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#1322 | Sunday, May 26th, 2002
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it was a normal day for me except this day just happened to be me and my wifes anniversary (2yrs), i was at work, i am a customer service rep. and i was at my first account of the day the girl at the desk ask if i heard what was going on??? She said she heard that an airplane hit the World Trade Center.I thought maybe a small private plane or something? I was clueless, so when i got back to my truck i called my wife. This was 8:40am and her and my son were still sleeping, so i ask her to turn on the news because i thought something was going on,I knew she had the news on because she was already crying. I ask her how bad and she said OH MY GOD!! What is going on? By this time i was already at my 2nd account and they had a TV and i watched the 2nd plane hit and just could not belive it,didn't want to belive it, still dont want too.. So thats how my anniversary started but at the end of the day i was still with the one i loved and thousands of people were not. And i never realized how much i had until that morning at 8:50 when i seen it on TV.
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Brian | 26 | Indiana
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#1323 | Monday, May 27th, 2002
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I was 29 years old, renting a guest house in Tempe, Arizona. My alarm should have gone off at 6am so that I could get to the school where I taught music at by 7:30am for Cafeteria duty. I had stayed up late the night before and dind't hear my alarm go off that morning. I remember waking up an seeing the clock say 8:30 am. "Crap!" I said to myself. My first class of the day was starting at that very moment, and I was a good 30 minutes away from even being able to get there. I called the teacher of the class that I was supposed to be teaching at 8:30 and told him I had overslept. He said, "that's ok, just call me when you get to school, and be careful on your way." Be careful on my way? I thought that was strange of him to say. Just as I was throwing on my clothes, the owner of the house yelled in a very paniced voice, "Planes have hit the World Trade Center!". I had never heard him speak in that tone before. I grabbed my school bag and ran out into the living room where the TV was. I was still half asleep and I saw images of the towers on fire. I thought they were live images, but it was already around 11:30 am in New York. I didn't really comprehend everything until I jumped in my car and drove to work.... still worried about being late. The radio stations were talking a mile a minute, spitting out details and info... something about the Vice President in hiding, the Pentagon was hit, the White House was a target, thousands of people dead, and on and on. I drive by the Phoenix airport to get to work and there was a huge trafic jam. The airport had shut down and people were honking, couldn't get in etc. I stayed at school the rest of the day. The principal told us not to go into detail with the children. Some of the kids in the morning classes wanted to talk about it, but as the day went on, it seemed like a normal day. I wanted to watch TV but couldn't. I just wanted to go over to my parents house and stay with them. I still didn't know all of the details of what had happened. Our faculty meeting was cancelled after school and we were urged to go home immediatly. That night, I called my family and friends and we just watched the news the whole night in shock. I was so scared. For the first time since I was a little girl, I was afraid to turn off the light and go to bed. The next morning when I woke up, for a moment I thought it had been a dream,a nightmare. I prayed that it had been. I didn't want to turn on the TV but I had to. Every channel showed a live picture from NYC, a beautiful sunrise with smoke filling the sky. On the way to and from work that next day, people were so nice to eachother on the road. Phoenix is known for it's road rage, but on that morning and evening, people in their cars were so nice to eachother, letting others pass, smiling, etc... Everyone I saw for a few weeks following 9/11 had a look of sadness on their faces.
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Carolyn | 30 | Arizona
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#1324 | Monday, May 27th, 2002
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I was at my job when the attack occurred. We received a phone call from a business associate advising us that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. We got a television and monitored what was going on.
When the second plane struck the World Trade Center, I concluded that it was indeed a terrorist attack.
My feelings on that day were hard to describe. But, even on that day, it did not diminish my belief in the fortitude of the American People.
We are going through difficult times. But, I have no doubt we will come through them as we did our depression eras and the times of war.
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Fred | 47 | Virginia
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#1325 | Monday, May 27th, 2002
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I was driving to Manhattan to meet my nephew. He is a NYC police officer and we were to meet at Center Street. That morning is unusually strong in my memory. I remember the small insignificant things I saw driving down. It was Election Day and remember seeing politicians soliciting votes a half a block from the WTC. I noticed the old cobblestones there on the West Side and thought how long they had bee there and how much longer they would remain. I was driving up chambers St and had just reached a stop at Church ST. when I heard a very loud sound then a “POP” like a big paper bag exploding. I looked up and saw that every one was looking south in awe and pointing up. I was able to lip read some of the expletives and placed the car in park and got out. I was amazed to see what looked like tone of confetti all around the WTC. The building was just starting to burn and I parked my car. I ran to the nearest bodega and purchased a disposable camera. I was thinking at this time what a terrible accident this was. I made my way up Church St. Taking photos. The horror still had not set in. It was all so unreal. Then I would hear the crowd scream and moan from time to time. I then realized that they were seeing people throw themselves from the building still on fire. This all added to the disbelief. I made it to the base of the building and was helping an elderly lady that was having problems breathing when the sound returned. It is hard to describe how loud those jet engines were as they came up Church St. I stood and looked up just as the second plane hit and ripped through the building. There were a few hundred of us in the street there and all seemed to move as one to take cover. We were being showered with debris from the jet as well as a cloud of un-ingnighted jet fuel. I dove under a police car and waited for the debris to stop. My heat was pounding out of my chest, I can truly say now that I know what it is like to be in battle; (though I was never in the armed forces) I was still operating in a state of disbelief. I was a strange feeling of heightened senses, not fear as much as unknowing anticipation. I made my way back up Church to Chambers ST. when a policeman was hurriedly announcing (“ITS GOING!!!ITS GOING!!!) I had no thought that he had meant the building was falling until we could se it listing ever so slowly at first then coming down. Three other men and I broke through a doorway on chambers and got under some counters. We rode out that collapse waiting for the roof and walls to cave in. I was reaching my limits of endurance rapidly and as soon as the cloud settled I found my car. I drove off down chambers as the second building was collapsing. It took me until 8PM to get home in Monticello New York that evening. The scene getting out of Manhattan was like a Steven King Novel. I will never get over that day and as sad as it makes me that this tragedy occurred I am glade that I was able to bear witness to it. I have one very poignant memory of the ladder trucks rolling in right after the first plane hit. I was a fireman some years ago and can remember the anguish of fighting a high-rise. Especially one with so many potential victims. I could read the apprehension in their faces as well as their determination and courage. I pray for all those brave souls who selflessly walked into hell that day to save their brothers and sisters.
I still get chills when I hear jets flying low. I find myself looking up now when I’m in the city very strange dreams, (when I can sleep). I did see some of the finest traits in us as humans, Americans and New Yorker’s display itself that day.
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Frank | 46 | New York
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#1326 | Monday, May 27th, 2002
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September 11 2001 I was at school in Columbia Tennessee. I went into my second block class (French) and my teacher was showing it on the tv. All it was showing was the planes hitting the towers over and over, i cried,, then were heard the stories of people jumping out of the towers and then the images of the collapses it truelly scared me no one know what to expect and still don't 8 months later. We are now at war with the people who did this to us,,,, and my father (in the army) is there... God Bless America
THESE COLORS DON'T RUN!!!!!!
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Penny | 16 | Tennessee
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