September 11th is tomorrow. It's really hard to believe ten years have passed. Everyone seems to be reflecting on where they were when they heard the news that our country was under attack. It reminds me of the way people used to talk about where they were when they found out that President Kennedy had been shot. As a young child, I always thought that was kind of silly... they way folks can remember every little thing about what was going on around them that day. Who's class they were in when the announcement came over the loud speaker. What they had for breakfast that morning. Who they were sitting with in school that day. It just seemed overly dramatic.
And then came September 11th, 2001. A few weeks ago my children asked me what I was doing when the planes crashed into the towers. And, surprisingly, I could remember every little detail about that day.
I remember what I wore to work... teal shirt, black pants, and black sandals that had a worn spot on the sole.
I remember that I had plans to go to lunch with my friend Angela.
I remember that I was looking forward to going to my sister's college volleyball game that night.
I was still working at Liberty Mutual. I was at my desk, working away at my computer and listening to Deftones through my headphones. It was a pretty boring morning. I had sensed some excited activity going on around me, but I didn't look up from my computer. I was working on my undisclosed operator reports, and those were always kind of interesting. I was reading a policy holder's account of the accident her grown daughter had been involved in while borrowing her vehicle when I noticed that the other ladies on my aisle were talking. Loudly. This was strange... there was always a good bit of non-work related talking going on, but we were always pretty quiet about it. I looked up to see several women huddled around the cubicle across the aisle from me, talking loudly. I pulled my headphones off and joined them.
Someone had heard that a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. At this point, we all assumed it was an accident. Everyone kind of stood around talking for a few more minutes and then we went back to our desks. No one was working anymore. A little later someone announced that another plane had flown into the other tower. We all pulled up CNN or Fox News on our computers... this was an absolute no-no. But no one even bothered trying to be secretive, and management didn't care. We all stared in disbelief at the images from New York. People started talking about terrorism. I was so young and clueless. I was a newly married 19 year old who worked full time and had just started night classes and had a sick baby at home. Paying attention to world events was the last thing on my to-do list at night. When someone mentioned terrorists to me, I laughed it off. This was America! No one would dare attack us, and why would they even want to? It's embarrassing to think about how totally naive I was back then.
Then, the office manager sent out an email. I remember only two lines: "...Two plans have crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in an apparent act of terrorism. A television has been set up in the cafeteria."
Wow. That's when everything changed for me. I no longer felt safe. I wanted to go home to my baby. And I began crying for Chris' brother, who was a Marine. I knew he'd be involved in a war. I went to call my grandmother. Chris and I only had one cell phone to share back then, and he had taken it that morning. I had to wait in line at the "public" phone by the restroom. I called my Mamaw and asked if she wanted me to come home. She informed me that it would be silly for me to come home and that she and Shaun were just fine. She said she'd be watching the news and that she'd keep my mom posted on any new developments (my mom and I worked for the same company).
I went to lunch by myself. I picked up a sandwich from Subway and ate in my car while listening to the radio. By then, all of the reports were coming in: another plane had crashed into the Pentagon, and another plane had crashed into a field. I went back to work and continued to watch the reports on-line.
After work, on the local radio station, people were calling in to announce prayer vigils. I'll bet there were a hundred prayer meetings in Gainesville that night. I got to my grandma's house and continued to watch the news. Chris came home and said that he had talked with his mother, who had talked with his brother, who was ready to fight. Gotta love those Marines! We decided to go on to my sister's game. I was scared to go anywhere, but didn't want to sit at home and watch the news all night either. One ironic thing. My sister sang the National Anthem before her volleyball game.
After the game we had pizza and came back home so that I could study. My first college math test was scheduled for the next day. We laid Shaun down for the night in our bed. We had been working so hard to get him to sleep in his own bed, but I think he slept with us for at least a year after September 11. I wanted him close to me.
After he fell asleep I got out my math book and sat down at the table. The television was on, so I didn't get much studying done. I kept watching that plane crash into the tower over and over and over.
I didn't do much sleeping that night. I was afraid more attacks were coming.
And that's how I spent September 11, 2001.
And then came September 11th, 2001. A few weeks ago my children asked me what I was doing when the planes crashed into the towers. And, surprisingly, I could remember every little detail about that day.
I remember what I wore to work... teal shirt, black pants, and black sandals that had a worn spot on the sole.
I remember that I had plans to go to lunch with my friend Angela.
I remember that I was looking forward to going to my sister's college volleyball game that night.
I was still working at Liberty Mutual. I was at my desk, working away at my computer and listening to Deftones through my headphones. It was a pretty boring morning. I had sensed some excited activity going on around me, but I didn't look up from my computer. I was working on my undisclosed operator reports, and those were always kind of interesting. I was reading a policy holder's account of the accident her grown daughter had been involved in while borrowing her vehicle when I noticed that the other ladies on my aisle were talking. Loudly. This was strange... there was always a good bit of non-work related talking going on, but we were always pretty quiet about it. I looked up to see several women huddled around the cubicle across the aisle from me, talking loudly. I pulled my headphones off and joined them.
Someone had heard that a plane had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. At this point, we all assumed it was an accident. Everyone kind of stood around talking for a few more minutes and then we went back to our desks. No one was working anymore. A little later someone announced that another plane had flown into the other tower. We all pulled up CNN or Fox News on our computers... this was an absolute no-no. But no one even bothered trying to be secretive, and management didn't care. We all stared in disbelief at the images from New York. People started talking about terrorism. I was so young and clueless. I was a newly married 19 year old who worked full time and had just started night classes and had a sick baby at home. Paying attention to world events was the last thing on my to-do list at night. When someone mentioned terrorists to me, I laughed it off. This was America! No one would dare attack us, and why would they even want to? It's embarrassing to think about how totally naive I was back then.
Then, the office manager sent out an email. I remember only two lines: "...Two plans have crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in an apparent act of terrorism. A television has been set up in the cafeteria."
Wow. That's when everything changed for me. I no longer felt safe. I wanted to go home to my baby. And I began crying for Chris' brother, who was a Marine. I knew he'd be involved in a war. I went to call my grandmother. Chris and I only had one cell phone to share back then, and he had taken it that morning. I had to wait in line at the "public" phone by the restroom. I called my Mamaw and asked if she wanted me to come home. She informed me that it would be silly for me to come home and that she and Shaun were just fine. She said she'd be watching the news and that she'd keep my mom posted on any new developments (my mom and I worked for the same company).
I went to lunch by myself. I picked up a sandwich from Subway and ate in my car while listening to the radio. By then, all of the reports were coming in: another plane had crashed into the Pentagon, and another plane had crashed into a field. I went back to work and continued to watch the reports on-line.
After work, on the local radio station, people were calling in to announce prayer vigils. I'll bet there were a hundred prayer meetings in Gainesville that night. I got to my grandma's house and continued to watch the news. Chris came home and said that he had talked with his mother, who had talked with his brother, who was ready to fight. Gotta love those Marines! We decided to go on to my sister's game. I was scared to go anywhere, but didn't want to sit at home and watch the news all night either. One ironic thing. My sister sang the National Anthem before her volleyball game.
After the game we had pizza and came back home so that I could study. My first college math test was scheduled for the next day. We laid Shaun down for the night in our bed. We had been working so hard to get him to sleep in his own bed, but I think he slept with us for at least a year after September 11. I wanted him close to me.
After he fell asleep I got out my math book and sat down at the table. The television was on, so I didn't get much studying done. I kept watching that plane crash into the tower over and over and over.
I didn't do much sleeping that night. I was afraid more attacks were coming.
And that's how I spent September 11, 2001.
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