"Somewhere inside ourselves we all have had a terrible tragedy, no matter how grand or minute." - Anthony La Femina, New York City police officer, reflecting on the events of September 11, 2001.
Today we remember the events of September 11, 2001, and we reflect on what was lost to us. I am one of the lucky people who can think about it once a year, and who don't have to live with the pain and memories every single day. My heart goes out to those who do.
When I was a child, everyone old enough to remember could tell you where he or she was when President Kennedy was shot. To me, it seemed to be the defining moment in our nation's history. In elementary school, I was assigned the task of interviewing someone who remembered November 22, 1963. I interviewed my father, and his story was an interesting one. My father happened to be in the U.S. Army in 1963, stationed in Fort Knox, KY. When news of the Commander-in-Chief's assassination broke, Dad's unit was placed on red alert. My father and his fellow soldiers prepared for war. It was believed that the United States was under attack, and that World War III was upon us. Especially since Kennedy's death came a year after the Cuban Missile Crisis, nuclear war was the first thing everyone thought of. The President had been killed, and Castro and Krushchev were making a move. At least, that's what my father thought. He recounted his anxiety as they waited for orders, waited for news, waited for the end of the world.
I always knew where my father was on that November day, but I didn't understand how powerful his experience was, until a day in 2001. That was the day that I, and everyone in my generation, understood the meaning of "national tragedy."
I was at work, and I had gone to get some hanging file folders. I heard talking down the hall, so I made my way to the lobby area in our office, to see what was going on. I remember standing there, dressed in my long sleeved shirt and khaki pants, holding those green folders and staring at the television. It was about 9:00 a.m., and the image on the television screen was of the north tower of the World Trade Center, smoke pouring from it. The reporter was saying that an airplane had flown into the tower, and it was assumed to be an accident. If you think about it, an airplane crashing into a high-rise office building in New York was one hell of a story, anyway. As we watched and listened the second airplane flew into the south tower. The reporter was incredulous. So were we.
I think we were watching NBC, but I am not sure. Things started to happen very quickly after that. The news anchors began mentioning "terrorist act" and the location of President Bush was announced. That is also when I first heard the names "Osama Bin Laden" and "Al-Qaeda." As we continued to watch we saw the man whisper the news to President Bush as he watched children in a Florida classroom read. The news anchors were relaying all sorts of information and speculation about whether or not the country was under attack, where the Vice-President was, and what Bush would do, when the news that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon, and another plane had crashed in Pennsylvania, was announced.
While all of this was unfolding before our shocked eyes, we were learning that our co-worker's aunt was trapped on the 105th floor of the burning north tower. Unbelievable! Missy's aunt Stacey had called her mother and said that the building was on fire, and she and the others were trying to get out. She told her mother that she loved her, and she had to go. It was at this point I walked on shaky legs down the hall to my office, and called Steve. I asked if he knew what was going on, and he said no. He was out on a job site, and hadn't heard. I told him that two planes had flown into the World Trade Center buildings, one into the Pentagon, and another into the ground. I told him that we were under attack, and that the news said that other planes may have been involved. He said nothing. I finally asked if he was there, if he had heard me. He answered with a question, "Is it World War III?" And that's when I became truly frightened. Was it? "God, I hope not," I managed to say to him, thinking about our kids.
The rest of the day is a blur. We watched the television constantly. We watched the buildings collapse, and we watched people wander the streets of Manhattan in shock, covered in ash. We spent some frantic time trying to locate our boss, who was on a flight from Los Angeles, and we prayed for news of Missy's aunt. We watched as every airplane in the country's air space was grounded, and we tried to understand who Al-Qaeda was, and why they did this.We watched the world change forever.
I think we as a nation, and as a people, drew closer together in the immediate aftermath of September 11. We talked about how quickly everyday life can change, how important loved ones are, and how our very existence is not to be taken for granted. But, it seems to me that in the years since that time, we have become more separated from one another than ever. I believe there is a great rift in this nation, and I believe that in the end, that may have been what those 19 murderers wanted most of all; to pull us apart. Could an act that killed 2,996 innocent people ultimately destroy the greatest nation under God on Earth?
Only if we allow it to.
I think we were watching NBC, but I am not sure. Things started to happen very quickly after that. The news anchors began mentioning "terrorist act" and the location of President Bush was announced. That is also when I first heard the names "Osama Bin Laden" and "Al-Qaeda." As we continued to watch we saw the man whisper the news to President Bush as he watched children in a Florida classroom read. The news anchors were relaying all sorts of information and speculation about whether or not the country was under attack, where the Vice-President was, and what Bush would do, when the news that a plane had crashed into the Pentagon, and another plane had crashed in Pennsylvania, was announced.
While all of this was unfolding before our shocked eyes, we were learning that our co-worker's aunt was trapped on the 105th floor of the burning north tower. Unbelievable! Missy's aunt Stacey had called her mother and said that the building was on fire, and she and the others were trying to get out. She told her mother that she loved her, and she had to go. It was at this point I walked on shaky legs down the hall to my office, and called Steve. I asked if he knew what was going on, and he said no. He was out on a job site, and hadn't heard. I told him that two planes had flown into the World Trade Center buildings, one into the Pentagon, and another into the ground. I told him that we were under attack, and that the news said that other planes may have been involved. He said nothing. I finally asked if he was there, if he had heard me. He answered with a question, "Is it World War III?" And that's when I became truly frightened. Was it? "God, I hope not," I managed to say to him, thinking about our kids.
The rest of the day is a blur. We watched the television constantly. We watched the buildings collapse, and we watched people wander the streets of Manhattan in shock, covered in ash. We spent some frantic time trying to locate our boss, who was on a flight from Los Angeles, and we prayed for news of Missy's aunt. We watched as every airplane in the country's air space was grounded, and we tried to understand who Al-Qaeda was, and why they did this.We watched the world change forever.
I think we as a nation, and as a people, drew closer together in the immediate aftermath of September 11. We talked about how quickly everyday life can change, how important loved ones are, and how our very existence is not to be taken for granted. But, it seems to me that in the years since that time, we have become more separated from one another than ever. I believe there is a great rift in this nation, and I believe that in the end, that may have been what those 19 murderers wanted most of all; to pull us apart. Could an act that killed 2,996 innocent people ultimately destroy the greatest nation under God on Earth?
Only if we allow it to.
No comments:
Post a Comment