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 the morning of September 11, 2001 my husband and I were at home with our 2 children. My husband is a firefighter for a department that is about 30 miles south of Chicago. The phone rang and a friend of ours asked us if we were watching the news. He then told us about the first plane hitting the World Trade Center. We immediately turned on the television and saw the second plane hit the towers. My heart sank to my stomach and we knew that this was no accident. Soon after we heard about the plane hitting the Pentagon. My husband was put on alert by his department and all I could do was cry. Our son was 4 years old at the time and was asking a ton of questions. We kept it as simple as "There are people in the world who don't like Americans so they crashed the planes into the buildings." Fortunately, that was enough for him. As the day went on we listened to the reports of FDNY firefighters that were missing, presumed dead or injured. I saw the concern on my husband's face be! cause he had known many of the firefighters that were undoubtedly there at the time of the tragedy. Throughout the day we just hugged eachother and our children and cried. When reports started coming in revealing the names of the FDNY firfighters that were dead, my husband recognized quite a few. He had taken many classes that were either taught by or attended by guys from New York. It was amazing to hear just how many of them he knew and considered his "Brothers". Everytime the phone rang I would wonder if it was work calling him to send him to New York for assistance. Many friends from other departments went immediately to offer their assistance. Finally FDNY stated that if any department wanted to help, please inform them of 10-20 people who would be coming out and add their certifications. They were in need of men certified in Structural Collapse. Ironically, this was the class that my husband had taken with the majority of the FDNY guys he knew. He never ended up going to Ground Zero, but our hearts were there with all of the Brothers as well as their families. I have kept all of the newspapers, magazines and articles I have found regarding the attacks of September 11 so our children can use it for reference later in school. We will also have the stories of comeraderie and "Brotherhood" from my husband. Since the attacks, I have never once watched my husband go to work, gotten off the phone with him, or kissed him goodbye without telling him to be careful and that I loved him. It has made me realize that there are no guarantees that my husband will come home after his 24 hour shift. We have to live each day to the fullest and remember to say, "I love you". My heart goes out to all of the victims, not only firefighters, rescue workers, or police officers, but to everyone who worked in the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon and everyone on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. May their families be watched over and blessed everyday. God Bless the United States of America!! NMAH Story: Life Changed Has your life changed because of September 11, 2001? If so, tell us how. NMAH Story: Remembered What do you think should be remembered about September 11th? NMAH Story: Flag Did you fly an American flag after the events of September 11th? Have your feelings about the American flag changed as a result of September 11th? We always fly a flag! The events of Septmeber 11, 2001 have shown us how fortunate we are to live in a country that comes together so well in the wake of tragedy. 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 nmah4129.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. 64.209.61.85