10th Anniversary of 9/11

Today is a very somber day; it’s the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States. Let us never forget those we lost, the rescue workers who tried to save those in the buildings, and those we have lost since in the war against terrorism. In 2011, it’s easy to say “we shouldn’t be in a war” but if you remember back to September 11, 2001, everyone was saying “we should go to war today”.

I’ve been watching the original footage from that day and I can’t seem to stop watching. I can’t stop myself from crying; reliving that feeling of utter terror, disbelief, shock, sorrows, and grief. I didn’t think I had this many tears in me and yet, I’m still crying. I can’t seem to stop.

It isn’t any easier today than it was ten years ago. The footage thankfully doesn’t show everything we saw when watching it live. Thank god for that; I wouldn’t want people to see some of those images ever again. For those of us who saw it on TV in 2001 or even in person; you know the images I’m referring too. To this day, I sob whenever I think of those images.

Where was I? It was about 0630 and for once I wasn't in the office already. I was driving to work when the radio DJ announced that a plane had struck one of the towers. Like everyone else, I thought it was just a horrible accident. I drove as fast as I could without being crazy and arrived at my desk at NASA and turned on the TV. It was when the second plane hit that I realized we were under attack and I called my mother immediately. She wasn’t home, I remembered that my parents were on a cruise.

My coworkers and I just sat there in silence watching the TV (that had no sound); we couldn’t believe what we were seeing. The Pentagon was hit next. At that time, reports were all over the place; nobody knew how many planes had been hijacked, where they were headed, or if we were next. Most people who had non-government jobs were sent home; we had to stay, locked inside our buildings, not able to leave and not allowed outside. Then we got the news about the fourth plane. It wasn't until later that everyone found out about the passengers of flight 93. The courage of the crew and passengers still amazes me.

Edwards AFB was the closest but remote landing strip to LAX. We were going to be the alternate airport if LAX shutdown. We were finally let go in the afternoon. I couldn’t sleep for days, didn’t want to eat, and was scared to be alone. What if in the morning there was another attack and what if it was on the West coast. It took days before I could sleep again.

I wasn’t alive when Pearl Harbor was attacked but I can only image the feelings are the same.