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<item xmlns="http://omeka.org/schemas/omeka-xml/v5" itemId="18443" public="1" featured="0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://omeka.org/schemas/omeka-xml/v5 http://omeka.org/schemas/omeka-xml/v5/omeka-xml-5-0.xsd" uri="https://www.911digitalarchive.org/items/show/18443?output=omeka-xml" accessDate="2026-04-26T10:37:24-04:00">
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        <name>Dublin Core</name>
        <description>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/.</description>
        <elementContainer>
          <element elementId="50">
            <name>Title</name>
            <description>A name given to the resource</description>
            <elementTextContainer>
              <elementText elementTextId="54151">
                <text>September 11 Digital Archive Stories</text>
              </elementText>
            </elementTextContainer>
          </element>
          <element elementId="41">
            <name>Description</name>
            <description>An account of the resource</description>
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              <elementText elementTextId="54152">
                <text>This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. </text>
              </elementText>
            </elementTextContainer>
          </element>
        </elementContainer>
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  <itemType itemTypeId="25">
    <name>911DA Story</name>
    <description/>
    <elementContainer>
      <element elementId="98">
        <name>911DA Story: Story</name>
        <description>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:</description>
        <elementTextContainer>
          <elementText elementTextId="234007">
            <text>Like many Americans, I will never forget where I was or what I was doing that fateful morning.  My story is not of some personal tragedy, but simply that of a spectator at the most horrible event in my life and my generation.

I was preparing for the workday and turned on the t.v. as I normally do.  After getting out of the shower, I heard the anchor saying something about a "tragedy".  I came into the living room and watched as the first tower burned.  I could not believe my eyes.  Everyone thought it was simply an accident.  A horrible, horrible accident.  My mind went to the attack on the twin towers some years ago and I thought, "How awful for those poor people."  Then, as I and thousands watched, the second tower was hit.  And in the pit of my stomach I knew this was planned.  This was real.

I continued to get ready for work because I had no idea what else to do.  And then the Pentagon was hit.  I grabbed my keys and drove to work in shock, glued to every word the announcer said on the radio.  Then came the news from Pennsylvania.  And as I drove to work, I saw people waiting for busses, walking their dogs, going for a jog --- all oblivious to what was going on.  I wanted to scream out the window, "Don't you know we are under attack?!?  Haven't you heard?!?"  It was surreal.

At work, everyone was surrounding a few t.v.'s tuned into CNN, or using the internet to get what news we could.  I turned the radio at my desk up so all could hear.  Our building security was suddenly stricter.  Co-workers could not concentrate on work.  We all looked stricken, as though someone had just punched us in the gut.  And so someone had.

We were dismayed to learn that one of our co-workers was in Pentagon city that day.  We waited for any news of his well-being.  We sighed with relief when he was reported safe and on his way home.  As we later learned, he was in a meeting and they were discussing the tower attacks when the building he was in suddenly shuddered and a large explosion was heard.  He was across the highway from the Pentagon when the plane struck.  It took him the better part of a week to drive home from the DC area to Colorado.

I donated blood the very next day.  I prayed for those lost and for the families hoping against hope to find a loved one alive and safe.  I sobbed as I realized my country, my beloved country had been attacked.  I called my parents, my boyfriend, my friends.  I made contact with those I loved and realized how fragile that relationship was.

We were an arrogant people before 9/11/01.  We were self-assured that the evil in other countries would never come here.  We were wrong.  We were humbled.  But we did not falter.  I want generations to know that.  We stood strong and did what needed to be done.  The healing will take a bit, but if this time comes again, then we will unite again and come back again.  God Bless America.</text>
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      <name>Dublin Core</name>
      <description>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/.</description>
      <elementContainer>
        <element elementId="50">
          <name>Title</name>
          <description>A name given to the resource</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="234008">
              <text>story7067.xml</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
      </elementContainer>
    </elementSet>
    <elementSet elementSetId="4">
      <name>911DA Item</name>
      <description>Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item.</description>
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        <element elementId="52">
          <name>Status</name>
          <description>The process status of this item.</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="234009">
              <text>approved</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
        <element elementId="53">
          <name>Consent</name>
          <description>Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item.</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="234010">
              <text>full</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
        <element elementId="54">
          <name>Posting</name>
          <description>Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item.</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="234011">
              <text>yes</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
        <element elementId="55">
          <name>Copyright</name>
          <description>Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item.</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="234012">
              <text>yes</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
        <element elementId="56">
          <name>Source</name>
          <description>The source of this item.</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="234013">
              <text>born-digital</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
        <element elementId="57">
          <name>Media Type</name>
          <description>The media type of this item.</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="234014">
              <text>story</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
        <element elementId="59">
          <name>Created by Author</name>
          <description>Whether the author created this item.</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="234015">
              <text>yes</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
        <element elementId="60">
          <name>Described by Author</name>
          <description>Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author.</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="234016">
              <text>no</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
        <element elementId="61">
          <name>Date Entered</name>
          <description>The date this item was entered into the archive.</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="234017">
              <text>2002-09-13</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
        <element elementId="62">
          <name>IP Address</name>
          <description>The IP address of the device used to submit the item.</description>
          <elementTextContainer>
            <elementText elementTextId="234018">
              <text>166.34.144.80</text>
            </elementText>
          </elementTextContainer>
        </element>
      </elementContainer>
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  </elementSetContainer>
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