Sunday, September 11, 2011

What We Remember

Where were you on that September day? I'll bet you know exactly what day I'm talking about without me even saying it was 10 years ago today. September 11, 2001. Other wise known as 9/11. Our modern day Pearl Harbor. Only on a larger scale. Hitting our mainland-something never done before. Something I don't think most Americans believed anyone would even DARE do to us.

So where were Trevor and I when our country's safety was compromised? He and I were both clear across the country in our little Arizona hometown. I was 16. A junior in highschool. Sleeping in the comfort of my own home when the first towere was hit. I absolutely hate waking up to an alarm beeping at me. Its the quickest way to make my day start off bad. I always have my alarm set to the radio. My radio went off nice and early and in my groggy state I remember not hearing music, but hearing news of the tower being hit. They weren't sure what had happened. Was it a plane malfunction? I don't think my naive self even really knew what the World Trade Center was at the time. I walked downstairs in my pajamas to find my step-dad sitting on the edge of the couch watching the t.v. The t.v. and John being downstairs that early wasn't normal. I sat on the arm of the couch and watched quietly with him. If I remember correctly I was up just in time to watch as another plane crashed into the second tower. It was the craziest thing to be watching. We couldn't even look away. I remember saying so many times that I needed to get ready for school, but I just couldn't stop watching. At some point, in a daze I imagine (because I don't even remember doing it), I threw myself together and got to school. There in the hallways all of us kids were talking about what was happening to our country. I don't remember much about any lessons that day. Probably because there weren't lessons being taught. There were t.v.'s on in the classrooms. They were our teachers that day. I remember specifically 2 of the 7 classes. One was my American History class in the morning. We watched the t.v. and I thought, "I am watching American History happen in my history class." At some point in the day while we were watching the news I remember specifically watching footage of firefighters on some ground level of a building and we kept hearing these loud crashes. We didn't know what they were at first until the news explained that it was people jumping from the buildings. I couldn't even imagine the horror they must have been going through to make them choose to jump as a better option. Later that afternoon I sat in a darkened psychology class. It was normally a rowdy class. Not then. It was quiet. It was shock. That's how most of the day was spent. Quiet. In total disbelief. I may not have been in NY at the trade center, or in Pennsylvania at the Pentagon, or in one of the crashed airplanes, but I felt the sadness. I felt like I was directly attacked. It was scary.

Trevor was 18. He had graduated highschool a few months earlier and was working on the grounds at the school. He and 2 other guys were working when another worker came down to them to tell them that the first tower had been hit. They worked for a few minutes more and then decided to head up to the shop to watch what was going on. Once they were there they watched the second plane crash. Trevor's co-worker had previously been in the airforce and once that second plane hit the first thing that came out of his mouth was, "It's Osama Bin Laden." That was not even a name Trevor knew at the time. Unless you knew politics or were involved in the military Osama Bin Laden was not the household name at the time. This day is the day that he became more known to us. Terrorists or terrorism is not something we really had heard of before this time.

It's been 10 years. I can't imagine how those families feel that have lost loved ones that they were never even able to give proper funerals to. I know I still get sick when I even think about the hatred those people must feel towards the U.S. enough to want to hurt so many innocent people. I can't believe that my own kids will someday sit in a classroom with history books in front of them, and read about something Trevor and I have lived through and have distinct memories of. Someday I may even have a grandchild come ask, "Grandma were you alive when 9/11 happened? Do you remember about that day?"

Thank you to people who served and fought for our country then, before then, and now. Your sacrifices, and your families sacrifices are more appreciated then I think could ever be put into words.

1 comment:

Amy J said...

This post made me teary. I remember that day well too, probably one of the most memorable days for me. We watched a lot of 9/11 victims/victim's family interviews late last night and the heart ache you could see on their faces as they were talking about that day just broke my heart. I remember being so sad the day it happened and for weeks after, but being so far away from it all, it was hard for it so close to home, but hearing stories from those that experienced it first hand makes it so much more real.