In Remembrance of...

It's been 5 years since one of the most beautiful skylines in America was robbed of twin towers that housed thousands of employees, their children, and clients.
This day will forever be etched in my mind. I'll never forget the morning of September 11th, 2001 as I made my way to work as I would on any other day. At the time, I was a Kindergarten lead teacher at a local child development center and was on the verge of being late. Hurriedly, I zipped down 31st Street and to my dismay got caught in school zone traffic that forced my speed down and after that, I hit a red light. I wasn't into listening to much radio at the time, as I'd just purchased a brand new CD that I was constantly listening to in my car. As I'm sitting at the red light and a crossing guard passes in front of me to let a little boy cross the street to get to school, I see a dark blue vehicle whiz past me at a speed well above 25, even 55 mph, just as the boy steps onto the crossing lane from the curb. The boy, just a young 1st grader, flew through the air onto the sidewalk and I see as I throw my door open, the blue car pulls into the nearest parking lot, obviously scared and very aware of what she had done. I rushed to the boy's side, calling 911 on my cell and he's crying as the woman runs up to make sure he's okay.

I trudge into work, 45 minutes late after waiting for ambulance arrival and being interviewed by the police before they arrested to woman. I am about to tell them about my morning and explain my tardiness when I notice an eerie silence about the front office. No one was there. I look into my boss' office and was hushed by my superior with the wave of a hand. I jokingly asked what they were watching and as the question left my mouth, I saw a plane crash into a tower. Everyone gasped and some started crying, explaining to me that this was the 2nd plane that crashed into the World Trade Center Towers. It wasn't until much later that it was official that it was a terrorist attack.

Everything that day was affected, and has remained affected since. Economy, safety, flying, travelling, trust in our government officials. The War on Terror. Al Quaida. Guerillas. Our soldiers, our men being beheaded and having it splashed on the TV screen/internet. Bin Laden. The Hunt for a Madman: Osama.

That morning was supposed to be just an ordinary day. We as citizens of this nation were unaware. I wonder, what could have been done to prevent such an atrocity? What could have been done to warn our leaders? Was there even anything that COULD have been done? Obviously this was something that was unstoppable...or was it? That is for the politicians to argue and decide. I wonder if I would be able to show the unbridled courage our fellow Americans showed when they took back their plane, challenged our enemy, and lost their lives to prevent more deaths.

September 11th, 2001 will remain a day of destruction, a day of decay, a day of death to those who experienced it firsthand. September 11th, 2001, will always remind me of the little boy who was nearly killed by a woman hurriedly putting on makeup while talking on her cell phone and running a red light in a school zone.

But September 11th, 2001 will also always remind me of what it means to be an American, what is expected of me as an American, and to be proud that I am part of something as great as America.

To those who died this day, I salute you. You will always be remembered.

VictimsList

9/11