It is hard to communicate what I am feeling about the terrorist attacks and their aftermath because it still feels like a bad dream. The more details that come out about the "how" and "why" actually serve to further add to my disbelief.
I live blocks away from the White House and can walk to the Capitol. I chose this neighborhood to live close to my school and my job (off-hill advocacy). To think that some individuals see these locations as simply targets and have no regard for the people that live and work in and around these areas is inhuman.
The terrorists did not hit the World Trade Center or the Pentagon. They hit thousands of people, a few of whom I know intimately. They are my family, my friends from schools, and my colleagues. It is hard to believe someone you have never met can kill you so easily.
This morning [Wednesday], as we attempt to get on with our lives, our landscape is changed. On the path of my habitual 10-minute walk to work, there are Hummers, military police, firefighters and ambulances waiting to avert any possible future attack. They are there to protect us, but their presence serves as a reminder that it can happen again.
To the terrorists, we are no longer residents of these cities who live, work and enjoy our lives; we are strategic targets. How insane that someone can strip you of your humanity by virtue of your work address!
Today, I will again attempt to locate family and friends. To my knowledge, all communication has resumed in both D.C. and New York City. Yesterday, I tried to reach all my friends and family but had only marginal success. I made a particular effort to locate my friends in D.C.
Most of the people who live in the federal district are from all over the country and the world who came to work in the nation's capital. Few of them have family here, so close friends have to serve in that capacity. I have accounted for everyone I wanted to reach except for two individuals.
Although, it is the people of D.C. and N.Y.C. who felt the close impact of what happened on Sept. 11, 2001, it is all of us who have been affected. For those of us who live in this great nation, a sense of security will be hard to restore, even after we rebuild.

Editor's note: Kris Benjamin, a Washington, D.C., resident, is the daughter of Cheryl Thomas and Elmo Benjamin, both born and raised in the Virgin Islands. She attended the Dober and Sts. Peter and Paul Schools and later took classes at the University of the Virgin Islands; she returns to the territory as often as she can.
We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Following are excerpts from statements issued Wednesday by V.I. public officials in response to the terrorist attacks on the U.S. mainland Tuesday.
Sen. Lorraine Berry:
An act of war has been perpetrated against our country and every one of us should be concerned where this unprecedented aggression will lead our nation.
This is one of the saddest days in our history. Our hearts, our minds should be occupied with a special prayer that our leaders be endowed with divine wisdom as they determine how best to respond to this act of war.
This is the first time [in the history of] the United States — outside of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 — that an allegedly foreign nation has visited this type of aggression upon our soil.
We see how small this world is, making us really our brothers' keepers … This initial attack may be followed by many more. Whether we flood our churches or remain at home or at our workplace, these are times for prayer and for divine guidance.
Frank Savage, British Virgin Islands governor:
As neighbors with close family ties and kinship with the United States Virgin Islands, your grief is our grief and your sorrow is our sorrow. In the difficult days and weeks ahead, you can be assured of our prayers and support.
LaVerne E. Ragster, UVI senior vice president and provost, on behalf of UVI President Orville Kean:
The University of the Virgin Islands joins the nation and the world in mourning the many people who lost their lives or were injured in Tuesday's horrendous attacks. We extend our sympathy and our compassion to those who have lost friends and family members and to those who may not yet know the fate of their loved ones.
We as an institution are in agreement with President George W. Bush that the way to lessen the impact of such senseless violence is for us to continue with our normal activities. Toward that end, all classes on both campuses will continue as usual.
On the St. Thomas campus, we are asking that faculty, staff and students adhere to all parking restrictions imposed as a result of heightened security near the Cyril E. King Airport control tower.
In order to allow for an exchange of factual information and to promote the healing process that is necessary, assemblies will be held Thursday on both campuses. The St. Croix assembly will take place at noon in the cafetorium. The St. Thomas assembly will be at 1 p.m. in room B110 of the Business Administration Building.
Faculty members are asked to encourage students to attend the meetings and to invite them to take advantage of counseling services provided on both campuses. The university encourages its students, faculty and staff to view Tuesday's events with the level of seriousness and tolerance appropriate for a civilized society as we learn more in the days to come.

Sept. 12, 2001 – There was no count of the number of visitors stranded across the Virgin Islands Wednesday, but most of them won't have to pay the full hotel rate for the extra days they're forced to spend in the territory while they wait for airports to reopen.
Phyllis Blackman-Smith at the St. Thomas/St. John Hotel Association said most hotels cut prices for stranded guests by 30 to 50 percent.
It was not clear at noon Wednesday when the airports on St. Thomas and St. Croix, as well as those on the mainland, would reopen after being closed by the Federal Aviation Administration Tuesday in response to the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
The Port Authority said in a release Wednesday that no one except employees with proper identification were being allowed to enter the airports until they reopen. It suggested that the traveling public "contact the airlines directly for updates as to travel arrangements."
Richard Doumeng, president of the St. Thomas Hotel and Tourism Association, said that concern about any impact on tourism in the territory and globally pales in comparison that for the loss suffered by the victims and their families. He noted that in the Virgin Islands, the months of August, September and October traditionally see the fewest visitors, so any fall-off in the coming weeks will cause the territory relatively little harm economically.
Doumeng expressed the view that while many people may initially be reluctant to fly as a result of Tuesday's terrorism, in the longer term, they will view the attack as an isolated incident and return to their normal habits. These habits, he said, will include business travel and Caribbean vacations.
However, Doumeng added, Americans will have to get used to stringent security procedures already in place at what are considered vulnerable airports around the world. This means earlier check-ins and more thorough inspections, he said.
There were network television reports Wednesday that travelers should plan to get to airports at least two hours before their takeoff times, even for domestic travel, once flights resume.
"We've been so protected so long, we don't have a heightened sense of awareness like the rest of the world does," Doumeng said. He noted that security for El Al, the Israeli airline, is always high because the region experiences frequent terrorist attacks. "It's like the prime minister was on board every time," he said.
Eileen Irby, who manages vacation villas on St. John, said her business had already slowed down in recent weeks because of the stock market faltering, and potential guests were being conservative with their money. She suggested that even fewer visitors will be arriving in the territory "if this tips us into a recession."
Irby said she, too, doesn't believe people will stop flying. She noted that airplanes flying from the New York City area to the Virgin Islands or San Juan, where passengers connect with planes to the territory, carry as much fuel as those heading for Los Angeles. Published reports indicated that Tuesday's terrorists targeted flights bound from the East Coast to California because those planes carried heavy loads of fuel for cross-country travel.
West Indian Co. spokesman Calvin Wheatley said earlier that no cruise ships were scheduled to arrive for the rest of this week. The territory's seaports remained open Wednesday but under heightened security measures, the Port Authority said.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Thursday's Senate Rules Committee hearing on St. Thomas is to convene as scheduled. A bill that was to have been considered has been removed from the agenda, but two nominations to the Public Services Commission will be heard.
Luis Sylvester, chief of staff to the committee chair, Sen. Carlton Dowe, said Wednesday that a bill from the Labor and Veterans Committee affecting the Unemployment Insurance Fund was removed from Thursday's agenda because that committee meeting, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, was canceled. The bill had been scheduled for Rules consideration pending its approval by Labor and Veterans Affairs.
Still on the agenda for Rules are hearings on Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's nominations of Verne C. David and Jerris T. Browne to serve on the PSC.
Browne's nomination was first heard at an Aug. 30 hearing where three other PSC nominations were approved. Browne, Police deputy commissioner, was to have filled the position of Patrick Williams of St. Croix. Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole moved approval of the nomination but received no second as the committee sat silent. Earlier, Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel had questioned Browne's knowledge of the PSC and expressed surprise that Browne was unaware of current legislation mandating rate investigations.
Sylvester said the nomination can be brought to the floor again and voted on.
At the Aug. 30 hearing, Rules approved Alric Simmonds, Turnbull's deputy chief of staff, to chair the PSC, replacing Walter Challenger. It also approved Valencio Jackson, Finance Department assistant commissioner, to fill a board vacancy; and Desmond Maynard to serve another term on the commission. Maynard has been a PSC member since 1995.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Thursday's Senate Rules Committee hearing on St. Thomas is to convene as scheduled. A bill that was to have been considered has been removed from the agenda, but two nominations to the Public Services Commission will be heard.
Luis Sylvester, chief of staff to the committee chair, Sen. Carlton Dowe, said Wednesday that a bill from the Labor and Veterans Committee affecting the Unemployment Insurance Fund was removed from Thursday's agenda because that committee meeting, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, was canceled. The bill had been scheduled for Rules consideration pending its approval by Labor and Veterans Affairs.
Still on the agenda for Rules are hearings on Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's nominations of Verne C. David and Jerris T. Browne to serve on the PSC.
Browne's nomination was first heard at an Aug. 30 hearing where three other PSC nominations were approved. Browne, Police deputy commissioner, was to have filled the position of Patrick Williams of St. Croix. Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole moved approval of the nomination but received no second as the committee sat silent. Earlier, Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel had questioned Browne's knowledge of the PSC and expressed surprise that Browne was unaware of current legislation mandating rate investigations.
Sylvester said the nomination can be brought to the floor again and voted on.
At the Aug. 30 hearing, Rules approved Alric Simmonds, Turnbull's deputy chief of staff, to chair the PSC, replacing Walter Challenger. It also approved Valencio Jackson, Finance Department assistant commissioner, to fill a board vacancy; and Desmond Maynard to serve another term on the commission. Maynard has been a PSC member since 1995.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Thursday's Senate Rules Committee hearing is to convene on St. Thomas as scheduled. A bill that was to have been considered has been removed from the agenda, but two nominations to the Public Services Commission will be heard.
Luis Sylvester, chief of staff to the committee chair, Sen. Carlton Dowe, said Wednesday that a bill from the Labor and Veterans Committee affecting the Unemployment Insurance Fund was removed from Thursday's agenda because that committee meeting, which had been scheduled for Wednesday, was canceled. The bill had been scheduled for Rules consideration pending its approval by Labor and Veterans Affairs.
Still on the agenda for Rules are hearings on Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's nominations of Verne C. David and Jerris T. Browne to serve on the PSC.
Browne's nomination was first heard at an Aug. 30 hearing where three other PSC nominations were approved. Browne, Police deputy commissioner, was to have filled the position of Patrick Williams of St. Croix. Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole moved approval of the nomination but received no second as the committee sat silent. Earlier, Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel had questioned Browne's knowledge of the PSC and expressed surprise that Browne was unaware of current legislation mandating rate investigations.
Sylvester said the nomination can be brought to the floor again and voted on.
At the Aug. 30 hearing, Rules approved Alric Simmonds, Turnbull's deputy chief of staff, to chair the PSC, replacing Walter Challenger. It also approved Valencio Jackson, Finance Department assistant commissioner, to fill a board vacancy; and Desmond Maynard to serve another term on the commission. Maynard has been a PSC member since 1995.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Sixteen years of a rich Rotary history will be the topic of an address by Richard Grant, Rotary International district governor for 2001-2002, at the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of St. Thomas at noon Thursday at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Beach Resort.
The event will be a get-together for all the Rotary Clubs of St. Thomas and St. John – Rotary II, Rotary Charlotte Amalie, Rotary Club East and Rotary Club of St. John.
Grant, a St. Croix resident, became a Rotarian in 1985 and became treasurer of Rotary II on St. Thomas two years later. After moving to St. Croix, he became treasurer of the Rotary Club of St. Croix Mid-Isle in 1989. Most recently, he served as assistant district governor from 1997 to 2000.
An active community leader, Grant was named "Motivator of the Year" in 1991 by the V.I. Business Journal. Honored by Rotary three times as a Paul Harris Fellow, he is married to Dr. Rita Dudley Grant, psychologist and former Health Department assistant commissioner, who is also a Paul Harris fellow, and a member of Rotary's Bequest Society.
Grant's jurisdiction as district governor includes Rotary Clubs, in addition to those in the territory, in Anguilla, the Bahamas except for Grand Bahama, the British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, St. Barth's, St. Martin, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Sixteen years of a rich Rotary history will be discussed by Richard Grant, Rotary International District Governor for 2001-2002, Thursday at the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of St. Thomas at noon at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Resort.
The event will be a get together for all the Rotary Clubs of St. Thomas and St. John – Rotary II, Rotary Charlotte Amalie, Rotary Club East, and the Rotary Club of St. John.
Grant, a St. Croix resident, joined Rotary in 1985 and became treasurer of Rotary II on St. Thomas in 1987. After a move to St. Croix, he became treasurer of the Rotary Club of St. Croix Mid-Isle in 1989. Most recently, Grant served as Assistant District Governor from 1997 to 2000.
An active community leader, Grant was named "Motivator of the Year," in the V. I. Business Journal 1991 awards.
Grant, a three-time Paul Harris Fellow, is married to Dr. Rita Dudley Grant, psychologist and former V. I. Health department assistant commissioner, who is also a Paul Harris fellow, and a member of Rotary's Bequest Society.
Grant's new post is extensive. He will govern over Anguilla, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, the Bahamas, except for Grant Bahama, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Haiti, Jamaica, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the U.S. V.I.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Sixteen years of a rich Rotary history will be discussed by Richard Grant, Rotary International District Governor for 2001-2002, Thursday at the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of St. Thomas at noon at Marriott's Frenchman's Reef Resort.
The event will be a get together for all the Rotary Clubs of St. Thomas and St. John – Rotary II, Rotary Charlotte Amalie, Rotary Club East, and the Rotary Club of St. John.
Grant, a St. Croix resident, joined Rotary in 1985 and became treasurer of Rotary II on St. Thomas in 1987. After a move to St. Croix, he became treasurer of the Rotary Club of St. Croix Mid-Isle in 1989. Most recently, Grant served as Assistant District Governor from 1997 to 2000.
An active community leader, Grant was named "Motivator of the Year," in the V. I. Business Journal 1991 awards.
Grant, a three-time Paul Harris Fellow, is married to Dr. Rita Dudley Grant, psychologist and former V. I. Health department assistant commissioner, who is also a Paul Harris fellow, and a member of Rotary's Bequest Society.
Grant's new post is extensive. He will govern over Anguilla, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, the Bahamas, except for Grant Bahama, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Haiti, Jamaica, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the U.S. V.I.

Sept. 12, 2001 – Thousands of Virgin Islanders live and work in New York City and Washington, D.C. With communications breakdowns Tuesday, little information was available locally about family and friends on the mainland.
Naturally, people throughout the territory and those elsewhere with strong ties to the Virgin Islands are anxious to obtain information about loved ones and associates, and to learn of their experiences and feelings with regard to Tuesday's terrorist attacks on the mainland.
The Source asks readers to e-mail any such information to source@viaccess.net so that we can keep our virtual community as enlightened as possible.
Information sought
Alana Mawson [e-mail to alanamawson@islands.vi] writes:
I am trying to contact my friends George, Christine, Mathew and Andrew Aprile, who live just blocks from the World Trade Center at 75 Murray Street. I have been unable to reach them via either e-mail or telephone and am very concerned about their whereabouts. Especially disconcerting was watching the news and seeing the Murray Street sign lying on the ground amid debris. If anyone can be of any help w/any information I would be most grateful. Thank you.