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September 10, 2006
September 11th, 2006...
September 11th, 2006. Five years later. On this day five years ago, 2006 seemed so far away. Not for fear of being attacked, or dragged into a worldwide conflict, but because the events of the day were just so surreal. It wasn't happening. The Twin Towers will be there, just as soon as all the smoke clears. Right? It's going to be all right, isn’t it?
It was all right, on September 10th. The world had its problems, but we were okay. I had met Megan the summer before, and things were working out really well. At the time, I was working for a television station here in North Carolina, but happened to be off that Tuesday. Jason's wife Sara (both of whom can be found in the archives of this 'blog) called and left me a message. She said, "Are you watching what's going on? You'd better turn on your TV." And, like everyone else, I was shocked at what I saw. At the time though, only one plane had hit Tower Number 2. I watched in disbelief, but thought that this was no more than a terrible, awful accident. Until I saw with my own eyes, the second plane hit. This was no accident. I called my station, and asked them if they needed help. Of course, the answer was yes. I ran upstairs to take a shower, and in the midst of it, the song I was listening to on the radio cut off, and the DJ came on, and announced that the first Tower had fallen. I hurried up, dried off, dressed, and ran back downstairs to the worst thing anyone could have imagined. Not long after that, I was in the newsroom, answering phones, coordinating crews, setting up interviews, answering more phones, watching feeds, answering still more phones, and finally, answering more phones. My thoughts turned to Megan, and my family. The 11th of September is my sister Gabrielle's birthday, so that made this day somewhat bittersweet. I tried to call, but the phone lines to New York were jammed. Eventually, I got through, and wished her a happy birthday. Her husband is a New York City Police Detective. He had not been heard from in six hours. Trying to get in touch with my Dad was also difficult. He only lives six miles from the Twin Towers, and he would have no real reason to be in Lower Manhattan, but you never know. Thankfully, all were well. My sister Gab was in the Towers in 1996 when a bomb blast attempted, but failed to destroy them then. She lost friends this time around, so wishing her a happy birthday didn't seem so happy. Megan was, to say the least, devastated. Although she had never been to New York, it really hit her hard, and still does to this day. The next two weeks were spent working 12-hour shifts, with no days off. Most of us in the news business had reached our breaking points. Mine was career ending. In December of 2001, I joined my Fire Department, where I remain employed. We remembered this awful day by reading the Firefighter's Prayer, and observing two moments of silence, for when both Towers fell.
Capt. Doug, myself, Robert and Steve were joined by two of our Paramedics, Wade and Christine. While we focus on the murders of 343 of our Brothers, we cannot ever forget that EMS workers and Police Officers were also murdered on that hateful day.
Soon after 9-11, I began to think of ways I could honor and remember those that made the Ultimate Sacrifice. One way was to create a vanity license plate that would help me remember, and help others not to forget. I went to the local license plate office and requested a 9-11 plate, but was told that the operations were being moved from one prison to another, and that I would have to come back in about two months to make the request. When I returned to the office, I was sure that someone else had the same thought, and that I was too late. To the contrary, I was first, and, as it turns out, the only license plate in the Old North State to bear the numbers 9-11. The state is no longer issuing plates like that, as variations on the way to write it out are limited, and it could potentially cause confusion.
Truth be told, I was kind of happy to hear that, but I wish that the events on 9-11 never happened. I wish that there were no need for my license plate. But at the same time, if it brings back a memory for whoever is behind me, then it was worth it. The memory of those who died trying to save lives, those who died just trying to complete a journey, those who died just being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and those who continue to die in an effort to defeat an enemy whose cowardice cannot be measured in words. We must always remember what has happened to us, so we don't let it happen again. This is a picture I took at the Vietnam Memorial in October of 2002, while attending events for the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Washington D.C. I think it says it best:
I know the dangers of fighting fires first hand. But I do it because I love it, and because I am a part of a noble profession. Do we have a future Firefighter in the family?
Five years after the attacks, I wanted to write down how I felt that day. What's strange is, I remember that day as if it just happened. It reminds me of the stories I heard from my parents and grandparents, how they told me the world stopped the day President John F. Kennedy was murdered.
I would love to hear where you were that day. Click on the link below this entry to leave me your story. I would love to hear how you felt, and how you feel now.
Thanks for listening...
Posted by Jon at September 10, 2006 10:29 PM
Comments
I was taking a class offsite at IBM, when an instructor rushed into our room to let us know about the towers. My first reaction was to jump into my car and head to NYC to help.
Months later I found out I lost 8 friends/colleagues. This was some of the toughest news I had ever received in my life.
Posted by: Jason C. at September 12, 2006 08:26 PM