Tribute to 9/11

Have you ever heard people talking about major events that affect everyone.  The one that used to come to mind was the assassination of President Kennedy.  It seemed that anyone old enough to remember that day was able to answer the question "Where were you when you heard JFK was shot?" with vivid clarity.

That event was a little before my time so I didn't really understand how something, no matter the importance, would imprint so strongly to a person.  I get it now.  A decade has passed and I can still remember every detail of the day I heard about the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.

Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning? by Alan Jackson

It wasn't a normal Tuesday for me and my husband, it was a special day.  You see, on September 5th, 2001 I gave birth to my daughter, Alexis Marie.  I had waited almost thirteen years to have my second child and this one was the little girl I had been wishing for.  So after my requisite stay in the hospital and a few days for recovery, my husband and I were taking our daughter to show her off to my co-workers.

The trip wasn't a short one, I had worked an hour away from home.  My husband and I chatted; blissfully ignorant of the crisis affecting America.  We didn't have the radio on, we were content to talk quietly to each other as our tiny baby slept on.

Imagine our surprise when, after the oohing and the ahhing at the baby, I was asked, "So, did you hear about the tragedy?" 

We had previously discussed a car accident that had happened to a co-workers sister so I answered, "You just told me."

That is when she explained the planes hitting into the twin towers.

Shock.

That is what I felt.  I had lived through the 'Cold War', being a military brat I knew the dangers we could face from other countries.  This... this was different.  This wasn't some boogie man type of threat.  This was an attack on American soil!

Flashes of the movie "Red Dawn" (an old '80's flick where America was invaded) came to mind.
We turned on a T.V. to watch the coverage.  I am not sure of when we found out about the plane that hit the Pentagon or the one that went down in Pennsylvania but it was horrible. 

I remember the fear we felt wondering if there were any more targets... The Sears Tower in Chicago... The Statue of Liberty... and then the personal, selfish fear... the military base near my own home.

The world changed that day.  It was wondrous to watch.  Suddenly everyone was supporting patriotism and there were flags flying in the yard.  The same love for the U.S.A that I was raised with was being demonstrated everywhere.

Of course, like everything else in our cynical society, it didn't last.  Eventually the flags that were once proudly waving could be seen littering the highway. 

We moved on. 

Now, ten years later, I can still recall with perfect clarity what happened that fateful day.  It is important to remember those that lost their lives and it is important to hold on to that American pride we once demonstrated.

I haven't forgotten.  September 11, 2001 will forever be a day I will remember...

Have you forgotten??? (music by Darryl Worley)