2,973 died that day. Let's never forget that.
Five years since 9/11. It's hard to believe, isn't it? A lot has happened, of course, but those images are seared into our brains. I had saved these into my computer back then and they rock me back on my heels as much today as then, maybe even more so.
Where were you? Do you remember how you felt? I think this is the ultimate "where were you day?" There are only a few others that get close: JFK's assassination for my generation, Pearl Harbor for my parents. In the positive memory category, there's the Moon Landing. Somewhere below all of these -- because they were less universal -- you have the O.J. verdict and the John Lennon murder.
{BTW, people have started to write their own personal experiences in the comments. They are all detailed and well-thought out. I urge you to read them and to add your own. We're collecting these as a kind of shared recollection on this anniversary. Your story, wherever you were and whatever you were doing, is important. Thanks. BZ}
I was on a morning walk/jog with my friend Zach. We go out early, around 6:00a, P.S.T. I remember when we started that Zach has driven to my place that day and he'd just heard something on the news about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. But what he'd heard was that it was a light plane, some kind of macabre accident. We shrugged it off and headed out.
About forty minutes later, we were on our way up the hill that leads to my house and my wife raced our car up. She said that a second plane had hit the World Trade Center, that it was a big one. She usually doesn't give orders. This time she said, "Get in the car." We did.
Watching the news was awful. When somebody mentioned that people were jumping out of the Towers it seemed impossible. I remember literally shivering at that news. Jumping out of the World Trade Center! Jesus...
I simply was not prepared when the first Tower went down. Buildings don't fall down unless we dynamite them. This was impossible. Seeing the people running, covered in the white dust. It wasn't long before the second one came down. It felt like Armageddon. A memory that strikes me as completely odd and inappropriate now is that the school which our kids attended did not cancel classes but still asked that the kids come in. So we got our kids in, they watched TV in the classrooms until the first tower fell down and then we just went and got them and brought them home. Then we all watched TV together. My kids were pretty young and I don't think they quite got it or, if they did, they didn't want to think about it. I remember them giving my wife and me grief about "obsessing" about it. Even today, they don't seem disposed to talk at length about it.
I'll just say this straight out. When I saw what had happened, I didn't for a second think it was anything except something that had been masterminded by Islamic terrorists. I just knew. It was obvious. I also knew we were at war.
Nobody had to tell me this was like Pearl Harbor. We knew. But it was worse. It was on American soil and it was aimed specifically against innocent civilians.
Then the Pentagon got hit, too. And there was the news about United 93. When it crashed, my mind told me that we'd had to shoot it down. The true story of the heroism of the passengers wasn't obvious right away.
It was a terrible, awful, unforgettable day. Americans may disagree on the best method for fighting terrorism, but make no mistake we have to fight it. The kind of people who did this haven't given up. They're planning the next one, and they want it to be even bigger and bloodier. Al-Qaida's al-Zawahri recently said, according to a video aired on CNN, which appeared to be new:
"And the days are pregnant and giving birth to new events, with Allah's permission and guidance."
Given the scope of 9/11, you can only imagine the nightmare that they are contemplating. It's a hard thing to accept but there are people in the world who simply want to see you and your family dead.
Please leave your own memories in the comment section. It's all way too important to forget and, with five years, maybe you have a different perspective now than you did then.
I'm really tired of the partisan bickering that defines the aftermath of this sad event, but for one day, can we all just remember this reality?
2,973 died. Let's never forget that.
{PHOTOS: I saved these at 9/11 and I don't remember where they came from. If anyone knows, please let me know so I can give proper credit to the photographer or news organization.}
