“Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children.” – President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001
It’s hard to believe that it has been ten years since that day when the world changed. A couple weeks ago when we had an earthquake here in D.C., the reaction from my coworkers was almost unanimous: most of us thought there had been another attack, or that a plane had hit a building close by. I can’t imagine those thoughts even crossing our minds in a pre-9/11 world. It is almost hard to remember that world: going to the airport as a little girl & walking all the way to the gate to see my Dad off before a business trip; a high school trip to New York City, standing grinning in front of the Twin Towers; a daily commute that took me right past the Pentagon when it was whole; a drive along the Pennsylvania Turnpike when the exit for Shanksville was just for a small town.
I was a sophomore in college living in Tallahassee, Florida on September 11, 2001. I spent most of the day curled up in bed with my best friend, barely able to continue watching the horrifying coverage on TV, yet unable to stop. I thought I’d share some of what I wrote in my journal that evening… I think it really sums up the emotions (& confusion & fear) of the day:
“I can’t believe this has happened. They think at least 10,000 people have died. I just heard that Jeb Bush (then the governor of Florida) has declared a state of emergency, so who knows if I’ll have class tomorrow or even if we’ll be allowed to go out. It’s scary to just sit here, not knowing if anyone is going to bomb us or where it’s going to happen. It’s just so surreal to think that the entire way I live my life in this country is going to be forever changed, & if not forever, for a very, very long time. I just don’t know how safe I feel in America any more. You hear about terrorist attacks at U.S. embassies & on warships, but it doesn’t hit home until it happens on American soil. It makes me really think about the future. I have always wanted to live in Washington, D.C. or NYC, two cities that were under attack today. Am I risking my life to follow those dreams? I only fear what tomorrow brings…
“Both individually & as a nation, we have to pick up the pieces, somehow, & go on. The dust will settle & the fires will burn themselves out & we will finally see what they did to our beautiful country. I fear what comes in the future. More attacks on U.S. soil? Is this grounds for World War III? I guess we can only take it one day at a time, & thank God that we are all okay… at least physically.”
If you haven’t yet today, please pause to say a prayer for those who were lost on that day. The men & women who were going about their lives, doing their jobs in buildings that signified America’s military & financial strength. The firefighters & police officers who ran up the stairs while everyone else was running down. The men & women on Flight 93 who fought back & saved an untold number of my friends in Washington, D.C. Those who lost husbands & wives, mothers & fathers, sons & daughters, aunts & uncles, nieces & nephews, friends & colleagues.
Time is passing, but we will never forget.
(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
The great photographer Steve McCurry has a collection of photos of the Twin Towers on his site from September 11, & the days following. They’re a bit of a gut check, but also an important reminder of why we cannot ever forget: http://stevemccurry.wordpress.com/2011/09/08/in-remembrance-2/
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