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Here's what they said.
"Strong gusts of wind blew all day long. Some said it was a sign of more trouble, while others said it was a sign of the angels of the deceased flying around. It was a day of mourning, yet people were carrying on like it was any other day. At the exact minute, when the world changed, service began at St. Peter's Cathedral. It was a beautiful service. Our school was present to sing as a part of the service for that day. The people there were praying for God to watch over everyone as well as help their loved ones gete their wings. After the service, we walked out of the church and heard the names being read off. As we walked down to Ground Zero, where the World Trade Center once stood, people were crowding the streets and sidewalks; some crying and some comforting. Flags in the sky, pictures, flowers, and posters covered walls, buildings, fences, and telephone poles. Across the street from Ground Zero was where we stood, listening to the names still being read off one by one. Those people were being recognized for the things they did before their lives came to a tragic end. Before out eyes, firemen and policemen from all over the world were walking in a loose formation in the streets, as a symbol of respect to their fellow friends, co-workers, and fellow family members of their departments who lost their lives. We were given the chance to sing twice for the people who were present. We gathered together, hands in hands, as one big family. People stared for a few minutes. We began to sing "I Will Not Leave You Comfortless," most of us with tears streaming down our faces. We sang it once more. I saw that a couple of policemen stopped in front of us, took their hats off and held it to their hearts and cried. I saw them cry and I began to cry even more. After we were done singing, we immediately turned and hugged and cried on the person next to us."
"We left the deli and walked to the corner. There we sang again, this time for the people coming out of the "pit." As we were singing, I watched these two cops, they stopped, lowered their hats, and while listening to us sing, they started crying. Seeing two grown men ... stand in front of you and cry because of something you're doing is amazing! The words in our song were: "I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you yet again."We gave our best when we sang then and we were better than ever; every word was straight from the heart, and these people saw that. This is an experience of a lifetime because not only were we there for the one year anniversary, but in my eyes, we actually made a difference by being there."
"Overall, I know this trip is one I will never in my lifetime forget. It was such a great opportunity I got to experience and am so thankful I could participate in. This was actually the most emotional time of my life, too. I am not a person to show my negative emotions much at all. But when it comes to something like this, I learned now that I definitely do! I thought it was so interesting that on September 11, our school turned into a family. Students were hugging, crying, and supporting not only their best friends, but just anyone that looked in need of some care. All the different cliques and groups all dissipated, and everyone just went to anyone in need. It was like the natural human instinct took over. I know in my personal experience, there was someone new to our school this year. I had only casually talked to him a few times before the trip, like a "hi, how you doin'" kind of thing. Then on September 11, I was walking with some friends, very emotional and upset. He came up and comforted me, and helped me out the rest of the day. He went out of his way to help someone he barely even knew, when he could have been with his friends. I think a time like that can really bring people together to help one another."
"We heard violins starting to play so our chaperones took us outside. Even though New York is a very busy and noisy city, when we walked outside it seemed as if the whole city was in a moment of silence; I didn't even hear a car horn. There were hundreds of people on the street but no one was talking, all you could hear was feet shuffling, the wind blowing, and the melancholy violins playing the National Anthem. Hearing those violins play so sadly really made me want to cry. It was hard not to. As we walked on the street, we saw the families of the victims walking down the middle of the street. We saw a policeman and told him why we were there and he asked us to sing for them. The policeman moved the barricades and let us come into the street; we all started to sing for the families. When we were done, the policeman asked us to sing it again, because more families were still coming, so we did. My mom was there and she said we sounded like angels. After we were done, we all started to cry. We hugged each other, it was so sad."
"We ate lunch at a Deli that overlooked the services. We met with firemen and policemen from around the world who had come to show their respect. We had three Scottish policemen come visit with us. I was in awe as they took my hand and hugged me and apologized for the sadness out country has endured. At that moment, my fear of the future faded a little. To know that people who do not even know us, care so much gives me hope that the world will get through this with love."
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