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From YouTube: Here/now We're All Arlington: Lisa Thompson
Description
A segment of AVN's monthly magazine show, "Here/now", "We're All Arlington" features short biographies of Arlington residents, highlighting our county's amazing diversity. This episode's subject is Lisa Thompson who has worked the county's 9-1-1 call center for nearly 30 years, including the day of Sept. 11, 2001.
A
Yeah
I
was
born
in
washington
DC
and
we
lived
for
time
in
westover
and
then
spent
some
time
in
Farrington
and
I
was
a
toddler
I
used
to
sit
on
Shirley
highway
and
wait
for
my
dentist,
but
I've
loved
this
area.
All
my
life,
which
is
why
I'm
still
here
this
is
home.
I,
was
in
college
at
the
northern
virginia
community
college.
A
Annabelle
campus
and
I
thought
I
wanted
to
be
a
police
officer,
I
reason
that
he
is
a
criminal
justice
program
and
my
instructor
said:
hey,
there's
an
opening
in
Arlington
and
I
interviewed
for
a
position
in
the
records
department
and
was
hired
in
October
of
1979
and
I
was
there
for
six
months
in
having
a
grand
time
when
I
hurt
my
knee
and
they
put
me
in
communications
and
I,
saw
it
fools.
I
like
this
and
I
was
home.
I'd
never
felt
more
comfortable.
In
my
life
clock
ticking,
isms
art
you
have
to
listen.
A
You
have
to
obtain
a
very
specific
and
pretty
much
large
amount
of
data,
and
you
have
to
get
us
some
people
who
are
not
at
their
best.
Most
of
the
time
most
of
the
people
who
are
calling
that
one
or
not
in
a
happy
cheerful
mood,
every
incident
in
every
poll
has
its
own
life
and
its
own
rhythm
and
the
longer
it
goes,
the
stranger
that
can
become
and
frequently
if
it
goes
well.
On
our
end,
it
goes
well
for
the
police
officers
of
the
firefighters.
A
Sep
tember
limbs
was
a
gorgeous
glorious
day
very
crisp
and
clear
and
low
humidity
I
had
been
working
out
in
the
police
department,
little
gym
and
was
getting
ready
to
go,
get
dressed
for
the
day
when
we
have
heard
reports
that
the
first
plaintiff
in
New
York
when
the
second
plane
hit,
we
all
knew
that
it
was
not.
Some
horrible
accident
were
into
something
that
we
didn't
know
what
was
going
to
happen
next
and
way
to
be
on
our
show.
A
We
had
turned
the
television
off
in
the
communication
center
I
believe
because
we,
it
was
very
distracted
and
we
were
watching
up
in
the
kitchen
when
the
plane
hit
the
Pentagon.
The
phone
went
incredibly
crazy,
in
fact,
if
it
stayed
that
way
until
almost
midnight,
where
you
could
not
dial
out-
and
sometimes
when
you
picked
up
a
line,
there
was
someone
there.
The
minute
you
were
finished
was
going
to
call
you
just
went
to
the
next
and
that
went
on
for
hours.
A
People
wanted
confirmation
that
it
was
not
an
accident
and
that
it
was
an
act
of
terrorism.
My
receives
phone
calls
from
the
building
owners
of
tall
buildings.
We
got
calls
from
people
who
did
see
it
and
were
witnesses,
and
the
fourth
group
which
you
don't
really
plan
for,
is
the
people
who
just
needed
reassurance
that
we
were
still
there.
There
was
a
lot
of
that.
A
We
spent
as
much
time
as
we
could,
but
we
let
everybody
know
that
the
coals
were
not
stopping
and
that
we
needed
to
get
other
cold
very
heartbreaking
to
let
go
somebody
who
clearly
needs
to
talk
to
me
to
to
express
themselves
and
get
reassurance
from
you
and
not
be
able
to
stay
with
that
until
you
think
that
it's
suddenly
somewhat
finished
several
times
during
the
day
when
I
had
a
half
a
second
to
breathe.
I
was
thinking,
oh
my
god.
This
is
really
happened
since
days
and
days
afterwards.
A
A
Just
that
made
me
cry.
It
was
a
random
act
of
kindness
and
right
I'm
Disney
for
a
while
that
was
lovely.
Luckily,
I
didn't
have
time
to
dwell,
but
I
also
made
myself
just
put
it
in
perspective
and
think.
Okay,
at
some
point,
is
he's
going
to
be
always
hold
and
then
send
them
my
soul
and
before
you
know
it,
this
is
going
to
be
a
year
and
on
this
side
of
that
equation,
it
seems
like
yesterday
and
seems
like
years
ago,
all
in
one
fell
swoop.