As much as we like to say we will never forget, that is not completely true. It wasn't until I started watching the moments of that day unfold that I realized I had either forgotten or just put out of my mind how I felt. Of course I remember the event, but the years have diminished the degree of fear and uncertainty that I had felt. The coverage - stories of survivors and families of survivors, photos, and news coverage brought it all back.
As I watched the videos, the events of that day became vivid one again. All those desperate feelings and anxiety came flooding back. The experience was so disturbing at times that I had to turn it off, only to go back later to watch. It was almost as if I was obligated, as if I owed it to all the people, to really never forget.
Twenty-five years ago, a normal Tuesday morning turned into the longest day. My husband John and I were both getting ready to go to work. He worked for the Post Office. I worked at our local newspaper. We had the television on to catch the morning news and weather when suddenly the news broke; a plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York. We watched with intensity as it all unfolded. As the first plane hit the north tower, we were riveted to the TV screen. At first this was thought to be an accident, where a small plane could have gotten lost and crashed. That just didn't seem right. A gaping hole in the building was massive. Flames filled the entire building. The damage was much larger than what a small plan would have made. It was jarring to learn that it was a jet liner filled with passengers. Then as we watched, we saw live on air when the second plane hit the south tower. Clearly, this was deliberate.
Despite the anxiety we felt, we both had to leave for work. Halfway into my eight-mile-drive to work, the radio announced that a third plane hit the Pentagon. Suddenly tears streamed down my face. I could hardly drive. It was a completely involuntary response to the news that this was bad! I was overcome with emotion. What was happening! Was our country attacked? Who did this? What do we do now?
When I got to work, I joined one of the paper's owners who sat in front of a television set in a break room. We were glued to the screen despite having to put out the weekly paper that day. We watched the horror unfold...another plane filled with passengers crashed in Pennsylvania enroute to Washington, D.C. Then there was pandemonium as the towers fell, burying so many, including first responders.
This week I remembered all of it. As I watched, I remembered the unthinkable number of people that died that day along with the heroes that tried in vain to save them. And what about the passengers on the planes? They had to know they were going to die. That is unimaginable.
At the end of that day, the coverage continued. The tears flowed easily with each story that was told.
During the next week, I learned that a friend was in Washington, D.C. that day on a business trip. I started taking notes as we talked. He was near the Pentagon just after it was hit. He described the scene as complete chaos. He couldn't fly home because all the planes were grounded so he and another man who lived nearby rented a car and drove all the way home, some 13 hours. I wrote his story for publication the following week.
Another man, one I didn't know, but who lived in the same town, contacted me afterward. He saw the coverage on television and was compelled to drive to New York because he wanted to help. He called me to talk about what he had witnessed. He worked on the pile trying to help look for survivors. I wrote his story as well.
I was not a fan of President George W. Bush, but this was certainly his finest hour.
Today I am so grateful that we had a government that was able to lead the country in a supportive, cohesive, way. President Bush was a caring man and that showed through when it was needed most, as he helped bring the country together.
I will never forget the incredible sense of patriotism that Americans shared with one another during that time. It was almost as if we clung to each other as we shared our fear and resolve.
That does not exist today.
Though I didn't agree with the policies of our government then, I never felt betrayed by them. We were a cohesive country because the horror we experienced came from outside our country.
That is no longer true either. If September 11, 2001 happened today, I have no idea how we would ever deal with it. There is so much division and lack of leadership that I shudder to think how we would cope.
We need the same kind of resolve now that we had then because with a country at war, an economy that punishes the majority of people, mass shootings so often that the news no longer even covers them, as well as an untrustworthy and incompetent leader who promotes violence and cares only about himself, a change is desperately needed.
If 911 taught us anything, it taught us how to be strong and that we can come together as a country for the benefit of everyone. We need our allies around the world, many of whom came to our aid during and after that awful day. I sincerely hope we can begin to solve our problems and end our differences. We have one chance - with the upcoming election. We have an opportunity to elect good, strong, ethical, honest and competent leadership again. We are all Americans and we can and must demand better.
