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What to do?
Skeleton athlete Chris Soule, 28, is training for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Soule, who won the first round of U.S. national team selection races back in October, is a two-time national champion (1997, 2000) and finished second on the 2000 World Cup circuit. The 6-foot native of Trumbull, Conn., spent time as a stunt player on the film G.I. Jane and currently works as a research assistant. Check out Soule's diary on CNNSI.com as he trains for the Olympics. September 14, 2001 All I could do was sit there in front of the television and convince myself that this was an actual event that was taking place. It wasn't a movie and I wasn't dreaming. I was actually on my way out of White Plains, N.Y., when the World Trade Center attacks were happening. I got home in time to meet a friend at the gym, just after finding out about the crashes. My friend and I stood in the lobby of the facility for about an hour staring at the television wondering why, how, what does this mean, and who would do such a terrible thing? I didn't think that such people existed. I felt hopeless and violated and at the same time some big questions came over me. What have some of the people of this world known as their reality? They obviously weren't on the same page as those heroes that sacrificed their lives to help those in need. What would drive one human being to hurt another, regardless of race, religion or where they live? I was raised to believe that people should make the most of their lives and just because someone has it better than you it doesn't mean you should hate them and definitely doesn't give you the right to hurt those people. Now I hear helicopters flying overhead from Sikorsky Airport nearby, which reminds me that things aren't normal and probably won't be for a while. I lived in New York City for a couple of years while working in film and actually shot a couple shows in downtown Manhattan. I hang out with my friends that live in near downtown and know the area pretty well and what an awesome place it is. It is going to be very strange to not see the towers the next time I go into the city. I have been speaking with people who know of others who are missing. My girlfriend's brother was actually on the phone with a friend in Tower II when the first crash happened. His friend hasn't been heard from since. Feelings of emptiness and helplessness came over me all day Tuesday, and yet I kept feeling that I had to do something, so I did. My aunt and I set up a drop-off zone at a local to gather up all the bottled water, non-perishables, gloves, socks, toothbrushes, face-masks, garbage bags and pails and anything else that may help the rescue workers at the site in New York. It is now being broadcast on the radio and in the CT papers. We have universities, high schools and a couple of churches in the area to help out. Grocery stores around us are setting up food drives and are dropping what they raise off with us to load into the three of the U-hauls that we have rented. I am sure that the clean up is going to be a long process, so we are planning on setting something up regularly to help with the ongoing efforts. Being able to set this up just shows another side of what a beautiful country we live in. I know it may sound a bit idealistic, but if we put aside our differences and all work together it will help those who need us most, and may just dull the pain of such a tragic moment. I love my freedom, I love being able to make my own choices, I love being able to travel to just about anywhere I like and feeling safe while doing so. These attacks have made me realize just how much I love my country. God bless America, my home sweet home. I would like to send my condolences to the families and victims of the New York City, Washington, D.C., and the Pennsylvania tragedies
Sincerely,
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