OH+Interview

**Interview subjects** - Ross (Marin's dad), Jeanne (Lizzie's sister), Manu (Riya's dad)
 * Topic ** - 9/11 from multiple varying perspectives

9/11 Interview

What was your life like before 9/11? (where were you living, what was your job, etc.) Jeanne: I was only 13 years. Manu: I was living in Manchester, UK. I was a pediatric gastroenterologist. I was 39 years old. Ross: I was living in Evanston, Il, working as a resident physician in pathology. I was 35 years old.

How and when did you first hear about the news? What were you doing? Jeanne:I believe I was in Spanish class second period doing class work and it was around 9 in the morning and someone told me in spanish class that a plane hit the twin towers. Later on in the day, we heard that people or students in at USM had family in the building, and they were excused from the class so they could get in touch with their family. Manu: I was in a meeting. People were talking about it, but I wasn’t too sure about what was going on. Then I came home and switched on the tv. The second tower was just being hit when I began to watch it. Ross: I heard about it from a fellow resident - I was at work. It was within an hour of when it happened. I was working. We didn’t have TVs in our lab so I didn’t see anything on the TV until later.

What was your personal reaction to it? Jeanne: I was confused at first, and then shocked. Manu: I was horrified. Ross: I was shocked and angry. I was upset that somebody would kill all those people.

What were the reactions of the people around you? Jeanne: They were like me confused and shocked, and just we didn’t know what to make of it. Being quite young, we have never encountered anything like this before and we didn’t know what to make of it. Manu: They were shocked, and they were all extremely worried and scared. I was at home with you, your mom, and your sister by the time I truly understood what was going on. You and your sister were too young to understand anything, and your mom was quite confused and astounded by what was happening. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ross: I think they were all pretty similar to mine. There wasn’t a big commotion where I was and it was pretty calm. The president of the hospital I was working at made an announcement about it and then handed out flags which he later took back so he wouldn’t offend any non-Americans. We were all pretty focused on our work and really only checked the internet for info. They put us all on alert so we couldn’t go home in case the terrorists decided to attack Chicago, but that was pretty stupid.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Were there any drastic changes in your life afterwards? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jeanne: In my day to day life no, but after 9-11 the way that people discussed the world was completely changed. Before 9-11 my generation had no idea what or what terrorism meant or what it was to wage war on America, but afterwards everything that America has entered into has been because of 9-11. American politics and international politics is not completely the same because of the incident. The post 9-11 world is that now when group A is fighting a war, it doesn’t necessarily be a country, ethnicity, or nationality, or even religion! Now you have indefinable group that you are fighting a war against. What does it mean to fight a war against terrorism? It has changed the way that international relations is dealt with. The big change was that ever since 9-11 America has been at war. Now, I couldn’t imagine what it was like when America wasn’t at war. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Manu: Yeah. Very difficult to travel around the world. There was much more suspicion about people around you, and worried that there may be terrorist attacks on England. And concerns about global war. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ross: Not many changes happened afterwards other than travel. Plane security increased drastically. There was paranoia.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What about the aftermath of the crash do you remember? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jeanne: I remember watching TV that day on the crash. Watching the towers when they were standing and then footage of the towers collapsing. We heard that there was a plane that hit the pentagon and was supposed to go somewhere but went to Pennsylvania although it was meant for the white house. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Manu: It was terrifying to see the towers collapse and all the people running with the ash cloud behind them. And I was kind of scared for how many people must have lost their life in that tragedy. Seeing people jump off the towers and hitting the towers and dying in the air. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ross: I think the most vivid thing to me was seeing the replays of the planes crashing into the buildings. It was just crazy. It seemed unreal - it felt like a movie.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Were there any immediate impacts of 9/11 in your life? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jeanne: Um. I thought about it. I realized that people are capable of horrible things. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Manu: We were worried about family members who were working in New York. There was also the plane stuff, but nothing else really. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ross: Not exactly. Really only in travel. I’ve always been suspicious of politics so that didn’t change for me as it had for others.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Have there been any long term impacts of 9/11 in your life? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jeanne: In my life personally, every time I get on a plane I hope there is no terrorist that is going to hijack my plane. It’s not something I usually think about but its always in the back of my mind. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Manu: Probably not directly, but the money we have lost in the wars after 9/11 and how it has affected our day to day living and our finances. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ross: Traveling convenience. I’ve still never been afraid of hijacking and two weeks after, I was on a flight and I sat next to a Muslim/Arabic-looking person (for lack of better word) and still wasn’t afraid whereas others were.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What was your reaction to the killing of Osama Bin Laden? <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jeanne: I thought it was a great accomplishment. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Manu: I was....I was delighted and felt that justice was finally done. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ross: Disgust. It’s extra judicial murder. If he violated a law he should have been brought to trial for his crimes. He certainly bragged about what he supposedly did, but at the time I thought there was a possibility it was domestic. I compare it to the Oklahoma city bombing - that was a white Christian guy. It’s awful what happened but he has the undeniable right to a trial. This concept of “war on terror” is ridiculous - it needs to be a legal matter rather than a war.