AMERICA UNITED Associated Press Photo September 11, 2001 Attack on America hits home with students Worries about tests, unfinished homework and talk of another normal day at Harding were displaced by a somber message delivered by President David Burks at the opening of chapel services Sept. 11. "I think you all should know that two commercial planes have reportedly crashed into the twin towers of the WorId Trade CenterinNew York City," Burks said, plaintively. "There are also reports of a plane striking the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Atthispointwedon'tknowthenumber of injuries, but obviously there will be many." Separated from the already rampant television coverage of the attacks, most students were not aware of the devastation until they were released from chapel for their morning classes. During chapel, the north and south towers of the World Trade Center collapsed, and the Pentagon remained swaddled in flames. Sophomore Anne Fowlkes didn't know if her brother Tyler was trapped in the twisted wreckage that had hidden New York City behind a thick sheath of billowing black smoke. Fowlkes said her brother, who works for a Fayetteville-based investment firm, was in a hotel that connected the two towers when the first plane hit. "He got in touch with the 274 September 11, 2001 Fayetteville office, and we found out that he was all right, and then the towers collapsed," Fowlkes said. "I was on the phone with my dad when we saw the towers collapse on television. It was at least two or three hours before we heard from him again. He'd gotten on a ferry and made his way to New Jersey." Fowlkes said it was difficult to remain focused on Sept. 11, especially during those few tense hours when she didn't know her brother's whereabouts. "We didn't know how far away he was," she said. "It was a bad day, to say the least." Impromptu prayer sessions and muffled tears dotted the campus as students and faculty alike struggled to comprehend the enormity of the attacks, which left thousands dead and millions searching for peace amidst the chaos and worry. Junior Brooks Brown spent most of Sept. 11 trying to locate his father, whoworkedatthe World Trade Center. "All I could think about was that my dad was working up there," said Brown, who is from New Egypt, N.J. "I first tried his mobile and couldn't get him, and I was worried ... When I finally got a hold of him, he was at home sitting on the porch ... I was relieved. He told me he didn't have to work that day." -Chad Lawson &Jeffrey Hunter Photo by Jeremy Beauchamp Students gather in the student center to listen and watch as the latest news of the attacks unfold. Many students said they will always remember where they were and what they were doing the tragic morning of Sept. 11.
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