September 11, 2001, Forever in our hearts

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I really cannot believe that it has been 12 years since this tragic day, September 11, 2001. Probably like everyone else, you remember that day like it was yesterday. I know I do. I remember everything about that day. Jarrett and I were both freshman in high school. It was probably like the second week of school too. I was in algebra class and Jarrett was in history. Before this day happened, I really did not know much about the World Trade Centers. All I really knew about them was that they were in the background of a picture that my dad took of me when we visited New York as a family many years before. I remember asking my dad what those two tall buildings were behind me in the picture. He told me they were the World Trade Center buildings and some of the tallest buildings in New York. After that moment with my dad, I never thought of those towers again until that day. I was sitting in my algebra class paying attention to the notes that my teacher was writing on the board when our principal broke in on the PA system telling us what had happened. Immediately my algebra teacher turned on the TV. Learning algebra was out of the question for the rest of the day.

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It was amazing to see everyone in my class so tuned in to the television.  Usually when you get to watch a movie or TV in class you get excited because that means that you don't have to take notes or really pay attention. Most of the time you would fall asleep during a class movie or TV show. This was nothing like that. Kids that were terrible students and acted up in the class were fixed on the TV like there was no tomorrow. Every single kid, good student or bad student, was scared that day. None of us knew what had happened. Was this a cruel joke? Was this an accident? How do we make sense of it? I remember just sitting there watching them try to make sense of it on TV and try to unravel what had happened when all of a sudden a plane hit the second tower. The TV reporter at that time screamed and ran for her life. Chills went up and down my spine at that moment. In fact, chills are going up and down my spine as I write this post. It is hard to write about how I felt that day, but sometimes you just need to write.

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As soon as that plane hit the second tower I knew in my heart that this was not an accident. We were at war. I couldn't believe what I had just seen! Did two planes seriously ram into the World Trade Center towers, or were my eyes playing tricks on me? Then on live TV, you saw the huge towering layer of smoke and debris make its way to the live camera and then all of a sudden, there was nothing to see anymore. The huge wall of smoke engulfed the camera. Then before you knew it, parents were calling all of the schools trying to find out if schools were going to close early and if not, could they come and pick up their child. Our school was in chaos. My mom worked and still works at the Board of Education which was right next to my school. My mom did not bother to come and get me out of school early because she knew I was just as safe there as I would have been at home. She was not worried about me and I was glad. Every one's parents just started showing up in panic trying to bring their children home. One by one over the PA system they started dismissing students that had parents at the school wanting to take them out of school for the rest of the day.

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I was glad I stayed at school the rest of the day. In part, I was afraid to leave school. I did feel safe there and I was afraid of going home and a plane hitting my house. I was literally terrified on the way home from school because I saw a plane in the air that was about to land at our local airport. I started asking myself all these questions in my head. Is that plane taken over by terrorists too? Are they going to crash into my car or my house? Are they going to crash into a family members house or even one of my friend's houses? Just so many questions rolling around in my head all at once! I didn't know what to think when I got home. Then come to find out that there were other hijackers too. What was our world coming to? Why did this happen and what would happen to our country now? Would we surrender to this or fight back? I remember watching on the news when they went into the classroom where George W. Bush was reading to a class of young students and they whispered in his ear the news of what had happened. I cannot imagine how Bush felt at that point and I strongly believe that he handled it the right way. You can say all the bad you want about him, but he did what he thought was right for this country. He fought back for us.

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Back then on this tragic day, I would have never have thought that I would become a military wife today. On that day, I started thinking about the brave men and women that fought for this country on that day and every day before and after that day. I thought to myself that that was the bravest job in the world. Little did I know that I would be apart of it some day when I met my husband. I remember the first September 11th anniversary that we had been dating. I remember talking about it with him and I remember him telling me that if it wasn't for September 11, 2001, he may not have enlisted in the Air Force. That day made my husband realize that he had a huge purpose to serve in his life. Along with the career advice from his Pop pop, my husband enlisted in the US Air Force around the time of his high school graduation. Two months after we had started dating, Jarrett left for boot camp and changed our lives for the better. I am so proud to be apart of the military today. Our country has come a long way since that day and we are now stronger than ever because of it.

 

God bless our fallen heroes and their families.

God bless our troops that have served and are still serving today.

God Bless America!