The List: The End of the World as We Knew It {Remembering 9/11}

I was sick and in bed when a colleague called me and told me to turn on my TV. One of the Twin Towers in New York had been hit by an airplane. I was groggy and stuffy and achy and when I turned on the TV I was confused and shaken. Then the news reporter said another plane had hit the other Twin Tower. That's when I got scared and my head got a little clearer. I got out of bed, got on my knees and prayed.

I was thousands of miles away from the epicenter of this attack in a small city in Iowa. I was never so glad to be in the middle of the midwest isolated by the hills and corn fields. I felt somehow protected by my unassuming surroundings.

The eerie silence of the skies with the exception of an Air Force jet sent shivers up my spine. I sat in bed in with my eyes glued to the images flashing on the TV screen for the remainder of the day. It felt like a dream; an odd, bewildering dream. I called my husband, my mom and close friends; we shared our stories, our concerns for the people affected and our fears.

We did not yet know the source of the attack or the why, the how or the extent of the damage and the number of lives lost, but we did sense this was a new danger; a threat that would change our lives and our world forever. We knew that it was the worst terroristic attack on American soil, and we hoped it would be the last.

What has changed in the 10 years since 9/11/01 {for good or bad}:

1. We now accept the searches of luggage, body scans and pat-downs associated with airport security and my kids just know it's part of flying;
2. We are more vigilant when we see suspicious activity, baggage left alone, odd packages seemingly abandoned, etc.;
3. I, for one, watch every single passenger boarding a plane I'm on;
4. We no longer pay attention to the color-coded warning system, since it seems to always be stuck on Orange;
5. We know that our government may be listening in on domestic conversations, tracking certain folks, placing them on watch lists and no-fly lists;
6. We stand united in our resolve to never forget this American tragedy;
7. We have kids who were born years after the terrorist attack and yet our family, for one, talk about the Twin Towers and what happened one fateful morning in September and teach our children about this sad time in our history; and
8. We hope and pray that our country is truly more protected and more prepared to combat and prevent such potential attacks for evermore.

Thinking back to that day and the days that followed and all those sad, amazing, gut-wrenching, miracle stories and feeling pride for the American people who stand together no matter what when crises befalls our land. Over and out...

Anna

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Comments

[Jennifer]

I was an HR Generalist for Carlson Companies and already at work
when the horror started. We had a Regent Hotel in the financial
District that became a site for the rescue workers to gather and eat.
I will never forget trying to get our emplotted home from all over the
country and how hard the rescue workers worked in NY. Everyone
Pulled together.

[Heidi]

I was working at WITCC and was in a meeting. I walked out and saw a group of students, in a circle, praying. I stopped to listen and asked what they were praying about. After they told me I rushed to the student center to watch it all unfold on tv. I remember crying for days. Watching the 10-year anniversary stuff on tv this week as brought me to tears again.