story5859.xml
Title
story5859.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-12
911DA Story: Story
I customarily watch morning news shows as I get ready for work. Just as I was about to leave at 8:50 A.M. (CST) I saw the smoke come out of the first tower. I thought it was just fire and thought about the Windows to the World and thought it could have caught fire.
I left for work and only one person had a radio and they exclaimed as to what was happening. I was shocked and I still had not seen any television pictures.
I once lived at the Watchtower Headquarters in Brooklyn Heights from 1991 to 1993 on the 10th floor of the refurbished Standish Hotel. I always kept my windows open so that I could look at the WTC every morning. I had grown to appreciate their majestic appearance over skyline. I took several pictures from 1991 to 1993 of the towers and I take them out and look at them often. I remember going to take pictures for a friend's wedding in the atrium overlooking New Jersey. The images on the televison showed the same area but now it was completely destroyed.
I remember the first bombing in 1993 and how NYC was able to recover. This was just a tragedy. It was not called for.
I spent many days in Lower Manhattan. I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at every chance that I had. I also lost friends in this tragedy. On September 11, 2001 I cried harder than I had ever done before. I felt pain and deep sadness for the senseless act. I felt pain for all the people that had nothing to do with affairs on the other side of the world. They did not have to suffer and they certainly did not have to die.
My wife and I were engaged at the observatory of the WTC and it was a special place for us. He hoped to return someday to celebrate our anniversary there but now it is gone. The good thing is that we are still here and together and will get through this tough year together.
I want to let everyone know that I don't feel patriotic. I want to explain why. This act of violence was meant to attack everything that is decent about human beings regardless of their nationality or race. This act was wrong regardless of the origin. I feel proud that we can overcome tragedy and that is testament to the human spirit not just the American spirit. Nothing good has every resulted in any war in our history. Very little benefit if any has been produced by further violence. Although war seemed like the solution at the time -- it has never been the only or the best solution.
Good always wins over evil. We have to all stive to be good.I feel hurt and I don't like to feel this way. One year later I still feel hurt and it will take sometime for this to go away but I want all of us to move on and be positive. Take the initiative to make those around you feel special. Make your own little corner of the world a little better for all of us. Take the time out to read God's word daily, it is medicine for our broken hearts. It contains more wisdom than a whole cabinet of advisors. Only if we apply what is written will we ever find the solution to the world's problems.
I left for work and only one person had a radio and they exclaimed as to what was happening. I was shocked and I still had not seen any television pictures.
I once lived at the Watchtower Headquarters in Brooklyn Heights from 1991 to 1993 on the 10th floor of the refurbished Standish Hotel. I always kept my windows open so that I could look at the WTC every morning. I had grown to appreciate their majestic appearance over skyline. I took several pictures from 1991 to 1993 of the towers and I take them out and look at them often. I remember going to take pictures for a friend's wedding in the atrium overlooking New Jersey. The images on the televison showed the same area but now it was completely destroyed.
I remember the first bombing in 1993 and how NYC was able to recover. This was just a tragedy. It was not called for.
I spent many days in Lower Manhattan. I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge at every chance that I had. I also lost friends in this tragedy. On September 11, 2001 I cried harder than I had ever done before. I felt pain and deep sadness for the senseless act. I felt pain for all the people that had nothing to do with affairs on the other side of the world. They did not have to suffer and they certainly did not have to die.
My wife and I were engaged at the observatory of the WTC and it was a special place for us. He hoped to return someday to celebrate our anniversary there but now it is gone. The good thing is that we are still here and together and will get through this tough year together.
I want to let everyone know that I don't feel patriotic. I want to explain why. This act of violence was meant to attack everything that is decent about human beings regardless of their nationality or race. This act was wrong regardless of the origin. I feel proud that we can overcome tragedy and that is testament to the human spirit not just the American spirit. Nothing good has every resulted in any war in our history. Very little benefit if any has been produced by further violence. Although war seemed like the solution at the time -- it has never been the only or the best solution.
Good always wins over evil. We have to all stive to be good.I feel hurt and I don't like to feel this way. One year later I still feel hurt and it will take sometime for this to go away but I want all of us to move on and be positive. Take the initiative to make those around you feel special. Make your own little corner of the world a little better for all of us. Take the time out to read God's word daily, it is medicine for our broken hearts. It contains more wisdom than a whole cabinet of advisors. Only if we apply what is written will we ever find the solution to the world's problems.
Collection
Citation
“story5859.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed January 5, 2026, https://www.911digitalarchive.org/items/show/9265.