TAKE SOME TIME TO REMEMBER

This week in MY FRIDAY COLUMN I take a look at that tragic day ten years ago this weekend.
TAKE SOME TIME TO REMEMBER

Most people that are a little older than my parents can tell you what they were doing when they heard that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. Every baby boomer can tell you where they were when they heard that President Kennedy was assassinated. People of my generation remember how they felt when they heard the news that the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after take-off. To this day I can still remember what I was doing and how I felt ten years ago this weekend, when hijackers took over four planes and flew them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center and Pentagon and crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

 

I was off work that day and had not been out of bed for very long, I had worked late the night before. I am a little embarrassed to admit but I was watching a wrestling program that I had taped from a few days earlier. The place that I worked for at the time was considering advertising on the program and one of the performers told us that he would mention us on the air that weekend. I got a call from my wife at the time to turn on the television, someone was attacking us.

I turned the television station to one of the broadcast networks to see the first tower smoldering. A few minutes after I begin watching, wondering what was actually happening, another plane flew into the second tower. I continued watching as the events of that long day unfolded. The towers collapsed, the news of an attack on the Pentagon and the crash landing in Pennsylvania with speculation of what its intended target might have been.

I watched all day long up until I had to pick my eleven year old up after school that day. I was nervous on how much I would have to explain about what had happened, I wasn't even sure that I understood most of it myself. They had already had some discussion in school about what was going on at school and he seem to understand.

The next day I had to return the work. I was curious of how the attacks had affected the people that I worked with. My boss at the time seem to be taking it pretty hard. He had grown up in New York City and knew the areas affected well. He also had a brother that worked in the “Windows of the World” restaurant that was near the top of the one of the towers and he had not heard from him yet. The attacks occurred at a time that he would not have normally been at work, but he was worried nonetheless.

Another issue that we had to deal with at work that I had not anticipated was an elevated level of anti-Muslim sentiment. We had several African immigrants working for us, mostly from the Republic of Senegal, who practiced the Muslim religion. Some fellow employees were emotional about this and were very vocal in their opposition. They believed that these people hated America and should not be allowed to work there. Nothing could have been further from the truth. These people had traveled to America legally and were on the path to citizenship. They had left their homeland in search of a better place for their families to live.

Around our country peoples attitudes began to change almost automatically. There was a new level of patriotism that had not been seen in many years. Rows of houses could be seen flying flags in neighborhoods everywhere. The Sunday following the attacks, many churches reported record crowds had attended church.

There are a number of things going on this weekend to remember those who died on that tragic day, September 11, 2001. Dedications are planned for the memorials in New York and Pennsylvania and other ceremonies all across the country. Locally there will be a service at 8 am at Riverview Towers on Scribner Drive in New Albany that is being organized by the local Firefighters Union.

Our world forever changed that day, ten years ago this weekend. Some things have change for the better, some for the worse. We can discuss and debate the mistakes we have made since the attacks another day. We should take some time this weekend and try to remember how we felt that day when our country was under attack. Remember those who lost their lives that day and remember those that risked their lives trying to save others.