Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Eleven Years Ago

Eleven years ago today, my mom called to ask if we were watching the news.

Eleven years ago today, we turned on the television and saw smoke pouring out of a building.

Eleven years ago today, we watched as another plane hit another building.

Eleven years ago today, we watched people jump.

Eleven years ago today, we stared in stunned disbelieve and unspeakable horror as first one tower and then another collapsed from lofty heights to improbable thinness.

Eleven years ago today, we saw the first amateur video of a third plane hitting the Pentagon.

Eleven years ago today, we saw wreckage of a fourth plane strewn across a field in Pennsylvania, evidence of heroic intervention, though we did not know it yet.

Eleven years ago today, George was on leave, but he put on his flight suit and went to work at Ellsworth Air Force Base anyway because he wanted to do something, even though there was nothing he could do.

Eleven years ago today, I was glad one of us could do something--anything--other than stare at the television and cry.

Eleven years ago today, our hearts broke and lives changed forever.

Eleven years ago.

Today, we still remember the grief, and we give thanks for the heroes.

Every.

Last.

One.

Of.

Them.

6 comments:

  1. 11 years ago, we also watched in disbelief. Your words bring back that raw grief and horror that I felt then, and feel now, thinking of the senseless act of terror on that day. I do remember.

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  2. Thank you, Susan. 11 years ago I became a New Yorker, not someone who lived in New York.

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  3. 11 years ago I was a manager in a directory call centre in Birmingham UK when I noticed some of my girls had not returned from their breaks. I went to look for them and found them watching what I first thought was a film. The shock when reality dawned was overwhelming. Then the fear that my cousin who worked in Wall Street was involved enveloped me.
    I then went into automatic mode because I knew that in seconds we would be inundated with calls from people wanting numbers for friends and relatives in New York or for the American Embassy in London and I knew we had to do our best to help these people.
    At least I felt that we could be useful to somebody even if it was in such a small way.
    It took me four long days for my prayers to be answered and to be able to reach my cousin who was safe and well. He had changed his job only that week and was out of the city.
    My heart goes out to you all.

    We too will never forget 9/11 nor 7/7.

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  4. I remember September 11,2001 because my son is an airline pilot, and on that day, I had no idea where he was and if he was safe. He was safe.

    I remember the Bali bombings October 12,2002 that killed eighty eight Australians. Friends who were in Bali after visiting me in USA, escaped the bombings by minutes when they decided not to visit the targeted night club.

    I remember London July 7, 2005 when buses and tube stations were bombed. A friend who was on her way to visit me, escaped the bombing of Edgeware Road tube station because she made a mistake in getting off the bus at the wrong stop for the tube station.

    I was fortunate that my son and my friends were safe when so many died.

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Thanks so much for taking time to comment!