#1623 | Friday, August 30th 2002
I remember vividly where I was on that
day, which will always be in my memory.
I was sleeping during the World Trade
Center/Pentagon attacks. I had to work
that day, part time at a convenience
store near my house. I had the alarm
clock set. My mom woke me up, told me
that my aunt had called, saying someone
had flown a plane into the WTC in New
York City. I, having just woken up,
thought she was kidding and thought
I must be dreaming, and I remember
asking "Are you serious?" Something of
that magnitude was just so hard to
comprehend. Why would someone attack us
for? Doesn't this country always help
others in need when they need us? Why
would anyone hate us? These are all
questions I have since that day, and
some I'm sure will never be known.
I did then what everyone else did
across the country, and the world, I
think--I turned on the tv in my
room and watched. In awe and terror, I
saw the planes crashing into the towers,
people running, walls of dust rushing
down the street like a tidal wave. I
watched and I watched, as every channel
I turned on had the same images of the
planes crashing into the towers, over
and over. Burned into my mind,
something I don't think any of us that
saw them will ever forget. And now,
even though I live nowhere NEAR where
the attacks occured, I find myself
listening very intently every time a
plane goes overhead, just hoping it
won't come closer to where I am. Even
thunder scares me. I recently woke up
by a loud boom of thunder during a
thunderstorm and immediatly thought a
bomb had gone off and I actually laid
there thinking I would die, until I
heard the rain. But still, now, it
amazes me how much a country can come
together when it is attacked. When the
attacking cowards intended to tear this
country apart, divide us and destroy
us. They only made us stronger.

Angela | 21 | Minnesota

#1604 | Monday, August 26th 2002
I was on my way into Center City (downtown Philadelphia) on the "El" train when someone got a call o ntheir cell phone and told us that the WTC had been hit by a plane....I got off at my stop, and turned my cell phone/radio on to listen to the news station. I listened to the whole thing on my way to the library. Trying to get home, tho, was an ordeal. Business and high-rises closed early, clogging the streets with massive amounts of traffic. I had to walk almost 2 miles back to the train from where I was. I spent the next few days trying to contact my NYC friends by e-mail. Thankfully, they were all OK.
Mary | 21 | Pennsylvania

#1564 | Sunday, August 18th 2002
Like most mornings, I was hitting the snooze button one too many times. My bedroom door opened and I knew it was my mom coming to rouse me awake. Instead of just shaking me a bit, she turned my TV on. Her voice was trembling. I was still in that drowsy, not-really-awake state.

She said something about planes going into the World Trade Center. What she was saying just didn't make sense. It didn't make sense because it is so horrific, seems to impossible on many levels. For a split second I thought maybe I was still sleeping, and I was having a very scary, very real nightmare. To this day I wish that were the case, because nothing has been the same since that morning.

Laura | 21 | Missouri

#1438 | Thursday, July 4th 2002
This horrible day will live in my soul forever. I'll never forget that fateful tuesday morning, when I slept in a little, turned on the TV and was shocked to see every channel showing the WTC with a hole in it, smoke coming out. I hoped it was an accident that a plane hit it, but I wasn't so sure. I am an American, and damn proud to be one. We are the land of the free, and the greatest country on earth. Exactly 60 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor, we were fallen victim to an attack different from Pearl in every way except for the element of surprise. Being from Boston, I know people who had friends or family on those planes. One guy I know lost his brother-in-law to one of those hijacked planes out of Boston. A good friend of mine's wife lost about four friends on one of those planes. My father works in the city of Boston, and I worried nonstop, "will dad get out of the city before they bomb it?" I worried about my girlfriend's well-being, even though she wasn't anywhere near a major city or an airplane - I had no Idea where they could hit next, so who knows if my girlfriend is okay. I worried about all my family. What was running through those victims's minds when they were on those planes? There were little babies on those planes, imagine how scared they were! Thank God for our allies and our strenth as a nation. But I would like to say one thing - my patriotism never changed that day, I have always been a proudd American. And one special thing happened to me after the attacks - I befriended an Arab student living here in America who worked with me, and learned a lot about his culture, and that not all Arabs are our enemies, and that many arabs actually are as disgusted by 9/11 as I am. It is important to know that terrorists are an evil minority in the arab world. God bless America. September 11th is ugly not just because of death and distruction, but because it was the product of irrational hate towad a nation where everyone is free and equal. New Yorkers were not the only victims of September 11th, don't forget that many people from here in Boston lost their lives on those planes, as did those from Washington.

Mark | 21 | Massachusetts

#1365 | Sunday, June 2nd 2002
On September 11th, I woke up around 9:30 AM and went into the community bathroom in my dorm at my university. A friend of mine said, "Two airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center. Both of them (WTC) had collapsed", and after hearing it, I was absolutely shocked. It was like getting punched in the stomach real hard for me. Than I go to the front desk and ask someone if something bad had happened. He said, "Yes" in a calm, but shocked voice. As I left I heard on the radio that another airplane crashed in Pennsylvania. Than I go eat breakfast than go back to my room to watch TV. It was very bad. I could not believe that the World Trade Center was gone. It was my favorite building. It was like losing a close friend to me. I was also saddened to hear that many people were killed. Than I go to class. I felt school should be cancelled. I saw images of the World Trade Center collapsing and I was in absolute state of shock and nearly passed out. I was very nauseated by the sight of WTC collapsing. Than I go online when class is done, and see some people on an online forum laughing at the terrorist attack and some saying that America deserves it. I cannot believe people say that kind of trash, especially when everyone is in shock. These people who laughed at 9-11 were young people who are spoiled brats and sheltered. I saw this sickness the days following 9-11 and said to myself why say this kind of trash, when everyone is reeling from the attacks. Those kind people need to seek help. Blaming America is ignorance at its worse and just sends a message that oppressive governments in Middle Eastern and Third World nations that it is OK to oppress and kill their own people. I am firm believer in free speech, but there is times when you don't say bad stuff. Freedom is never absolute and comes with responisibilities. I was absolutely devastated by the attacks on American soil, more of an attack on humanity. To this day I am very saddened and devasted about the 9-11 attacks and the loss of the World Trade Center. I hope Osama bin Laden will pay the ultimate price for what he did. I have a message to all terrorist scum. America will never fall. God Bless America.
Raymond | 21 | Texas

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