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#934 | Monday, March 11th, 2002
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On 9/11 my husband and I were on our 3 day of a camping vacation along the Oregon coast. That morning we were staying at Cape Blanco State park.I got up and turned on the radio,expecting to hear rock and roll, instead, I hear Arron Brown with CNN, reporting that a second jet just hit the WTC. My mind could not comprehend what my ears were hearing.My husband, still in bed was saying what,what.I was telling him to be quiet, and listen.He got up and got the TV out and he tried to find a TV station so we could see what was going on. At Cape Blanco,we couldn't get any reception with our small RV antenna.I thought this was what it like when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and people only had their radios to receive the news, and they had to picture in their minds what the scene must look like.it was frustrating for us, because we're Baby Boomers and grew up watching TV!
After listening to the radio for several hours, we went for a drive to see the sights further south on hiway 101. The first town we came to,we saw the American flag displayed all along the street, just like the 4th of July, but this wasn't the 4th, this was a day of an attack on America. My heart was breaking, but it was a great sight to see, a small American town showing their pride.
We stopped at Humbug State park and walked to the beach, the sun came out and I'll never forget being thankful that I have this freedom to do what I want when I want. Thinking how can there be such a great attack on our nation just afew thousand miles away and people are suffering and scared, and I feel so safe at this peaceful, beautiful beach. So many questions, and no clear answers. Please, God be with those who need you and give them comfort in the days to follow.
We went as far as Gold Beach that day and ate lunch, and then started back to our camp at Cape Blanco. On our way back, just a few miles north of Humbug Mt., we came around a curve in the road and saw a large turn out along the hiway, and there was a truck with a 5th wheel trailer attached, that had gone over a built up berm, and there was an elderly man and woman walking around around the truck. We stopped to see if they were alright. They were shaken up, but not hurt. They were so very lucky, the rear end of the truck high centered on the berm and that kept them from going over the cliff into the ocean. The Oregon State patrol had stopped by before we arrived, and called a two truck out of Coos Bay to come and pull the truck off the berm. We stayed with them to try and help, the man had a shovel and he and my husband tryed to dig a portion of the berm away. Another two very kind men stopped to try and help. They had a heavy work truck and tried to pull the truck and trailer off the berm, but it was just too stuck and too heavy. Those men were working men, and we sent them on their way, after all the tow truck was coming. After what seemed like hours, the tow truck arrived and got the truck off the berm. Everything look to alright with the truck and the couple wanted to be on their way. We told them that a state park was just a few miles down the road and they should stay there for the night.We hugged and shook hands and then we left. In the whole afternoon we never exchanged names, but we knew we would never forget 9/11 for two reasons.I think of this couple often and hope they arrived home in California safely. When 9/11 is mentioned, I always think of the sweet couple we spent the afternoon with. I hope they'er OK.
We went on with our vacation that week with no TV. We read the news papers evey day and that was enough for us until we arrived home in Washington State. I watched TV for days after we got home, and I cried so much and so often. I had to stop watching and get on with every day life. I will never forget 9/11 and I hope that some day the world can live in peace and learn to accept each other's differences, without hate. America's strength and freedom will always be alive and cannot be destroyed by anyone.
Donnie Burton,48
Olymipa, WA
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Donnie | 48 | Washington
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#935 | Monday, March 11th, 2002
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Where was I?
I was just getting up and ready to take my teenager to school, everyone was still asleep and the I turned on the news.
I think my legs buckled out from under me as I sank to the couch and stared in horror...
I woke my family and then I called my mother who travels extensively out of the country to work. She was asleep, having just returned from Japan, I was glad she was home.
I tried to call my father, who lives in Manhattan, it took till the next day to finally reach him. He is a freelance photographer and lives on Broadway... I worried that I would see him on T.V. getting in the way of the rescue units, but he assured me that at his age, he no longer would do something so dangerous.
I grew up in Manhattan, I can not imagine those buildings not being there....I hope the families of those who were killed are able to oneday let go of the pain and maybe heal and then forgive...
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Lesa | 41 | California
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#936 | Monday, March 11th, 2002
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I was running about 5 minutes late for work. I heard them break in on the radio, that a plane has hit the WTC. I didn't think anything about it until I went into work, and someone said that another plane hit the other tower. I work for a cable company, and everything came to a halt! Everyone was gathered around the TV's. I was just shocked and outraged. I then proceeded to my route for work. I was at a customers house when the south tower fell! I was speachless. I then watched the day unfold on CNN and the other channels at a friends house. This is to my generation as to when President Kennedy was assasianted. I will never forget!
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Tim | 29 | Wisconsin
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#937 | Monday, March 11th, 2002
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I came into work at 8:30 that day and heard on the radio that a plane had hit the WTC. I thought it was a little accident with a small plane, but a few minutes later someone told me to go to CNN.com and I saw the gaping hole in the building. I went to the fire escape of my office building on 31st street and watched the towers burn. As time went by, people kept coming out and telling us "The pentagon blew up" and "they got the Supreme Court". Obviously people were in shock and reacting poorly. All but myself and 2 people left the fire escape by the time the first tower went down. I stood in frozen shock. I grew up right outside NYC and have lived here for almost 4 years so those towers were a mainstay in my life, like NY's two front teeth. Seeing them fall made me cry, shake, fear for my life and just horrified. What I didn;t realize at the time was that I witness the deaths of over 2000 people. When that hit me a few days later, it absolutely broke me down inside. We may move on, we may rebuild, we may be happy again when we root for the Yankees. But we will never forget, we will never understand, and we will never ever be the way we were when we first woke up on Sept 11 2001.
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Craig | 26 | New York
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#938 | Monday, March 11th, 2002
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Hello my name is Mike Schmidt, I am from New Berlin, Wisconsin. I am a fire fighter there and have been for 9 years,and there is no other job that I could imagne doing.
I am 30 years old I have lived here all my life (USA). Where was I during the attacks? I was at work and I watched with horror that something like this could happed here. When I was watching on T.V. it was like a dream that I hoped that I and the whole world would wake up from. Although it was not a dream it was real very real. When the towers collasped me and my brothers of Station 2 knew that there were some of our brothers in there, because that is exactly where we would be. It is a day that I will never forget or really want to forget, just because it is something we should keep in all minds that evil of this kind can happen, hope this never will happen again..
"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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Mike | 30 | Wisconsin
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