Memories from Italy
1. "I was 10 and living on the Support Site American Base in Naples, Italy. It was a normal day at school and we were dismissed at 2:00 PM without knowing that the attacks began at the same time.
I walked home from school and everything was eerily quiet. Many of our parents were at work off-base, so it was just dozens of us kids hanging out and walking home with no knowledge of anything.
I got home, turned on the TV to one of the five channels we had on military cable, and saw the World Trade Center on fire."
- Jake Paxton
I walked home from school and everything was eerily quiet. Many of our parents were at work off-base, so it was just dozens of us kids hanging out and walking home with no knowledge of anything.
I got home, turned on the TV to one of the five channels we had on military cable, and saw the World Trade Center on fire."
- Jake Paxton
2. "I was 7 years-old and the memory of the news covering the attacks is still very vivid in my mind.
My little sister and I were watching a famous Italian kids' TV show called La Melevisione after school. The broadcast was abruptly interrupted by the news, showing smoke coming from the towers as the news reporter stated what had happened. My sister and I didn't understand what was happening at first and called my mom to the TV to show her. Our mom's face turned to disbelief.
Being a little kid, I was quite upset my TV show didn't resume after the news. They rightfully continued talking about that all day.
Funny thing is, that kid show was so popular in Italy at the time that a lot of people around my age had the same experience of 9/11 as me, the sudden interruption, the news, and then abrupt horror."
- G. M.
My little sister and I were watching a famous Italian kids' TV show called La Melevisione after school. The broadcast was abruptly interrupted by the news, showing smoke coming from the towers as the news reporter stated what had happened. My sister and I didn't understand what was happening at first and called my mom to the TV to show her. Our mom's face turned to disbelief.
Being a little kid, I was quite upset my TV show didn't resume after the news. They rightfully continued talking about that all day.
Funny thing is, that kid show was so popular in Italy at the time that a lot of people around my age had the same experience of 9/11 as me, the sudden interruption, the news, and then abrupt horror."
- G. M.
3. "I was 11 years old and the school year was due to start on September 17th, the following Monday, so I was doing my summer homework while laying on the floor. I was doing English homework, writing out words that started with the letter 'T'. My sister was on the phone with her boyfriend, at the time, using the landline in our bedroom. He told her something was going on, and to turn the TV on. We had a small TV in our bedroom, on top of the bookshelf, and when my sister turned it on we saw the footage of the second plane colliding.
I did not understand what was going on, I thought it was a movie, and I copied the word 'Trade' off the screen, to include in my homework. My mother heard the TV and came into our bedroom to tell us off, but she froze in her tracks, hugged me to cover my eyes and told me not to look. My sister and my mother watched in silence for a long time, and I peeked through my mom's arms to see what was causing such a weird event. Mom then explained to me that it was really happening, and we spent the rest of the afternoon watching the news quietly."
- Leopardi
I did not understand what was going on, I thought it was a movie, and I copied the word 'Trade' off the screen, to include in my homework. My mother heard the TV and came into our bedroom to tell us off, but she froze in her tracks, hugged me to cover my eyes and told me not to look. My sister and my mother watched in silence for a long time, and I peeked through my mom's arms to see what was causing such a weird event. Mom then explained to me that it was really happening, and we spent the rest of the afternoon watching the news quietly."
- Leopardi