So I have to admit that each year, September 11 sneaks up on me a bit more stealthily. September 11, 2002, I was anxious, like, I think, many others. I wondered if there would be copy cats. Each year since, the events of that September day have gotten further and further from the forefront of my mind. Except when it comes up. I wondered how I would be affected this year. I didn't have to wait long.
On my way into work, I was listening to Hot 99.5, and they did several pieces about the anniversary. And right as they played one tribute audio clips, I drove past the Frederick News-Post headquarters, where they are flying a large flag from a tall crane. I started to tear up, and all of a sudden, the memories came back. They came though, this year as each year, with a little less emotional force, but nonetheless, packed a punch.
I remember that morning. I was a senior at Gettysburg College, and I was working in Residence Life, in charge of one of our freshman/sophomore buildings. I walked out into the commons room, as I often did, to say hello to our housekeeper. She was taking a break, watching a morning news show. The first plane, I think, had already hit, and once I saw, she and I both expressed sorrow for the pilot. We remembered the small plane that had hit the WTC before, and it was only as details came in that we learned otherwise. We said, "What a horrible tragedy." And then the second plane hit. I remember that the anchor on the network we watched said, "Were we replaying that clip, or did another plane just hit?" Like the rest of the world, that was the moment we realized this wasn't a terrible accident.
The rest of the day was a fury of meetings, talking to students, etc. I walked the halls, catching students as they returned from their classes, or woke to head out. First I asked if they'd heard what happened at the WTC. Then, because I quickly learned we had so many students from the NY/NJ area, I asked first if they knew anyone who worked at the WTC.
I remember that one of the RAs I supervised was devastated till about mid-afternoon. Her fiance and his brother both worked for the same firm, whose offices were above where one of the planes hit. They were new, maybe even interns. They were always in the office, and always by that time. It wasn't till later in the day that she could finally get ahold of him and learn they had, for the first time ever, been sent out of the office to a meeting in Brooklyn that morning.
I remember another RA in the building beside mine who we learned, days later, had been the emergency contact for her aunt and uncle. Her father was out of the country, and they'd only been able to get a hold of her. Her aunt and uncle were on one of the planes.
I remember all the stories of people who shouldn't been at the WTC that day but weren't. I remember hearing the accounts of the emergency personnel through their children and neighbors who were my classmates.
Most of all, I remember my astronomy lab that evening. You see Gettysburg decided to let teachers make their own decision about classes, thinking people maybe needed some routine. And so my regular lab went on a scheduled. And for the first time in decades, we got to see the sky without planes. It was bittersweet. And honestly, I hope it never happens again. But it was quite a thing.
I hope you are all remembering, and celebrating all who have and continue to sacrifice to make our freedoms possible. And I hope we continue to strive to embody all the ideals we proclaim at our best. This ought not be a day of anger, but one of remembering loss, remembering we are not alone, and committing to live and lead so that our children never have these memories.
No comments:
Post a Comment