Twenty-five years.
Today marks twenty-five years since the attacks of September 11, 2001. It is hard to believe I am old enough to remember such an awful atrocity happening on US soil. But I do. I remember every minute of it.
What I Remember About That Morning
Early September 2001, I was asleep in my bed at my parents’ house when my mom ran in, frantic, and said, “Honey, the US is being attacked.”
I jumped out of bed. “What on earth do you mean?”
I ran to the front room, and there it was on the TV. The first plane had just crashed into the first tower. We stood there horrified, watching the smoke billow from the building, and all we could think was, I hope those people can get out.
Then we heard the panic in the news anchors’ voices. There was another plane.
I still cannot believe I watched it live: a plane crashing into the second tower. It was devastating and shocking, and we did not know what to do. So we just sat there, glued to the television, watching smoke pour down into the streets, people running covered in dust, everyone in shock.
Those images are burned into my brain.
And then the most horrible sight of all. We noticed things falling from the buildings, only to discover that those things were people. I will never unsee that.
My heart breaks for everyone who died that day. In New York. At the Pentagon. In that field in Pennsylvania where Flight 93 went down.
The Classmates Who Signed Up
I graduated high school in 2001, and the irony of that year is not lost on me. The same year I walked across the stage, the whole world changed.
After September 11, a bunch of the guys in my graduating class dropped out of college to join the military. I knew two of them personally. One became a Marine, and one became an Army man. Their passion and their support of the USA warms my heart to this day.
That evening, once we learned everything was safe here in California, I still went to my college class. My teacher showed up even though he told us he did not think he would. He spent the whole evening talking about the economics of what war can cause. I have never forgotten that lecture.
How I Remember September 11 Each Year
Over the years I have gone to many September 11 events and remembrances on this anniversary.
One of the most breathtaking was a church event at Shepherd of the Hills in Porter Ranch, over in the valley. They displayed flags with pictures of every single person who died that day. Standing among them, it is astonishing to see just how many people that is. There was a huge fireworks show afterwards commemorating America’s triumph.
A couple of years ago, the Nixon Library brought in a steel beam from one of the towers and set it up in the parking lot. We attended, and honestly, it was a little miserable, folding chairs on hot asphalt on a warm September day. We were not too physically comfortable. But we were there, and that is what mattered.
Twenty-five years later, I remember. I will always remember.
Now I want to hear from you.
Where were you on the morning of September 11?
Tell me in the comments. I read every single one.
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