I Remember...

…the phone call from a friend: “are you watching the news this morning? No? Well, turn the news on…apparently an airliner has crashed into the World Trade Center…”

…watching the smoke billow…

…watching live as the 2nd plane hit the other tower…

…the rainstorm of papers.

…the collapse of the 2 towers.

…seeing President Bush blanch when he was told of the incident while sitting in a classroom in FL

…the police and firefighters heading toward what all others were desperately trying to escape.

…wondering in a bit of panic where my brother, the United Airlines pilot, was.

…being overwhelmed with joy when I got through to him at his home in CA.(Turns out, he was actually supposed to fly out of Boston that day as did two of the ill-fated planes. *shudders* But he was not scheduled for one of those particular flights. The plane he was to be on had to land at an abandoned airbase in AZ after the order was given to clear all U.S. airspace.)

…the surreal thought of U.S. combat pilots having orders to shoot down any plane flying.

…thinking that the world had surely and irrevocably changed for the worse, and regretting that for my children.

…thinking very deeply about what I believe about the nature of God and man and faith and Christianity and Islam. And having my convictions deepened by the experience.

…the all-too-few days afterward in which we Americans were united & on the same page. Sort of like now…only about 180 degrees different. *sigh*

…the stories and pictures that continued to come out.

…the amazing relief when hearing that tens of thousands got out of the two towers.

…the crushing grief that was felt by the families & friends of the nearly 3,000 who didn’t get out. (I can only imagine the grief, actually. I’ve lost close loved ones, but never to a nasty terrorist attack…)

…the odd sense of triumph in the midst of tragedy as I heard what happened on United Flight 93 when passengers fought back, ultimately crashing the plane in a field in PA rather than on the White House or the Capitol.

…the creepy sensation when I was outside a couple of weeks later and heard/saw the first plane fly overhead since 9/11/01.

…“Freedom was attacked this morning by a faceless coward…”

…feeling very deeply that we should never forget, just as my parents’ generation have never forgotten events of Dec. 7, 1941. I actually did recall Japanese Gen’l Yamamoto’s words just after the Pearl Harbor attack: “I fear all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve…”

May Yamamoto’s words be prophetic here, 7 years later, just as they were in 1941.

Take a few minutes & listen to this. I landed on it while radio station surfing on the way to work yesterday morning. (note: I’m not a huge talk radio listener…I find that my blood pressure and my general thoughts about my fellow humans & our political leaders are better when I stay away from that particular media outlet)

But this one took me all the way back to 9/11/01 and the accompanying emotions. It took me a minute to re-compose after this montage of sounds from that day. Particularly the air traffic controllers desperately trying to contact the hijacked planes. And the phone call from inside the WTC. And the firemen trying to contact other teams on the walkie-talkies. Well, just give a listen.

(Note: it has some Glen Beck commentary, plus a blurb from Keith Olberman griping about the RNC showing footage from 9/11/01. Keith's a moron imo; Glen's OK I guess. But what I really want you to listen to starts at the 9:27 mark if you want to fast forward. Might want to grab a hankie first...) You'll hear one of the hijackers speaking over the radio, followed by air traffic controllers trying get back in touch. Followed by a collection of sounds from that day. From 9:27 to the end is about 7 minutes worth of an emotional journey. I'd say, "enjoy," but you won't.

http://tinyurl.com/547a25