78 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. I walked in to third period class in my high school and i look at the televison and Cnn was on and i saw an arial picture of the smokeing tower #1 and ass i look at #2 i saw another explosen and anther plane hit the tower 2 and i was like "OMG it happend again" NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. my family has not changed but when i travel like in a airport i need my brith certficate to pove i am a citizen and the u have to go on check points the thats a long time and then u missed ur flight NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? all the people how died in the WTC andthe police men firefighters and all docters constrotion people 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 nmah1586.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. 2002-09-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 207.99.16.132 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 2001 I was in school and I remeber thinking How could this Happen to us? Then I thought of my Brother, who was working in Canada at the time and was being restationed in New York the next day. I just wanted him to come home. So I would know he was safe and My mom would calm down at least a little. As far back as I can remember I have never witnessed anything as sad and and scary. The feelings I had that day will stay with me forever. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. Yes, My life has changed in a tremendous way. I used to love to travel and now i am almost to scared to leave my home state. I would not get on a plane now if my life depended on it. There is just to much that could happen. I dont want anyone in my family to ever set foot on another plane. It is just to terrifying to think that my family or I could be gone just like that. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? Mostly I think that the lives lost should be remembered the most. Buildings can be replaced but people cant. 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 flew a flag after the attacks. I now feel more pride in the flag. I feel that it stands for more 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 nmah5390.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. 2003-01-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 168.11.56.10 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 events of 9/11 from my living room in Queens, New York. My brother woke me that morning when the first news stories were coming on the television. I was off from work that day and had planned on sleeping in. I turned on my television and saw the smoke and flames coming from the first Tower. I called my Dad, to tell him to turn on the TV, and I saw the second plane hit the second tower while I was on the phone. I remember what a beautiful day it was outside, a clear blue, cloudless sky. And in the middle of it, black smoke filling the entire skyline. Watching the events unfold around the country was the most frightening thing that I have ever experienced. It felt like the world had gone crazy. I went outside for a few minutes and I could see the smoke in the distance. After the FAA grounded air traffic, the only sounds that I could hear outside were Police helicopters flying overhead. I think that I watched the news until very late that night. When I woke up the next day, just for a moment, it all seemed like a nightmare. But I could smell the burnt smell in the air when I opened the window. I went to work in Manhattan because I didn't want to be home alone. The city was filled with armed military personnel. I work downtown, and there were heavily armed soldiers with military vehicles on my block. I know that they were there for my protection, but it was so scary. This couldn't be New York City...... NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. September 11, 2001 has changed my life forever. I will forever divide my life into before and after. I have lived in New York City my entire life and I have never really felt afraid to live here. Now, I think about it every day. I ride the subway, and I worry about people who are acting "suspiciously". I can't hear a siren without getting goosebumps, because I heard them so much on that day. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? Remembering September 11th should be all about the people who's lives were lost that day. The people who worked in those buildings, and the people who risked their lives to help them. In the last few years, I have tried to read as many stories about that day as I can. The stories of survival and heroism, the stories of those who performed the ultimate sacrifice to help others...Those are the things that need to be remembered about 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? I have always been proud to be an American. My parents came to this country and their greatest wish was to become American citizens. They have raised me with that kind of love and respect for my country. I have always had a Flag in my house. Now, I try to have one outside as well and I have been wearing a Red, White, and Blue ribbon pin everyday for the last 3 years. I am proud.... 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 nmah6558.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. 2004-07-15 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.90.228.80 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 had just awakened that September morning, washed, gotten dressed for work, and went downstairs. I turned on the TV, like I do every morning (it helps to wake me up). How I wish now I hadn't turned it on, but that wouldn't have changed anything, would it? Suddenly, the breaking news that a plane had run into one of the World Trade Center Towers in New York City (I live in Burleson, TX). My heart just clutched. They got the live feed, and there it was...smoke just pouring from the North Tower. They were saying a "small plane." Then here came the second one and I was horrified to see it deliberately angle in and strike the South Tower. That's when I knew we were under attack. No way two airplanes could strike one target. I had to go to work, so I didn't see the news for the rest of the day, but our boss kept us informed. When he told us that the Towers had collapsed, I cynically replied, "110-storey buildings just don't fall." How I wish I'd been right. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. Yes. When I got home from work, my twin sister was crying and terrified. She would not turn on the TV. We decided the best thing for us would be to attend church--any church. We walked to a local church here, they had a memorial service and prayer; my twin was delivered of a Spirit of fear. We walked home and she went to bed, where, thankfully, she slept like a baby. Not me. I sat up and watched the news. The replayed images over and over and over and over again. I started crying. And I wrote the first of my poems. Of all the lives that were taken that horrible day, one life was saved: MINE. I was given a Gift, you see. I write. I write, and haven't stopped. As of today, September 11, 2004, I've written over 975 poems. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? The Twin Towers footprints should be left alone, it's sacred ground. I would like to see our firefighters, EMS and police personnel receive special honor and tribute as a small token of appreciation for the heroism they show. Maybe a special award created to honor the best of the best. I would like to see our men and women in uniform receive special honor as well. They are heroes, as well. We are not free without their service; our country owes them a debt of gratitude we can never repay. 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 am a veteran, USAF, 1983-85, so American pride has always been strong in me. Now, my heart beats red, white and blue. :) Many died for that flag, I served for that flag, and no one is going to tell me I cannot fly my 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 nmah6729.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. 2004-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.140.37.125 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 live in Snellville, Georgia. I was working at a Kroger store in Lawrenceville some miles to the north of where I live. I remember that morning being a particularly pretty one, and had a good feeling when I went to work. It started out slow, like any other, but towards 10am, things started to pick up drastically. I started asking what was going on. Customers were telling me that an airplane had been flown into a building in New York. It becmae impossible to concentrate on work, and I was not to get off until 4pm. All I could do was stand there, check out groceries, and wonder what in the heck was going on. People were nervous, and there seemed to be not direct eye contact with anyone. I drove home that afternoon with a sense of being on eggs. When I got home, my husband told me what had happened, and it was then that I saw the videos, and some of the photos of who they thought were the hijackers. My heart nearly stopped... Among those photos were ones of Muhammed Atta. This man had come through my checkout line roughly a week before with a friend. The 'friend' was pleasnat and talkative, and conducted the sale with me. The other man, Atta, would not look me in the eye, and would not speak to me. I instantly got a very bad, cold feeling about this person. I later learned that he and his 'buddies' had been at Gwinnett Co. Airport...taking flying lessons. The next moment of panic came when I realized that I had cousins working in the North Tower, although later I learned that their law offices had been moved to another location not connected with WTC. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. Yes! I am not the same trusting soul that I was, and have come to realize that my sheltered life as a child had done nothing to prepare me for this kind of tragedy. I am very much more in tune with my surroundings now, and tend not to gather with large groups of people in public areas. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? It should ALL be remembered, so that it never, ever, ever happens 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? Yes, I fly the flag. I flew it bwfore in honor of my relatives who fought in WWII. My feelings for the flag were always strong. It did not take a terrorist attack to make me more 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 nmah6432.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. 2004-02-08 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.12.96.39 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. As a New Yorker, growing up on Staten Island was a childhood of incredible memories and great experiences. I grew up on Staten Island my whole life, and was very active in exploring my city. By the time I left for college, it was early 2001, and I was to attend the University of Tampa. My room mate was a boy from the Dominican Republic, and early one morning I awoke to him telling me that a bomb went off at the World Trade Center. I quickly got out of bed and went to another room and watched the T.V, when I soon realized that it wasn't a bomb, it was an attack. I watched the television all day, and I will never forget the pain that I felt. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. In one word, PATRIOTISM. My love for the United States elevated because of the attack, and never in my life had I witnessed a country unite as we did. It reminded me of how the colonies pulled together after the English Red Coats occupied Boston. It reminded me of how the North came together as Confederate troops invaded Fort Sumter. Its funny, but prior to 911, New Yorkers would often call the people of Alabama or South Carolina "hicks". And they would in turn call us "yankees". There was such a division of culture in each of our states. After that day, it shocked me how people from all over the country came to New York. EMT workers from Idaho came, Fire fighters from New Jersey came. We no longer were New Yorkers or New Jerseyites or Floridians. WE ALL BECAME AMERICANS. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? 911 was a day that changed the face of our country. What needs to be remembered is how the country pulled together on that day and the weeks following it. Never in my lifetime have I witnessed a surge of patriotic spirit. Now that the horror and pain has eased, we must always remember how families, friends, and foes pulled together. 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? To this day, on my car there is still an American Flag, and in my room there is also a large flag. To Americans over the past 300 years, the American Flag has come to symbolize a patriotic feeling. It is sad how especially in times of chrisis, the flag is looked upon for comfort, pride, and unity. Before 911, I was just a New Yorker with all my problems and life experiences, but after I became an American. From that day forward, the falg will always be flown, and I will do it with pride. 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 nmah6495.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. 2004-04-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 152.163.252.39 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 live in the Los Angeles area (so 9 a.m. in NY is 6 a.m. in LA). I was eating breakfast when my son popped his head in and said "A plane crashed into the World Trade Center!" I thought it might have been an accident. On the way to work, the radio only had news of the crash, and the other confusion about how many planes and where they were. I work for an advanced telecommunications equipment sales company. We have all kinds of video gear for meetings, but NO BROADCAST TV ANTENNA! I bought a rabbit ears antenna for our 25" TV. No one was doing much work, as we were all transfixed by the images on TV. We were conjecturing on all aspects of the event, from who and why to how fast the United States would retaliate. The Main Office allowed everyone to return home. Since there was no new real news for the afternoon, and I lived a continent away, I watered the lawn. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I do not travel much, so changes in travel have not affected me. I have learned more about Islam than I knew before. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? 1. Terrorism never accomplishes it's goal of intimidation. America "took the hit", and immediately became more patriotic and unified. 2. There is a grass roots unity that Americans that know there is a God. 3. The events of 9-11 have brought home a sronger perception of America's relationships with other nations. And that we need to interact with other nations in new ways 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 fly the flag until July 4th, Independence Day. The flag, though is still the focus for me to represent the nation for which it stands. Under God. 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 nmah401.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. 2002-08-23 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 12.146.131.5 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 only in the 7th grade at the time of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade centers in New York City. I was in school when the first plane crashed into the building, my first period was just about to end and there was a announcement over the intercom telling everyone about how the attacks have occured. Immediatly after the announcement every T.V. in the school turned on. Next period I had was science, but we didnt really attend it we just reported to our home rooms and tuned in to the news. I didnt realize how severe the attacks were until i actually saw the footage of the planes hitting the towers for the first time. My intial reacction was disbalief. i couldnt believe that a plane had actually colided with a building. I had no idea it was a terrorist attack until the second plane hit. That was when I realized that this had been done on purpose. How these horrible people got access of a commercial aircraft? I didn't know. All i could think was whats next is it Boston or maybe even the White House. Then another alert came on about the pentagon being hit. Now this really scared me, I mean obliviously these people aren't easily intimadated, nor are they scared. About a half and hour after the attacks kids parents started coming in to pick them up and all my friends had left that were in my class so i was left with about 5 or 6 upper classmen. My mother was not even aware of the attacks until she as walking through the neighborhood and came across a couple of my friends. They were the one to inform her. Then after hearing of the horribleness of the attacks she immediatly came to my school and got me to dismiss me. After leaving school I went to eat with my friends that is where I had learned that the towers had collapsed, that was last thing i ever thought would happen. After we were done eating we just tried to do what we would do any other day. We went to the park and played some basketball. About half way through our game we heard very loud roars. This scared me alot. I had no idea what they were all i could think of was looking up and seeing a plane just above my head heading for the Prudential or Handcock building. As soon as i heard the roars i went inside our community center to check the news and try to find out what the roar was. I found out that it was a two fighter jets that were sent out to ever major city to assure pretecion. This was such a relief. When i went home the last thing i wanted to do was watch the news because all i wanted to do was get away from what was goin around. Then I went to bed in fear of another attack. That is how my day was on September 11, 2001. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. After the attacks I realized that this is what we are we are a country united through peace and war. We had to give support to our fellow patriots and send dontions and supplies ect. This was the first time in my life when i was really and honestly PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN! NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think that we should rember all the familys who had lost loved ones in the attacks. And remeber how it was the day that brought America closer than ever. In a way it boosted our morale as a country 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 nmah5697.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-09-10 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.209.112 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 live two hours from NYC, out in the country in a small town named Westtown. At the time I was a student at SUNY Orange in Middletown, NY finishing my last semester. But I was not in college that day. I was already home in mourning for a young college friend of mine who had passed on the 8th. I didn't hear about it until the 10th, in the cafeteria where I bawled in front of the entire room. It came as a shock since he was only 19, lived through leukemia, beat cancer but died from a weak heart. He had been in NYC for test and treatment but was allowed to be home in the end thanks to Hospice. So even though on the 10th people thought it strange to see someone sobbing uncontrollably and sinking to the floor, I can imagine a day later they didn't think it so strange. I had gotten a ride home, where a friend stayed with me until my family got home. I was staying home, by myself on the 11th when I got a call from my mother that I couldn't figure out. In my weary state I couldn't understand what she was saying about the news about a plane, and she mentioned the White House for some reason, told me not to be scared. So I tried to figure out what she said, and turned on the TV. I curled up on the couch just as the second plane hit. It didn't make any sense. I spent the rest of the day alone on the couch watching everything as it happened. I wrote a journal entry as I watched and took a picture of the TV screen, after towers fell and all of Manhattan was a dust cloud. I guess I was hoping I could better understand it at a later date as it wasn't hitting me yet, my heart was too heavy already to take all of what I was seeing and hearing as it progressed. Later I dressed with a long black dress coat for the viewing of my friend, showing no emotion or apparent knowledge of the events of the day. I was there to comfort my friends, his fiance, his family, to pay my respects. Wednesday a friend drove me to the funeral, then to the graveside burial. I remember so clearly, looking up into the sky. You normally have a break in the silence at these things, a break in the painful loss, but there was none. There was nothing but bright blue, sunny, cloudless sky. Not a plane, not even a bird flew through the air. It was so strange, the air so lifeless. The days folwing after, when I returned to classes with everyone else, we all had our stories, thought to share. When I told them I was already in mourning that day they just nodded. Everyone walked around slower, things were much quieter on campus. A lot of people were effected personaly in our county with friends and family working in or near the World Trade Center. We put up a memorial board outside with artwork, poems, and [yellow, red/white/blue, as well as black]ribbons were put out for the students. I posted a short poem I'd written earlier, "Goodbyes are hard to say, to the ones we care about. But Goodbye is not forever, you are always in my heart". I was a student aid so I recieved a patriotic ribbon that I still have and wear, though it has needed cleaning and shows the 2 years of worn edges. But the thing that I found helped me through my friend's death and my final realization of the attacks was a quote of Josh's that can be found on his headstone, "Never give up, it's only a bump in the road". And I pass his advice to everyone. If he could do it though all he went through, we must have as much strength and determination. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I was always patriotic and even though I don't live in the city it still hit close to home. At only 2 hours from the city, my mother grew up in Manhattan, and Orange County alone lost 40+ souls that day, one of them a younger friend's father, who was a firefighter. The events just reminded me of my love for my country and this state that I have grown up in. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? That we can get though anything. As Josh always said, "Never give up..". 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've always loved and honored the flag. But, I did add more to our property and our cars. 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 nmah6264.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2003-09-14 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 170.215.240.162 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. 7:00 am I woke up, i turned the TV on, flipping through each channel expecting to find some cartoons. Well what i found was'nt anywere near cartoons. I watched the news. I remember flipping thru and almost every channel showed the airplane crash into the 1st Twin Tower then a new york minute later, another plane crashed into the other tower.. I was amazed! I went to school that day, and everyone in my class begged my teacher to watch the news. She finnaly agreed after a few hours. I was watching the news all day. I wanted to know what was going on, I was only about 8, I kept telling myself that everything would be alright, i was mortified. What had happened, in just a few short moments, affected the lives of all Americans. 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? I think that what should be remembered about September 11th is how brave America can be. How strong it could stand. 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 about the American flag have been changed. I have learned to respect it and its history. I have also learned that America was very patriotic. 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 nmah6825.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. 2004-09-16 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.178.176.144 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. After having my first son at the end of June, I was getting some much needed sleep so I didn't even know what was happening until a great time after the fact. When I did climb out of bed, I went to the living room and found my husband watching TV. I asked him what was happening and he told me that the WTC was gone. I looked at him like he was crazy. How could they be gone? He told me that he had seen just as Tower 1 had fallen. He thought it was some kind of demolition that they were putting on TV because living in Kansas, things like that are big news. Then the reporters started talking and telling what had really happened. I couldn't believe it. WE were attacked! The first thing that came to mind after disbelief was for the safety of my family. We live in the heartland. The major crop producers for the country. And not just that... We live not 15 miles from a major oil refinery. Could they get us here too? When the airlines were shut down, it was so eerie here. No lights of planes, no jet trails. Anyone that lives where you can see the stars like we can, understands what I mean by the eeriness. We, America, thought we were invinsible. No one would come and attack us here. It just wouldn't happen.. It couldn't happen. Unlike Pearl Harbor, that everyone equated this to, this was civilians, where in Pearl Harbor, the majority of casualties were people that knew they could die for their country, and would if they were called to do so. Another huge difference is that the terrorist did a sneak attack. They wouldn't have stood a head on assault against us, civilian or military. They knew this. They did what they felt was their duty. I feel whole heartedly they are wrong. What god could justify the death of so many innocent people? What god could urge suicide? All I know is that it's not my God. God was with us that day. Many think that He turned His back on us to allow such a thing to happen. But He didn't. We turned our backs on Him. Now look at our nation. We are strong. We are united. And I thank the Lord that we have a Christian President to lead us through this time. I will always remember this day as the day that God slapped us in the face and said.. "Hello?? Did you forget about Me?" 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 nmah4432.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-12 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 66.140.181.20 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. As I stood in my Kentucky kitchen watching live NBC television on that day in 2001 when our country was attacked I mixed reality with my dream world, an aboriginal tendency we humans have, and still to this day wake up thinking it was just a very bad dream. That day woke up many Americans and many others still walk in the past not realizing the world is diferent AND the world is actually ONE; for it does take a village. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. Completely, my ay of seeing everything is different and heightened to a new manner of seeing the mundane as profound and often comical, the irony of finding humor in our American way of living even after such a wake-up call. Like the man said, "Many are called but few are chosen." NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? Sanctity of life and the respect for the dead, period. 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? On holidays I fly my city's Easton Flag (one of American first stars and stripes, Easton PA), being an artist I have been collecting the fallen flags along the roadsides of America where "patriotic Americans" allow them to flutter off their speeding cars... like basketball pennants in the wind ripped from their antennaes. I will incorporate them into a textile creation eventually... they are now the stuff of art and life. 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 nmah2934.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. 64.24.155.64 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. Like most people, I viewed the events of Septemeber 11th on TV. I was at school, and we changing classes. In the halls, people were coming up to me and saying something about us being bombed; there was also something going around about New York being completely destroyed. Within minutes, students were filing into various classrooms in order to get to a TV, regardless whether that class was their next or not. I was in the English room, and all we did was watch. We saw the buildings crumble...most of us couldn't believe this was happening, live and uncensored. I felt helpless and I wish in a way that I was there. To at least be partt of it; to do something. I hate sitting and watching without being able to do anything. The rest of the day, we were pretty much glues to the TV, as most of America was. When the school day ended, I went home; all athletic practices and other events were canceled. Once home, the TV was again turned on. My whole family watched, in silence for the most part, taking in what happened. Later that night we went to Church for a candlelight vigil. I didn't sleep much that night. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I'm sure it has changed in more ways than I realize, but in the weeks that followed Sept. 11th, my life fell back into its normal pattern. Of course the media coverage of the event never ceased, but I think it got to a point that it became condensed. I pay closer attention to our politics and policy. I'm not afraid of another terror attack whenm it happens, and I don't really have it on my mind. What I am afraid of, is that, in aour fear, our government may be doing wrong. I fear for our civil liberties. How dare we use Sept. 11th a war drum for an invasion of Iraq...using the dead for a political agenda disgusts me. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? We should never forget. Lets not let the victims die in vain. We must fight terrorism, yet we must also re-examine some of our own policies that perhaps brought these attacks on us. 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've always had pride in the flag, so nothing changed. 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 nmah4631.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. 156.63.85.15 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 11, 2001 I was a junior at North High School in Evansville, Indiana. On this particular day I was home sick with mono. When I first learned of the events of 9/11 I was watching T.V. in the living room of my house. At first I thought that the plane had hit the WTC on mistake and I felt sad for all the people on board. Then, moments later, I found out that we were under attack. I will always remember the looks that the reporters had on their faces. They all looked so scared and you could tell just by the format of their newscast that their was definately a lot of confusion about what had just happened. I remember when the first building fell and even though I was sick I ran to tell my mom what had just happen. Then, together, we gawked at the T.V. as the events of September 11th unfolded NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. My life has changed a lot since september 11 I now realize that anything can happen and to cherish every day NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think we should first remember all the people that lost their lives and we should also remember all the people that saved 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? 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 nmah4690.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. 165.139.179.2 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 shocking and terror upon what had happened at the World trade center.People around world were crying for their lost friends,family or their own race. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. My life has changed a bit of fear that one day it might strike back. The terrorists will someday attack us again for our freedom and superior. But, we stand together to hope for one day = peace. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? The firemen were the heroes and should remembered as heroes for the lives at the Ground zero. In our culture, elders say that the firemens are angels that risk their lives to save the others. 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,and proud of it. My feelings towards the flag is that it is in every american or other races heart and soul. The flag will stand tall and soar across the terrorst faces. 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 nmah2862.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. 209.79.72.167 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 public school teacher, and that year I was teaching first grade. We had a half-day of school already scheduled, with staff development in the afternoon for the teachers. Because of the half-day, I was leading my class to lunch at 10:15 when one of my closest teacher-friends was taking her class to the bathroom. She grabbed me, leaned in very close, and said in a soft voice so the kids wouldn't hear, "Did you hear there's been a bombing?" I instantly thought of my own children, at the junior high and high school in our little North Carolina community and felt a tiny flash of concern. "Where?" I asked. "I don't know exactly. They have the TV on in the library. They said something about the World Trade Center or the Pentagon." I actually felt relief that it wasn't local - my children were safe. But I knew it had to be something big. As soon as I dropped my class off in the cafeteria, I rushed to the library. There, the library assistant and a teacher's assistant were watching. The library assistant made a dumb remark about how she wished Hilary Clinton had been blown up, too. That made me very angry. What a stupid thing to say. No one should even jokingly wish that on anyone. Gradually, in the few minutes I had to watch, I realized planes were flown into the buildings - and of course this was deliberate. This was obviously intended to be an attack on our country. That much I grasped. I had to get back to my class, and as I rushed into the cafeteria I told my assistant and the other first grade teachers what had happened. Working in an elementary school, especially with the younger grades, is like being in a cave. We had to carry on as if nothing were happening, and we could not listen to a radio or have a TV on. Once the kids went home, we went into the library for our staff development. The principal had turned off the TV there, so I still had no more information than I'd had before. We had a new computer lab, and someone from the computer company was coming to show us how to use the new system. Only the computers weren't working. The company representative was half an hour late, and we had to sit and wait for her. I just wanted to go home and find out what was going on. The principal mentioned the situation only once and said they didn't want to cancel the staff development because this woman was on her way, and we would be required to make up the staff development at another time. I briefly flirted with the idea of getting up and going home regardless of the consequences. I had an inkling that our country was being attacked and I was being forced to stay at work. When the computer lady arrived, because the computers were not working, we were actually forced to sit through a three-hour talk on what they would do once they were working. She read the manual out loud to us. I was seething with anger. Within minutes of rushing home and at last being able to turn on the TV, I was livid. Enraged. Only then could I grasp the magnitude and horror of what had happened. I'd been forced to sit through a pointless, idiotic waste of time while my country was under attack!! I am still angry about that to this day. I kept saying to my children, "This is the biggest thing since Pearl Harbor and I had to sit there listening to someone reading a computer operating manual!!" I sat in horror in front of the television set until I could stay up no longer. I don't remember dinner that night. The greatest shock was when a heard about the people jumping out of the buildings. It is painful to remember any of this even now. It brings tears to my eyes. The entire event is very painful. I also remember sitting there thinking, "They hate us. Why? These people must hate us very much to do this to us." That was very painful too. It was all personal. For the next several days, I turned on the TV as soon as I got up in the morning and watched till I had to leave for work, then I did the reverse as soon as I got home. On went the TV, with me in front of it, till bedtime. On Sept. 12, one of my little first grade boys drew a picture of a plane flying into the twin towers. I made a Xerox copy of his picture. About three days after the event, my sons came in the living room to find me sobbing my eyes out. After that I decided I just couldn't watch anymore, even though I felt it was my duty to be informed. It is making me cry to write this. 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? We only had a small flag, but we put it up on our mailbox. I was very sorry I'd never bought a big flag, because of course after 9/11 you couldn't get one for love or money. When the Raleigh News and Observer printed a flag on a full sheet of newsprint, we taped it to our door. We kept flags up for a full year. I had never displayed a flag before. 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 nmah5312.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. 2002-11-28 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 165.247.137.16 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 work for the County of Arlington, Virginia. My job, as Disability Resources Coordinator, is on the 7th floor of a building on Wilson Boulevard that overlooks the Pentagon, which is approximately 2 miles away. On the morning of September 11, 2001, just like every work day, I rode the Washington subway system, the Metro, to work, and, as usual, changed from the Blue line to the Orange line at the Pentagon Station. Nothing was unusual. Nothing indicated the horrors that would happen just a few minutes later. When I arrived at work, I went down the hall, and as I approached the door to my office suite, a coworker, Margaret Smith, stopped me and said, "Randy, did you hear what happened?" "No," I replied. The Pentagon and the World Trade Center have been bombed," she nervously exclaimed. My first reaction was to discount it. I couldn't believe it. I thought what she was saying must have been some terrible rumor. "Come here," she said. "You can see it." She led me just down the hall to a large meeting room on the North West side of our building. Although the Pentagon building, itself, is not visible from there, because of the woods surrounding the structure, we clearly, unmistakably, saw the thick, black smoke rising from the Pentagon, and the helicopter hovering overhead. Another of our coworkers joined us. We stood there for a moment. We could only imagine the tragedy unfolding before us. We held each other and wept silently. I then went to my cubicle. Edith, a friendly, cheerful woman who works in the cubicle adjacent to mine, had her radio on. Coworkers dropped by, asking the details of the terrible, unfolding events. The radio reporters relayed rumors that had begun to spread - that other government buildings and large apartment buildings in the Washington area were being bombed. The radio relayed the collapse of the first World Trade Center tower. Shortly afterward, another coworker said that you could see traffic streaming out of Washington, DC, heading up Wilson Boulevard, the street right outside our building, and one of the major traffic arteries linking Washington and Northern Virginia. This time I went to another conference room - this one on the North East side of our floor. Sure enough, bumper-to-bumper traffic was headed up Wilson Boulevard. It was surreal. It was like rush hour - only worse. This traffic was far more dense than typical morning or evening traffic, and it was barely 11:00 a.m. With rumors escalating and worsening as the minutes passed. Radio reporters now reported that the Metro was closing down. People began to leave work. As a wheelchair user who normally relies on the Metro for transportation, I began to be concerned that I might be trapped at work. I called a taxi company and asked for a wheelchair-accessible taxi. The dispatcher told me that they were swamped with requests, and did not know when they would be able to get one to me. I went outside and parked my wheelchair on the corner next to the door of my office building. It was a bright, sunny morning. At a time when this neighborhood was typically calm and quite on a workday at about 11:00, there were dozens and dozens of people walking down the street. Many were walking together in groups of 3-6. Many were obviously stunned; some seemed in a daze. Many walked slowly, not seeming to have a destination. I got lucky. I met a friend who owns an Arlington taxi company. He saw me and radioed to the driver of a wheelchair-accessible taxi to pick me up. The cab arrived about 20 minutes later. Because of the traffic jam that snarled the Washington area, a trip home that normally would have taken 30-45 minutes took almost three hours. I called family and friends to let them know I was OK, and to relay what I had seen, what I had experienced, and my sorrow for the victims and families of the people who perished. Once home, my eyes, like most Americans, were glued to the television. My high-rise apartment overlooks the Potomac River towards Washington, DC. It was amazing to look out the large window and not see one, single, solitary plane cross the sky where I normally saw the airline traffic from National Airport, which is just a few miles away. While my apartment is about nine miles away from the Pentagon, the days following the September 11 events did not leave my subconscious. Over the next few nights, while the ban on air traffic was still in effect, there were a few times when I was jolted out of sleep by the loud sound of helicopters passing very close to my neighborhood. On this one-year anniversary, my heart goes out to the families who lost loved ones and friends in the attacks, and to those who sustained permanent injuries. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. After September 11, the most visible change in my life is that during my daily commute to work. I no longer change Metro stations at the Pentagon station. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I hope our nation continue to learn important lessons from September 11 - That death is an inevitable reality, and that we must learn to appreciate life and other people more actively. As Americans, we have learned to take pride in rugged individualism, the ethic of 'pulling ourselves up with our own bootstraps.' Certainly, these are virtuous traits. We have learned them well. However, this ideology ignores two central things - other people, and our own mortality. Until September 11, we had not had the national experience of battle on our own soil since the civil war. From the industrial age to the present, we have focused so much on what we 'do' rather than who we are, that we easily neglect the dignity and splendor of individual people to focus on the splendor of material things and projects. I know this first-hand. In 1989-1990, I walked the halls of the U.S. Capitol to fight for a law that would give me and millions of other people with disabilities the right to enter a public building, such as a store, hear a concert, or take part in many other opportunities that others take for granted. I am glad that today, those laws will help ensure that those permanently injured in the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks will enjoy these same freedoms. I hope we continue to learn that hard work, focus on detail and accomplishment has garnered much for America. But if we focus on work, detail and accomplishment at the expense of our fellow human beings, in the end, we shall have accomplished very, very little. 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, but as a symbol of freedom, I am very proud of the American flag. May we never forget that just as gifts are no substitute for love itself, so the flag is no substitute for freedom, itself. 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 nmah1474.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. 2002-09-07 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 138.88.23.117 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 had just arrived at my office in Lafayette, Louisiana and turned on my computer. A couple of minutes later I received an e-mail from a co-worker "Breaking news, 2 planes have struck the World Trade Centers". All of the employees gathered in our conference room and watched the horror play out on TV. At first we all assumed that these were just small planes with some lone nuts on board. But as we saw footage we realized that these were not small planes but in fact commercial jetliners. At that moment someone said "Oh my God there are people on those planes" and we suddenly grasped the meaning of this - it wasn't an accident we were under attack. We all just stared open mouthed some of us starting to cry. A while later we heard that the Pentagon had been attacked. I remember myself and another co-worker running to tell the news to a couple of workers who had gone back to their desks to take a couple of calls. They quickly got off and came back to the conference room. I remember watching just horrified by the reports of people jumping from the buildings. Then the moment came when the towers collapsed and there was just a collective gasp from all of us as we realized that many, many people were dying inside of those buildings. The whole day had a surreal quality to it. We had co-workers who were flying that day and we desperately tried to find them to reassure their families. The 2 workers from my office who were flying that day were found stranded in an airport in Nashville. They had gotten no more than the barest of facts and were absolutely shocked to hear the extent of what had happened. The television stayed on in our office for the next week as we dropped in when we could to check on the latest news and pray for survivors. Days later I cried when I found out (to my surprise) I was pregnant with my second child. I cried because I knew that my son (born May 3, 2002)would likely be born into a world where our country was at war. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I appreciate more the freedoms that we have in our country after seeing just how repressed others live. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? The heroism of many people - the firefighters, police, rescue workers, the men and women on Flight 93 who fought the hijackers and in doing so sacrificed their lives so that others could live and Mayor Giuliani I think the leadership of our brave President George W. Bush should be remembered. His faith, courage and steadfast belief that we would overcome the evil of that day gave many of us strength during those terrible first days. 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 put up a flag at our house a week after September 11th (the first day we could find a flag since they were hard to come by) and that flag has flown ever since. Somehow it seems very important to have that flag flying every day to show people our faith in this country and to show our support to those men who are fighting to preserve our freedom in the face of evil. 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 nmah2878.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. 65.201.222.105 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 at 8:30 am in my 7th grade classroom at C.O. Wilson Middle School on September 11 , 2001 .By , my teacher turning on the television to such a horrible sight and the principal annoucing on the loud speaker what has just happened. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. My life has changed since September 11 , 2001 in alot of ways.I have learned to not take the time i spend with my family for granted but , to appreciate every moment of it . Also , I used to never tell my mom i loved her , now i tell her every chance i get because i never know what could happen to her and i would like her to know how much I love her . NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think alot of things should be rememberd about September 11 , 2001. One of the things that should be remembered is how everyone pulled together through such a trajic event and how so many people donated money to try to re-build our trajic loss. 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 did fly an American flage after September 11th and it meant alot to me that we did . My feeling have changed since September 11th , i used to just say the pledge and not think anything of it . But , now i say it and actually think of how united our country is most countrys couldn't deal with something like September 11th , but it made our country appreciate things more and has pulled us together for the better. 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 nmah608.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. 2002-08-30 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 witnesshistory on september 11th because it was the first terrorist attack of my time. when the attack happened I was in music and my music teacher came into the room and told that the worldtrade center just had a plane crash into it. We were all very sad, and i wondered the of the day why someone would ever do such a thing. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I think that all are lives have change because we have came together to show that we can not be defeated no matter what they do they can not beat us because, we will stick to gether aslong as it takes. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think that we should rememberal the people that died and support those people family, and september 11th was the day that the hole nation came much close together than ever before. 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 did fly an american flag. My feelings about the flag have changed, because I horror the flag much and when i do look at the flag I thik of all the people who died and i think of their familys and how sad they most feel. 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 nmah5001.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. 152.163.188.163