Monday, September 11, 2006

5 Years

Has it really been that long now? It’s so hard to believe. I was sobbing in the car this morning. K&B had created a fantastic montage for the 1st anniversary and they replayed it while I was driving to work. I’ve been numb all morning since.

I was walking with my dad to the car on my way to work when my grandmother came out to tell us that a plane had crashed into one of the towers. We just shrugged it off as like that little Cessna that had crashed into it a few years before. Dad’s radio in the car didn’t work so we drove and talked like always. When he dropped me off in front of my work I noticed that the TV in the conference room was on. I walked in to see what the damage. Then I saw it, the fire and smoke coming out of the first tower. As I watched with one of our estimators, a plane flew into the 2nd tower.

My heart skipped a beat. It was impossible! How could this happen? The rest of the day was a blur. I stayed glued to the TV, leaving only long enough to answer the phones at my desk 10 feet away. Not that it happened much. Most the rest of the country was watching TV too. We all watched in horror as they came down. The shock of the other 2 planes was too much to grasp. Businesses closed that day, most classes at school were cancelled, Disneyland even closed!

That day was truly infamous. What seems to have been forgotten was the fervor of patriotism that followed. We stood as a nation and fought back; Fundraisers, blood drives, memorials & vigils, bumper stickers, the flag was EVERY WHERE you looked, it was amazing. Disneyland had nightly patriotic firework displays until the Christmas season. It was awesome to be an American.

Take a moment to remember the events of that day. Remember the heroes in not only New York, but those that died at the Pentagon and in that field in Pennsylvania. Tell your loved ones what they mean to you, because if that day taught us nothing else, life is short and you never know when your time will come.

W E W I L L N E V E R F O R G E T

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