9/11

If you ask any baby boomer where they were when President Kennedy was shot, they can tell you where they were that exact moment.  They can also tell you how they felt at that moment and the many sad moments in the days after.  Same goes for when the space shuttle blew up.  It was devastating.  Or back in 1941 when Pearl Harbor was bombed.  Now we have another day in history where those of us that were around at that time can remember the exact moment and we can still remember how we felt in that moment and the many sad moments afterward.

September 11, 2001.  A day I know I will never forget.  I had worked swing shift the night before and so did Tom so we were asleep.  My stepdaughter was up moving around getting ready for school and I remember vaguely hearing her and thinking, "Good girl for getting herself ready to go." and at the same time I was sleeping.  Then my phone rang.  My mom was very upset on the other end of the line. "A plane just hit one of the towers of the world trade center."  Tom and I jumped up and ran to the living room to turn on the tv.  My poor stepdaughter had to watch the horror of it all and then go to school with that visual in her mind.  But, I couldn't make myself turn it off and I couldn't turn away either.  I didn't even want to eat because it was constantly changing with breaking news.  Like a plane hit the other tower, another one hit the pentagon and another one went down in a field in Pennsylvania.  Then the towers fell and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  We were under attack and thousands of people had just died.  Another thing I remember is this country came together in a time of crisis.  We had been attacked and we stood as one for the first time in a very long time.  We were no longer divided by politics.  We wanted those responsible caught and punished and we wanted those who were suffering to be at peace.  It was a tragic event that brought us together.  I wish we were still together, but that is a whole other blog post! 

Later that day, Tom left for work early.  I later found out he had gone down to the Army recruiter and begged them to take him back.  He was so upset that our country was being attacked and he really, really wanted to go and fight for our country.  They turned him down.  He had to medically retire and the reasons were still there...he wasn't 100% and they couldn't take him.  He was devastated. 

Like most of the country we were obsessed.  It was on every radio and every tv for days.  Complete and total sadness of watching them try to save lives and then try to recover bodies.  Because of what I do for a living, my thoughts were with the dispatchers of New York that day.  It is horrible to lose one officer on your shift, can you imagine losing 26?  Or hundreds of firefighters in one day?  Not to mention all the civilians lives that were lost on their watch.  They had to feel complete and total frustration, sadness and despair. 

The end of September 2005,  my mom, kids and I took a trip to New York.  My sister was living there at the time and she worked in the Empire State Building.  The country had just commemorated the 4th anniversary and we were fast approaching the 1 year anniversary of my husband's death.  While we were there we toured the fire station that is across the street from the twin towers.  It was severely damaged and they lost I think 6 men out of that station.  They still had part of the fire truck.  We walked around ground zero and could feel the sorrow there.  I swear I could feel the spirits of those lost there too.  Across a different street was a church.  I mean directly across the street.  That church should have been demolished, but it wasn't.  All the buildings around the trade center and even blocks away were so severely damaged, no one could go in them.  The only thing damaged on that church was of course covered in ash and the 100+ year old tree out front was a casualty.  Other than that, nothing.  The church ended up becoming a sanctuary for the rescuers.  They would go there for sleep, prayer, water and food.  I know that God protected and preserved that church because he knew that in the horror of it all, people needed a place of peace.  I want to go back now that the memorial is there and they are well on their way of finishing the new buildings.  I want to touch the names etched in stone there and remember them even though I didn't know them. 

As we remember where we were on this day 11 years ago, I want to thank all of the police officers and firefighters who gave their lives that day.  And thank you to those that still everyday get up and put their lives on the line to protect us all.  I am not only a dispatcher, but I am a police officer's daughter, step daughter and a sister to police officers.  I have many, many friends that are officers so thank you, thank you, thank you.  Please be safe out there.  Thank you to the military personnel who willing go to war to fight for our freedom.

May God be with you all and God Bless America.  We will never forget.