9/11 - The Black Smoke
I was in school when it happened. I went p.s.21 in Staten Island, New York and I was in 2nd grade. We would play outside or stand on line while we waited for our teachers to come get us. Newark airport is fairly close to our school so we were always used to seeing planes fly above us. But on that day I remember one plane in particular flying a little too low, this was strange to us kids but we shrugged it off. We had just finished the pledge of allegiance and were taking our books out from our desks. My second grade teacher Mrs. McGinley then told us to pack our bags and get ready to head to the auditorium. From our second grade classroom on the second floor, we could see the smoke rising to the sky. I thought it was a fire or maybe a factory blew up. We were confused as to why we had to go to the auditorium, we figured we were gonna have a school meeting or maybe it was a half-a-day and we just didn’t notice it on the calendar. One by one the kids were picked up by their parents, it was chaos and no one knew what was happening but eventually my dad picked me up. I was always happy to see him get me because he always had a warm smile on him and he was silly but this time he was different. My dad was pale, horrified, like he just saw a ghost and he was in a huge rush. We went home, he put on his MTA uniform and he drove off to work. On every TV in the house my mom put univision, fox 5 news, channel 1 news, anything that had footage of the towers burning in the sky. Suddenly my dad called me and said “emely, do you see that smoke in the sky?” I looked from my parents window. I told him yes and it must’ve been a factory that blew up. But he said “no emely, two airplanes struck the towers. I’m going to work to help people get home. I love you.” It sounded like he was saying goodbye for good and my heart sank. Mom was crying in the kitchen, on the phone with my aunt and other family members. It was like a nightmare that was on repeat. My mother kept recording every news channel for I’m not sure what reason but I remember being annoyed because my favorite telenovela would come on at 9, but instead it was the news. Over and over I saw those planes crash into the buildings, it was almost cemented into my memory along with the smell of smoky barbecue in the air. Dad couldn’t come home for a few days because he was busy operating trains to help people get home. One week later the school called us back in and we had a memorial for those that were lost in the attack. Teachers crying, my principal’s lips trembling when she spoke, god i never saw her like that, the flag that rose high as we laid our hands on our hearts. We were just children, but the playful world we so enjoyed prior to that day was gone.
Enter
Emely
9/11 - Rumble
My wife and I were at a pathmark in Staten Island when it happened. I had just dropped emely at school and we needed to do some food shopping. I remember people gathering at a tv in the subway, they were huddled to it and it just seemed strange to me. What was on the tv that was so interesting? I got close to take a look and saw the world trade center burning, live. My wife asked me “what happened? Do you know?” “I think the pilot was asleep or drunk.” Suddenly a second plane crashed into the south tower. I said “oh no. That's no accident. This is a terrorist attack.” People screamed and panicked, Ada asked “but who would do such a thing? Is this war? Why is this happening?” I’ve had my fair share of reading history, so i told her “it’s osama b ladin, this is his style. He’ll distract you on one side while he plans his next move. We gotta go.” I dropped off my wife and son at home and went to get my daughter at school. I knew the MTA was gonna need me in the city so I quickly dropped home, got dressed and got a call from my brother. He was a police officer at the site and he asked me to pick up his daughter from school. I picked up my niece from the north of the island which is fairly close to the city. As I'm driving her home, suddenly I can hear a big rumble in the air. Almost like an earthquake, a bad feeling in me told me that the towers had fallen. I dropped off my niece with her mother and drove straight towards the verrazano. Policemen had barriers up and were only letting city workers through, I showed an officer my uniform and drove straight to work. What’s his next move? What is he planning to do next? Will I come back home safe? Is my brother okay? Is this officially war? Too many questions, no time, I had to help these people get home and see my kids again. I called my daughter and told her what happened. I called my wife and let her know what my work situation will be. I got on that train and picked up hundreds of people, many of whom were covered in dust. There were delays, reroutes, the radio wouldn’t stop going off. It was like the apocalypse. No one knew what they were doing but we just kept working day in and out. Us operators barely slept or ate for days; it was like we lived on those trains. And in my many years of working as a train operator, the only noise I could never get used to was that of the towers collapsing.
(Shared by Emely Larissa Aparicio)
I was 9 years old in the third grade when the first plane struck. My elementary school was not prepared until the second plane got hit. I remember very well when we heard “ Attention Ladies and gentlemen, the twin towers were both hit by airplanes, get ready and prepare all students for the bomb drill.” around 9 o'clock in the morning after the attack. Right after the announcement we were told to grab our belongings and to hide in the closet. Everyone was uncertain what was going to happen, if more attacks were coming. I was one of the last kids to get picked up by their parents around 12 pm which was 3 hours in a closet full of other kids waiting to be picked up. When I got home I remember both my parents' faces in shock looking at the tv screen, I was also in shock seeing people jump out, I remember thinking what a sad day.
(Shared by Stephany Perez)