Living Through 9/11 In Hyattsville

Those of us 10 years and older can somehow pinpoint where we were when terrorists attacked America on .

Scott Wythe, who lived in Hyattsville until a few years ago, recounted his memory of that day. Here is his unedited recollection as told to Patch editor Sarah Nemeth:

“I saw more random acts of kindness on that day than any other day in my life. On the streets, with the Pentagon burning in the background, I saw strangers sharing cell phones, trying to find one network still working. On the subway, which no one wanted to be on, I saw people approach those who were sobbing and gently touch their shoulder.

“Everyone was asking each other ‘What can I do to help you?’ Hillary Clinton said on the news that night that no good can come of this. I disagreed on the spot. She didn't see what I saw. It was a horrific day that brought out the best in people.

“I think it helped me to have a 3-year-old at the time. You had to be strong and unafraid.

“I had [my daughter Mimi] with me on the Metro the next day. I was reading the [Washington] Post, and they had those big, color photos of the towers burning. Mimi, in her little squeaky pixie voice asked, ‘Daddy, did all those people die?’ The whole car let out a groan, and I told her that ‘Yes, they all did.’

“I didn't try to shield her from the news. I did keep one thing from her, though.

"On 9/11, I had two choices: Go get her, or go get her mother, who was in the Capitol building and in severe danger. I went to get Mimi, lest she lose two parents. I didn't tell her where her mother was.

“[My wife] Isabel says I made the right choice. I wasn't the only one in town in that situation. My choice was predicated on one question: Where can I do the most good? I wouldn't have been allowed anywhere near the Capitol—that would have been purely symbolic. So I went to Mimi's daycare in Foggy Bottom. Isabel showed up there a few hours later."