Remembering September 11, 2001
It is hard to beleive that ten years have passed since that awful day, September 11, 2001. I woke up at 3:45AM, and prepared to go to work as I had done. I was a little tired. At the time I was working part time at Grace Bookstore and working full time. Everytime I get tired a song plays in my head called "Saturday Morning Confusion." Oh, its one of many goofy songs from the 1970's that portrays life in suburbia, with a goofy line that says Harry the dog had puppies last week, we didn't know if it was a he or she now we know. That goofy song talks about cartoons and how the kids are up and all of this. Getting back to that day I stumbling to the bathroom and get washed up. Matt and I go to work. At that time we were on air together and we do "Joy in the Morning" and he goes to do other things around the station. I prepare to go to the department head meeting at 9AM. About five minutes til, everyone was standing watching the TV. Two planes by that time had hit the World Trade Center. Your mind says terrorist attack,. The first plane, you think maybe flew too low had some technical problems, but when the second one hit you just know its a terrorist attack.
We go to the meeting and thank God it is short. We hear another place has been attacked. The Pentagon. I get a call in from Sharon who tell me, that our mom is all upset, that her sister called her, really upset, because her son worked in the Pentagon. By then I am in the mode, let it interrupt programming when the president comes on and we will see whats happening. In the meantime more news is coming in and I am thinking I have to get to see my mom. People start calling saying their churches will be open for anyone who wants to pray. We go on air and announce this. We get more news about Flight 93. Matt and I leave, we come home and I call the bookstore saying that I am going to be late. Matts pacing the floor saying, "I've got to do something, I don't know if I need to talk to a preacher or a recruiter". Matt at this time was out of the military. He had served in the Navy, and the switched to the air force and had trainned as a flight medic. He didn't care for the air force so he got out. Later because of the terrorist attacks he reinlisted in the Navy.
Since he mentioned talking to a preacher, we went to talk with Bishop Simms, the church was open and we just talked and then we went to see my mom, who was in the bedroom watching all of the coverage of the attacks. My dad had tried to get her distracted from everything, but it didn't work. She was saying that she hoped Ryan was OK. Then she started talking about what a nice young man he was and how he helped her with grandma Clara. She was so worried abour Carolyn. We stayed for a while and prayed and then we went to see Matts mom. Matts mom is a former military wife and she had the TV on. We were wondering if the President was going to the bunker at the Greenbrier. We stayed there a while and went home. I got something to eat and went to my second job. People were coming in telling us things, the store began to get slow.
We came home and watched things on TV. I looked out of the window and no traffic was stirring. Everybody was at home. My mom called and told me that Ryan was OK. This was the first chance he got to call, they were on lockdown and then everybody wanted to call home. Oh how we rejoiced!!!
I called Sharon and she said that her kids were so upset and we talked. I began to wonder if any of the people we knew in New York worked at one of those buildings. When I was growing up, some of the people in New York used to send their kids here for the summer to stay with grandparents. I wondered about Mildred, Robin and BB. Donna and Cynthis and Shelia. I still am not sure abiout them, but I did see Mildred , Robin and BB at their grandmother's wake. I was really glad to see them. When Robin came up and told us who she was, oh it was so good to know she was OK. We told her how we had been worried about her and Mildred and BB.
That was a day, you will always remember where you were, what you were doing when you find out. The world changed that day, I can't believe that we now are so understanding to those who killed three thousand of our people. Not to mention those who were first responders who were injured and some who suffer PTSF. There were some from here who volunteered to go and work in New York, because it was what they did. I remember one of the women I had speech class with, talking about one of her co-workers who went and was exposed to the chemicals and how he died because of being exposed to the chemicals. He had a rare form of cancer. Things like this should not be forgotten.
I am thankful for people who will give of themselves without thinking of the consequences.
We go to the meeting and thank God it is short. We hear another place has been attacked. The Pentagon. I get a call in from Sharon who tell me, that our mom is all upset, that her sister called her, really upset, because her son worked in the Pentagon. By then I am in the mode, let it interrupt programming when the president comes on and we will see whats happening. In the meantime more news is coming in and I am thinking I have to get to see my mom. People start calling saying their churches will be open for anyone who wants to pray. We go on air and announce this. We get more news about Flight 93. Matt and I leave, we come home and I call the bookstore saying that I am going to be late. Matts pacing the floor saying, "I've got to do something, I don't know if I need to talk to a preacher or a recruiter". Matt at this time was out of the military. He had served in the Navy, and the switched to the air force and had trainned as a flight medic. He didn't care for the air force so he got out. Later because of the terrorist attacks he reinlisted in the Navy.
Since he mentioned talking to a preacher, we went to talk with Bishop Simms, the church was open and we just talked and then we went to see my mom, who was in the bedroom watching all of the coverage of the attacks. My dad had tried to get her distracted from everything, but it didn't work. She was saying that she hoped Ryan was OK. Then she started talking about what a nice young man he was and how he helped her with grandma Clara. She was so worried abour Carolyn. We stayed for a while and prayed and then we went to see Matts mom. Matts mom is a former military wife and she had the TV on. We were wondering if the President was going to the bunker at the Greenbrier. We stayed there a while and went home. I got something to eat and went to my second job. People were coming in telling us things, the store began to get slow.
We came home and watched things on TV. I looked out of the window and no traffic was stirring. Everybody was at home. My mom called and told me that Ryan was OK. This was the first chance he got to call, they were on lockdown and then everybody wanted to call home. Oh how we rejoiced!!!
I called Sharon and she said that her kids were so upset and we talked. I began to wonder if any of the people we knew in New York worked at one of those buildings. When I was growing up, some of the people in New York used to send their kids here for the summer to stay with grandparents. I wondered about Mildred, Robin and BB. Donna and Cynthis and Shelia. I still am not sure abiout them, but I did see Mildred , Robin and BB at their grandmother's wake. I was really glad to see them. When Robin came up and told us who she was, oh it was so good to know she was OK. We told her how we had been worried about her and Mildred and BB.
That was a day, you will always remember where you were, what you were doing when you find out. The world changed that day, I can't believe that we now are so understanding to those who killed three thousand of our people. Not to mention those who were first responders who were injured and some who suffer PTSF. There were some from here who volunteered to go and work in New York, because it was what they did. I remember one of the women I had speech class with, talking about one of her co-workers who went and was exposed to the chemicals and how he died because of being exposed to the chemicals. He had a rare form of cancer. Things like this should not be forgotten.
I am thankful for people who will give of themselves without thinking of the consequences.
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