9 - 11

What were you doing on 9-11 when the Twin Towers were attacked? I dinstinctly remember every single detail about those moments as I witnessed one of the biggest tragedies in American History. It was my first year teaching at Pace High School. I had planning first block so when my 2nd block Geometry students began to arrive they were all abuzz. One student told me to quickly turn on the TV because a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers in New York City. Not believing him I at first resisted. But then other students confirmed his story. I turned on the TV to catch what I thought was a rerun of the original crash. But then suddenly, I realized that it was live. A second plane had crashed into the other tower! It was all so surreal. Lightening doesn't strike the same place twice - this was no accident. It was an all out attack against America. My stomach sank. My heart seemed to stop. Then news of a third plane crashing into the Pentagon was televised and yet another plane that had been enroute to Washington crashed in Pennsylvania, killing all on board as well. It was unbelievable! Nothing like this had ever happened in my life! The magnitude of this event was likened to that of the JFK assassination or the attack on Pearl Harbor to those who had lived through them.

As I watched events unfold on live TV, my mind rushed to think about family who lived and worked in the very places that had been hit. Scott's first cousin was an anesthesiologist at the hospital a couple of blocks away from the Twin Towers. His hospital was the first response hospital - meaning most victims would be brought there. His hospital's staff were told to prepare for the worst. Every doctor, nurse, and staff was called in. Extra supplies, guerneys, medications, etc... were rounded up. Please for volunteer help went otu. He said the hallways were packed with guerneys and supplies waiting for the hundreds of victims to arrive. But victims never came. Only few trickled in at a time. He said the emptiness of that hospital was so very eery. Knowing the reason for the emptiness was bone-chilling.

Scott's other cousin, an accountant and brother of the anesthesiologist, and his wife could see the Twin Towers from their apartment. His wife, who was 6 months pregnant, was also in business and had a meeting later that morning in one of the Towers. Thankfully, she wasn't in the building when it was attacked. Had her meeting been even 30 minutes sooner than what it was, she would have been in the building. But her husband didn't know for sure if she had been in the Tower at the time of the attack or not. It took family a while to locate her. Cell phone and telephone services were flooded with calls making it impossible to connect with her. We all breathed a sigh of relief to know that she and the rest of the family in New York were all safe.

Scott's brother, Bryan, was in the Air Force at the time, living and stationed in the Washington D.C. area. He himself had worked at the Pentagon. Though not assigned there at the time of the attacks, his work often found him at the Pentagon for meetings. On the day the Pentagon was hit, Bryan, thankfully, was not there. However, he was friends and aquantances of those who died. We also panicked when we were unable to reach him that day, not knowing if he had been there during the attack. Again because the cellular and telephone systems were overloaded with calls, it took a while for us to make indirect contact with him and know he was safe.

Yes, I will never forget 9-11. I will always remember exactly where I was standing, what I was wearing, and what I was doing as I watched this horrible tragedy unfold. Innocent people lost their lives that day. Real heroes were made that day. They didn't ask for it, they just did what they knew to do to try to save the lives of others. For many, it cost them their own lives. For the sakes of all who lost their lives and suffered from this tragedy, we must always remember what happened on this day. As Americans, our world was literally shattered. Our innocence was taken. We must always remember lest we forget that history always repeats itself.

In His Love, Cathy