, a proud and ethical way. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? Our heros (firemen, police as well as the bravery of the people on all of the flights)how quickly we as a society can unite and stand. Our power as a free society, our bravery as well as our sorrows of that day. NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? My feelings never changed, it just VERY STRONGLY reminded me of what we tend to take advantage of, how we can easily forget. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource nmah93.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-07-25 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 63.77.54.233 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "September 11: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. I was at work in Amsterdam Airport, The Netherlands, when the radio broadcast told us of a terrorist attack in NYC. As we have several offices in NYC we offcourse turned on the television set hoping for information about our colleagues. What we saw on the news blew the group of people present away. Some stood around, others had to sit down, as we watched the events unfold. When another plane hit the second tower we all cried out in horror and some of us burst into tears when it dawned on us how many people were killed by this insane act. Although our logistics company is one of the busiest places at the airport, all activity came to a stand still, and most of us went home keeping our ears to the media hoping to learn of survivors being found in the ruins. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. my life has indeed changed. When reading the papers, or seeing the news on tv, you become aware that mankind is capable of a lot of horrible things, but I could never have expected that something like this would be possbible in the free world. Since 9/11 I have more fear in my heart, when I go about my daily bussiness. Somehow I started trusting people less, not knowing what a stranger could be capable of doing. On the other hand I became more loving of all the people around me, both in my proffessional life as in the circle of my family and friends, because I think I could not live with the thought of any of them perishing without them knowing the love I have for them. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? On one hand, that mankind is appearantly capable of such acts of blatend insanity. On the other that there is no measure in what people are prepared to do to save their, or someone else's loved ones. Some even gave their life in order to try and save a stranger. For me that is the true spirit of mankind. NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? I did not, for the simple reason that I do not own one. I did however fly the Dutch National Colours at half-mast at my home to commemorate those who lost their lives and support to who were trying to save others. I felt this was the least I could do. 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 nmah1523.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-08 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 212.58.162.59 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. On September 11, 2001, I was a seventh grader at the Marlborough Middle School in Marlbrough, Massachusetts. When the planes hit I was in my second period music class. We had written songs and were peforming them that day. My teacher, Miss Major, recorded the first few, but when the teachers were informed of the attacks she stopped. Students, on the other hand, weren't allowed to be told. I felt a little angry about this. I could understand not telling the younger grades, but I thought that the seventh graders were old enough to know. I found out walking home from school at two thirty. My sister Jessica and I were passing our friend Jeff Kerrigan's house when we saw Jeff and our other friend Nick Peterson in the yard. We stopped to say hi and Jeff said, "The World Trade Center and the Pentagon building were hit by airplanes." When he said this, I thought there had been a mechanical failure or something. Only a few, if any, people could have been killed. So Jessica and I stayed with Jeff and Nick for a little while. We played a little, but mostly we sat and talked. Around three thirty I decided to go home, still not realizing how terrible the attacks had really been. When I got home, my mother was standing in the driveway. I asked if she had heard about the attacks. She said she had. Then she told me that she had to go pick up my sister, but I could turn on the news. When I got inside, I immediately turned on the TV. We didn't have cable then, but every station we had was showing coverage. I watched the Channel 5 News on ABC, Channel 4 News on CBS, and the Channel 7 News on NBC. I also watched the Fox 25 News on Channel 25 and the WB 56 News on Channel 56. At one point, one of the stations showed the second plane hitting and I nearly threw up. I just couldn't believe this was happening. I wished it was a bad dream, that I would wake up and everything would be fine. When my mom got home, we sat and watched together for a little while. When she told me about the airplane passengers' last phone calls, I started to cry. My youngest sister, Rachel, came in and saw me crying. She asked why and I didn't know what to tell her. Finally I said, "Bad guys stole planes from Logan Airport and crashed them into the places where the government makes their secret plans." The thing that really scared me, though, was how human the reporters were. Normally, it's as if they were robots, cool and calm no matter what. But when Tower 7 fell, I remember watching a lady reporter start to interview someone. Smoke came billowing out from behind some buildings just as they began talking. People began to scream and run. The reporter yelled, " Oh my God! We have to get out of here! Leave the camera!" Then they all ran off. I stayed in the living room all afternoon. That night, Rachel had an open house at her school. I didn't want to go, but Mom made me. She said that I had to get out of the house for a little while. It was the strangest feeling to walk down the street and not hear any planes in the sky. Normally, I take the sound of planes completely for granted, but that night it was just too quiet. Once I got home, I watched the news again until nine o' clock, when I had to go to bed. The next few days were the most patriotic days I had ever and probably will ever see. So many people had a better view of their country. When we stood up and said the Pledge of Alligience together with every other school in the nation, I knew it was a pretty big moment in history. My relatives flew up that weekend and my sisters, my cousins, and I had a craft stand. Half the money we made went to a cancer fund and the other half went to the Red Cross 9-11 fund. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. Yes, my life has changed since September 11. Before then, I never thought anything like this could happen so close to home. Whenever I fly, I fly out of Logan Airport. This summer, when I flew across the country, I was scared the plane would be hijacked. Anything can happen. America learned this lesson the hard way. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think the most important thing that should be remembered about September 11 is the bravery of all of the men and women who gave their lives to save others. All of the New York and Washington D.C. rescue workers went above and beyond the call of duty. And they weren't the only heroes. The people of flight 93, the ones that fought the terrorists, they were also heroes. If they had just sat back and watched, many more people may have been killed. The true heroes are the ones to be remembered. NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? 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 nmah5257.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. 2002-10-23 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. I witnessed history on September 11 when i was sitting in my English class listing to my teacher talk and then the channel one news came on and said that one of the Twin Towers had been hit. My teacher told us to just stay calm and if anything else happened she would inform us. So a few minutes later she told us that another plan had hit the other Twin Tower. SO then we swithched classes and spent all day whatching the news on what happened September 11,2001. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. Yes, my life has changed because of September 11. Its changed because not everybody has jobs wich make the profits and income go down. Which means that people dont have enough money to buy the things they really need. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think that all the people that lost their lives to help others survie should be remembered because its an important situation that people are gonna have to live with for the rest of their lives. NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? No i didnt fly a flag but my feelings have changed. My feelings about the flag is that i think the flag has helped alot of people get through their. 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 nmah2140.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. 2002-09-10 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 198.108.204.40 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. I woke up with flu-like symptoms on September 11th and stayed home from attending class at my local Community College in Pittsburgh, PA. All I wanted to do that morning was sleep, so when my sister called me crying saying that they crashed into the Twin Towers, I turned on NBC and saw the replays of the first plane hitting the towers, but I still wasn't feeling well, I turned off the TV and went back to bed not fully realizing what was going on. When I woke up to hear the and view the horrible tragedy had happened in my own backyard! In spite of all of the panic, I went to work that evening as everyone else was evacuating the city. The full impact of the events would not hit me for a few days until I got better and realized how bad it was. These events forever changed my life in ways I can't explain. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I have become more alert to suspisious behavior and events around me and would encourage others to do the same. I also became very grateful for the things I have in life and my family and the need to "slow down" and take a good look at the world around you. Be grateful for the little things, embrace diversity and peace. They are all things we take for granted. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? 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 nmah6847.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. 2004-10-03 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 151.201.121.182 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "September 11: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. I was making breakfast for my two youngest daughters and their father. He had decided to take the day off that day to have family time........ He was siting on the couch flipping through the channels and stopped at The Today Show..... within minutes after sending my oldest daughter off to school, not having my family together, our worlds collieded and collapsed. We, my husband and I, sat and watched in HORROR as the first plane crashed, then the second and then the Pentagon..... It will be a day that lives in my mind forever. I called he school to make sure that my oldest was "blind" to all that had occured, you see her greatgrandmother, grandmother and aunt were overseas and her biological father a member of the military..... I needed to protect her and couldn't. She had overheard the radio outside the teachers lounge, she called home sobbing I asked if I would come and get her from school. As any good parent would, I did. So many questions that I couldn't give her an answer for. Many still unanswered a year later.......... All we want to know is why? NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. Yes- I am more aware as to what is going on around me. Maybe paranoid is more the word, but we are trying to live, making everyday count. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? Everything...... The fear, furry, fading.... Scurrying to make everything right again NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? We flew an American flag prior to 9*11 and continue to do so now 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 nmah994.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. 207.109.233.228 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. I awoke to a telephone call from my son Andrew in Los Angeles. He was agitated, and sounded scared. He told me to turn on the television, that New York had been attacked, and the terrorists were flying towards LA. He said he was not going to work. I spent the day watching television reports at work. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I have become sure that our own government had something to do with the attacks. All evidence has been confiscated, and the 9/11 Commission has been completely hampered from doing their jobs. Our president spent twenty minutes reading a child's book after learning of the deaths of three thousand people. No real evidence has been presented to confirm any airliner ever hit the Pentagon, other than a missle or commuter aircraft. A huge war was fought, under cloudy circumstances. The Patriot Act was forced upon our country, which has less to do with freedom than anyone ever could have imagined in our nation's history. I am interested to see how history treats us on this matter. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? Power corrupts all. NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? I flew no flag. The first vehicle I saw following 9/11 was on an immense SUV, who cut me off in commute traffic. I was rudely saluted by the young driver, who proceeded to do the same to other drivers. I am a proud American, and a patriot. I don't hide behind a flag. 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 nmah6399.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-01-04 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.189.140.85 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "September 11: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. I am a manager at Philadelphia International Airport and a Helicopter Crewchief for the PA Army National Guard. I was on the phone at PHL when I was told an aircraft had just hit the World Trade Center. I immediately went to our executive offices to see the television. Soon as I got there, the second aircraft hit. By 1 PM, the airport was empty except for selected staff members and a very dedicated security team. I stayed at work until almost 7 PM, and the buildings were empty on Wednesday and Thursday as well. I spent Saturday at my National Guard unit, and Sunday and Monday at Ground Zero pulling guard duty on Cedar Street between Broadway and Church. I've never seen this type of devastation in my life. I haven't been activated for service to support the war on terrorism, but if and when I am, I will be extremely proud to do so. God Bless us all. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. There isn't a day that passes without a thought of what happened. Every time I put on my Army uniform or walk through Philadelphia Airport, I think that there may be another attack or I may have to respond to some form of an emergency. I think it is more of a state of readiness or situational awareness than a reaction to fear or terror. I think these kinds of people will always be around trying to inflict pain or suffering to advance their cause. They will always fail because these activities simply bond us closer and unite us in our resolve to be free. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think those who lost loved ones should be remembered first. Second, those who made sacrifices at all levels to support the recovery efforts which still continue today. Last, we should honor our military, as they continue to stand as our front line defense on a National level. Without a ranking, I think we should always remember the children of this time and help them understand that everything will be ok and that we can all lean on each other until the pain is gone, and as long as the memories flare up in our hearts. NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? Am I Torn or Tattered Sgt. Sam Mason 1-104th Air Cavalry, PA-ANG 9/10/2002 Am I your flag, On your home or your car, Do I hang from your window, Have we both traveled far? Has a whole year gone by, Has reality hit deep, Has the wind ripped my edges, Or torn the stripes that I keep? Do my colors seem faded, The sun bleached me its true, Do I show signs of worry, Am I Red, White, and Blue? Its been more than one year, Since I was raised towards the sun, Flying proud in our history, And in great battles weve won. I still show were together, That what we fight for is real, That our worst enemy is fear, And the loss that we feel. For suffer we shall, But united well stand, Protecting our future, And our love for this land. We know in our hearts, In our minds and our soul, That we fight for our freedom, And what makes us whole. Am I your flag, Yes, Ill do what I do, Representing our way of life, The Red, White and Blue. Show your Pride, If I look worn or damaged, go buy a new flag! 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 nmah5002.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. 2002-09-16 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.92.249.1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "September 11: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. I was in the school. I went to a privete school. We went up to the living room and turned on the t.v. alot of us were in shock so we didn't show much affection because our mindes haden't precieved that what was happening was true. All our teachers were crying cus they have friends and family there but most of us didn't. when we saw the second plane hit we started to relize that it was true what was happening. Thats wene alot of us lost it. You had seven people crying and yelling and in shock NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. yes it has changed. i am more aware of my surrounding and what is going on. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? All the people who lost thier lives. NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? Yes we did 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 nmah3833.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. 64.8.162.66 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. unedited, grammatical errors and all, from my journal and emails to friends and family, the week of 9 sep 01, from my lower east side apartment: first -- thanks everyone for your calls, emails, etc. this day has just been like hell. i have done virtually nothing, yet am totally tapped out. i was awakened this morning by what i thought was thunder. as i checked phone messages which were already an unusually high number for that early in the day, i heard many emergency sirens out there -- not all THAT out of the ordinary for nyc. of course, the messages tipped me off, and i had only to look out the window in my apartment office to see the cloud of black smoke. i love my apartment especially for a couple reasons: the bedroom has a view of the empire state building; the office a view of the top 5 floors and huge antenna of the wtc, which at night was beautifully lit, and as comforting to me as a nightlight (i know it sounds corny, but true -- i looked up at that thing dozens of times in a typical evening) -- oh, and the rooftop (i live on the top floor) view is breathtaking. still half asleep and in my pajamas (boxers and a t-shirt, really), i stumbled up to the roof. others were already there. i made my way to the southern edge for the best view jaw-dropping; unbelievable is all i can say to describe the black smoke billowing across the horizon as far as one could see, the vivid nearly primary red ring of fire framing the gash in the tower (i still had no idea what was going on really). at that moment i thought this to be the worst thing i had ever witnessed that the fire would subside and the wtc would be left with a massive gash, that like its older sister to the north (the esb, which was hit by a u.s. bomber during a ww2 blackout) would certainly be repaired in time. of course i was to be very wrong in my assumption. less than one minute of taking this in, glass sprayed down, confetti and glitter catching the sunlight; an elaborate fountain of grey ashen smoke rose up as the building just sank into it -- i mean SANK -- it didn't tip or tumble. it was so neat, as in orderly -- it just came straight down. there was a treblel! y crackling (like a dud firework) followed by an eerie low rumble. then quiet. just shock. as it happened the others on the roof exclaimed "there it goes, there it goes . . . " i looked to them -- is it falling??!!! it seems laughable that this could even be considered possible. they informed me that the first tower had already gone down. i watched lower manhattan burn for a couple hours as i tried to make calls -- no dial tones on the home or cell phones. liz and i and janet (visiting from albany) walked to beth israel med center to give blood. it was just so amazing how incredibly helpless i felt watching it happen, perhaps tens of thousands of people dying before my eyes in less than a minute. besides that of course, the selfish fact that this was THE landmark, the symbol of nyc -- when i climb out of the subway in an unfamiliar neighborhood i ALWAYS use the wtc to navigate, like the north star -- and my familiar nightlight. it is 2am now. nyc has NEVER been this quiet. no traffic, no planes, no late night revelry. just still. the last time i felt this distraught i retreated to the rooftop. it was winter, 4am. krista's uncle (my favorite) had just died. it was a somewhat magical predawn, as we were in the midst of a spectacular meteor shower. i pondered life and death and fate and all the things one thinks about when someone you love dies. of course the skyline was there to comfort me. again, i know how maudlin this sounds, but i knew EXACTLY where i was: between the empire state, the wtc, and the stars -- home. well, i digress. i really don't know what else to say. kinda worried about what happens next. not too confident in our national leaders; in fact terrified of them. is it over? love to all. keep safe and sound, christopher mom -- i agree with you about powell -- for a republican and a military officer, he's surprisingly intelligent, logical and well spoken. today -- 14th street and below is "closed" (no traffic besides essential emergency). i live basically 14 blocks BELOW 14th st -- thankfully some restaurants, delis, etc. here are open. service is terrible, but that's unintentional and understandable. i live on a south corner of east houston street, which upon returning home i discovered to be entirely barricaded by police -- not only to traffic, but pedestrians. i had to wait on the corner until, thank god my super (the guy that takes care of the apartment building) came out and i called to him. only then did the police let me come home. now i REALLY feel TRAPPED here. i don't know when work (and therefore income) will resume for me, nor when i'll be able to really venture outside. it is a BEAUTIFUL summer day otherwise. there is a "light" white cloud of fallout now over my neighborhood. nothing is dust covered here; it all seems aloft. phone service (cell and landline) is still intermittent here. verizon has made all it's outdoor public pay phones free during this time (which is astounding . . .), gasoline is $5.00 per gallon, in manhattan at least. mail is not being delivered to my address and those below. uncertain when services (including trash removal) will resume. i am ever patient -- i totally understand the necessity, and dare not complain; merely relating the circumstances here. i really didn't dream last night. the helicopters and fighter jets broke the silence around 2:30am. woke up already in tears. really, no matter how many times they replay this on television, no matter how much closer or detailed than my experience some of that coverage is, what is locked in my brain and persists there is my witnessing it first-hand (no matter from a "safe" distance). it is truly THE most devastating and completely unbelievable event i have EVER witnessed. the sheer magnitude and beauty of those buildings, what they symbolized . . . . it was a huge and familiar chunk of the city i love. beside the "hometown" pride and personal connection i feel about this place, i must say new york city to me is the LEAST american city there is in america: every race, religion, nationality, persuasion is represented and tolerated here. it is more an attack on humanity. it is what we'd call "indian summer" back in indiana. i remember this rare time of year as being perfection. a prisoner at home, for now, christopher no bread, bottled water or toilet paper at supermarkets, delis, convenience stores. there are no newpapers either. literally, there is NO traffic down here, thus no delivery trucks to bring in goods / necessities. i'm not even sure that inbound bridges and tunnels are open now. there is no word on how long this "quarantine" will last -- quite awhile i figure. they are stopping non-residents at 14th street and south, houston st and south, delancey street and south (which means delancey street, three blocks away is the farthest south i can go), and finally NO one beside emergency workers below canal street. you absolutely MUST have PROPER i.d. -- my driver's licence still has my midtown address (over 3 years old now), which is why i had trouble getting home last evening. i now carry my passport AND my voter registration card (containing my correct address), and the police DO check EVERYONE; no way around it. i think about people living say, in israel and palestine where they go through this shit all the time -- bombing, violence, police and citizens alike carrying automatic weapons, checkpoints, on the spot searches, etc . . . and how insane it must be to live that way. who knows what this could snowball into here, BUT it seems all new yorkers are taking it in stride -- which is good -- everyone has been so cool, laid back, perhaps numb, but really calm (if not unnervingly so). humans are adaptable creatures; those in war torn parts of the world simply adapt and get used to it quick. they HAVE to if they expect to survive. it just becomes a fact of life. i see now how easy even the most foreign concepts and behaviors are to adopt if given no choice. the wind has shifted from the due south. directly overhead it is clear as the most perfect fall evening -- except the acrid cloud laying low over all of manhattan. it heads north to midtown, then seems to envelop it all, across the upper east side. to the north, the empire state, chrysler and citicorp buildings are nothing but shadows (they are usually proudly and beautifully lit), perhaps out of respect, mourning, or even to conceal themselves against a nighttime attack. the exact reason matters little; it simply is "wrong". my throat is burning. they say there is asbestos and god knows what else in that cloud. it is truly more silent out there than any night in the 18 years i lived in indiana. without the ever-present "light pollution", the stars are quite plentiful and stunning and it makes me aware how tiny this island really is in the larger scheme of things. krista tells me there are aircraft carriers off the beaches of long island. i'll look forward to her reports. it seems the best way to reach me now is via email. local calls have been no problem, but my family has trouble getting through, it is difficult for me to make long distance calls even across the hudson to new jersey. fyi: most of my friends and colleagues are not office workers -- i know of few people who work regularly in the wtc. my roommate's good friend, however, worked on the 70th floor of the north tower. he was there when the south tower was hit. they actually announced over the building-wide p.a. that this incident was isolated to the opposite tower and that there was no need to evacuate. he said "screw this", gathered his co-workers and headed down the stairs. on their descent, just below the 50th floor, the plane struck THEIR building. they all managed to fly down those stairs and get out o.k. steve ran to the brooklyn bridge, and as he walked over it towards home he watched . . . the rest we all know. hope you don't mind these posts. i have limited contact with even those of my friends who are here in town. take care my friends, christopher during the night a wind change: the noxious cloud of fallout has invaded and blanketed my neighborhood. all i can see of lower manhattan is bright haze, like a search light in a steambath. there is so much pollution in the air now, to the north the low crescent moon which is just a sliver is CRIMSON! it is just dawn now. the cloud is stretching overhead like the milkyway. i am awake because my chest is tight and the air is so foul -- out on the roof the air quality is like taking the charcoal after a bbq, pulverizing it with a baseball bat, standing over it and breathing deeply. yes, it's THAT bad. it is totally crisp and clear to the north. the windows have been closed tight in my apartment all night, but it smells like this place is on fire. i had to dismantle the smoke detectors earlier. i have some surgical masks so i can go outside -- they are necessary at this point. the wind (now 6am) seems as though it is slowly shifting back away from the city. anyway, if they survived the fall, the intense heat -- breathing this at ground zero would have done them in in minutes. i cannot imagine what it is for the rescue workers. well, back to sleep i hope . . . christopher the streets seem to be open to delivery trucks now. got janet (my friend and former college professor who is on sabbatical, and was to stay with us while taking classes at fi.t.) to penn station, so she could take the amtrak back to albany. we stopped along the way to have breakfast it IS remarkable so much down here is open now, as the ONLY non-emergency workers below 14 st, are those that LIVE below that line. we walked with luggage up to union square. there, hundreds had congregated for a memorial. it wasnt clear if there were LINES to get into the subways, but above 14 street everything is congested with traffic, people, noise, chaos in stark contrast to the quiet calm down here. we remarkably hopped a cab immediately. we sat at the intersection of madison ave and 14th st in gridlock for what seemed an eternity; an expensive one at that. once we turned off the jammed, packed park ave, things eased up across 31st st to 6th ave from where we had to go on foot! again (just a block from the station). set us back about $7 plus tip not much more than i would normally expect to pay for that ride at this time of day. i must admit i didnt feel too safe in penn (amtrak, lirr, subways, and madison sq garden are all within). it was more crowded than at holiday times. she already had the return ticket, and we had no trouble finding train info on the big boards. passengers crowded the gate. we were informed the train was standing room only, and there wasnt much room to do that. i walked home from penn, through chelsea, grabbed a beverage to go. was of course stopped and checked for i.d. at 14 st. as i walked through the comparatively deserted greenwhich village, i felt as though i had some special privilege to be there. i cut diagonally across greenwhich ave to 6th, where st. vincents hospital had to deal with emergencies and the press, as well as onlookers, well wishers, families and friends of those unaccounted for. lamp posts, mailboxes, business windows and car windshields were wallpapered with 8x11 leaflets bearing names and faces (mostly color, smiling snapshots) of those missing. it was staggering just how many . . . and just how futile it seems. around washington square park, i had to slip the elastic bands of the mask back over my ears. not a winning fashion statement, but i was in great company. talked with noel who is sound engineer at the rock club, the continental. all shows have been cancelled there and all over town at least until next week. i imagine peeps here might be in the mood for a little diversion, but there seem to be no concerts, movies, sports, museums, libraries open at present. the video stores in the east village , however look beyond busy and picked through. nothing sensational is happening here on the home turf now. thats fine by me. thanks, again everyone for your good wishes, calls and emails. hopefully life will i want to say return to normal i think begin to resemble normal is enough to hope for right now. christopher i walked through my hood today, as the autumn weather is perfection, the light is golden. i grab a slice of pizza (a comfort food moment), and walk past the islamic mosque on 11th street. there is a mans wailing broadcast over the outdoor speakers. some men in long robes and grey beards stand and talk on the sidewalk. they look just as uncertain as the rest of us. two police officers sit quietly in a car across the street. i pass a first-floor apartment window from which i hear a woman loudly weeping and lamenting in spanish, as if she has just heard the worst news for the first time. children are happily playing in thompkins square park. votive candles have been placed and lit there under the big tree; i can smell the melting wax, like the inside of a church. the sky is della robbia (a 15c. sculptor and painter of christian iconography) blue, with the exception of that cloud of dust and building and human beings where there used to stand an eternal monument to the ambition and acheivement of man; for all too brief a time. its just a collage of contradictions . . . there is a raucous drum and sax combo playing in the park, dog walkers, pot smokers, old people pausing to rest. i walk again towards home, the evening light making the bricks warm and golden. for all its bombastic glory, i enjoy most the new york which is human-scaled. i in fact love it. today is still limbo i tell myself. tomorrow work. tomorrow the rest of my life. christopher peifer nyc 2001 NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? 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 nmah16.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. 2002-06-14 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 208.59.17.162 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. I was in reading class which was third period and our teacher told use that we were not gonna be reading today and she turned on the tv everybody thought that it was great or was just a time to relax. Untill we relized that what we were gonna be watching was not exciting at all in fact it was terifying. In fact it was like we were all talkin then we relized what we were watching and the reporter was talking about the the first plane hiting the World Trade Centers middle of the report we saw the second plane then that was when it hit me that our wondeful onece thought of as an invinceable city was atacked. As the whole class sat in utter silence and disbelief we watched the trade centers callaspe. As it ran through our mind the thought of the towers burning as they did not belief that it was an atack at first then it rapidly was reviled that it was an atack. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. My life changed in a way that made me relize that we live in a world were anything can happen for any reason. This also helped me relize that we should not take things for granted in america becouse other nations wish that they can have the freedom and rights that we have as a nation. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think that the people of New York who were in the region of the towers that fell should be remebered. It took alot of courage for the people to run and get out of the way instead just giving up because they didn't believe they would make it. Also the firemen and other rescuers who faught so hard to try and save as many lives as they could at many times risking thier other live for people who may never even heard of. They did this just because they knew it was thier job. Also the family members of the victims of 9/11. NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? My feeling for the flag has changed in way were as though during the flag sulute or anything life that I show my utt most respect and I had a picture of the flag my window and on my wall of my room which is still thier. 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 nmah3400.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. 209.3.137.130 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: Bearing Witness to History" Stories Submitted Online Description An account of the resource Visitors to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History's, "Bearing Witness to History" online exhibition submitted these reflections beginning in 2002. NMAH Story NMAH Story: Story How did you witness history on September 11th? Share your experience. On September 11th I was in math and we began to watch it on tv. But then the principal came around and told the teachers to turn the tvs off and not talk about it because they didn't want to upset anyone who may have had someone in the buildings at the time. So we weren't allowed to talk about it till we knew that noone had someone in the buildings. But then we talked about it and I was horrified and very upset. I couldn't bare to think that people at my dads level in the Port Authority had gone back into the building to save people. It was so upseting. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. My life has changed by the fact that I knew that the New York skyline was changed forever. It was horrible to think of that. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think that September 11th should be remembered in full it should be remembered as what it is just like the Holocaust it should be remembered so that it never happens again. and that we know it will never happen again and to try and just remember the postives that came out of it. we are more united as a nation now. and we are also working more on protection. NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? Yes we have an small American flag on my mailbox. 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 nmah4194.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. 216.6.133.9