Towers there. Innocence lost. Join me of a moment of silence. They kept on saying a terrorist attack. 20 kwyears later. Do you think that day affected your life, of two you are today . Not many people would have thought i would become a cop. I had my stumbles, i have been to prison twice. It is always going to be about our lives. There were only 16 of us with him. We get to be the people two tell story. Their story in a cnn special report. Front row to history. The 9 11 classroom. Hello, i am victor blackwell, most of us remember where we were on September 11th, 2001. I was in college and i remember clearly walking into class and seeing my professor fixated on the tv, his hands was over his mouth and i looked at the tv and i saw Smoke Bellowing from the skyscraper. That was all i knew. I remember seeing the president surrounded by young School Kids that morning. We learned president george w. Bush got words of the first plane crashed into the center. He was there to honor a second Grade Class for their academic achievements. The president of the united states and they were starstruck. Then Andy Carr walked in. As those children watch the image is still haunting 20 years later. Those students are 27 year olds. I wonder whatever happened to those kids and do they remember and how do they feel and their connection of the most terrifying of american history. The day i discovered the White House was coming, i was sworn to secrecy. So imagine i had to for three months as much as i talk. The earliest memory i had is the black board. We were being told that our Reading Comprehension went from a d and we bump it Up To a b or an a. As a result of that, the president of the united states came and greeted us. This was going to be a stop to meet with the students and have a Roundtable Discussion with educators. When i was told that i was the host teacher, i was like whoa, this is getting real. My 16 little ones are going to be in the presence of the president. How cool is that . How special is that . It was quite a big thing. Quite a big thing. This is the ebook of school. In newtown, we were not the popular school in district. They did so well that President Bush had to come here to see them. We didnt have to go to him. He came to us. Why did you think you did so well . I think is mainly because they wanted better for us, students at the time. They put their blood, sweats and tears into us. I remember the most is the love in that classroom and my classmates and the teachers and the whole school. When did you arrive . The night before. Did you know why you came in . He may have had dinner with his brother maybe . I found out the night before. What did you think when you heard it . I was like what i was going to be in the class to read to the president. I didnt know what that meant. I was definitely excited. I was dancing around in the living room, i was competitive so i feel like oh, the president is coming, i am going to show off my skills a little bit, i am a fast reader. How is a preparation for a teacher, the president was coming to your classroom. It was easy because we didnt change anything. What you see is what we do everyday. What time does the day start on September 11th for you . Around 6 00 a. M. I remember Loading Up the pool and a smaller motorcade, it was casual and pretty warm. The president went for a jog at a local golf course. I got ready at my Grandmas House that morning and she ironed my clothes and everything. My parents made sure i got a haircut, clean uniform. I was waiting for the president , while he was running, i got stunned by a bee. I told the doctor, okay, dont worry about it. I got it on the medical unit on Board Air Force 1. I never thought about it again. I was running late at the time and the moment i got into mrs. Deans class, there is a lot more people than normally is in there. We had to show up on time. If we didnt, the Secret Service would not allow us in. We missed one or two classmates who were not going to make it on time. We load backup and got back to the hotel and that was a quick change and it was time to get the Press Pool back into the vans. When we got to school it was like Secret Service everywhere. Wow, these people here. They were like, we need to check your bags. When you are seven it is like okay, whats is happening . I told her the Men In Black were at my school. There were people in cars and trees. They were discreet and of to this day, i dont know what happened in my classroom. I found out afterwards. Security was in the restroom. My desk was searched and my home and my family and everything. The motorcade as we left the hotel was a very casual, Loading Up. It was handing newspaper clips out, press for grabbing, laptops and camera and things. It was a normal start to the day with the president. Was the president looking forward to this . Yes, absolutely. He was in a great move. He thought we had a good event and heading home. I am the first one in my classroom and i made sure all the chairs were straight and making sure he had his seat ready and the books are ready. I remember that they told us we were not allowed to turn around. Because there were all these cameras. I was very hyper. I did not like to sit still. Everybody is buying for space to get the best angle and shot. We sat out around 8 00 a. M. Or something at the school. We were in here talking and you know i am trying to keep them entertained and we are having a good time, a normal day with the exception of why are all these people on campus and who are these people . This is just in, you are looking at a disturbing live shot there. We were getting very close to the elementary School And Everyones pagers started buzzing and buzzing. 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Up to 30hr Wear Superstay Foundation maybelline New York. This is myrtle street. This is the color section. This is what we were. We were going to be servants and the service employees. Thats all we got now. We have very little manufacturing, very little technical stuff it was going to be playground for the wealthy and they were going to cater to banks and Sun And Sand and fun. This is the story of our community. How has Sarasota Change . Not much. Really . Not much. We are still a service based community. We still are rather impoverished. When you found out the president was here for the reading class, what did you think about the school and about the accomplishment and his acknowledgment . It was a Pride Moment for me. We had outstanding teachers. Miss daniels is the reason why the president came because of her program and her success. What does it feel like to be back in the classroom although it is different . I started in 1993. This was my Starting Skochoo and my home. Lead, read, read the teachers are here Day And Night and Reading And Teaching and they did the Hard Work and they made the game and thats why President Bush was here and congratulated them. The principal of this school asked you to greet the president. I knew i diplomadnt have to anything but say hello and shake hands. When did things change that morning . We were getting close to the elementary school. Everyones pagers started buzzing and buzzing. We get these notes from the white House Situation Room that a plane crashed into the World Trade Center. The motorcade arrived around 8 35, 8 40ish. The motorcade turned into emma e. Booker. What happened once the car stopped and the president stepped out . I have never seen people jump out of a motorcade jumped out so quickly. It was the president s senior Aide Running to tell the president what had happened. When he first arrived, we didnt greet him at that time. They said he needs to take this call. The president coming into the room, everyone was trying to gather information. Pages were coming in with additional information. Good morning. Did you know by the time he came in what had happened in New York . No, we did not. The only thing we knew it was something important and something was happening. What was your impression . He was relaxed and reserved but present. What did you expect a president to look like or be . It was kind of weird. I had this regal expectation, i am 7yearold and i have a bit of a imagination. No, it was nice to see thats the man and the leader of our country, a simple man at the end of the day. I just remember him being very nice, welcoming and it was not nerveracking. He didnt seem intimidating or anything. What i expected i remember us Standing Up and greeting us and maybe shook a few hands. Then he started talking about his dogs and daughters. The image of you with your hand over your heart, do you remember why your hand was over your heart . I remember when he walked in, i was starstruck, oh my god, thats him and being kind of flustered and my hand is over my heart like when you do the pledge of allegiance. Hes important. I had given them lessons of who the president is and why hes coming. I want to be authentic and as real as they are. They were beautiful kids at that time. The next thing that happened was they sat down and we went right into the lesson. What was the lesson . Everybody together. When we returned, all i can see this man coming towards the president and i am thinking who is this and why is this happening . Sustenance for Mountaineering Expeditions and long journeys across the world but most importantly . They give us something to eat when we drink beer. Planters. A nut above. Advil dual action fights pain 2 ways. Its the first and only fda approved combination of Advil Plus acetaminophen. Advil targets pain. Acetaminophen blocks it. Advil dual action. Fast Pain Relief that lasts 8 hours. 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This my classroom. He came through the door . Yes, this exact door. Was there a greeting that you rehearsed with the class . No. There was no greeting. I try keep it as natural as possible. Mrs. Miguel, our formal principal, he comes all the time to observe. When they saw him coming in with her, they were really like is this really the president . They were spontaneous and they knew how to behave. Good morning. How are you . When the president walked into classroom like we are all kind of froze a little bit. I am like oh my good goodness thats george bush, thats the president. Describe his Mood And Energy as he crosses into meet the children. A little bit more serious than he normally would going into a classroom full of young kids. Great to meet everybody. What he tried to do was co convey Calm And Excitement to be with the children. But he definitely looked like someone more on his mind. This is the book. This is the book that the president read in mrs. Daniels room on 9 11. What was the lesson that day . Everybody together. She had us get our books from under our seats and open it Up To the right page and of course mrs. Daniels always start off by saying get ready. Yes. And then she would have her Reading Stick and she told us to start reading. Get ready. That was a pencil. Thats a little pencil to keep the beat. I dont remember being anxious about reading. It was like walking, we knew what to do and we wanted to show it off. A lot of people say you guys looked so good and so wellman scr erred. That was everyday. It was not just for president. That was not aperformance. They did the work and they were in front of the president and they were holding their all. It was authentic and what you saw from my babies doing what we did every single day. I felt like a proud mama. What was your impression of mrs. Daniels class. You can see how much fun he was having with the kids and reading to them. It was going really well until it was not. Cfo all all i can see was this image of a man coming towards the president and who is this and why is this happening . At some point Andy Carr walks Up To the president. He came from the president s right into his right ear. I was standing back in the press and we were whispering to each other. We were thinking this is odd. What do you think this is . I knew something devastating had happened. I thought his face got red. I thought he had to use the bathroom. I dont know whats going on. I was waiting for security to come and take care of the manner but no security came. He kind of regain his composure and continued on with the lesson with us reading. He was supposed to pick up the book immediately and participate with the Reading Lesson but he didnt. I can feel President Bush leave the room mentally, spiritually. You can see he was staring off in the distance in some way but trying to come back to give the task at hands that needs to be finished which i cant frighten these kids and i Cant Signal to the world, hes thinking we need to finish this off and i need to calmly get back into this whole room and get more information. After we finished the lesson he came back out and he shook my hand and he said, i have to leave to go address the nation. Coming up i thought it was like us, i thought we did something wrong. He was gone like really quickly. I unfortunately will be going back to washington after my remarks. I could not believe that the days started so joy ouously and then it ended so tragically. I order my groceries online now. Shingles doesnt care. I keep my social distance. Shingles doesnt care. I stay within my family bubble. Shingles doesnt care. Because if youve had chicken pox, youre already carrying the virus that causes shingles. 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Do you remember what you were thinking . The president is leaving early. We definitely felt something that was wrong. I do remember being confused because we knew he was supposed to be with us the whole day and Miss Daniels left. Something is not right. I need a moment to absorb and what i saw and what was happening. Two planes into the World Trade Center. U. S. Officials say this is an act of terrorism. And then short remarks are quickly drafted here for him to deliver. This is a difficult moment for america. I, unfortunately, will be going back to washington with my remarks. Today we have a national tragedy, two airplanes have crashed into the World Trade Center, an apparent terrorist attack. May god bless our victims and families of america. Thank you very much. What do you do in that moment . I cried and prayed and i asked why and how. I really needed a moment. This is like something definitely impacted more than we know what was going on and deeper than what we see. We knew Miss Daniels is loving and caring and different take for our teachers kind of jarring. We have never seen her like this. How long was the moment . It could have been two or three minutes. I had to get back to my kids so i didnt want them to think that they had done something wrong. I had to let them know it was not their fuall. Something in the way that you presented to us allowed me to understand the Human Side of it. I am not the most important person right now. Hes got something he has to do. People are hurting. He has to leave and thats okay. It is not our fall. I think after that, thats when they cut on the tv for us. Americans are looking at these horrific pictures. Then it all came together like i grasp how serious it was. I thought it was like a movie or something. It did not look real. The tv was here. The monitor that President Bush was in his office next door. The memory of it might fluctuate a little. After i came out of the room, i told them what happened, the pictures and images that they saw, they may have seen when that door was opened. The tv never came in here. I was very careful about how much i expose them and what i said to them. That was the first day i learn about the Word Terrorist, too. Yeah. We didnt know what the World Trade Center were, they kept on saying a terrorist attack. Who taught you the Word Terrorist . I had to. It was a vocabulary word. We were talking about days later. I had to teach them evil can happen anywhere, it can happen in america and other parts in the world. My world brighten. I grew up from a family of immigrants. Terrorists attacking our country. It was a lot for me to grasp. You now explained to the students what has happened in the classroom. Some parents wanted to come pick up their kids up. My babies were safe with me. I went outside the classroom and i took a look at the Parking Lot and it was like ghost town. I remember telling the Press Pool that we have to run to the motorcade, i am not kidding. We have got to run to get him in the car. We ran. We never seen a more obedient Press Pool. We ran. I am seeing whats going on in New York but had no idea whats going on at the school and i am like whats going on with my baby. It feels like it is in a movie that you are apart of and your son is there. You nknow it is safe but not 100 . When your parents came to pick you up, who remembers that first intersection with their mom and dad. It was like checking ome, ar you okay . I dont know they know what to say to us. I did not know how to question her when i was like kind of in shock myself. I didnt realize how important it was until people are reaching out to me, hey, you are in the classroom of 9 11, how was that . How did you feel . Up next how did it feel to be connected to the day . This is something i kind of like been trying to work through specifically. 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For a long time i would not tell anybody that i hosted for President Bush on 9 11. I want to keep that in because i felt guilty. The guilt comes from something bigger that happened that day. It is almost like a duty. It is hard to feel a sense of pride that day because of what happened. Anybody feel that guilt . Definitely, now i understand people want to know how we felt. They want to know our story and how we felt and it did affect us. I start thinking about this. What did they see on September 11th that they carry subconsciously thatll lead them to the path of their reality. I love sarasota. Chantel is a little princess, always cute and dainty. Thats why we got married because it is so important to me. My parents gave up a lot for me to be able to go to school. Thats a different way that you feel, oh, i am a first generation american and my parents probably did more than they ever tell me to put me in that experience. What does it feel like to be connected to that day. I didnt realize the seriousness of it until i got older. Mariah. Quiet, gogetter. One, two, three going up, my dream was to be in wnba. I have my bachelors and exercise science. I work at The Boys and girls club. I work at the Youth Development Profe professional. I have a sixyearold, his name is jaiden and my twoyearold rowlen, hes super bright. I enjoy working with kids everyday. Majority of my students stayed on the right path and they followed their dreams. They accomplished things in life that they wanted to. I remember as a kid i wanted to be a police officer. Leonard. Studios and very concerned about others. I joined the military and i became a police officer. Interaction with different people and Business Owners and families. Not Everybodys Life is the same. 9 11 made me lean towards doing public safety work. It is connection. I feel apart of it is like yeah, i was related to that, too. The 9 11 connection, i brag about it a lot. Man, you are a piece of history. I was fed with a silver spoon, anything i want, my dad would get it for me. Tyler, there were some hiccups he had to over come. I had been in prison twice. Thats stuff i did in the past and i am not proud of it. I made my own decision and i laid on it. And i am just pushing forward. When you open a textbook and you see the picture of the class. We were there and watching that from a different perspective. It is hard to say how that day didnt affect us. Lazzero. Sweetheart. A man in a little boys body. Determined. My parents were awesome. I call them every single day just to say hi, good morning to them. All because we run a business together. It is as dream and let me tell you why. I do the billing and he does the decoration. T it is a family business. When you see the results, it motivates you so much. It has been 20 years since that day. It is always something we ask ourselves, how we live Up To what we want to be. Are Yall Seat belts on . Ladamian is quite the gentleman and very protective. Very protective. I didnt honestly joining the military until my ninth or Tenth Grade of high school. I am actually more behind the scenes, computing data. My career to become an Executive Chef didnt go as i was planned because once me and my wife graduated, we actually found out the day of graduation that she was pregnant Ws Ith our son jaiden. Too old for this. He told us that he had learned about 9 11 and when president went to school that day. How many people did you think die that day . The 20 Years Anniversary is this year. Tast it is a long time. We were not even born. I think i wanted to be a teacher or a lawyer. I was a social butterfly. January, my baby. Sweet, very aware of others feelings. I am very, very proud of her. She gave me jalen. After you were mad. My mom is my annoying best friend but i love her to pieces. I currently work at metro regional youth detention center. People there think that youths that are incarcerated there is no hope for them. I would tell them they are wrong. I see so much potential. Do you feel a kinship to one another . Dynasty, my entrepreneur. Serious. Determined, strong. I always thought i want one of my own business, entrepreneurship and making my own schedule and like to help my own people and tiktok grows people tremendously. I help young women inspire entrepreneurs and start a business and learn how to grow that business using Social Media online. If i can motivate one young girl for her to believe in herself, i am happy. Personally i am just proud of everyone to see how much they accomplish in life and the goals they are reached. We had a great teacher. It was not just instruction but it was genuine and love. I call her mom. She was my favorite teacher. She calls me probably twice a week just to check up on me, just to see how i am doing. What teachers does that . 20 years later. I think i am ready. Teacher is a passion and i have been doing it for 30 years. Good morning my butterflies. Miss daniels have an attitude of overcoming whatever it takes to ensure that we are going to be okay. I can do anything you try. I teach my kids to sing, singing is apart of me. She always sang. Well, thats natural. Thats something i do all the time. We were in turmoil at that time. We needed to know that a resolution would come. When we come back to see the memorial in New York now, 20 years later would bring closure. Thats how weve become the leader in 5g. 1 in customer satisfaction. And a partner who includes 5g in every plan, so you get it all. At carvana, we treat every customer like we would treat our own moms, with care and respect. To us, the little things are the big things. Which is why we do everything in our power to make buying a car an unforgettable experience. Happy birthday. Thank you. We treat every customer like we would treat our own moms. Because thats what they deserve. 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One of the thing that is we talked about wanting to do was going to the memorial there in New York, see it, touch it and be apart of it. Twenty twenty years later, it would bring closures. Cnn arranged to bring the students and mrs. Daniels to the memorial. The name of this piece is trying to remember the color of the sky on that september morning. These are the two pillars that were there. The center of the building. This was the last column that was standing. Mark our prayer, lord, take us where you want me to go. Keep me out of your away. These were the men and women who were running up the stairs and running into the buildings. It is very Grounding And Everybody should go. It is a huge part of our history, too. Collection. Police department. Criminal justice. This is an answer the prayer for me. I wanted to come to the museum but i wanted to come with my students that were with me on 9 11. As we were looking at some of the artifacts, i thought to myself and yet we rise. Even though this horrific incident happened, we are resilient, we pushed through and we come back. It reminds me of your singing to your students that day, Hold On, change is coming. It just seems to me there is as connection from that song to that moment. Mr. President , are you aware of the crash. I had to think quick on my feet to sing something. We were in turmoil. Yesterday a man said to me how can you smile when your world is crumbling down i said hear is my story when i want to cry, i take a look around and i see i am getting by and i Hold On, change is coming,. I know they are adults now. Hold on, you can make It Pigtails and ribbons, i remember everything. Hold on, Hold On change is coming Hold On, everything will be all right tonight the attack that stunned the nation. Caught on camera we got to get everybody out. Inside World Trade Center. The second one hit the other tower as the first tower