The World Trade Center in New York City...
...a chunk of the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a patch of desolate valley in a little Pennsylvania town are all in smoldering ruins. The devastation is horrific. The loss of police officers, firefighters, government personnel, and many civilians is mind-boggling.
All the prisoners here have been glued to the dayroom televisions. Each cellblock has two TVs. Those of us who have radios have them on just about all the time. I've been staying up late to listen to mine. Even the prison guards seem to have changed overnight. Most of them have become very aloof to us, though not hostile in any way. They are just distant, almost cold. This tragedy has numbed the nation, and the impact of these terrorist attacks has even rippled into American's prison system.
We inmates are not detached from these events. Some of the men have loved ones in New York City, many of whom work in or near the Trade Center complex. They are anxiously awaiting word, as they are unable to call home due to the phone lines being down. I, too, have friends who live and work in this immediate area, and I continue to pray for them as I wait to hear of their situations.
The chaplains are also putting in some late hours. Instead of going home when their shifts are over, they are staying here in case any calls come in from family members on the outside, sending word to an inmate that a loved one has been injured or killed. Thus far, I do not know of any men who have received such news, thank God!
D.B.
All the prisoners here have been glued to the dayroom televisions. Each cellblock has two TVs. Those of us who have radios have them on just about all the time. I've been staying up late to listen to mine. Even the prison guards seem to have changed overnight. Most of them have become very aloof to us, though not hostile in any way. They are just distant, almost cold. This tragedy has numbed the nation, and the impact of these terrorist attacks has even rippled into American's prison system.
We inmates are not detached from these events. Some of the men have loved ones in New York City, many of whom work in or near the Trade Center complex. They are anxiously awaiting word, as they are unable to call home due to the phone lines being down. I, too, have friends who live and work in this immediate area, and I continue to pray for them as I wait to hear of their situations.
The chaplains are also putting in some late hours. Instead of going home when their shifts are over, they are staying here in case any calls come in from family members on the outside, sending word to an inmate that a loved one has been injured or killed. Thus far, I do not know of any men who have received such news, thank God!
D.B.