story5605.xml
Title
story5605.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-11
911DA Story: Story
For me, it started just about the same as any other day. I got up and took a shower, then turned on the TV to watch the morning news while I got ready for work. Pretty much all I could think about up to this point was what a wonderful evening my husband and I were going to have; it was our wedding anniversary.
As I turned on my favorite morning station, they were showing a live shot of the World Trade Center, which had just been hit by an airplane. As I sat watching the smoke billowing out of the tower and listening to the commentary, I wondered what could have happened. Had there been some kind of mechanical failure that caused that plane to crash? And as I sat there transfixed to my TV screen, the unthinkable happened; another plane crashed into the second tower. At this point, I still wasn't thinking "terrorism"; perhaps the second plane couldn't see the second tower through all the smoke?
The fact that we may be under attack didn't even enter my mind until the third plane crashed into the Pentagon. Like many other Americans, the rest of that day, September 11, seemed surreal.
I drove to work listening to the news, hoping to hear some kind of good news. All I heard was that first one tower, and then the other, had collapsed. There was also another plane that crashed in Pennsylvania; they didn't know at the time if was related to the others or not at that time.
I spent the rest of that day, like so many others were doing as well, on an emotional roller coaster. There was complete shock and disbelief, hope and heartbreak, and something I had never felt before; fear. As the day unfolded, and airports were shut down, governments were put on high alert, I couldn't help but wonder if this was going to be it; the end of the world.
Being in my early 30's, I never thought I would see a war in my lifetime, much less that America would ever be attacked right here on the home-front. Could we ever feel safe again?
As the days wore on, the heartache mounted as the tally for the victims rose higher and higher.
Every American lost something on September 11, 2001. Some paid the ultimate price with their lives, while countless others had to deal with the tragic loss of someone they loved. Children lost their innocence, and most everyone else lost their sense of security. Through these terrible losses, one thing seemed to stay standing taller than ever; Pride.
As I turned on my favorite morning station, they were showing a live shot of the World Trade Center, which had just been hit by an airplane. As I sat watching the smoke billowing out of the tower and listening to the commentary, I wondered what could have happened. Had there been some kind of mechanical failure that caused that plane to crash? And as I sat there transfixed to my TV screen, the unthinkable happened; another plane crashed into the second tower. At this point, I still wasn't thinking "terrorism"; perhaps the second plane couldn't see the second tower through all the smoke?
The fact that we may be under attack didn't even enter my mind until the third plane crashed into the Pentagon. Like many other Americans, the rest of that day, September 11, seemed surreal.
I drove to work listening to the news, hoping to hear some kind of good news. All I heard was that first one tower, and then the other, had collapsed. There was also another plane that crashed in Pennsylvania; they didn't know at the time if was related to the others or not at that time.
I spent the rest of that day, like so many others were doing as well, on an emotional roller coaster. There was complete shock and disbelief, hope and heartbreak, and something I had never felt before; fear. As the day unfolded, and airports were shut down, governments were put on high alert, I couldn't help but wonder if this was going to be it; the end of the world.
Being in my early 30's, I never thought I would see a war in my lifetime, much less that America would ever be attacked right here on the home-front. Could we ever feel safe again?
As the days wore on, the heartache mounted as the tally for the victims rose higher and higher.
Every American lost something on September 11, 2001. Some paid the ultimate price with their lives, while countless others had to deal with the tragic loss of someone they loved. Children lost their innocence, and most everyone else lost their sense of security. Through these terrible losses, one thing seemed to stay standing taller than ever; Pride.
Collection
Citation
“story5605.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 3, 2026, https://www.911digitalarchive.org/items/show/14287.