#631 | Monday, January 14th 2002
I was at work on September 11th. I came across my boss and a co-worker saying a plane hit the WTC. I was in shock. What a tragedy. I left work to go sit in my truck and listen to the news. I heard a second plane had hit and the Pentagon had been hit. It hit me like a ton of bricks...my home was under attack. My eyes swelled with tears while my heart filled with pride as news gathered about my fellow AMERICANS being heros. I went home and tried not to look at the images on the TV. At first glance I lost control, I have not been close to the same since. I will never feel the way I felt when I awoke that day. And yet I can only think of my fellow Americans, lost, living, and yet to know. God bless AMERICA and her heros.

AMERICAN made, AMERICAN till I die.

Joshua | 21 | Maine

#242 | Friday, November 9th 2001
These are the lyrics written by Alan Jackson and sung this year at the CMA awards show .
Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)
by Alan Jackson

Where were you when the world stopped turning
That September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in L.A.
Did you stand there in shock
At the sight of that black smoke
Rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger in fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children that lost their dear loved ones
Pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below
Did you burst out in pride for the red, white & blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself for what really matters

Chorus
I'm just a singer of simple songs,
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love.

Where were you when the world stopped turning
That September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty because you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that Bible at home

Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset for the first time in ages
Speak to some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on I Love Lucy reruns

Did you go to a Church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love

(Repeat Chorus twice)
I'm just a singer of simple songs,
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love.

The greatest is love
The greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turning
That September day

Beth | 50 | Maine

#228 | Thursday, November 1st 2001
i was sitting at home, on the computer. my fiancé had come home to grab a lunch when his father came upstairs and was like "hey Bruce...did you hear? a plane just crashed into the WTC..." then his brother yelled up..."there's another one!" i ran inside and turned the TV on, just in time to see the recap of the 2nd plane... it was so sickening i sat there in numb silence. about 5 minutes later i hear that one hit the pentagon. i couldn't say a word. by then Bruce had gone back to work. about a half hour later he comes back in and gives me this huge hug and kisses me. i just looked at him dumbfounded and asked "what was that for?" all he said was "i just needed to come home and reassure myself you were alirght and to tell you i love you." i was so touched. i immediately called my family back home. (i live 1600+ miles from them all). they were all so scared because i "live so colse" as they said, when in actuality i live about 3 states away.
Tracie | 20 | Maine

#194 | Sunday, October 7th 2001
I remember logging on to my email that morning, and noticing a headline that said the the World trade Center was on fire, nothing else was said. I flipped on the Today show and at that moment live footage of the 1st tower on fire. As I watched transfixed by the images, I heard the anchors of the morning program speculating as to what had happened. As they spoke, a second plane came into view and slammmed into the 2nd tower. There was nothing to say, but to gasp and think what is happening? Was this a terrible accident, where the second plane's view was obstructed by the smoke and could not help but crash into the second tower? No one on the news knew what to say, when suddenly more headlines popped up on the screen, there was a fire on the Mall in DC, the White House was being evacuated, and all planes were ordered grounded. I attempted to reach my husband on the phone, but could not get through, so I called his office directly. No one there had yet heard what had happened, so she spread the word to others. I tried to log on various news sites on the internet, but nothing was coming up. I called my mother and told her to turn on the tv, and that I was coming over ASAP. I finally reached my husband, and called my best friend to bring herself and her baby up to our house. I was crying most of the time and felt very scared, was this how it was going to end, on a beautiful September day?
My husband finally came home and turned on the television to see what had happened, he had not seen the footage from earlier, and I could not bear to see the images of flames and desperate human beings falling to the ground, so I turned away and cried. I called my grandmother and she said that my cousin, who works in DC not far from the Pentagon, had not been heard from yet. Apparently, she had been speaking to her husband and suddenly the phone went dead. He, along with all of us, were really frantic to find her. Thankfully, about 5 hours after the attack, she arrived home.
I kept my coworkers informed about the situation, and then spoke to my executive director, who wanted to know more about the flights that were unaccounted for. Her husband was on his way to Las Vegas for a convention that morning, all she knew was that he was leaving from Boston around 6-6:30 am. He had not left any flight numbers or airline name with her. Needless to say, she was frantic for any info. Six hours later, she recieved a phone call from her husband, whose plane had landed in Detroit. He was in a small hotel outside of town, upset and wanting to get home as soon as he could. He ended up driving home and arrived 2 days later.
I am still emotional about the events of September 11, I find myself crying more frequently and feeling anxious. I am sure these feelings will subside, but it will take time. I just thank god that my family and friends are safe and sound, but pray for all the families who were affected by these unprecedented attacks on innocent lives.

Staci | 28 | Maine

#153 | Monday, September 24th 2001
I was in band class in high school. Teacher said he was shooken up and we all went down to the library to see the bone chilling images. It pains me to see the footage of the building crumbling over and over... incredible.
dan | 14 | Maine

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