Dust and Soot

I did not know what was going on when right before 9:00 in the morning our entire school building shook like we were having an earthquake. We heard a loud crashing noise and things fell off our tables around us. Our teacher told us to stay at our desks and continue working on our classwork and she would go find out what was going on. When she returned a few moments later we could all tell something was wrong because it was clear she had been crying and was trying not to scare us. She turned on the T.V. that was in the corner of the classroom and put it on the local news channel.

None of us in fourth grade knew what a terrorist attack was at the time, we also did not know just how much our lives were going to be changed from that day. We were all shocked to find out that the noise and shake we heard and felt was from a plane hitting the World Trade Center building that was nearby. We all watched the footage as they replayed the moment it hit the building over and over. A few minutes later we all watched horrified as a different plane also flew into the second World Trade Center tower. We could not believe it when the news then showed yet another plane hitting the Pentagon while announcing that there was also one headed toward the Washington D.C.

The second tower, south tower, that was hit collapsed and a few moments later it was announced that the fourth plane had crashed in a field just 20 minutes from its suspected destination at Washington D.C. At this time students in my class were crying and/or leaving as their parents came to pick them up to take them home. Many of them had family that had worked in the towers and were scared. Just a few minutes later my mom showed up to pick me up as well, we did not live far but she said she would feel better and safer if we were at home together. On the way to our house, she kept me telling everything was going to be ok and not to look at the buildings as we passed by. Of course, with me being a typical kid, I could not look anywhere else but at the horrific scene in front of me. I remember seeing a wing of a plane that was on fire sticking out of the remaining building that was standing and seeing/hearing all the people crying and screaming. When we got home, she turned on the news and we watched as the North tower also collapsed. Afterward, she asked our neighbor to watch me for a little while and she left to donate blood so she could help in some way and try to make a difference. I did not want her to leave because I was worried that she would not make it back home. I remember crying at the absolute horror of everything I had seen so far that day and hearing that the suspected death toll was already over 2,600 people. Even as young as I was at the time, I knew that total was absolutely horrific.

So many people tried to help the other people who had either been in the towers or near them and were now trapped under the rubble from the buildings collapsing. It is so sad to think of how many of those hero’s also lost their lives that day and the days following as they were just trying to do the right thing and help everyone who needed it. I had always known that we lived near the World Trade Center, but it never really seemed like it was super close or that big of a deal, to me they were just pretty and tall towers that a lot of people worked in. Before long, our neighborhood was completely covered with dust and soot from the site. We were all still glued to the television watching what was happening to pay it to much notice. The Seven World Trade Center building collapsed a little after 5:00 pm and I remember being happy when they said there were no deaths reported from it. The news continued to show all the footage of everything that had happened earlier that day on a loop and each time it was just as shocking as it was when we had seen it happen live that morning.

At 8:30 that night I remember sitting beside my mom and we watched as President Bush addressed the nation about the terrorist attacks. Some of the things he had said stuck out in my mind more than others. “Today, our nation saw evil -- the very worst of human nature -- and we responded with the best of America. With the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could. This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world.”

It is amazing at just how right he was. I do not think anyone will ever forget the events that happened that day. I am an adult now and I can still remember it as if it were yesterday. That day had such an impact on me that I grew up and chose a career as a nurse so I could help people when they needed it. I no longer live in the city but when I am there visiting my family, I often pass by ground zero to pay my respects to all who lost their lives that day and the days after. Something as tragic as that day will always stay in the memory of everyone who witnessed it no matter if they lived in New York or just watched it on the television from anywhere else in the world. I hope to never witness anything like the events that happened on September 11th, 2001 again.