We Have Not Forgotten

I woke up that morning and turned on the TV, something I never do. It was a morning news show--Good Morning America or The Today Show. I wasn't much interested in what they were saying, so I fluffed up my pillows and leaned back, settling in to read a magazine.

The newscast was from a tall building in NYC. I was half listening when I heard one of them say something about a plane flying too low. As they watched the plane, I could hear the alarm begin to sound in their voices. Then the camera focused on the airplane. It was low and it was headed toward one of the towers of the World Trade Center. The announcer was saying something about pilot error or problems with the plane, but my first thought was "terrorism." I said, "Oh my God," and the plane hit the tower. It was unbelievable.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Crying, hands pressed to my mouth, I continued to watch in horror as smoke poured from the building. The news people continued talking about the crash, speculating about what had happened. One of them mentioned the possibility of a terrorist attack.

I started calling my loved ones. I called Ron at work, who hadn't yet heard what had happened. The second plane hit the second tower after I talked with him. They had turned on the TV at the office and saw it happen, too. We knew for sure then that it was a deliberate attack. I called my kids and my mom. I don't know what I thought. Maybe in the back of my mind I was afraid the whole country was being attacked and I needed to let them know what was happening, and that I loved them.


The rest of the day was spent glued to the television. It was heartbreaking. The people in the streets of NYC were in shock. The firemen and policemen everywhere. The priest blessing the firemen. And then the sight of bodies falling from the building. Was I seeing what I thought I was seeing? The firemen could hear the sound of bodies hitting the roof where they were gathered.

And if that wasn't enough horror, the news came of the attack on the Pentagon and the crash in Pennsylvania. It was one of the most horrible days of our lives in America.

I don't like to remember, but I think we must never forget. There are people in the world who hate our country, who hate us and want us destroyed. We can become too complacent. The tragedy at the WTC, the Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania was a wake-up call, wasn't it? We must not think this won't happen again. We are vulnerable if we are not on guard.