Has it really been ten years since we were so cowardly attacked by terrorists on our own home soil? It certainly doesn't feel like it and I was going to attribute it to the fact that time flies but I think there are other reasons. It is one of those once-in-a-lifetime events where every single person knows exactly where they were and what they were doing when they found out that this tragedy was occurring. For the baby boomers it was the JFK assassination, and the generation before it was Pearl Harbor. Over the last few days I was watching some film that showed different perspectives on how that day unfolded and events thereafter. The images are seared into our memories because unlike any event in history we didn't simply hear about it and tune in for the aftermath. Anybody with a television or radio nearby was able to watch or listen in as it happened live! People in New York saw it happen right in front of their own eyes, up close and personal as many of them feared for their lives not knowing what would happen next! For the rest of us it was as if we were watching a movie and that's exactly what it felt like because it was so surreal! I know that is what I was thinking and I'm sure most everybody was too! After the first plane hit the World Trade Center it looked like a tragic accident but once the second plane hit the other tower I think most of America and the rest of the world realized it was no accident.
I am not sure what the most horrific part was...there was so much to digest. First there was the shock that any sort of terrorism of this magnitude could actually occur in our homeland. I think that most of us thought that we were immune to these type of acts because we are surrounded by oceans and this sort of thing only happened in other countries. That ideology changed in a hurry on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that it was such a beautiful day in the Northeast with bright sunshine and nothing but clear blue skies. As we watched the towers burn it became apparent that there were people trapped in the upper floors and that there was no way of saving them. I kept thinking to myself why don't they just get helicopters and save them, but that was unrealistic. With flames and smoke billowing out of the windows and onto the roof helicopters couldn't get anywhere near the building. Some people jumped to their deaths to escape the flames, some holding hands, and I can't say that I blame them, I might've done the same thing. We then found out that there were more planes. One had hit the Pentagon and another flight from Boston was unaccounted for. We had no idea what was next!
Out of all of the evil that occurred that day there was some good.
I am grateful for all of the first responders who risked their lives and many of them lost their lives trying to save others. I am grateful for the many heroes, many who remain anonymous, who selflessly helped to get others out of the burning towers and also to those citizens first on the scene who rushed to help others without regard to their own safety. The flight that was unaccounted for was flight 93 which crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania. I am grateful for the heroic passengers on board who attempted to take over the plane so that it wouldn't be used as another terrorist weapon. I am grateful for the heroic efforts of people at the Pentagon, again many of whom remain anonymous, who pulled people from the burning wreckage and saved countless lives.
In the days since 9/11 I am grateful for the potential terrorist attacks that have been thwarted because of the due diligence of our military intelligence. I am grateful for our troops and everything that they do for us to ensure our safety.
Last but not least I am grateful to live in the greatest democracy in the world even if our economy sucks right now! We are America, we will bounce back, we always have!
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