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Long Beach Resident Was At French Nat'l Stadium, Terrorist Chosen Site For One Of Their Attacks, Describes What She Saw/Heard

A number of other LB residents were in Paris; they're safe; vigil today for CSULB student Nohemi Gonzalez, among the dead


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(Nov. 15, 2015) -- A Long Beach resident was at the French National Stadium on Friday night (Nov. 13), one of the sites chosen by terrorists for one of their attacks, and she described on Facebook what she saw and heard.

Rachel Gunther posted the following on her Facebook page at this link.. Her experiences came to light in a story reported first by ABC7 reporter David Ono (aired 11 p.m., Nov. 14), who is in Paris. Ms. Gunther's Facebook words are below:

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[Ms. Gunther Facebook text] Dearest friends and family. You are all so kind. Thank you for thinking of me. I am safe. What started out as a beautiful evening of dinner with my adopted son in lovely Paris, followed by a soccer match in Stade de France, almost ended as a nightmare.

Not realizing that the two loud booms we heard during the game were actually two human bombs outside the stadium, we calmly made our way to the exit only to be pushed back by thousands of people screaming and running in fear back into the stadium. There we waited.

For hours we were stranded. No trains, no busses, no taxis. People were walking around in shock, like zombies.

Not knowing what to do. As news of the other killings and hostage taking made the rounds, people finally started exiting the stadium.

My son [name omitted here] and I walked around for miles looking for transport, until finally we lucked upon a lone taxi who braved the conditions to pick up anxious and panicked people.

I am finally home in my hotel. I am still shaking and occasionally burst into tears from sadness and grief for the victims. I will never forget how hopeless and terrified I felt running with the others trying to escape what was coming for us. Not knowing where I was going or what to do in this very surreal situation. Those victims never even had a chance. Bless you [my son] for being there. I thank God, my savior, for giving me another day.

And I pray for the brave souls who were struck down tonight by evil.

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The Wall Street Journal reports that two terrorists came to the stadium wearing explosive vests; Security discovered one of the vests when they frisked one of the terrorists at an entrance; the bomber stepped away and denotated his vest, killing a person standing nearby, injuring others, and scattering the terrorist's bloodied body parts. Another terrorist was outside the stadium and a few minutes later, detonated his bomb, killing himself. France President Francois Hollande was inside the stadium for the soccer match; security rushed him from the stadium after the blasts. Speculation is that the bombers intended to set off a deadly stampede; the terrorists' explosive belts included nuts and bolts.

Long Beach resident Diane McNinch was in Paris and blessedly avoided the carnage. She reported on Facebook (Nov. 14): "I just learned about the terriorist attack last night right here in Paris - I am safe, and my hands shake as I write this - concerned for the families and friends of those attacked. I will always believe that man is kind and there are a very few who are not. Love to each of you my dear friends and family. From the City of Light."

Susan Zoske, a former Long Beach area resident now living in Paris, reported she's safe...and put a dispatch on Facebook showing a clip from the film Casablanca in which people in the occupied city sing La Marseillaise in defiance of the Nazis.

Ms. Zoske added, "Last night was truly horrible to watch. Today, out shopping for groceries, the streets were in normal bustling mode. People are now thinking about how to defeat ISIS...[T]here hasn't been anything like this in France since WWII. It's a quiet country, with little to no violence, and people look out for one another. The country is the size of Texas, and Paris has a central population of just 2,000,000. So anything that happens here feels personal -- we're all interconnected. But do not worry. Am safe..."

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Ms. Zoske also shared on her Facebook page a dispatch from a third party who was at the Bataclan concert venue, where the majority of the carnage occurred: That person included a photo of a blooded blouse and wrote:

You never think it will happen to you. It was just a friday night at a rock show. the atmosphere was so happy and everyone was dancing and smiling. and then when the men came through the front entrance and began the shooting, we naiively believed it was all part of the show.

It wasn't just a terrorist attack, it was a massacre. Dozens of people were shot right infront of me. Pools of blood filled the floor.

Cries of grown men who held their girlfriends dead bodies pierced the small music venue. Futures demolished, families heartbroken. in an instant.

Shocked and alone, I pretended to be dead for over an hour, lying among people who could see their loved ones motionless.. Holding my breath, trying to not move, not cry - not giving those men the fear they longed to see. I was incredibly lucky to survive.

But so many didn't. The people who had been there for the exact same reasons as I - to have a fun friday night were innocent.

This world is cruel. And acts like this are suppose to highlight the depravity of humans and the images of those men circuling us like vultures will haunt me for the rest of my life. The way they meticoulsy aimed at shot people around the standing area i was in the centre of without any consideration for human life. It didn't feel real. i expected any moment for someone to say it was just a nightmare. But being a survivor of this horror lets me able to shed light on the heroes.

To the man who reassured me and put his life on line to try and cover my brain whilst i whimpered, to the couple whose last words of love kept me believing the good in the world, to the police who succeded in rescuing hundreds of people, to the complete strangers who picked me up from the road and consoled me during the 45 minutes I truly believed the boy i loved was dead, to the injured man who i had mistaken for him and then on my recognition that he was not Amaury, held me and told me everything was going to be fine despite being all alone and scared himself, to the woman who opened her doors to the survivors, to the friend who offered me shelter and went out to buy new clothes so i wouldnt have to wear this blood stained top, to all of you who have sent caring messages of support - you make me believe this world has the potential to be better. to never let this happen again. but most of this is to the 80 people who were murdered inside that venue, who weren't as lucky, who didnt get to wake up today and to all the pain that their friends and families are going through.

I am so sorry. There's nothing that will fix the pain. I feel priviledged to be there for their last breaths. And truly beliving that I would join them, I promise that their last thoughts were not on the animals who caused all this. It was thinking of the people they loved. As i lay down in the blood of strangers and waiting for my bullet to end my mere 22 years, I envisioned every face that I have ever loved and whispered I love you. over and over again. reflecting on the highlights of my life. Wishing that those i love knew just how much, wishing that they knew that no matter what happened to me, to keep belieivng in the good in people. to not let those men win.

Last night, the lives of many were forever changed and it is up to us to be better people. to live lives that the innocent victims of this tragedy dreamt about but sadly will now never be able to fulfil. RIP angels. You will never be forgotten.

As reported with continuing coverage by LBREPORT.com, CSULB student Nohemi Gonzalez, 23, perished in the Fri. Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris. CSULB's administration says 16 other CSULB students are also studying in Paris but weren't injured. CSULB has scheduled a vigil at 4 p.m. today (Sun. Nov. 15) to mourn Ms. Gonzalez's passing and the other victims of the Paris terrorist attacks.

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