On September 11, 2001, I was sitting at my desk in my office in Bethesda, Maryland when I received a phone call that said that a plane had hit one of the World Trade Center towers. I remember chatting about the possible causes of the crash and feeling uncertain. That feeling of uncertainty would quickly turn into disbelief and shock as the events of the day unfolded. It is strange to me how clear my memories are of that day. I remember being concerned about my company's employees who worked in the World Trade Center Building Number 7. My mom called me from Utah to check in on me and I remember crying and telling her that everything was fine and that I was ok. I remember that within an hour of the second plane crash that my church congregation had started a calling tree and every member was located and safe. At first, my office tried to continue to work but it soon was too hard as the rumors started that the White House, then the Capitol were hit- just to find out that the Pentagon had actually been attacked. I started to panic a bit and sent my co-worker back to DC so she could pick up her child at school. She took the last taxi at the hotel by where we worked and she said that the taxi drive had to drive all the way around the city to find a way in. That afternoon, I sat in a traffic jam as people emptied out of the city. Once I got home I was met by a friend who could not get back to her apartment in DC because of all the road closures. I remember the terrible images of people dying on that day and I can still see the terrible images created by my mind of all those people who died inside of the buildings and on the airplanes. As we ate dinner that night we listened to the helicopters and the fighter planes flying overhead. Those sounds would continue for days and it took me a long time to not jump just a little when I heard a plane overhead. I remember praying that they would find survivors and that our country and my family and friends would be safe. I remember as a child that I was amazed that the adults I knew remembered December 7th as Pearl Harbor Day. I didn't realize until the days after September 11th that anyone who was old enough to remember that day will never forget it just as those who were alive or had parents who remembered Pearl Harbor would never forget that day. I could go on and on about my memories of September 11, 2001 but I know that my experiences are not unique and that most people have their unique story and memories of that day. Below is a picture I took at St. Paul's Church in New York City which served as a volunteer station after 9/11. The church is about a block away from Ground Zero.
In October 2005, my parents came to visit me and while we were touring the city, my Dad started looking for a site for one of his friend Stan Watts' statues. We went to visit the Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland and my Mom and I were quickly convinced that we had found the place for the statue. Two years later, my dad came back and together we went to the dedication. On Stan's website, this is what is said about the statue, "After the tragic events of 9/11/01 brought on by terrorist attacks, the people of the United States of America were in shock. As rescuers from across the nation worked to save those who were still alive amidst the wreckage of the World Trade Center, a flag was raised by three firemen. They did it as a symbol of hope to help themselves and their fellow rescuers to go on amidst the destruction. They did not realize they were being photographed at the time. But Thomas E. Franklin, a photographer for the New Jersey Record saw and captured an image of that flag being raised which went on to remind the people of the entire country that we are united."
The dedication ceremony was incredible. Several families and friends of 9/11 victims attended as well as one of the firefighter in the original photograph raising the flag. I heard heartbreaking stories of lost firefighters as well as lost husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, children, and friends. It was solemn occasion which I was honored to be apart of. If you are ever near Emmitsburg, I suggest a stop at the National Firefighter Memorial and see this amazing statue dedicated to those who were lost on that day. Below is a slide show of the dedication. I suspect that each year on this day I will remember the tragedy and the loss but I also hope to remember the courage of that day and the hope of our tomorrows. 