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September 11, 2001 WTC NEWS & LINKS

OPINIONS
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time stood still
Posted by: Doreen from Lompoc, CA Thursday September 12, 2002 @ 03:10 PDT
i was on my way to work when i heard the news. i remember the exact location of the street i was on. i was listening to my favorite radio station and i didn't want to believe what i was hearing. a plane had hit the #1 tower of the wtc in what was thought to be a horrible accident. but as i was listening a second plane hit the # 2 tower and it became clear that this was no accident! i only lived a few blocks from work but by the time i arrived i was in shock. when i walked in the door the tv was on in the back office and i could hear my co-workers and the news people talking about what was happening. when i looked at the tv in the back office i saw people jumping from the towers. no one could believe this was happening. at the same time it was reported that a plane had hit the pentegon and a passenger plane had also been hijacked. transcripts of final cell phone calls from passengers aboard the hijacked airliner flashed across the screen. then the towers were collapsing and people were running to try and escape the debris and choking smoke. i had never seen so much destruction and chaos. time stood still. my heart was beating too fast and i couldn't take a breathe. i didn't know what to do, i felt so helpless. how could this be happening? who put this unthinkable act into play? the days that followed were a blur of one news report after another talking about the death toll and the terrorists. after about a week i couldn't turn the tv or radio on anymore. i just couldn't face seeing the horrors of 9/11 replayed over and over. i could only imagine what the families of lost loved ones were going through and my heart ached for them. it made me aware of how vulnerable we all are, and how we should cherish every precious moment with our families and friends. now it's a year later, and even though the terrorists have done their best to destroy us, the american spirit lives on!! we are stronger and more united than ever. god bless america!!