9/11
As a side note before I start, I didn't get that job. I am trying not to panic with the idea that it will be hard to get another when I have been cast aside from this one.
September 11, 2001 was a gorgeous day in the DC area. I went to work, and someone called out in the hallway that a plane struck the World Trade Center. I immediately thought it was a mechanical problem. We turned on CNN, and many people had gathered. We saw the second plane hit the towers. We were all in shock. People cried, covered their mouths, hugged each other. We were all glued to the tv. At 9:20 or so, they made an announcement that a plane was headed for the White House (two blocks from where I worked) and we needed to evacuate the building. We hudled in the garage, listening to a tiny battery powered radio. That's when we heard about the attack on the Pentagon. Two of my friends and I had taken the metro train that day, which stops at the Pentagon. We knew it would be closed, but we didn't know when the plane heading for the White House would strike and we didn't want to be around when it did. So we walked from downtown DC, out into Georgetown, where traffic was at a standstill. We heard the 14th street bridge was closed, so we walked over the Key Bridge, which took us into Rosslyn Virginia.
The Key Bridge passes right by the Pentagon. I will never forget the site of the Pentagon burning. I thought to myself that if we can't protect the building where the military runs its day to day operations, then none of us is safe. When we got to Rosslyn, I took the train out into Fairfax Virginia, and called my dad to pick me up. He hugged me extra tight that day. My grandmother had a granddaughter at the World Trade Center and a granddaughter two blocks from the White House, so she couldn't rest until we called and told her we were okay. Erica had an appointment that morning, and never made it to work.
I think often of those people in flight 93 and what might have happened to me had they not crashed the plane. It's a lot to wrap my head around.
September 11, 2001 was a gorgeous day in the DC area. I went to work, and someone called out in the hallway that a plane struck the World Trade Center. I immediately thought it was a mechanical problem. We turned on CNN, and many people had gathered. We saw the second plane hit the towers. We were all in shock. People cried, covered their mouths, hugged each other. We were all glued to the tv. At 9:20 or so, they made an announcement that a plane was headed for the White House (two blocks from where I worked) and we needed to evacuate the building. We hudled in the garage, listening to a tiny battery powered radio. That's when we heard about the attack on the Pentagon. Two of my friends and I had taken the metro train that day, which stops at the Pentagon. We knew it would be closed, but we didn't know when the plane heading for the White House would strike and we didn't want to be around when it did. So we walked from downtown DC, out into Georgetown, where traffic was at a standstill. We heard the 14th street bridge was closed, so we walked over the Key Bridge, which took us into Rosslyn Virginia.
The Key Bridge passes right by the Pentagon. I will never forget the site of the Pentagon burning. I thought to myself that if we can't protect the building where the military runs its day to day operations, then none of us is safe. When we got to Rosslyn, I took the train out into Fairfax Virginia, and called my dad to pick me up. He hugged me extra tight that day. My grandmother had a granddaughter at the World Trade Center and a granddaughter two blocks from the White House, so she couldn't rest until we called and told her we were okay. Erica had an appointment that morning, and never made it to work.
I think often of those people in flight 93 and what might have happened to me had they not crashed the plane. It's a lot to wrap my head around.
posted by Debcapsfan | 7:54 AM
4 Comments:
*hugs* Hopefully a new job will work out soon.
I watched United 93 a few weeks ago. I didn't expect to be so impacted by it, as I'm not a particularly sentimental person. What wonderful heros those people were, and such strong family members.
Thanks for posting your memories of that day. There are so many stories and "what ifs."
Thanks for sharing your memories, Debs.
{hugs}
That had to be a very crazy day around DC. I still can't watch any show or movie about it. I visited the Flight 93 site not long after it happened. That was enough for me.
I can't believe it's been 5 years!
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