9.11.01 Where were YOU?

I was asleep when the first plane hit. My brother came in to my room and woke me up.

"Hey, a plane just hit the World Trade Center."

After so many bombings there, I really didn't think anything of it. I figured the building would be fine and nothing really extraordinary had happened. I mumbled something to him.

"Get up. This is really bad. Think about all the alarms going off at ADT." I worked at ADT security services at the time. For some reason, thinking about how busy my dad would be ( he worked there too, different shift) got me out of bed and I turned on my tv. It shocked me. Black smoke billowing out of the tower. People jumping from buildings. It didn't seem real.

We were watching as the second plane hit, as the Pentagon was hit and as our President was in the air being flown to his bunker. When I heard that the Pentagon had been hit, I really started to get scared. I wasn't thinking clearly and remembered that the Pentagon was in Virginia and that Jim lived in Virginia. I just couldn't remember how far away he was from it. I started trying to call him on his cell but couldn't get through for about 15 minutes where by the time I got him on the phone I was almost hysterical thinking he may have some how been involved. Finally, he did answer and say that he was nowhere near it and that he was fine. Once I was off the phone with him I called my mother.

My mother had been hospitalized just a few days before. She had a plethora of health problems with her heart and kidneys and I was worried that if she was watching what was happening to our country she would have another heart attack. Luckily, she answered right away but was already watching. It was hard not too. It was playing on every station.

I remember going into work that night and being able to look up accounts from the area and to realize that our operators here in Rochester had spoken to people who might not have made it out alive. There were alot of tears and shock at work that night.

I will never forget all that our country has lost.