September 11th

10 Years Remembering September 11th

I am sure my kids will ask me one day where I was and what I was doing on September 11, 2001, so here are two journal entries from 9/13 and 9/14.

September 13, 2001

Tuesday, September 11, 2001 America was attacked. I was combing my hair after a shower when Jack ran into the bathroom to tell me a high jacked plane crashed into one of the two towers of the World Trade Center in downtown New York City. When I go to the TV I was just in time to see a second high jacked plane crash into the second tower. The tops of the two towers were on fire. They were both about 150 stories high. I went back into the bathroom to dry my hair. Jack then ran to get me because a third high jacked plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. I stayed by the TV this time. The two World Trade Center towers collapsed within a half hour of each other. Over 50,000 people are in those buildings each day! Thousands were trapped inside when they collapsed. A fourth high jacked plane crashed into a rural area near Pittsburgh. All air travel in the US was stopped and has been until today.

This is war! President Bush declared war on terrorism. Osama Bin Laden has been named a suspect. He was born in Saudi Arabia, but exiled from the country because of terrorist acts. He is now hiding in Afghanistan. All of Europe, Russia, and Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, have pledged to support the US in the fight against terrorism. The difficult thing is that it is not a country to declare war against, it is individual people.


It is expected that 150 have died at the Pentagon. On the four flights, about 250 were aboard. Thousands are buried in the debris of the Trade Center. Mayor Giuliani of New York City has requested 6,000 body bags. When police and firefighters rushed in to help people Tuesday, the building s collapsed on them. Two neighboring buildings also fell. Another skyscraper is unstable. Some survivors used cell phones from air pockets under the rubble to call for help. Only a few have been rescued.


It has been speculated that the plane that went down in Pittsburgh was overtaken by high jackers with a plan to hit another strategic building, but the crew and passengers interfered and brought the plane down. Those people probably saved thousands of lives while losing their own.


I have never felt so much patriotism than I do now. I completely support President Bush and any plans for war. I wish I could somehow help. I feel helpless watching the rescue efforts on TV. The footage is amazing and tragic ant the same time.


The mall closed Tuesday, so I did not have to work. Gas prices increased and people rushed to get in long lines to get gasoline, including me.

September 14, 2001


Today has been declared a day of prayer and mourning for those killed in the terrorist attacks. President Bush visited the site of the World Trade Center wreckage. He said to the workers and volunteers there, “I hear you. The rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will soon hear from all of us.”


The United States has truly become united. Everyone is doing what they can to help. The Red Cross has an overabundance of blood donated from all over the nation. Signs in front of fast food restaurants, family owned businesses, churches, and schools in Springfield (Missouri) say things like, “God Bless America,” “American Will Triumph,” and “Pray for Our Nation.”