83 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 witnessed history of September 11th by when i came home from school i knew something was wrong. My school mentioned something about New York City but i did not know much about it. When i came in and saw my mom watching the news i was astounded! I never knew something like that could happen so quickly. My first questiont that came to my mind was " Is Marshall (My older brother> okay?" He went to High school in the city and i was terified. I asked about if everyone was okay. I was so scared i did not know what to think. I am going to be telling this story to my own children when i grow up. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. This changed my life by always expect the unexpected and to always stay together and have someone to look to, to talk to. It also changed my life because i knew so many people there and i realized how many people took risks to save other people. I look up to those police officers and firemen who lost their lives. That is what I call a real hero. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think what should be remembered about September 11th is all the lives that were taken so fast. Also of how many soilders are putting themselves in war to help our country and to protect the young adults today. 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 does. My feelings some what changed for the American Flag because i realized how much of a symbol of that is to the United States. I always knew it was a symbol but i never knew how much meaning it had to it. I never really listened to the national anthem until after 9-11. 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 nmah6571.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2004-08-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.116.137 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. Another Side, Another Story The phrase Nothing exciting ever happens was very untrue the morning of September 11th, 2001. I remember waking up early, just like every other morning and going through the normal steps of the morning. For some reason my dad just randomly turned on the TV. The funny thing is that my dad is very against watching TV in the morning… So I found it weird to see him click on the power, but the first thing we saw, was the close up of the attack. It seemed as if it were in slow motion… I saw a giant metal bird fly into the tower… Flames and thick clouds of dust flashed through the sky. I didnt feel the shock of it all until my dad commented with Oh my God. It was at that moment that I felt the rush of understanding. I understood what was happening; I understood all the deaths that were going to take place. Im pretty sure that my mouth was just hanging open at the site of the destruction. It was a lot to take in. Time seemed to stop for a bit before I saw my dad run around through the halls to go wake up my mother. She was just as shocked, even her semi-awake state. As much as I wished to stay home, I went to school. I walked around, listening to peoples comments. This is like this generations Pearl Harbor! Thats the one that stuck out the most. The rest of the day was filled with rumors, fears and superstitions. People came up with more stories, but I didnt want to listen. It was a dark day… deep in the thoughts of everyone. 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 nmah6826.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. 198.81.26.75 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "September 11: 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 cool crisp morning and my mother had asked me to talk my dogs out for an early walk, before I left for another day at school. It seemed to be just another typical walk for me; I watched over the dogs, kept them from eating various items they found in the street and made sure no cars turned them into road kill. However, my that little bit of exercise would end with tragedy. As I entered my house and announced my arrival, my parents had turned our TV on to CNN as usual to see if anything new had occured in the world yet. Before I could notice much on the TV my mother told me that we had been attacked maliciously. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. Yes, while there have not been any major differences in my life from September 11th, I have noticed some more subtle changes. I am now much more aware of how easily our dayly lives could be torn apart by national tragedy. Plus, I have tried to always remember how fortunate I was to be born into this society, because there are people all over the world who suffer from disease, hunger, and malnutrition while I do not have to worry about any of these things. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I believe that the people who lost their lives, and those that risked their own lives to save others should be remembered, but something more important than that should never be forgotten. First we need to take a moment to notice the people in other contries who are not as fortunate as we are. Then we need to remember that the events of September 11th need to be remembered to prevent that sort of thing from occuring in the future. The past does not enjoy being forgotten, and it likes to remind people of it by repeating lost events. 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 personally did not fly an American flag after September 11th. While it may be considered patriotic to express your feelings about the events openly, we can always love, honor, and cherish our nation without waving a banner. Patriotism is in the heart, not in an object. 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 nmah1465.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. 68.0.133.163 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, the day that the world stopped turning, I witnessed the terrorist attacks while I was a freshman at Uniontown High School. It was a Tuesday morning and I was sitting in homeroom talking to friends when an announcement was made stating something about the World Trade Centers. I wasn't really paying attention to the announcement when it was made. The televisions came on and showed a picture of one of the World Trade Centers burning. I didn't think anything of it. I thought it was just a really bad fire, since I couldn't hear the television. While walking to second period, my friends told me what was really happening. They told me that terrorists took over a plane and flew it into the Trade Center. My heart skipped a beat. When I entered my second period class, the television was on showing us live pictures of the attacks. At that point I knew I was living through history. After the day ended, I made my way into my house and watched the broadcasts with my sister. We flipped through the channels and on every station there was something on about the attacks. I spent the day that changed America in Uniontown High School. Even if I was somewhere else on September 11th, I would have the same thoughts and emotions about America, the citizens of American, and what the people of this country were going through. 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 nmah5025.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. 146.186.105.167 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. It all started at like 8:30 a.m. and i had jsut got up and i called my mom adn told her to take me to the doctor and before she got there i turn on the T.V. adn i seen the plane hit and i told my mom when she piced my up adn she told me what happpened. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. No i am stiil the same NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? The things that got hit 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? Ya my dad and i fly an American flag and no my feeling have nto 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 nmah3773.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. 207.30.145.6 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "September 11: 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, 2001: by LuAnn O'Rourke, Monday, September 10th was the first class of the Fall semester for the O'Rourke Academy of Irish Dance and on Tuesday, September 11th all of our lives changed forever. I woke up that Tuesday morning tired from the first class back, but glad to be back to my usual routine. I took the usual 7:17 a.m. train with Steve and we kissed good-bye at Grand Central and then I made my way through the usual crowd of the subway to the express train down to Fulton St. I passed St. Paul's and the cemetery like I do every morning, stopped at Fine & Shiparo for my usual cup of coffee and made my way to my office at Empire BlueCross BlueShield on the 30th floor of World Trade One (the North Tower). Like clockwork I was at my desk by 8:10 a.m. and sifting through the new e-mails and voicemails that came in since the day before. Suddenly I heard a loud boom and I was thrown from my chair. A loud scream came out of me automatically. The building swayed back and forth so much that I thought it was going to fall over with us in it. After the swaying stopped the building began to tremble violently. I thought to myself "My God, it's an earthquake", "I'm going to die here". I suddenly thought of Steve, we had just become engaged a few weeks earlier. I also thought in a moments second of all the things I still hadnt accomplished, goals that I set for myself in life. I couldnt believe my life was going to end like this. It was kind of ironic that I was working in the World Trade Center. I was afraid of elevators, tall buildings and airplanes. This fear had more to do with a feeling of being trapped in case of an emergency as opposed to heights and here was my worst fear coming true. My career at Empire was on a steady course and when I was hired five years earlier I was aware of the move to the World Trade Center. I decided to suck it up for the sake of my career and made the move with the company. I also figured that since we were relatively on the lower floors (24 31) that it might not be so bad. Boy, was I wrong. After several minutes the trembling stopped, I looked out the window of my office to see tons of paper flying in the air. Something hit the building or exploded, maybe a helicopter hit the building? I ran out of my office where everyone gathered, "What was that"? I must have grabbed my cell phone because I tried to call Steve with no avail. I remember someone saying to me "stop shaking", and then someone else said, "Let's get out of here". Crazy as it is, I ran back to my office to get my bag. When I came back two seconds later everyone was gone. I ran toward the West end of the building and everyone was gone there too. Now I was alone on the floor and terrified. In addition, there were no emergency announcements or fire alarms. I ran to the hallway and opened the door to be greeted by a wall of smoke. Thank goodness the door to the stairwell was right near the doors to the offices because the smoke was so thick you couldnt see a foot in front of you. Worried that some others may still be on the floor and unable to find the stairs, I yelled for them "Is anyone there, the stairs are over here!" One co-worker came out from the smoke, Shalom Benzaquen, and we entered the stairwell. I was never so happy to see him. Hundreds of people were making their way down the stairs in an orderly fashion. Still clenching on to my cell phone it rang. It was my sister, Eileen, "Where are you?" "What's going on?" she asked with a sound of terror in her voice and she started crying. The building had stopped shaking and not realizing the magnitude of what had happened yet I reassured her that although some smoke had gotten in my eyes and we were breathing in some smoke, I was on my way down the stairwell and would call her when I got out. On our way down people started getting news of what happened over their pagers. A plane had hit the tower, some kind of freak accident maybe? The building had seemed to stabilize and I now had a sense that I was going to get out. Little did I know at this point what was about to unfold in the next 45 minutes. The stairwell was crowded with hundreds of people all of whom seemed very calm considering the circumstances. I passed a large man in a wheel chair on the 27th floor. There were others with him, but it ripped my heart out to pass him. I still feel guilty about it. I didnt know it at the time, but the man in the wheel chair was Ed Beyea from Empires IT department. We continued down the stairs slowly and orderly getting closer to the bottom. When we got to about the 4th floor water was pouring down the stairs and ankle deep. I had worn a pair of high-heel mules that day so I took off the shoes and walked through the water in my bare feet. Finally, we made it to the mezzanine level and we were directed to run. As I made my way outside I looked into the courtyard of the World Trade Center for a brief second where just a couple of weeks earlier I had seen Cherish the Ladies and the Donny Golden dancers give a concert. It now looked like a scene from the movie Earthquake with fire and debris scattered everywhere. Still barefoot I then realized that I was running on shattered glass. As I stopped to put on my shoes a stranger stopped to scoop me up and started running with me in his arms. "You can't stop he said, there is stuff falling from the sky". Once in a safe area he put me down and disappeared like an angel. I'll never know who he was, but he could have saved my life that day. I later found out that many people were injured or killed by falling debris. It was about 9:30 a.m. when I finally got out, only one half hour before building two would collapse. At this point I was on the West side of the Trade Center and headed toward the pier by the World Financial Center. I think I walked through the Winter Garden atrium and down the marble stairs. I was in shock, dazed and alone. My sister says she got through on my cell phone again and spoke to me, but I dont remember that. There were thousands of people just looking up at the building in amazement. Never having a liking for crowds (it goes with the fear of being trapped) I kept walking North to try and get away and scanning the crowds for co-workers at the same time. I felt terribly alone even though I was surrounded by thousands of people. Finally, one woman I worked with, Iris Rodham, found me and she pulled me along as I kept looking back at the building I worked in. It had a tremendous gaping hole toward the top and thick black smoke was pouring out of it. Building Two was also on fire and we learned that another plane had crashed into Building Two. People were on the streets gathered around cars with their radios blasting the news. Reports were coming in that it was a terrorist attack. The whole scene was very surreal and unbelievable. My eyes were irritated from the smoke and I looked back at the building wondering to myself if I could go back to work there tomorrow. What was I thinking? Iris and I thought we might be able to get a subway uptown so we continued to walk up the West side. We made it to about 14th Street which was about a half hour after I got out of the building and I looked back and gasped "Iris, I think Building Two is collapsing!" People on the streets screamed in horror and cried. Could this be happening, is this real I thought to myself? All of downtown was enveloped in a huge cloud of smoke and dust. I could only think of the people who were still down by the pier and buildings staring up in wonderment. Now they were probably running for their lives. Iris and I trudged forward, sirens screaming past us as fire truck after fire truck made its way downtown. Soon after that Tower One, my building, collapsed. Now knowing that our lives would never be same and that insanity was breaking loose on the city, my main mission was to get to midtown to Steve's building on 47th and Park. We made it to Chelsea Piers at about 10:15 a.m. and they had already set up tables and were distributing water to those of us walking by. We stopped for water, to use the restrooms and much needed payphones since all cellular service seemed to come to a halt. I spoke with my sister and Steve and told them I was on my way to midtown. I could tell that Steve wanted to do something to get me, but he couldnt, everything was closed down. The best thing he could do for me at that point was stay put and let me get to him. I was walking all the way if it killed me. Iris and I made it to his building by 11:30 a.m., only two hours after I got out of the World Trade Center. Steve and I embraced each other knowing all to well that the situation could have played out differently. We were the lucky ones that day. We even made it home that night by 4 p.m. My parents rushed to see me and we clutched each other emotionally. We were glued to the television that night as many Americans and people around the world were. That evening I was still in shock. Watching the whole scene repeated over and over again I then began to realize the enormity of the event that I had just survived. I made it out physically fine, some smoke in my eyes and blisters on my feet from the long walk to mid-town, but the next few days were like riding an emotional roller coaster. I would be fine one moment, crying the next. Sleeping was hard and loud noises startle me. Every time I hear a siren it brings me back to that day. Within the first few days I received dozens of calls from friends, family, co-workers and old acquaintances. Many of us who were there have asked since then, "Why did this happen?, Why did I survive and not the others? Although we do not have the answer to these questions I can only turn to my faith in God for comfort during this time. Two years ago when I visited China I met a very special person on my trip, Julie Gillam. I was recovering from a hard time in my life and Julie gave me a quote from Jeremiah 29:11 that reads "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord; plans to prosper you and not to harm you plans to give you hope and a future." I have held on to those words and read them in times like these. I am thankful every day that I will have the chance to achieve some of those goals I had laid out for myself. I later found out that the man in the wheelchair did not make it out along with his best friend. Their names were Ed Beyea and Abraham Zamonwitz. Seven other employees from Empire and two consultants were lost that day along with thousands of other innocent people. Who at this time was braver than the heroes of the New York City Fire Department and Police Department? Epilogue: Approaching the one-year anniversary of September 11, 2002. As the anniversary of September 11th approaches each day gets harder. The media will make us relive the entire event. The past year has been one of ups and downs. I come from a family of firefighters and policemen and although we havent lost an immediate family member, there are many friends of a friend who have vanished. For several months I kept having repeated nightmares that any building I was in would topple over with me in it. That dream has since subsided. Loud noises still startle me and sirens are the worst. It all comes rushing back. These days the slightest thing can trigger my emotions. Tears come to my eyes reading the daily paper and stories linked to 9/11. There are makeshift memorials throughout the towns of surrounding areas and in NY city a wall still stands in Grand Central terminal of the missing posters. In addition, I have also had the most amazing year following that horrible tragedy. Steve and I purchased a new home in April and we were married on July 20th. My dance team became the first place North American Champions over July 4th weekend, something we have been trying to achieve for 4 years. I trust in God and the plans he has for me and I pray every day for peace for the families who have lost their loved ones on September 11th. We will never forget. 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 nmah5079.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. 2002-09-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 216.5.154.160 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource "September 11: 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 eating lunch with my 7th grade lunch study, and my friends were talking about what happened. I didn't know even what they were talking about until the next period when my math teacher had the TV on. I didn't know about it before, because my previos teachers didn't put on the TV and I guess they didn't want us to know about it. My Math teacher had it on anyway, so I got to see the tape of what happened. Then, I was just in shock; I'd never seen anything like it, and i hope to never see anything like it again. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. My life hasn't changed much, except now I'm a little more patriotic and I pray more. Before I go to sleep, I pray for God to protect us and keep us safe from harm. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think what should be remembered about 9/11 is the fact that the United States became closer together. Now, we all wear more red white and blue, and we put up more flags. We care more about the lives of others than our own. We shouldn't remember what was lost, but what was gained. There were people in that one plane that risked their lives for our country. That should be remembered. We shouldn't remember the confusion, or poor dissions that were made, but the fact that we are still standing strong. Sure, we have to remember the bad stuff so that it won't happen again. Of couse' everyone should remember that the big bad US fought back and "we light up their world like the fourth of July," because we don't want history to repeat itself and maybe this time WWIII will start. We don't want that to happen. We should remember it like a scraped knee on the USA; we were hurt, we had our cry, but now we are standing tall again, and the event is just a scar. 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 didn't fly an American flag on the 11th because ny family doen't own a flag or a flag pole, but my dad put fags on his car windows. My feeling for the flag haven't changed because to me it still means pride, honor, and freedom. 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 nmah3155.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 in schoool when this all had happen I didn't know anything about this until I was in 7th period last year. I didn't know that it in was in New York and I didn't know anything about the Twin Towers. Were was in school when all of this had happen and we was watching it and in was trying to think where was all of this taking place at and then they had finally said New York. they kept showing it over and over on the news and then that is when I saw the two airplanes fly into the building. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. My life has change a little bit about September 11 because alot of people have lost there family and people killing each otherand then you turn around and we are going to war. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? The people that we have lost and there family and the Twin 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? I do not fly an American Flag after what had happen on September but I will always have my feelings for it. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource nmah3864.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 teach fourth grade at an elementary school in Elkton, MD. About an hour after the tragedy occured, I had just dropped my students off at Art class. I was entering the school office when the secretary of our school told me that 2 planes had hit the WTC. I asked her if it was an accident, she said it was not. I walked upstairs to my classroom and turned on the television and sat there in shock. After realizing what was going on, many parents began picking up their children from school early. Elkton is situated about halfway between Phila. & Baltimore. It is also about 45 minutes from Dover Air Force Base in Del. I think people were nervous because of our location. Anyway, parents continued to stream into the building to pick up children. The teachers were instructed to not turn on their televisions or discuss the situation at all. This was very difficult, because several teachers in our building had relatives who worked in NYC and at the Pentagon. After lunch, a memo was relased to teachers that we were to read to our classes verbatum. It basically said that some buildings in NYC had been attacked and that school was being dismissed early. At 1 or 2 PM, we were finally permitted to go home. My daughters attended the same school, so they were with me as we drove home. They could not understand why there was no music on the radio. It was a long ride home. When I arrived home, my husband was home and our next door neighbors were in our back yard with him. We all just kind of stood around in disbelief. We heard a plane overhead & looked up. We were relieved to see that it was a military plane. In the days after 9/11, it seemed like everyone walked around in a state of shock. My church was packed on the Sunday that followed, as if we were all trying to find some answer to our big question... WHY? NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I think my life has changed. I think I am more aware of my surroundings. When I am in a large building, I make sure I know where exits are. I don't think I take things for granted as much as I did before. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think that the courage displayed by firefighters, police officers, and passengers on the planes should 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? I did fly a flag after 9/11. I have always believed that the US is the best country in the world. I have always thanked God for the freedoms we have here that don't exist in other parts of the world. I think the events of 9/11/01 just intensified these feelings. 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 nmah6737.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. 12.167.153.203 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 heard of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center during a meeting with my teaching partner. Obviously at that point we had no idea of what was to come. I immediately went into my classroom (I teach eighth grade Civics) and turned on the television. As my students began filing into class, I attempted to share with them what I knew at that point. During that unforgettable morning, we saw the images of the planes hitting over and over. My students kept asking "Why?" "Who?" I of course had no answers. As a teacher, I felt it was my responsibility to listen to each student. They were so full of questions to which I could only reply, "I don't know." I will never forget my sense of helplessness that day. All I wanted was to have my own children in my arms as did many others. Many parents came to get their kids and take them home. When I was finally able to see my own two boys, I didn't want to ever let them go. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I worry constantly about the world my sons will inherit. I want to protect them, but how. I take nothing for granted. I don't just assume that I will see my family at the end of the day. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? This is a lesson in just how evil mankind can be. 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, but my feelings about the flag haven't changed. I love my country, but I still question what our leaders do and have done to get us to this point. My flying a flag is an act of patriotism, not blind faith. 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 nmah1361.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. 2002-09-06 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 205.188.208.134 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 shocked when i first heared about it!!!! ~*I SAY WE KILL OSAMA BIN LADEN*~ HE DISERVES TO DIE !!!!! IF NOONE KILLS HIM I WILL FIND HIM AND BE REMEMBERED AS THE AMERICAN SAVIOR!! NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. YES I GUESS I CAN SAY IM MORE PATRIOTIC!!! NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? THE TWIN TOWERS!!!! WE WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER THE TWO BEAUTIFUL TWIN 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? I DID I WEAR NOTHING BUT RED WHITE AND BLUE EVERY OTHER DAY!!! SOME PEOPLE THINK IM WIERED BUT I AM NORMAL!!!! 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 nmah6678.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. 2004-09-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 209.79.73.10 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 was at school. We were in the middle of homeroom, when my teacher ran into ther room and turned on the T.V. We started watching it just as the second plane hit the other building. They held over homeroom so we could watch it. Within ten minutes of the accident, we had a Code Red. The lights went out and we had a Code Red untill about twenty minutes later. No one knew what had happened and what was going to happen. We were all thinking it was an accident till we saw that there were two other planes. The whole rest of the day we didn't do any work. All we did was watch the news. Even when I came home I watched the news. I couldn't believe what had happened. I thought "if this is a hoax, it is a cruel and mean one" but to my surprise, it wasn't. It will be a day remembered forever. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. My life has changed so much after September 11, 2001, because now I'm more aware of what people can do. I'm not going to be come a stereotype about different people, but I do watch my back. I do it to every race, not just middle eastern ones. White people have done crimes and so have black people, so all races have criminal problems, but you don't see us bombing buildings and stuff. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think that the people who lost their lives should always be remembered. They had no idea that their flight or workday was going to be a day remembered to all. We should remember the whole incident. 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 fly an American flag after September 11,2001. I thought that it symbolized that I was proud of my country and the men and women who lost their lives. I feel more pride for my country now that this has happened. I fly the flag with more pride and enthusiasm then 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 nmah5501.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. 2003-04-17 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 24.233.139.88 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 9/11/01, I was at work when I received a call from my mother asking if I had saw the news, and if not to turn on the tv, because one of the WTC buildings have just been hit. Several co-workers and I rushed to turn on the tv set, and what we saw, I will never forget. There we stood, glued to the tv, watching the tower on fire, and hearing that a hijacked plane, had dilebertly flew into the building. My first thought was all those inocent people, why, would someone do this, why, oh my God why... What I saw next, I could have never prepared myself for, I saw the second plane come crashing into the second tower, then the news broke to Washington D.C., and informed the world that the Pentagon too has been hit by a hijacked airplane, and there is still one plane that has not been accountd for. Upon learning about the Pentagon, I thought about my uncle, who workes several blocks from the Pentagon, and if he was ok. Then we heard, the last plane had crashed in a field in Penn. People all around me were crying, asking why, and just praying for all the inocent people. I called home, my uncle was safe, his building had been evacuated to a nearby park, but thank God he was ok. Then thoughts drifted back to the ones who didn't make it, and all I couldn't think of anything else. No one could prepare themselves for seeing the towers collapse, and all I could think about were how many lost their lives, and the loved ones they left behind. I thought about the people in NYC, ad D.C., and Penn. who had to wittness this first had, not in front of a tv set, and prayed for them to have strength, because the horrer I felt as I watched, was 100 times worse for them. The rest of the day, it seemed to go by in slow motion, people calling family, friends, crying, praying. I just thought of the families who lost someone, and my heart broke for them. Then I thought about the firefighters, and police officers, and other rescue workers, and just hoped that they made it out, along with lots of others with them. I will never forget 9/11/01, even though I didn't know anyone personaly who lost their life, its as if I did, it just seems on that Tuesday morning we all became family....... but a family who would never be the same again..... 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 9/11/01. I appreciate life more, and my loved ones also. I don't take things for granted, and realize now, more than ever, that in one instant, life can change forever, and there is nothing you can do. Things I thought were such a big deal at the time, seemed like nothing in the mist of 9/11. I appreciate everyone I have in my life, and everything I have, more now than ever. Life has a new perspective now, I don't try and take on so many things at once, I've learned to take one day at a time, and thank God for giving me the oppertunity to do so, and to treasure my time with my family, because you never now when it may end........ NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think the most important thing is to remember are the people of 9/11. All those who lost their lives, and also the ones who survived. Remember the families who lost a child, a husband, a wife, a mother or a father, brother or a sister, aunt or uncle, cousins and friends. Remember the faces of 9/11, those who were in New York, Washington D.C., and in Penn., and had no choice but to be a witness to the devestation.... So when you remember September 11, 2001....... Remember the names, Remember the faces, but most importantly, Remember the 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? I flew a flag before September 11, 2001.... On September 11, 2001.... And after September 11, 2001..... I will forever fly my American flag, not only because it is a symbol of who I am, and what I'm proud to be, but from September 12, 2001, and forever, my flag will be in memory of who America lost on that Tuesday morning of September 2001, and their families. God Bless America.......... Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource nmah549.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. 64.12.96.203 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 didnt really no what a terriost attack was until last sept. 11, 2001. this event has made america closer then we ever were. i remeber a week after it happened every house in my neighborhood had a flag in there front yard. it brung all ethic groups closer. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. my life has change in a vary of ways. at first i was scared to go to school because my school is next to a nuclear plant and a shell gasoline plant. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? i think people shoud remember thepeople that lost there lives in this attack and all the peoples family that had a relative die. 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 and i did it wiyh pride. I have never seen so many american flags in my life until this event 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 nmah4207.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-09-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 65.58.119.139 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 the history of 9-11 by hearing rumors as I sat through third period small engines. Every story I heard had a different twist to it. I didn't know which story to believe. Then I moved on to fourth period which happened to be History where Mrs. Sutton had the television. I finally realized what had happened, it was terrible. I saw the building was up in smoke and every channel she turned to was covering it even ESPN. We continued to watch the T.V. until Mr. Platukis, our principal, came on the loud speaker and told the teachers that they are to shut the televisions off. I thought this was wrong because we have a right to know what is going on. I saw nothing more until ninth period where my english teacher had turned it on and I found out that a second plane had hit and another plane had hit the pentagon. I was supposed to have football but it was canceled due to what had happened and I went home and continued to watch television. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. My life has not changed since 9-11 directly. I didn't lose anyone close to me as others did. One thing that has changed is increased security in many places such as airports, sporting events, and concerts. Another thing that has changed is knowing that we aren't safe. Before this had happened we had security and we felt safe and not vulnerable. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think everyone that lost their life as will as the ones who risked their lives should remember such as the firefighters, police officers, and any others that helped the cause. I think some kind of memorial should be created to honor the lives lost of 9-11. Everyone that helped the cause should be respected as well as 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? Keith Williamson 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 nmah1946.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. I was running late for work,as usual, trying to get myself and our infant daughter out the door. As we embarked on our journey to daycare and then myself off to work I noticed how beautiful a morning is was. As I listened to the radio on my way to work, the news came of a fire in New York, perhaps a gas line leak of some kind. Before I even made it 8 miles to my daughters daycare, the station reported a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, I assumed it must have been some kind of prank. I immediately grabbed for my cell phone and called my mother, who I assumed must have been glued to the TV at this point. She knew nothing of it, but I insisted that she turn on the TV to verify the information for me. By her response when the TV came on, I knew it must have been true. I rushed to my office, where I also work along side my husband, Mark. As I rushed in the door I could hear the commotion of the TV in our employee break room, time was standing still. A horrible silence that I've never known hit me.......I felt sick. Employees who once had more than enough to say were silent, speechless. We watched in horror over the next 30 minutes, which seemed like hours........we couldn't tell what was going on in New York. The emotions began to build within me. My husband just tried to comfort myself as well as the other co-workers. When the second tower came down I felt as if the world was coming to an end, to witness the fear and the frenzy, even though second hand was still more than I could bear. We closed up and sent everyone home to be with their families. Even hundreds of miles away, we wanted to all check on families and loved ones. We got home to dozens of calls from my husbands relatives that are located in Pennsylvania assuring us that all of them were accounted for. We immediately started counting our blessings. As the evening set in we found ourselves unable to sleep or eat. I just wanted to hold our infant daughter and pray that God would comfort our nation in a tragic time like this. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. My life has changed drastically. I never want to leave my friends or family without saying I love you. I fear death a little bit more, not knowing when my last day on earth will be. I hug my daughter & my husband more than ever before. I'm learning that the "little things" DO MATTER. I think I've embarked on a more spiritual journey with my God, for his grace is sufficient! NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? The commrodory of our nation. The United States is a land of promise and most importantly, strength. Even in NW Arkansas the outpouring was amazing. The blood banks had lines out their doors. The banks were collecting funds, along with every Wal-Mart in the nation, to help with the victims' families. I also think that Mayor Rudy Gulliani should always be remembered as a hero in New York's eyes. I would love to sit down and visit with him in person, to hear his personal stories. I was absolutely amazed at his courage with the 9/11 events. Rudy was..a pillar in the community...a humanitarian....what a blessing for NYC! 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 still get teary when I stare at our American flag to long. We've been flying one since the day after 9/11, both at work and home. I feel priviledged to be a small part of such an incredible nation. God Bless you all, from the prayers, to all of the victims & their families, to the donations, to our entire nation, to the men and women who gave their utmost......their lives to protect their fellow brothers in arms. I will never be the same because of it!! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource nmah969.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. 216.63.152.139 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 am a 24 year old girl from Norway with american family. I was at a staff meeting at the hotel I work in, when one of my coworkers came in half an hour to late. He told us all about this accident that had happened in New York. After the meeting I was on reception duty, but wanted to catch the news befor I started. That was the beginnig of a day that I to this date remember every minute of. It was unimaginable that people where actually dying infront of us. This was happening on the other side of the world at the same moment as we saw it on tv. A few hours after the first crash, a group of 6 americans arrived at the hotel. I realized they didn`t know, and I had to be the one to break the horrible news to them. Of course, they where from New York. The rest of that evening and night (this happened in the afternoon norwegian time) I spent just beeing there for my guests and helping out in any way I could. I didn`t finish work until 3 o`clock in the morning, and when I came home I turned the tv on again. That`s when I started to understand this was actually real. I cried until the first rays of sunshine came up in the horizon. At work the next morning the group of americans had left me a 20 dollar bill and a thank you-note. Both of them are now framed on the wall in my living room. The 20 dollars showing a picture of The White House with the text; In God We Trust. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I think before I act in a lot of ways. Life is too short to throw away on misunderstanding. I do things I normally wouldn`t do. Life; again, is too short to waste. Just do it!! Don what you want, don`t waste time. Remember to tell your loved once that you love them. I smile more and help out as much as I can. After the tragedy I have 2 mottos; "Life is now" and " A stranger is a friend you haven`t met yet". NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think it should all be remembered. Especially the human side of it. How we all came together as one nation, one world and one people. Of course we must never forget the trgedy, but something good came out of it after all. We all became eachothers helpers, and we must never forget the "spirit" we had then. If we could all help eachother out like we did then, the world would be a better place. 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 am norwegian, but still bought an american flag and did fly it. To day, exactly one year later we put the flag up on half post and lit candels in our front yard. I think everyone shuld do that in years to come on september 11th. Everytime I see the American flag I am filled with emotions about this day. All the momories about the day comes back. 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 nmah4301.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. 212.169.80.186 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 the 11th was a gorgeous late summer morning. I was in college at the time. Life was good and this day promised to be no different than the last. My thoughts were focused on getting to class on time that morning. I don't remember exactly where I was when I first heard that something had happened at the World Trade Center. I think overheard other students talking about it, and I went to find a TV. Something about a small plane crashing into the building. When I found a TV there was a crowd of people huddled around it, an unlikely group of strangers brought together by the horror unfolding on television. By the time I found out what was going on the first tower had already collapsed. They played it over and over on television. I watched people throwing themselves from a skyscraper because it was better than being burned alive. Can you imagine having to make that choice. Complete and utter shock is the only way to describe it. I have never experienced such emotions as I did that day, and I hope I never have to again. People were just coming into campus and all normal life just stopped. I walked outside the building I had been watching TV in and there were television and radio broadcasts outside. All we could do was watch. People were crying. I don't know if I cried or not. I felt completely detached from reality at that point. My girlfriend at the time thought they were showing a movie on TV. She didn't realize until minutes later that she had just witnessed the first tower go down in flames. Everything else that day seems blurred together now. I remember there was a candlelight vigil that night. We prayed for those that had perished in the attacks. We didn't know if there would be more. There were reports that a plane was headed for the white house. That someone had blown a bomb up on the steps of the Capitol building. Was this just confined to New York City or was it going to happen everywhere? No one could know. Then I watched the second tower collapse and disintegrate into the streets of New York City, carrying with it the lives, hopes, and dreams of some three thousand Americans. How could two buildings like that just fall down? It seemed impossible. But it was happening on live international television. They showed throngs of Arabs cheering in the streets in some faroff land. What the hell is wrong with these people? Weeks later we would learn the media skewed the facts that day, showing file footage to incite the hatred of Americans. And incite it did. Anyone who looked like an Arab was branded a potential terrorist. But all that is another story, and I am digressing. I watched TV and listened to the radio for hours that day. I do not remember how it ended. I passed out at some point. I do remember waking up the next day and wondering if it was real. It was. What the hell was I supposed to do? I wanted to go to New York City and help. I didn't know what I would do, or what difference I could possibly make. I wish I had said fuck it and gone. But like everyone else, all I coulkd really do was watch the television, and feel completely powerless. So I witnessed history on television. My favorite music album is "The Rising" by Bruce Springsteen, an absolutely amazing memorial to the tragedy that captures the emotions of the moment perfectly. It still sends chills down my spine when I listen to those songs, and it probably always will. I hope this story contributes something to this archive. It is not an amazing story from my point of view, as I watched the events unfold on live television hundreds of miles away. The real stories to read are from the survivors, the witnesses, and the untold stories of those who gave their lives for the cause of freedom. I love America, and you should too. No matter the things that are wrong with this nation, its core value is freedom for all. That there are people out there who would try to take this away from us, is now readily apparent. We must hold on tight to what is ours. I know I will. Keith Harper www.keithharper.us NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. Everyon's life changed. Our faulty international politics became painfully aware. We learned that many people around the world do not like us, they see us as an ever-expanding empire of influence. We became more vigilent. Paranoid. Afraid. But life goes on, and so will we. That terrible day seems a distant memory now, but we will never forget and continue to bring freedom to all the people of this world. A leader is never going to satisfy everyone. The United States is arguably the greatest nation ever to inhabit this earth, and we cannot satisfy everyone. We make decisions, and stick to them. That is good enough for me. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? We should remember that freedom and even life itself is precious. To savor every moment of it, for we cannot know when it will end. That it was a day of unbearable loss and sacrifice. That those who perished trying to get people out of the towers are true heroes. We should never forget that day. It is a lesson to our nation and democracy everywhere that freedom is not easily won. We must defend it. We should also remember that our soldiers sent to the front lines to combat the terrorists in Afghanista, Iraq, and wherever else are paying the ultimate sacrifice to protect the freedom of our people and bring freedom to other people around the world. 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? There is always one in my apartment. The American flag is a symbol of the sacrifice, courage, and dedication of our people to promoting and defending freedom. It is symbolic of loss and happiness at the same time. Every American should be proud of the flag that represents our great nation. 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 nmah6488.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. 2004-04-04 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 63.228.113.16 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. It was about 8:50 am, and we had just entered Ms. Yeoman's History and Literature class. Then the school secretary pulled Ms. Yeoman out of the room for a minute. When she came back in the room, she put on the NBC and explained that something horrible had happened. The Today Show showed the replay of the first plane crashing into the North Tower. My whole class thought it was a scene from a movie, but then minutes later, we saw the second plane hit the South Tower, and we realized it wasn't. The North Tower collapsed killing thousands of people, and then the South Tower came plumitting to the ground minutes after it. New York was filled ash and soot. Towards the end Ms. Yeoman's class, we received information that two more planes had been hijacked. One had crashed into the Pentagon and the other miles outside of Pittsburgh. These events changed the lives of all Americans. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. Yes, my life has changed a great amount since September 11, 2001. I find myself to be a more patriotic person now. I find myself more alert on the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority. I want to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? I think that the lives of the thousands of people who died on September 11th should 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? Of course I flew a flag after September 11th. It was the only proper thing to do. Not just for my country but for the people who died that day. The flag doesn't represent just the country I live in today, it represents freedom and unity. It's something that helps to remember the lives that were lost on that horrid day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource nmah5678.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. 2003-09-09 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 67.241.216.170 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 on September 11 and was very busy preparing for a long-awaited trip to Poland on September 11. When I hear the first reports from a colleague, I turned on my radio and listened in horror to the reports pouring in. At lunch time I went to our conference room where a TV set had been placed to see the pictures for myself. The images of the buildings and, most of all, the people jumping to their deaths I will never forget. My trip to Poland had to be canceled since all planes were grounded until the weekend. On Sunday a friend and I flew to Denver, got a car and drove to Cheyenne, WY. We went into the city to see the state capitol building, where we found a memorial service underway. Candles were passed out, and it was very comforting to be with these strangers. Later on the trip we rode the train to the top of Pike's Peak, where there is a plaque commenorating the writing of "America the Beautiful." It was then that I knew that my country would survive and prosper in spite of this terrible experience. In November 2001, my brother and I went to London for a few days. We were shopping at Harrods Department Store, and our salesperson was a tall, distinguised Hindu gentleman. After we had completed our purchases, he told us how very sorry he was about September 11. He also said that he had had some heated arguments with Arab colleagues at the store, and that some of them had indeed been disrespectful. I will never forget his kind words to my brother and me, who were thousands of miles from home. NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. I don't believe so. Traveling abroad is my hobby, and I have continued to maked trips to various locations in Europe. I do think about September 11 nearly every day. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? That there are people who hate us very much and who will go to any lengths, including suicide, to injure us. The so-called "War on Terror" is unwinnable, but we must pursue it anyway. 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 don't fly the American flag, but I do usually wear a small lapel pin of the 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 nmah6519.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. 2004-05-11 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 170.141.109.33