9/11 Stories

Josephine Chinea

I woke up about 30 minutes before the first plane hit and started exercising ( at Home ) about 8:30am. I remember the today show being cut off and they showed smoke coming from the first building on the tv screen. I stood very still and my first thought was a their must have been a fire somewhere in the building. My very next thought was a bomb went off and I was relieve thinking that either way it was in the top floors and since it was not nine yet there would be few people there. Not long after I learned from my cousin that the restaurant is open in the morning and of course many people begin to work before nine. I have been living in Europe for almost twenty years and people begin and end work later than here in the country I lived in last.

When the second plane hit I was in total shock realizing what was happening and I just wept as I watched the people jumping out of windows and the towers collapsing. I was in a daze for quite sometime but six days later was my birthday and I got on a plane from Newark airport to Florida. I am traveling in two days to Costa Rica and next month to Europe. I refuse to let the terrorists win!

I was born in NYC 53 years ago and I remember the towers going up as I lived in the area and I will miss them forever. Living for so many years in countries where their is much terrorism such as England and Spain you become more aware that it really exists all around all the time. I knew many Arabs in these two countries and new some of their feeling for the American way but I never knew their was so much hatred.

I am extremely disappointed in how America has handled terrorism in the past and truly hope it corrects all the wrongs from the past. Last thought is I have always loved the fire dept. and now I know why. They are really the ones we must salute as heroes and hold in high esteem. The NYPD has not been my favorite in latter years but now I commend them too.

With many best regards and god bless america,

Josephine Chinea