September 11, 2001: The First 24 Hours Exhibit

On September 11, 2001, I was sleeping soundly in my bed in Guadalajara, Mexico, when I was awakened by a phone call. «The US is under attack!» said the nearly giddy voice on the other end.
I was glued to the television for the rest of the day.
I spoke with family and friends in the States repeatedly over the next couple of weeks, trying to grasp the situation. In Guadalajara, the blocks surrounding the US Consulate were closed and guards were posted at every corner. Police began to harass all people of Middle Eastern descent, stopping them at gunpoint wherever they dared tread. But otherwise, life went on.
To this day, I harbor some degree of survivor’s guilt. I wasn’t here, I can’t possibly understand what it was like…
So when I found out about the ⁹⁄₁₁ exhibit that was at the Aurora History Museum, I decided to go.
It is a small exhibit, consisting of a replica of a timeline of the day displayed at Ground Zero, and items recovered from the site on loan from the New York State Museum, while an original composition plays in the background. I didn’t realize it until I returned home, but the man behind the reception desk, Ken Clinton, wrote the music.
Despite its small size, its impact was strong. Pieces of the buildings, of the planes, personal effects, notes left at Ground Zero, and the story of the people who recovered the objects from Fresh Kills landfill while searching for human remains in the months following the attack connected me with the day and the aftermath.
Kleenex are at the door as you go in, you might want to grab one in advance.