So tomorrow is September 11th. 9 years ago that day forever changed for every American. We all have our stories of where we were that fateful day, and mine is nothing special, but here it is.
I was a senior in high school and the day started off like any normal day. Woke up early to make my 7:20am psychology class. Typically on my short drive to school I would listen to a CD, preferably one I could sing along obnoxiously to. On this day, however, I had the radio on for some weird reason. As I pulled into my spot a newscast came over the airways stating that a plane had hit a building. I didn't think too much of it - I figured some tiny little airplane had clipped a building somewhere, no big deal. I turned my car off and headed into class.
I was typically early, so I sat down and started doing some homework, when my psychology teacher rushed in with her hand over her mouth and said, "I just saw the most terrifying thing." She then flipped on the tv and there on the news was the World Trade Center. Smoking. With a gaping hole in the building. And then they replayed footage of the second airplane hitting the second tower and my heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. I don't even remember hearing anything the newscasters were saying, I was just staring at the tv.
Needless to say, we didn't have a regular class that morning. We stayed glued to the tv the entire hour. Sometime during that class we all witnessed the 1st tower crumble to ground. My immediate thought was oh, of course they had gotten everyone out of the building by now. Certainly everyone had evacuated and was far, far away. I had no idea. In fact, it took a little while for it to sink in that I just witnessed hundreds of people die as that tower collapsed.
Eventually the bell rang signaling it was time for 2nd hour. I had gym. I was astonished when our gym teachers made us dress and go outside to play softball. Perhaps they were trying to keep our minds off the tragedy, but it didn't work as no one was interested in playing. We were outside though and we all froze each time a plane flew over. Not all the planes were grounded at that point so we didn't know who exactly were flying those planes that flew over our heads towards downtown Denver. We could only fear the worst. Finally, class was over and I rushed to 3rd hour Chamber Choir, knowing full well my choir teacher would have the tv on.
Another hour of watching the chilling details of the day unfold. The Pentagon, the plane in Pennsylvania, the other tower collapsing, New Yorkers covered in soot and debris running for help. It was during this class that the newscasters started speculating what this all meant. Were we going to war? Why yes, yes we were. And my brother had just joined the Navy the previous year. I kept telling myself that the Navy was probably the best place for him to be as Afghanistan was landlocked. He told me years later that the first bombs to hit Afghanistan were from jets stationed on his air craft carrier. And that shortly after the first plane hit the World Trade Center their aircraft carrier was immediately set on a different course. He was far more involved in the war effort than I thought.
4th hour, another choir class, 7th Harmony. There were only 7 of us so of course we decided to continue watching the news. We kept holding our breath just waiting for another plane to hit something or a bomb to go off or something horrible to happen. It was terrifying.
The rest of the day continued much the same. More tv watching. Calling my mom and telling her to come home from work downtown because who knew what city was next. Calling my dad and sharing how shocked and scared we were. Calling my sister who was all alone in Seattle. It was an awful day, one I will never, ever forget. The details are so finely engraved in my memory as I'm sure they are in everyone's mind.
And each year as I catch some of the coverage of those horrific events 9 years ago, I stop, and stare at the tv still shocked, saddened and stunned that this happened. There is pain in my heart every time I see coverage or hear someone else's story. I also distinctly remember watching anniversary coverage on 9/11 about 3 years ago while I was watching my 2 year old nephew. He was playing when all of sudden I was frozen watching that plane hit the tower. Something I have seen hundreds of times now, but I still have to catch my breath. I stood there, frozen with tears in my eyes. My nephew must have been aware in my change in mood because he ran over to me with his hands in the air asking to be picked up. It will be years before he understands what happened on September 11th, but in that moment, at 2 years old, he comforted me and made me smile.
All I can do now is remember, pray for those who lost their lives/loved ones/coworkers/friends and hope that something like this will never happen again and we can all live in a peaceful world.
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