#2438 | Thursday, September 12th 2002
It was my senior year in high school and I was in my physics class. My teacher's beeper went off and he looked at it for a really long time while his face kept getting paler. Then there was a knock on the door and he stepped into the hall. We could hear him talking with another teacher and someone else crying while the rest of us just looked around the room and asked each other what we thought was wrong. Then he came back into the room and said;” You probably will hear more about this later but a plane has crashed into the world trade center".
Rishonda | 18 | Virginia

#2360 | Wednesday, September 11th 2002
I was 21 years old and a senior at James Madison University on 9/11/01. I woke up at 9 AM, like I did every Tuesday and Thursday morning since I didn't have class until 11 AM. I did the normal routine: shower, got dressed, etc. I had just finished breakfast and signed online when my friend Robert messaged me. "Someone attacked the World Trade Center" he typed. "What?" I typed back. "Turn on the news" he told me. I flipped on my TV and every station was showing the same scene: the collapse of the towers. My roommate Tonya walked in a couple minutes later and she watched with me until we left for class. The bus ride to campus was silent, I had never known JMU to be this quiet. Once we got to campus, a guy in our class stopped me and said class had been cancelled. Tonya and I walked around campus and then went to watch CNN at the theatre on campus. It was then I learned about the Pentagon. I couldn't comprehend what was going on, as I'm sure no one could at the time. I went to my other two classes, but not everyone showed up. I knew many were from Northern VA and were probably trying to get in contact with their families. I made my way home and called my mother because if I heard her voice then that meant everything was okay. She was shocked and saddened. Afterwards, I went to my night class but couldn't concentrate. I came home and tried to call home again but the phone lines were down. I remember feeling so alone that night but I knew the worst was over.
Renee | 22 | Virginia

#2353 | Wednesday, September 11th 2002
I was at school when i first heard about the attacks. I can remember as if it were yesterday, walking into the bathroom 3rd period, and hearing a stretched story of the attack. I had heard that the World Trade Center had been bombed, and i didn't believe a word of it. As the day went by, i saw many of my fellow schoolmates getting picked up by their parents, and didn't notice the significant amount of them missing until lunch. About half of them were still there. Although I knew something was wrong, i still didn't know the details, and didn't hear the whole story until 7th period. Some administrator had come into my classroom and broke the news.
"The World Trade Centers have been hit" that's when i stopped listening, and that's all i cared about, until i heard the next few devestating words. "The Pentegon was hit also." That's when i shivered, knowing, since I live only 30 minutes from Washington DC, that someone i knew would be hurt, emotional, physically, whatever. i still remember how silent those halls were after 7th period.
I know a girl who's birthday was September 11th. Her father worked at the Pentegon, and i still don't know if he's alright.
When i went home, i saw the replays of the planes flying into the buildings, the explosions, and the falling of the towers. It didn't hit me until the sunday after that at a church youth group, that lots of people had died. It just took me a long time to process what these people had done to our country. But now, after a whole year after the events, i realize that it's not only a negative thing, but that's what brought the US closer together. People will eventually get over the losses, and we can't do anything to stop the past. What happened, happened, and our country was able to move on after that, and grow stronger and smarter.

Anonymous | 13 | Virginia

#2352 | Wednesday, September 11th 2002
I can remember, it was an ordinary day at work, shuffling papers, data entry, keeping the First Sergeant informed of whats going on with who, when, where and what. I happened to be standing in my First Sergeants office talking with him when another senior NCO came rushing back to the office to let the 1SG know that a plane, which happened to be the 1st plane, had struck the World Trade Center Tower. At that specific time. I really didn't think anything of it. Maybe an accident or something. A little bit later, news of the second plane struck. (I told myself, this is by no means an accident). Eventually, within that first hour, someone had brought a Television set in and hooked it up. Reception was somewhat distorted, but you could make out what was going on. I paused for a brief moment to see what was going on and why this terrible tragedy was happening. I couldn't fathom that many lives lost in an instant from such a cowardly, hateful act against "America". I eventually kept going about my work for the day. And I must say, that I wasn't overcome with total sadness and grief until the end of the day, upon my arrival home.
I didn't know anyone, personally, that was killed from the tragedies of 9/11. But after watching the news repeatedly showing what happened over and over again, I broke down. It literally felt like a part of me died. Just because of the thought/fact that so many innocent lives had been lost on that terrible day, was beyond my belief. My daughter didn't understand what was going on, but she knew that I was totally upset. I had to pull myself together for the evening to take care of her and put her to bed. But i dont think i slept at all that night. I went to bed crying, woke up in the middle of the night crying and got up the following morning crying. And to this day, which is exactly one year later, it is still emotionally tearing to me. But with much respect and blessings to the victims families, it's going to be impossible for these !@#$%&* to overtake this nation and instill fear and keep it there. Because life goes on. Yes, we as a nation will always remember and be vigilante. But we will never forget the day time in this nation stood still. God Bless America, this nation and this world. My prayers will forever go out.
God Bless.

Michele | 33 | Virginia

#2291 | Wednesday, September 11th 2002
ITS FUNNY HOW SOME THINGS STICK IN YOUR MIND AND OTHERS DISAPPEAR LIKE I CAN REMEMBER WHAT I HAD ON THAT DAY
HOWEVER, I CANT REMEMBER WHAT I ATE.

I WAS SITTING IN MY CAR ON MY WAY TO WORK, A NEW JOB ID ONLY BEEN AT FOR A FEW WEEKS. I HAD THE RADIO ON I HAD JUST PASSED THE PENTAGON EXIT AND WAS AT A STOP LIGHT. IT SEEMED AS IF THE WORLD MOVED IN SLOW MOTION. THE CARS THAT WERE RACING BY SEAM TO SLOW EVEN THE LIGHT CHANGING FROM RED TO GREEN SEAMED SLOW.

MY HUSBAND WAS HOME SICK THAT DAY SO HE WAS SLEEP. HE DIDN?T ANSWER THE PHONE UNTIL I GOT TO WORK AND HE WAS IN TOTAL DISBELIEF. ITS FUNNY TO ME HOW I CAN REMEMBER ALL OF IMAGES AND WORDS BUT I DON?T REMEMBER DRIVING THE THREE BLOCKS AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT. I CALLED MY HUSBAND BECAUSE HIS FAMILY WAS FROM NY AND WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE WAS OK I NEVER GUESSED WE WERE LIVING HISTORY. THE BUILDING I WORK IN SHOOK WHEN THE PENTAGON WAS HIT, IT WAS LIKE THUNDER OR A BOOM OF A RADIOS BASE.

THE EVENTS OF THAT DAY ARE BURNED IN MY MIND LIKE MY BIRTH DAY, MY SS# AND MY FIRST KISS I WILL NEVER FORGET THEM.

J NOLAN
ARLINGTON, VA

JACKIE | 35 | Virginia

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