What I Remember The Day The Twin Towers Fell

It’s been 10 years. On Sept. 11, 2001 I was getting ready for work and I was watching the Today program. I popped into the living room where the television was playing, and glanced up to see a shot of a tall building with a river behind it. I saw a plume of smoke coming from the structure, and was unsure of what I was seeing. Then I heard Katie Couric say a plane had crashed into the Twin Towers in New York city.

I assumed it was a small engine plane, as the camera was far away. I kept watching and then another plane flew straight into the building. Suddenly the broadcasters were alarmed and I realized it was more than pilot error. They began to talk about a presumed terrorist attack. My stomach lurched. I didn’t know whether to go to work or not.

I was working part time in a small office, and they seemed to know what had happened when I arrived. The owner of the business was there and she was laughing. She thought the attack was hilarious and a government ploy. My mouth dropped open. The owner kept exclaiming that the government knew all along about the plot and had helped make it happen. I was horrified and couldn’t wait for my four hour shift to end so I could leave the vile comments behind and find out what was truly going on.

Like many Americans I became glued to the television. I knew no one in New York, but as the images and the pain started to penetrate, I felt as if all the people running and trapped were my friends and family. The horrifying news rolled on and on as the other planes hit the Pentagon and crashed into the Pennsylvania landscape.

A vivid memory for me, living in the Midwest, was when all aircraft were forbidden to fly over our nation. The sky returned to its pure state. There were no jet fuel streams, or roaring engines. Despite this naturalness, it was eerily quiet and almost spooky. I would look up frequently as if searching for some sign that our lives hadn’t been altered. But the clouds simply roamed the blue and mingled with the yellow rays of sun.

The company I currently work for is filled with numerous 25 year olds. They were still in their teens, going to school, and trying to figure out what to wear on a Saturday night. I asked a couple of them what their impressions were on that day.

Sherry said she was at school working on her high school yearbook at the time of the attack. She walked by a study hall and one of the teachers had a radio on listening to the events unfolding. She remembers thinking World War 3 had started.

Crystal was 14 at the time. She was being home schooled. . Her parents became terrified when the towers fell and they turned the television off and sent everyone home. Her parents thought the world was ending.

After the attack someone close to me said that the U.S. would be attacked again. He said, “It could be a year, 10 years or 20 years from now, but it will happen again." He fought in Vietnam, and saw hell up close. I periodically think of what he said and feel it is probably true. But I don’t want to believe it. But it’s been 10 years now. Ten years since our naïve vision became the grave of our innocence.

According to specialists, we continue to face these threats every day. It's a sobering and scary thought, so most of us dismiss it or push it aside. We have to in order to carry on our day. This weekend we will be reminded again of the tragedy. The sound of the 11 o'clock bells and spoken names are still fresh in my memory. This year they will be more poignant as we pass a milestone of recovery.

Let’s again give praise to all the men and women who gave their lives to help save others. Remember the search and cadaver dogs, who like their human rescuers, have suffered and died from health issues due to the toxins from the explosions. Extend a hand to the families whose lives were irreversibly changed due to the death of a loved one during that fateful day.

Ten years is a long time and yet it seems like yesterday as the images reflect back to us. I will probably call my good friend, as I usually do, to commiserate. Together we will reflect upon a day that shook our souls.