Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: ?Terror in America? Waking to the ringing of the telephone, my day started just like any other. I climbed off my bed, tired and irritated that someone would have the audacity to call me at 8:45 in the morning when everyone knew that I did not start classes until 11 o?clock. The voice of a good friend on the other end, scared and curious, mumbled something about the World Trade Center and New York City. I turned on the television not prepared to see what appeared before me. Images of fire and smoke flowing from the focal points of the NYC skyline flooded my eyes. At first I sat silently, staring in disbelief and horror. Then information began to pour from a familiar face on the screen. As I dressed for Dr. Turner?s Inauguration, I watched as the second tower was struck by yet another commercial plane and stood in disbelief as people were blown from the building. News that the Pentagon had also been hit came across the screen, everyone awestricken and speechless. All I could do was pray? This story was ripped from the headlines. For hours I watched, unable to move, as New Yorkers ran screaming from the rubble of the World Trade Towers. More facts were uncovered as the day progressed, explanations emerged as people tried to make sense of what had happened, and the horrified reporters distributed the news. As heroes emerged, a void became present in America. September 11, 2001 will remain forever engraved in my mind. As if being at college, having everything I knew as familiar taken away was not enough, terrorists attacked the United States and threatened the safety of our country. The sights that I saw before me were amazing. I recalled a recent summer trip to New York City with my church. My mind went to the children, families, and the churches that I had worked with in the heart of NYC just over a year ago. I wondered if the children and their families had been affected. I was curious to know how our churches were doing, if they had been destroyed. I prayed for the people: the families I had grown to know, the rescue workers, the families of the victims, and the Americans that perished. In my opinion, the United States government handled this situation extremely well. The calm manner in which they addressed the nation helped to ease my anxiety, yet they showed a since of urgency so that the world would understand the severity of the situation. I felt safe seeing our President walk across the lawn of the White House, unguarded. I think it showed that the United States was not afraid, and cowards would not intimidate us. The media, however, was not on my good side by the end of the day. I felt safe and secure knowing that I could turn on the television or the radio and see the most current, updated information. But for once, I feared the safety of our President. The location at which President Bush was kept should have remained a secret, not only for his personal safety, but also for the safety of our country. I was disappointed that the media broadcast his location to the entire nation. The September 11th incident has affected the United States in a positive way I think. The patriotism of our country has become much more evident and respected now. I love seeing red, white, and blue all over town. I like to drive down the street and see the American flag flying. I also think that the security in our nation has increased by a great margin. I am fairly sure that most Americans felt safe before, but now heightened security measures have taken over common procedures. The overall mindset of America has changed from thinking our country is invincible to understanding the reality that the United States is just as vulnerable as any other country in the world. Americans wake up every morning with a routine and, suddenly, one day, our world stopped because a group of men attacked our country. The bubble around the American way of life was popped. Another good thing that emerged from this tragedy, in my opinion, is that religion has returned as a front in our country. Never in my lifetime have I seen the amount of prayer on national television, as I have seen during the last month. This country was founded by people seeking religious refuge, and now the safe haven they once searched for has returned to America. To see the President of the United States ask the nation to pray for safety was calming, but to watch a prayer service initiated by the President himself nationally broadcast was more reassuring. I feel the safest when I am overly aware of God?s presence, and I think everyone in America felt the presence of God on September 11th.and the days following. America suffered a great loss on September 11, 2001. A great loss of lives that was recovered by a structure built by emerging heroes and God-fearing Americans. Americans now know that the United States is not invincible, but they also know that the United States is not easily defeated. A sense of duty and patriotism has swept over the nation, and I think the love the people of America have for this great nation will become more evident as the months progress. 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 story364.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. 2002-04-08 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 64.216.57.67 Annotation Annotations to this item. Politics and politicians Religion Television Coverage DOMESTIC