2021/2022
Collection 17

The Unforgettable First Day of Work

2001; Washington, DC, USA

Where were you on September 11, 2001? If you were alive that day, you most likely remember exactly where you were and what you were doing. That day was a significant and tragic day in our country’s history — many lives were lost. My mom can easily remember that day because she happened to be in our nation’s capital, more specifically in the Capitol.

My mom, Catherine Lane, had graduated from North Carolina State University in the spring of 2001. She and some of her friends decided to move to Washington, DC, to get their first jobs. In high school my mom had done an internship with a Senator in the United States Senate. That gave my mom experience and contacts that allowed her to get hired by a North Carolina representative, Congressman Walter B. Jones, Jr. She still has her job-offer letter, telling her to report to the congressman’s office located at 422 Cannon House Office Building on September 11, 2001, at 8:00 a.m.

She was so excited to start her new job as a staff assistant. That morning she arrived at 8:00 a.m., and had been there just long enough to meet her co-workers, greet Congressman Jones, and settle into her new desk.

All of a sudden all the televisions were tuned to breaking news, and everyone had their eyes glued to the television screens in shock. The first World Trade Center tower, located in New York City, had been hit by an airplane. Everyone thought it was an accident until another plane hit the second tower.

My mom said that at that very moment the SWAT team, dressed with all their helmets and guns, were running through the hallways, telling everyone to evacuate the building and get away from the Capitol. My mom was terrified, and everybody was freaking out, because they heard that another plane had been hijacked and was on track to crash into the Capitol or the White House.

My mom had no clue what to do, so she ran down the stairs and got outside. Minutes later a huge plane flew right over my mom and crashed right into the Pentagon.(1) She heard a huge explosion, and everyone ducked.

My mom was terrified and had no car and no way home. A co-worker she had met just minutes before offered to take my mom home. They eventually drove past the Pentagon on the road home, and she saw part of the building engulfed in smoke and flames.

The city was completely shut down, and traffic was stopped for miles. Cell phones were out of service, along with all other forms of communication.

Several hours later my mom finally got home and was able to call her mom. They both cried tears of relief that she was safe and had survived her first day on the job.

Harris Lane; North Carolina, USA

1. The Pentagon is a huge five-sided building located just across the Potomac River from Washington, DC. It is the headquarters for the U.S. Department of Defense, which oversees all branches of the country’s armed forces.

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