never forget

Hard to believe it's been 12 years already... I wasn't even 12 years old when it happened.  

 

I remember the day perfectly... I was in 6th grade, Mr. Modan's class.  Since we were still in elementary school, nothing was announced and no one was allowed to tell us what was happening.  But of course, as a 6th grader, I was old enough to know that something was going on.  

Throughout the day we'd catch teachers crying and watching the news behind closed doors... Kids we're being picked up by their parents right and left. Being the curious 11-year-old I was, I would beg my teachers to tell us what was going on.  All they would tell us is, "You're safe. That's all you need to know. You're safe here at school." Well, that was real comforting to hear.  Way to leave us even MORE terrified than we were before.  

By the end of the day, I was one of 6 kids left in my class that hadn't been picked up by their parents.  It was a scary, scary day...to be old enough to know that SOMETHING bad had happened, and not having a clue what it was.  I literally ran home as fast as I could to find my mom in tears, glued to the TV.  Our country was under attack, and it was happening just miles away from home.  New York City- 250 miles away.  Washington, D.C.- 20 miles away.  Dulles Airport, where one of the planes took off- 6 miles away.  Just down the street. 

Luckily my own dad wasn't one of them, but everyone's dads worked downtown...many even at the Pentagon.  (Of course all the parents were pulling their kids out of school).  I don't have any personal connections to anyone that was killed, but I do have plenty of close connections that have always given me a much deeper prospective...

A friend's dad that was a firefighter at the Pentagon.

A friend's dad who was next in line to fly the plane that was hijacked and crashed in Pennsylvania. 

A police-officer neighbor who was hospitalized due to burns and smoke inhalation after pulling several people out of the burning Pentagon.

A close family friend that was deployed multiple times to fight for our country in Iraq. 

Heroes.  

I will never forget that day.  The fear, the terror, the devastation, the loss.  But I will also never forget the way our country joined together, and emerged stronger and more unified than ever. I will never forget the patriotism and the unity, and the determination to live our lives in freedom. I think it's important to look back on these moments and keep these memories fresh so that we never forget how blessed we are to live in this free country. 

"Now, we have inscribed a new memory alongside those others.  It's a memory of tragedy and shock, of loss and mourning.  But not only loss of mourning.  It's also a memory of bravery and self-sacrifice, and the love that lays down its life for a friend--even a friend whose name it never knew."

-George W. Bush 

Feeling very proud to be an American today.  Thank you to all those who have fought, sacrificed, even lost their lives to protect our freedom.  Land of the free, because of the brave.