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Community Corner

Where Were You?

Where were you on the beautiful morning of September 11, 2001?

Today marks the 10th anniversary for the September 11, 2001 attacks on our country.  I was debating to make this article about September 11th as I’m sure that’s going to be the majority of the news we’ll hear today but I felt compelled to write about it as well.

So, ?  I’m sure it is a memory that is engraved in your mind forever.  I know I’ll never forget.

September 11, 2001 was a Tuesday.  I was a sophomore in college located in New Hampshire and was sleeping in because I didn’t have classes on Tuesdays.  What woke me up early was my roommate coming bolting into our room to turn on the TV.  She was just getting out of class when the first plane hit WTC Tower 1 at 8:46AM.

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When she put the TV on, my mouth just dropped to the floor.  We had no idea what was going on or what had exactly happened.  About 10 minutes after having the TV on, we witnessed the next attack on WTC Tower 2 at 9:03AM.  I was horrified.  Within seconds, I was calling my mother, my grandmother, my boyfriend and many other family members and friends.  As my roommate and I stood in shock watching the TV in our dorm room, our friends on our floor started to trickle into our room to be together and watch the events that were unfolding right in front of our eyes.

The next horrifying event happened at 9:37AM.  The Pentagon was attacked.  What was going on in our country?  Even though I was in New Hampshire, I was starting to feel very scared because nobody knew if there were going to be more attacks and where they would take place.  I remember that buildings started to be evacuated in Boston and since Boston is very close to my heart, it really hit home for me.  We, Americans, all over our country, were running scared in our own cities and towns where we feel comfortable and safe, where we live, where we call home.

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At 9:59AM, Tower 2 collapsed.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.  I immediately felt sick to my stomach and just started to cry.

At 10:03AM, just minutes after Tower 2 fell, a hijacked plane was crashed into a field near Shanksville, PA.  Now my heart rate was really going because I was thinking that if a plane could be hijacked and crashed into a rural town in PA, it could really happen anywhere.  I had multiple knots in my stomach and didn’t feel safe at all.

The last terrifying sight was at 10:28AM when Tower 1 took its final resting place alongside Tower 2 on the ground.  My friends and I couldn’t stop crying and hugging each other.  It was a very emotional and devastating day.

I cannot imagine how all of the victims felt in the last moments of their lives.

During all of this madness, some of my college friends were trying to reach family and friends who lived in New York.  And then I suddenly remembered that a friend of mine was also living in New York.  Talk about a whole new feeling of anxiety.  I tried for hours and could not get through to him.  All of the phone lines were being overloaded with other people doing the same thing, trying to reach loved ones.  I did finally hear from my friend a few days later and he was safe.

Fast forward and here we are 10 years later.  I cannot believe that it has been 10 years.  The memory of that day is so fresh in my mind that it feels like it just happened yesterday.

With the media coverage of the 10 year anniversary of September 11th being everywhere, my 5 year old daughter asked me yesterday, “Mom, how come those tall buildings have smoke coming out of them?  Is it supposed to look like that?”  I was luckily able to change the subject very quickly because I’m not sure how to respond just yet, I need to get my thoughts together first.  She is only 5 years old.  But then I think that there were lots of children directly affected by the attacks that day and they know exactly what happened.  If she brings it up again then I will tell her about that day but not in full detail.  Not until she is a little bit older.

It blows my mind that I grew up learning about World War I & II, Pearl Harbor, President Assignations, etc. in History classes and now, I have witnessed an event during my lifetime, that will be in our children’s History books.

I will never forget what I witnessed on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.  I will never forget how it made me feel.  I will never forget the lives that were lost.  I will never forget anything.  And when my children are ready, I will share my stories of that day with them.

To anyone reading this that lost someone they knew and loved in the tragic events that took place on our soil 10 years ago today, my heart, thoughts and prayers are with you today and forever.

So, where were you on the beautiful morning of September 11, 2001?  I’m sure it is a memory that is engraved in your mind forever.  I know I’ll never forget.

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