All week long I've kept saying, "I can't believe its been ten years since September 11." And now, sitting here watching the 9/11 Ceremony Coverage, I really cannot believe it's been ten years. I remember that day so clearly. I was sitting in Mrs. Peeples' eighth grade science class when our principal came over the speakers and announced that a plane had flown into the Twin Towers. Being only 13 years old and having never gone to New York City before, I honestly had no idea what the Twin Towers were. My teacher actually told us that it wasn't a big deal and we weren't going to turn on the television and watch the coverage. Little did she know that it would be the day that changed our country forever. We left that first morning class and went straight to homeroom where I watched the coverage on television. I don't remember much about the remainder of the school day, but I remember so clearly coming home from school and just watching the coverage from New York for the remainder of the day and the next several days. I just remember so vividly all of the rubble and the stories and the fear on everyone's faces. What a scary experience as a child to not really comprehend what was happening that day. I can only imagine what that day would have been like from New York, or as a family member who went through minutes, hours, days, weeks without knowing where their family member was or if they were safe. And still, ten years later, there are family members that were never found. I can only imagine. And can only pray for the souls that were lost and the family members that have had to endure such pain through the years.
Ever since that day, we have had SO MANY brave, selfless military men and women serving on our behalf. I could never thank all of them enough. I am proud to know some personally, some are family, some are close friends. Their service is something that often times goes unnoticed or forgotten. But you are always appreciated, respected, and remembered.
It was December 2003 that my family took a trip to New York City. We stood there at Ground Zero, looking at all of the rubble, the pictures of the lives that were lost or missing, the flowers and letters and memories posted on the gates that surrounded the grounds. It was such an overwhelming experience that I will never forget. I remember taking a picture with some NYPD that stood at the grounds. I most vividly remember seeing this cross that formed out of the rubble in the midst of all of the chaos...
What an subtle, incredible reminder of who it is that we should all turn to in our times of trouble. Such a day of tragedy brought us all to our knees; may we never forget who picked us back up. Our nation shook that day, but our faith stood firm. May we always remember.
This past summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to go to the Pentagon and see not only the memorial, but was able to go inside of the Pentagon and stand exactly where the plane hit and took the lives of the innocent people there and on that flight.
And as I type this, I'm watching old news coverage of 9/11 and they just announced that the Pentagon had been hit... unbelievable.
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| The names of those who were lost. |
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| Each person that died has one of those memorial over a little running water. It was built to act as a bench, where family members or friends could come and spend some time sitting and remembering those that they lost. |
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| The ring of the Pentagon that was hit by the plane. |
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The dark stone in the center of the Pentagon shape was kept and rebuilt into the new wing. It is engraved with "September 11, 2001" and is dark due to being burned the day of the attacks.
For obvious security reasons, no cameras (or picture taking, at least) is allowed inside of the Pentagon. So I couldn't get any pictures of what I'm about to describe, but it was incredible and humbling to see. There is a color-coded map inside the wing that was hit that draws out the specific location of every desk, office, etc and the path of the plane. Each person/desk is color coded, for example, red = killed, yellow = at the Pentagon but away from their desk/office so survived, blue = not at work that day.... and so on. It was crazy to see that someone was at work and in the path of the plane, but survived because they were away from their desk in a meeting, getting breakfast, or some other circumstance. It was an incredible experience to stand in that wing of the Pentagon, knowing what took place there that day. We spoke with a few people who were present there that day, but there wasn't much conversation about 9/11 because it hits so close to home for those men and women and they don't want to talk about it.
Since September 11, 2001, I have always been memorized with what happened that day. I wrote papers on it in high school, read articles on it all the time, and watch coverage on it whenever I can. I don't know why I am drawn to it.. maybe it's because I know it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I don't want to forget. It amazing to watch the coverage of the news from the day of, knowing what we know now, how little we understood in the moment. When the first tower fell, we didn't even know what had happened. For at least ten minutes, it was reported that just a part of the tower fell off. No one knew for quite some time that it was a plane that hit the Pentagon and not just a bomb. Such chaos. I am thankful for a God who puts us back together and gives us hope in such a time of trouble.
May every single one of you count your blessings, remember those who were lost, tell your loved ones how grateful you are to have them in your lives, and may we always remember and never forget September 11, 2001. |
