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#2363 | Wednesday, September 11th, 2002
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I live in Glendale, California, on the other side of the country from the tragic attacks. I woke up uncharacteristically late on September 11th, 2001, because it was Election Day in Los Angeles and I was working on a local election at the time. I left my home around 6 am to pick up a friend/co-worker, still without knowledge of the attacks. It was around 9am in New York. I remember waiting several minutes for my friend, and when she finally came down she said "Oh, I'm sorry, I was passing by the TV on my way out and my brother was watching the news... there was a building on fire." We thought nothing of it, and drove on.
I drove to another co-worker's home so that he could follow me to our office. The friend in my car went into his, and we proceeded to drive to the center of L.A., the early morning drive was without too much traffic. I flipped on the radio, and I recall very clearly the first words I heard: "...it is thought at this time to be a terrorist attack." I remember dialing up the volume and listening closely, pinpricks of fear beginning to spread. "An airplane flew into the World Trade Center this morning." I remember fumbling through my purse, grabbing my cell phone, and calling my co-workers in the car behind me, frantic. We were listening to the same station, and it was then that we realized that the burning building my friend has seen on television was no mere fire, but the result of a horrific attack. I remember calling my father in his office, and telling him of the attacks. I told him to be careful, and, just in case, I told him that I loved my mother and him very much. There was no way of knowing whether we would be attacked on the West coast as well… and there was no way of knowing whether I would see either of them again.
When we reached the office, we were frightened and anxious. We peered up at the buildings that stood tall above Los Angeles, and tried to imagine an airplane flying into them. We wondered if the attack in New York was just a prelude to more attacks to come, a possibility on this coast of the U.S. Unfortunately, our office did not have a television, and we tuned into the news on the radio. We attempted to find more news on the Internet, but we were not the only ones trying to do this, and were not able to combat the heavy traffic on the 'net. Awaiting our candidate, searching for news of the attacks, we could only imagine the worst in the hours to come. We did not know where we were safe. We received phone calls from friends of the company who lived in New York, and were grateful to hear that they were all right. It dawned on me that we might be one of the few to hear such reassuring news.
As we tried to maintain a normal day, we began our preparations to "get out the vote" for our candidate. We could not comprehend contacting voters in the area attempting to solicit votes on such a tragic day. We realized that if we did not go on with our lives and did not continue to participate in the electoral process, which is the very essence of our nation's democracy and what makes us truly the "Land of the Free," then we would be letting the terrorists win. And so, we pressed on with our day amidst the tragedy, never feeling more patriotic as we asked L.A. citizens to "please get out to the polls and vote."
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Jeannine | 18 | California
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#2364 | Wednesday, September 11th, 2002
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I had just left the house to get my morning cup of coffee at the local coffee shop. I turned on the radio and heard something about a plane hitting the world trade center. i remember being shocked & confused. the next thing i remember is leaving the coffee shop calling my boss from one of my two jobs to discuss a paycheck issue i had. he said to me "noah, are you f**king watching this sh*t? They hit the pentagon!" i knew right then we were going to war. i drove to work (my other job) and listened to the radio. I arived palefaced and shaking. I said as i entered the room "we're all gonna die" we listened to the radio for the whole day at work. I had to leave early because i was so upset. i had been at the wtc 6 months earlier. there is no reason that couldn't have and shouldn't have been me instead of those who were there. i live in boston i could have easily been on one of those planes. May God save us all for we are in desperate need. Keep the peace and spread the love. never forget...God bless all of you and America.
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Noah | 25 | Massachusetts
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#2365 | Wednesday, September 11th, 2002
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I remember that day distinctly...everything about it. I was sitting in 1st period (government class) and we were watching a video on the Declaration of Independence, as ironic as that is. Our high school's chemistry teacher ran into the room and whispered something in our government teacher's ear. A look of disbelief spread over his face and he yelled "STOP THE TAPE AND TURN IT TO CNN!"
One of my classmates followed his demand, and for the first time I saw the World Trade Center towers billowing with smoke from the fires burning inside them after the airplanes struck. I remember our normally rowdy and rambunctious class sitting in silence and watching with fear in our eyes and our hearts. As we continued to watch, I saw little spots falling from the heights of each tower. At first I had no idea what what these were...until the cameras zoomed in. Those little "spots" turned out to be people jumping from the building to escape from the fire before the towers collapsed. This image has haunted me ever since and it filled me with a sense of anger as well as grief...I had never felt like that before and I would never wish that feeling on anyone.
The rest of the school day was spent largely on watching the news on TV and wondering what would happen next. By the end of the day, we all expected the worst. For the first time ever in my life, I was afraid to go to sleep at night because I wasn't sure if I would wake up the next morning.
On the first anniversary of this horrific tragedy, let's all remember to keep our loved ones close and to be grateful for each and every blessing the Lord has provided us. Remember to live each day like your last, someday you'll be right.
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Kara | 17 | Kentucky
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#2366 | Wednesday, September 11th, 2002
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I think that was not right to bring down the tradecenters just because
they don't like our FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!
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Megan | 11 | New Jersey
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#2367 | Wednesday, September 11th, 2002
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On September 11, 2001 I thought it was just going to be an ordinary day...I woke up at 7:00 just like any other day..I did the normal routine...When I got to school I had not heard about the attacks yet..We had our Science class and then I remember that my Reading teacher came into the room and told my science teacher about the news..We turned on the t.v. in the classroom..The first thing we saw was the WTC with a big hole in it...I didn't know what was going on...I was clueless..I just figured it was an innocent accident..But I was Way wrong....We started our reading class and about 10 min. later another plane crashed into the other building! Now I knew this was no laughing matter...It was now a war! I was scared to death...I thought of all the kids sitting in their desks in New York...I was thinking to myslef...What if I was in New York...What if I was in one of the WTC..I had a lump in my throat...I felt so lucky to be in a safe enviornment...All day everyone was talking and crying and trying to live their normal lifes..But that was almost impossible, How could you live your normal life if Someone just murderd thousands of innocent Americans?! When I got home that day my mom and dad called me...They said that they were all right and everything was going to be fine...I remember asking them if ther was more to come...They couldn't answer...No one could, for the next couple of days America was silent and millions of tears were shed...I remeber September 11 and I don't think anyone could ever forget!! it is a moment I will carry in my heart forever! God Bless America!
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Jayda | 14 | South Dakota
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