War works
On the morning that the World Trade Center was destroyed Mary Hannon asked me to go to the library to see what was on TV because she had heard that something had happened. I went by Ms Crier’s room and saw that her TV was on-The towers were burning. There was a report that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon and another had crashed in Pennsylvania. I has stunned as though hit by a hammer. When I went back to the Art Room Hannon said: “Mr. Brewster, what did you find out?” I said: We need to turn on the TV- 2 planes have struck the Trade Center in New York. The Pentagon has been attacked and a 4th plane crashed but this doesn’t sound possible-maybe I misunderstood. We put the television on and everything was true. One tower had collapsed. I went into my section to get my students. When I came out the other one was gone as well. “What happened?” I asked. “It fell down” the kids said. The children were afraid that a plane would hit Easton. I said that there were too many oak trees around and we were too low to the ground. We wondered what Pennsylvania had to go with an attack of Washington. Maybe they were trying to blow up the Liberty Bell when they crashed.
Classes changed. By now televisions
were playing in all the rooms. The principal was watching a tv in his office. As I went by I heard him say: “man we are under attack!” Another teacher said: “This is history; all the children should see this.” I called Hasmig at Woodlake. When I reached her she said: “Bush is here in Louisiana. He’s in Bossier City at Barksdale Air Force Base-Hiding!” When I told the class this news they said: “Damn why he want to come here and bring trouble?” “Bush can go somewhere else-why isn’t he in Washington?” Another student said:
“I think Bush blew up those towers-that’s why he’s hiding!” I explained that Presidents are supposed to hide but they weren’t buying it. “When something happens here at school its Mr. Ed (the principal) and you teachers that stop it. Mr. Ed doesn’t runaway and hide like Bush… Meanwhile the TVs droned on and on
All flights grounded, everyone on alert, clouds of smoke over New York The eerie orange glow of smoldering debris at what was being called ground zero, 7000 dead they said. At 2pm the superintendent of education ordered all tvs turned off. He thought that students had seen enough history for one day. In one hour are the mighty towers fallen
Alas Babylon