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#133 | Saturday, September 22nd, 2001
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I had an 8 o'clock class that morning - a freshman class, and I'm a junior, a class I should have taken long ago, a class I don't want to be taking now. I sat in class tired, in a bad mood, and staring the clock as the minutes ticked by - it seemed like an eternity. Once class was finally over - at 9:15 - I walked to the computer lab to check my email, while considering the rest of my day - a 12:30 class, a 2 o'clock, and a 3:30 pm, none of which I was in the mood to go to. Sitting in the lab, my friend from home sent me an instant message saying simply, "OH MY GOD." "What?" I responded, not in the mood for some drama I would have to pretend to care about. "You mean you don't know?" "Don't know what?" I responded, thinking I had missed the newest juicy gossip about one of our friends. "The Trade Center was bombed, and I think the National Mall is on fire; they're also saying the White House is a target." My heart sank.. The National Mall? The White House? I live four blocks from the White House, how could my city be on fire? There were a lot of rumors going around then; maybe none of them as bad as the truth. I went home to find my roommate glued to the tv, "have you heard?!" she exclaimed, "your dad called, but our phones are being weird, cell phones are out..do you think they'll cancel classes?" We really had no idea how big everything really was or what was going to happen. We sat there watching tv and watching our generation lose its innocence as the buildings I had visited only months before began to collapse...
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Erin | 20 | District of Columbia
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#134 | Saturday, September 22nd, 2001
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I thought it would be a normal day. Woke up, raced to work, poured some coffee, and sat down to start my day. Only I couldn’t. I couldn’t concentrate to save my life, neither could the woman who sits with me, or the woman across the hall from us. It was just impossible. Everyone has those days.
I was checking out the yahoo clubs that I’m in, and one of the headlines on my start page said “Plane Crashes Into World Trade Center.” I figured it was an accident, and tried to click on the headline, but it wouldn’t load. Big news, I wasn’t surprised that it wouldn’t load. But one of the messages in the club said for everyone to turn on the news. The first thing I thought was, it’s the federal government, we don’t have TVs. I was wondering what was going on, when a fourth woman who couldn’t concentrate came in the office. “I was just down in Conferencing, two planes just crashed into the World Trade Center.”
That was the end of security for me.
For the rest of the morning, we had two radios and a coworker on the phone watching CNN at home giving us information. Rumors, true stuff, we got everything. Car bomb at the State Department (not true). Bomb on the helipad of the Pentagon, which soon turned into helicopter crash, which ended up being the plane that was crashed. Airports closing, the President en route from Florida, the Capitol and White House being evacuated. I knew we’d be the next to be evacuated, so I started packing up my shit and called a friend to pick me up. More rumors start flying – the Beltway is closed, another plane was crashed, the Capitol has been blown up.
That was the beginning of terror for me.
My friends pick me up and we head back to my house, listening to the radio the whole time. Walk in the house, pour a few stiff rum and cokes. Turn on the news and wait for something else to happen – it’s noon by this time, but only 9ish on the West coast. My friends leave, and I turn on the radio as well. I turn to my favorite station, which is also a CBS affiliate, and turn on the CBS news. Every once in a while, the radio switches to a CBS feed, and the TV and radio are synchronized - the only things that made sense all day. All afternoon I have both TV and radio on, and by 8 I’ve had enough of both. I just want out. I head to the bar with a friend, where they have news on every single TV in the room. Choke down a sandwich and another rum and coke, then leave.
That was the beginning of sleeplessness for me.
Tuesday the 11th of September was the first day of the rest of my life. Washington DC, my beloved hometown, was on high alert. The military was in Delta. For the first time in my life, I was afraid to leave my house. It’s not like I haven’t experienced war before. I remember Bosnia, I remember Desert Storm and Panama. I just haven’t experienced it in my back yard.
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Jenny | 23 | District of Columbia
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#135 | Saturday, September 22nd, 2001
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Where was I? I was sitting on my bed in my dorm room at OU completely freaking out. Panicking even.
My phone rang at about 9:30 AM or so that tuesday morning, and grumbling, i rolled out of bed to answer it, and was was taken by suprise by my mom's shakey voice asking if id heard. She told me that 2 planes had crashed into the world trade center and that hundreds of people had died. All i could say was "oh my god" as i ran over to my television to turn it on. in a panic, i fumbled with the controls to turn to CNN. As i was trying to work the TV in my half-asleep bewildered state my mom tells me shed just found out they hit the pentagon too. at that there was nothing i could do but start sobbing on my bed... came pretty close to losing it. Then i suddenly thought of my boyfriend... who lives in dallas, but i had this instinct to see if he was okay. couldnt find his phone number, took forever to get ahold of him in my panic. I looked out my window at people, unknowing, laughing groggily and walking to class, and it made me angry. ran upstairs to wake sarah up just in time to see the buildings collapse.
it was certainly the worst feelings of terror and grief ive ever felt.
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Jennifer | 19 | Oklahoma
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#136 | Saturday, September 22nd, 2001
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Tues September 11, 2001.
I was peacefully sleeping. I heard a faint voice calling..my name was it? It became louder, I realized that someone was calling my name from downstairs outside my window. I stumbled out of bed, not really awake yet, and when I looked out my window I saw a coworker. I was very confused. She then said to me "Something very bad has happened, but your Mother is ok. Turn on the television". I could not imagine what she was talking about. What could have possiably happened? I was panicking trying to find my tv remotes. In the short amount of time it took, I had many thoughts about what could have happened to my Mom that would have been working 1 block from Times square in New York City.Then the picture came on ...I couldnt not believe what I saw. The next thought was about my cousin that works in the city. I had no idea how close he worked to the towers. I found out he was ok also. But for the next 5 days I could not take my eyes off the television. I am not a person to get too emotional about things, but this has truely stabbed me in the heart. I feel so much sadness when I see the devistation, and hear the traggic stories unfolding every second.I am so proud to see our country united so strong.We will overcome this horriable tragedy.
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Dawn | 33 | Connecticut
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#137 | Saturday, September 22nd, 2001
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I was asleep. I know it's not exactly the ideal thing to say, but it's the truth. It happened over an hour before I woke up, and when I did awaken, it was to the sound of a guy eight rooms down the hall yelling "THE WORLD IS ENDING."
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Phil | 18 | Kentucky
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