9/11 - A Day of Remembrance
Where were you on 9/11?
The question doesn’t need a lot of other detail, or further explanation. It’s the kind of question that shaped a generation, just like previous questions: Where were you when the President was shot? Where were you when you heard about Pearl Harbor?
I was in Southern California five years ago. I had gone to Anaheim with a friend to watch a little baseball. The Seattle Mariners were in town to play, and we thought we’d follow the team to the sun, catch a couple of games, and take in a little sun.
We’d made a late night of it on September 10th, having gone to the game and then out for drinks. We had planned to sleep in the next morning, then hit the pool, or maybe do a little sightseeing.
I’m not a big television fan, and rarely turn on the television in a hotel room. Shortly after I jumped into the shower, my friend did turn it on, and I had just lathered up my hair when I heard a pounding on the door, and “come out here, you have to see this!”
My first reaction was one of annoyance. I was enjoying the nice hot steam of the shower, and really didn’t want to be disturbed. But the pounding continued, and I jumped out, grabbed a towel, and, like most of the nation, remained glued to the television for hours.
At first it felt surreal. I couldn’t really believe what I was seeing. But as reality sunk in, I sat shaking my head, trying to understand a situation for which there really was no explanation.
My next thoughts went to the crew onboard the aircraft, the pilots and Flight Attendants, who had to face their worst nightmare.
We are trained for hijackings, and other onboard violent and emergency situations, always hoping, however, that those skills are never needed. That morning it was apparent that those skills were needed, but simply weren’t enough. They met their death doing their job, victims of the situation as much as the passengers onboard. I still get angry that you don’t hear much about the Flight Attendants that lost their lives.
We drove back to Seattle from Southern California. Airlines wouldn’t take back to the skies for a while longer, and our jobs would never be the same.
Five years have gone by, and this morning I’m watching television once again. For me, as for everyone, the memories come flooding back. There will be lots of emotions expressed today: sadness, grief, anger, frustration, rage, and lots of tears.
Today is a day to mourn not only the tremendous loss of life, but also our lost innocence.
(I’ll be back with regular posting tomorrow.)
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