“September 11th, 2001. You will remember this day as long as you live.”
These were the words that were seared into my memory forever. And they were spoken by none other than Dan Rather. Prior to saying it, he described in grim detail about the attacks that occurred earlier that day...and that many innocent people were dead. I came across a recording of it on YouTube earlier...and the feeling of disbelief settled in. At the time, I was too numb to feel it.
I was a sophomore in high school. I didn’t learn of the attacks until I finished my mile run in gym class. What I initially heard through locker room chatter, was proven to me no more than a minute later as a row of televisions lined up the gymnasium. That’s when I saw footage of Flight 175 crashing into the South Tower. Then a split screen shot of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon appeared...both burning. A feeling of shock came over me and stayed there the whole day. In bits and pieces, I’d learn about the collapse of the towers and the crash of Flight 93.
At the time, I lived a mile away from the end of my local airport’s runway. Every day, I would hear airplanes taxiing and taking off. That day, I didn’t hear any of it. Nor did I see a single plane in the sky. No contrails...no nothing. And like it was in the eastern half of the country, it was a clear sky day.
Today’s weather is clear and sunshine for miles in my neck of the woods. And as I ventured outside, no planes were in the sky. A strange coincidence, it was. Maybe I’ll see one later.
On this day 16 years ago, it was America’s darkest hour. Yet, Americans like us stepped up to the plate. We dropped everything to help out those in need, especially those who risked their lives doing so. Sadly, we lost many of our own that day. But I can say with certainty that they will never be forgotten. And neither will this day.
Although it’s been said in so many ways and so many times, it bears repeating...the world changed that day. And I still ask myself sometimes what would the world be like if it never happened. I know I’m not alone when I say that.