Where Were You?

I was at home with Brent. I was living with them in their first ever home at the time and we both hadn't head our for our daily activities yet. He woke me up and we sat paralyzed in front of the TV. Allen soon came home from his new job at the Livermore Lab. Laura joined us later as she was teaching and had to take care of her class before she could come home to us.

We all felt disbelief and sorrow. We all felt anger and rage toward those who would go to such effort to intentionally hurt others. In the midst of all that was a surreal quality. The horror of it all was almost too much to grasp.

The boys talked of joining the military. They had both danced around the idea for some time. The sense of duty and responsibility that had been dormant was instantly awakened. Their desire to serve increased as the news coverage continued throughout the day. There was no official declaration, but it was clear our country had been called to war.

The following week at work, a client arrived to ride his horse. He had been in the bottom of one of the towers that was hit. He was on travel for work - he was a Wall Street guy - and was in the lobby on his way to a meeting when the plane crashed. He rushed out amid the hundreds who were also fleeing. As he was trying to escape, a woman was knocked to the ground and about to be trampled. He grabbed her arm and saved her from the mob. He recalled being in the street and watching the papers and people being sucked from windows of the floors nearest the crash site. He also saw those desperate souls who jumped. He was visibly changed.

I know I'm not the only person who has difficulty finding the words to honor those who unwillingly and willingly lost their lives that day. What I do know is that I am intensely proud to be an American. I know that beneath the political discourse and imperfectly run government are millions of people who would die for their fellow American. Who have died in the service of another. And who will die as they strive to protect and give freedom to our brothers and sisters here at home and worldwide.

September 11, 2001. I know I won't forget.