One Day

September 11th 2001

Three weeks of university life has been amazing. I love everything about college life from living in the dorms, to meeting new people, to my classes, even the food has been great. NYU is the best, the city is so wonderful.

I was born and raised in New York and I never imagined city life would be this great. My parents were happy I chose a school near home. My father Lincoln is a firefighter who works a couple blocks from NYU and my mother Morgan is a doctor who works at Mount Sinai Beth Israel which is also close to me.

I'm not angry my parents are near me. I'm happy and proud of them as they are of me. I admire my parents so much I want to be like them, both brave and honorable.

What a beautiful say it is. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, not a cloud to be seen. I have an early class which is okay with me. I get the rest of the morning off until 3pm which is when my next class begins.

8:30 am the class is beginning to fill up. My best friend Avery enters the classroom with a big smile on her face. I ask her why she's smiling? Avery tells me her father bought her a new car.

Avery and I have been best friends since we were five. Both of our fathers are firefighters. The day I got into NYU Avery also found out she got into NYU. We were both so excited to be going to the same university, as well as our families.

Class has begun but minutes into class we began to hear that a plane crashed into one of the twin towers. Myself, Avery and the rest of the class left. We rushed outside some of us rushed to the student lounge and saw the news. We saw the North Tower with a huge hole. The news was saying a plane struck the North Tower but we didn't know how bad it was until sixteen minutes later.

As we were watching the news coverage myself along with the others watching saw the unimaginable. A plane slammed into the South Tower. Right at that moment we knew this was very serious.

I knew my dad and Avery's dad are rushing to the World Trade Center. I say a silent prayer to keep my dad, Avery's dad and the rest of New York's bravest safe.

Avery grabs my hand and tells me everything is going to be okay. I can only hope my father will come home tonight. I call my mom she answers on the first ring. My mom asks me if I'm okay. I tell her I am but I fear from okay. What started out as a beautiful day turned into a tragedy I never imagined would happen.

Avery grabs my hand again. We race up to the roof of the building where we have a clear view of the World Trade Center. I can't believe what I'm seeing.

Two gaping holes, smoke coming out of both buildings. Sirens of police cars and fire trucks are coming from all over the city.My father is in one of those trucks racing to save lives.

As I stare at the twin towers, I notice something falling out of the windows. I tap Avery's shoulder, point to the towers and tell her "look." Avery looks and sees the same thing I am seeing.

Another friend of ours Cameron has a video recorder. He is taping the whole scene. Cameron shows us what he taped snd to my horror the objects falling are people. I am at a lost for words. I turn away from Avery and Cameron and begin to cry.

"Maddie, look at me." I turn and look at Avery. We hug each other. Myself, Avery, Cameron and the whole lot of us remain on the roof watching the towers when word started to spread that a third plane struck the Pentagon.

The Pentagon, the base for our military was just struck by a plane. We know this is no accident this is intentional. Our country is being deliberately attacked by an unknown force.

My heart is beating faster and faster every moment, every second I watch the twin towers. Those poor people above the impact zone are trapped. Those poor people jumping out of the windows believe they have no hope of getting down from the towers, sadly they might be right.

My heart is heavy thinking about my father going inside those buildings, now I'm thinking about the people in the Pentagon. Oh My God! the people on those planes how scared they were. Why would anyone do this?

Shortly before 10 am myself, Avery, Cameron and the few who still remained on the rooftop of our building saw the most horrific, the most dreadful, the most unspeakable, the most frightening scene, the south tower collapsed.

I let out a dreadful scream. I fell to the floor crying. Avery collapsed next to me. We hugged each other crying. Both our fathers are down there.

Cameron came to us and hugged us. He told us to be strong and to believe our fathers are okay. I know Cameron is right, we have to be strong. Our fathers are strong and brave. My father is my hero and a hero to all the lives he saved in the past and to those he will save today.

Me, Avery and Cameron got up from the floor. We held on to each other while watching the last remaining tower. 28 minutes later the north tower collapsed. We stood there too stunned to move. At that moment I wanted to rush off of the roof to go and find my father but something kept me glued to this spot. It was like some force was telling me to stay put so I did.

Billows of smoke surround lower Manhattan. What once stood as a towering presence in the eyes of so many has been reduced to rubble. Tears burn my eyes for what we lost.

Avery, Cameron and the others who were on the rooftop with me left. I'm the only one still here watching the smoke rise over lower Manhattan. A few minutes later Avery comes to get me but I don't want to leave. I can't go back to my normal life knowing my father is down at the center of tragedy. Avery's father is also down there, she looks much stronger than me.

"Maddie, our moms are waiting for us." I nod. Avery leads me downstairs and into the arms of my mother. Avery is hugging her mother. I ask my mom why she's not at the hospital? My mother tells me she came to get me and to hug me. Now me, my mom, Avery and her mom are heading to the hospital to await news on our fathers and so both our moms can help the injury.

The hospital is in chaos. So many injury people are coming in, there is no end. My mother and Avery's mother have been busy. Maybe it's good they are busy so they won't have to think of their husband, our fathers. Me and Avery are in the doctor's lounge doing nothing but hoping this nightmare will end with good news. From time to time our moms comes to check on us sadly with no news.

It's late in the evening me and Avery left the doctor's lounge, we are in the waiting area. The news is on. I see the devastation more clearly, there are no words to describe the horrible scene.

Those poor people never stood a chance. Once again tear burn my eyes. I pray one day the families of those lost today will find solace that we will never forget them.

I found my solace being here with my mom, Avery and her mom but I so badly want my father to walk through those hospital doors so I could give him the biggest hug ever.

My mom comes to me, she sits next to me, grabs my hand and tells me "Your father is the bravest man I know. I know for a fact he's out there doing what he does best, saving lives and knowing we are in his heart. Your father is coming home. I feel it in my heart. Be strong my darling daughter." I hug my mother and tell her "I love you."

I believe my mom. Her words have never let me down. My parents have a special connection, one in a lifetime. Any moment I will see the best father in the world walk through those doors.

Our world, our country, our lives will never be the same. We lived a life believing nothing bad would ever happen to us. One day, one morning changed everything. My father's life, the men and women at the twin towers working to save lives, the families of the victims, the survivors and those at the pentagon are changed forever. Nothing will ever be the same.

Right now news is coming in that a fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania. Details are sketchy about what happened. I should have more details later on.

What I learned about the fourth plane is not much. We haven't been told much about how or why three planes crashed in the twin towers and the Pentagon. My only focus is my dad and Avery's dad coming home.

It's already midnight, chaos at the hospital has gone down a bit, still no sign of our fathers. Me and Avery have been on pins and needles for hours. I don't know how long I can last.

I only slept for a while. I wake up every time the hospital doors open hoping it's my father but sadly it wasn't nor Avery's father. My mom comes to sit with me when she's on break. We don't talk., We sit in comfortable silence.

I look at my phone and two hours have gone by since my mother came to see me. I'm worried. The hospital hasn't been full since the afternoon. I ask Avery who is sitting next to me if she seen her mom. Avery shakes her head.

What's going on? Then I get my answer. My mom and Avery's mom are walking to us with an expression on there faces I can't read. I stand up so does Avery. We rush to our moms. I ask my mom "Is Daddy coming home?" Avery asks the same question.

Both our mom's looks at us and tells us to turn around. We are confused. We turn around and see our fathers. I rush to my father and give him the biggest hug. I begin to cry. I tell my dad I love him. "I'm okay baby girl. I'm here now."

I'm so happy to see my dad is alive. Avery is next to me crying in the arms of her dad. Our moms come to us and as one big happy family we hug and cry together.

History will never forget this day. The men and women working to save the lives of those trapped under the rubble of the twin towers and the pentagon will never forget this day. The families of the victims and the survivors will never forget this day. We as a country will never forget this day.

We as a country and a people will honor and remember those who died here in New York, Washington and in Pennsylvania. We will honor the brave firefighter, Port Authority and Police officers who died as heroes and we will honor the heroes who survived like my father and Avery's father.

I lived through a part of history I wish upon nobody. This is a day which will stick with me forever. One day I'm going to tell my story to the next generation so they will know about the heroes who lived and died on this tragic day, just like our grandparents taught us about Pearl Harbor.

We Will Never Forget.