Y3W - Where Were You?

This weekend is the 10th anniversary of the tragic event of 9/11/2001. I am sure everyone reading this can remember where they were when they heard about this tragedy. This is my experience from that day.

It was a sunny Tuesday morning, I did not have to work that day but I got up with my boyfriend (now hubby) and saw him off to work. When I am home during the week I love to sit and drink my coffee while watching the Today Show. This is exactly what I was doing when there was "Breaking News" and they began to share the news that a plane crashed into one of the World Trade Center’ s towers. The first reports were that it was a small plane, because how could anyone imagine it was a commercial airliner that crashed in to that building. The Today Show kept showing live shots of the building and all the black smoke billowing out of the gaping hole the plane left. Then there was chatter about how large the hole was and how could a small plane make that large of a hole.  Then the unspeakable happened. While watching a live feed of the first tower and the smoke, another plane came into the shot and crashed into the other tower. At that moment my heart dropped. I could not believe I was seeing this. I immediately called Brian and told him what was happening. After I hung up the phone I heard someone on the TV say, “These seem to be intentional.” At that moment I knew my life would change forever.

In September 2001 we lived in Aurora, CO, a suburb of Denver. In Aurora is an Air Force base called Buckley Air Force Base. This is the place that the President lands when he is visiting Colorado and it is quite a large base. We lived about 1 mile from this base and about 10 minutes after the second plane crashed in NY I could hear all the fighter jets begin to take off from the base. Our apartment was in the direct flight path of these jets and we would often hear them during training missions but that day it was different. I was so worried because Colorado is quite important to our nation’s security. We have several military bases and we are home to NORAD. I kept calling Brian to give him updates at work and to see what he was reading on the internet at work. While my day was going on I heard the other reports of the planes that hit the Pentagon and Flight 93 that crashed in the field. I heard how they were going to get all other planes out of the air for fear there were more that could be hijacked. Then came the horrible moment when the first tower at the WTC fell. I watched it live on TV and sat in my living room and cried. I could not believe these things were happening in America. This stuff does not happen here, we are America, we are not a 3^rd world country and how could this be happening? I could not take my eyes off the TV that day; I wanted to know everything about this story. Why was this happening? Who would do this? What was going to happen now?

I was so happy when Brian got home that day. I just wanted to be with him and hold him. This is the first time in my life I felt scared to live in my country and I did not like that feeling. I had talked to my mom several times that day as well and no one could believe what had happened. In the days following, I still could not get enough of the news reports that seemed to go on all day and all night about this horrible day. I saw people walking around with photos of their loved ones they were looking for, that brought sorrow to my heart. I saw the video of how first responders had pulled another person out the rubble alive, that gave me hope. I heard that friends of our family lost a loved one in the WTC. He was FDNY and most likely perished in one of the towers when it fell. My heart still aches for this family to this day. I can’t imagine how they must have felt that day or how they still feel each year as the anniversary comes and goes.

Each year Brian and I seem to be glued to our TV when there is shows on that remember that day. This seems to be a way for us to commemorate the events and remember those who were lost during those events. It is hard to believe it has already been 10 years. I urge everyone to take some time this weekend and reflect on the events of that horrible day, be thankful for your family, hug your kids extra this weekend and be thankful for the great country we live in. GOD BLESS AMERICA!