Note to the Reader: This piece is merely a look back at events. It is not meant to stir up any political ire towards the former or current White House Administration. I encourage you to reflect back and if you feel the need to comment on the piece please try your best to keep politics out of it.
I can't remember all of the stupid things I've done as a stunt to get a laugh, growing up. I'm still sketchy, at times, on events I took part of in my time working with the radio station. Any specifics I might have said, on-air, escape me. But I can remember what happened 10 years ago, tomorrow, very vividly. I'm not the only one who can, either. I know, as your reading this, your thoughts are racing back to that day and where you were when you first heard the news and saw all those terrible events unfold, live.
Now, I'm not writing this piece as a way to capitalize on your emotions linked back to September 11th, 2001. Today I woke up and my first thought was, "Wow, has it really been 10 years?" And then my thoughts went racing to not just that day, but other defining moments that stemmed from that one day.
I was a sophomore in high school. It was second period, German I. When I sat down at my seat, close to the door to the room. I remember noticing all my classmates talking about some big event that just happened. Everyone was whispering one way or the other, and even the teacher was talking to a few students specifically about whatever just happened. I think he may have just taken ahold of the classroom when the intercom went off and the principal came over the line. I can't remember the specifics of the message, but I remember him mentioning that two planes had crashed in New York City, but that we should continue to focus on our school work for the day and that teachers should not be watching the news in their classrooms, if they had a television. After that announcement, we didn't do any of what he said. The rest of that period we just talked about what had happened and what we thought was going on. Fourth was my Kansas History class and our teacher had served in the armed forces, I think he may have been National Guard. At that point we had figured out that a plane also went into the Pentagon and he was elaborating on the layout of the structure and how the highest personal was was meant to be placed on the inner most ring for the obvious security reason, but how he knew that some officials had moved their office to the outer most ring because of the windows to the outside world. I can't remember the period but it was my English class that had the TV in the room, and it was on NBC. They had be replaying the second plane crashing into the second building over and over, then they cut to live where the first building was collapsing.
I don't feel I need to explain the rest, mainly for as anticlimactic as it would sound: "Then I went home and watched the news. Then I went to my room and turned on the radio and listened to the news..." I'm not trying to sound insensitive or anything, but it's what we all did that day, my story is no different from that point on. I sat and watched the horror unfold, trying to wrap my mind around that fact that this was all man made. That humans were capable of doing this to each other.
...Wow.
What's amazing was from that, watching people enlist into the military after the attacks. Taking those actions as a call to arms and make right what had just happened. Even more amazingly, watching people I knew answer that call. I had a few friends enlist, knowing full well what was going on in the Middle East. Yet they still mustered up the courage to sign their name on the dotted line. There is absolutely no way I could have done that, ever. Somehow they did. I'm one of the lucky ones who gets to say this: "...and they all came back." I know how privileged I am to get to say that, "they all came back." I know of a couple people who friends went out and didn't come back. Again, couldn't imagine being in that situation.
I started writing this yesterday at about 10a. I had to stop and take some time to get my mind off the subject for a bit because the reality became too much at times. Remembering watching those events live, and now, every channel with their different but similar shows. It's all a bit much at times. I didn't go into too much detail about all the different feelings of fear, hopelessness, and anger that took over me that day because really, I don't have enough time. And really, it's not about me. I shouldn't be so self absorbed with "what do I think about this horrible tragedy? WELL, let me get into the details!" As easy as it is to think back on where I was when I first heard and when I first saw live footage, even as today is a day to reflect, it's important to me to try and not reflect on my own dwelling about 9/11. I'm trying my best to think more about the families affected. Not to make myself sad and have a reason to be down all day, but more to acknowledge the reality of the day.
I'm trying my best here not to end on a 'sum everything up at the end' cliche, here.
"Never forget."
I really think it's impossible for most of us to forget.
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