5 years...

It goes without saying what happend on this very day 5 years ago. The world shook as a nation woke up to a tragedy of proportions not seen before. The event that, in effect, altered how most of us live our lives and how we now deal with things. And, as each year passes, I still remember, so vividly, where I was and what I did that day. Most of the older folk remember where they were when Pearl Harbor was hit, or when man landed on the moon. For most of us, we all still know where we were on September 11, 2001. That morning didn't get off to a good start. I was living in Nebraska at the time and owned a 1992 Buick Skylark that, since some vandal decided to break the driver-side window, had major power window troubles. The night before, the motor stopped completely and seized it halfway´, meaning I had to take it to the mechanic the next morning. Well, woke up, got ready and went with Steve (my neighbor from across the hall who also worked at the same place I worked at) to the mechanic to drop off my car. As I started pulling out of S. 19th St, and bound for O St. to head to the shop, I was listening to the morning show I normally listen to. They reported at the time that a "small plane" had hit the World Trade Center, but really didn't pay it much attention, so they resumed with normal programming, and I resumed with my drive. No less than 5 minutes later, things changed dramatically. When the song stopped playing, the morning show guys didn't waste a second to report that a second plane struck the World Trade Center, and that this was no accident. This immediately put me into a kind of state of denial because the shock of itself made me think "no way is this happening.". It was after I dropped my car off at the mechanic and got to work that I found out just how severe things were. The first image I saw on CNN.com was that of the twin towers, both filled with smoke. Then, when I went to ESPN.com, the usual sports content was replaced with news about the attacks as well. It was just a bombardment of information from all sides. My colleagues were all listening to news radio that has switched to CBS in New York City to give live coverage. There was a TV set placed in the tech department in order to show the news. The company was at a virtual standstill as we watched Dan Rather report what was going on. Then, there was news that the Pentagon was hit. The first words I heard after that was from a fellow senior developer, Jason, who said "those bastards! I hope we make them pay for this!". Didn't take much time to figure out who the bastards in question were. His anger became more increased when we then heard of a 4th plane coming down in Pennsylvania. When the 1st tower fell, I was still at my desk and hearing the radio report it. By then, I went to the tech department and there, we all saw the 2nd tower collapse as well. The silence was so eerily silent, like a funeral silence but about 100 times more saddening. We all returned to our desks, but I doubt any work was done from that point on. I drove to the mechanic at lunchtime and saw that the state capitol building had been cordoned off with national guardsmen and that traffic was conditioned around a few areas of the city. It was a very spooky feeling to it. When I finally left for the day, I noticed that the panic had reached a level to where there were lines of cars at gas stations. Just a surreal experience. For the next 2 days, there was no regular TV. All stations were eihter giving news broadcasts or just shut down. The cable company started tranmitting a NYC station, radio stations were also giving news broadcasts. Pleas for blood, monetary and material donations were being sent out by the Red Cross and were being met with millions eager to support. There were numerous young kids lining up at military recruiting offices, ready to enlist to go after those responsible for these attacks. Patriotism and national pride suddenly became the order of the day as candlelight vigils happened and flags were draped. When the dust settled and the smoke cleared, over 2700 people in the WTC perished, along with another 100+ at the Pentagon and 40+ in Pennsylvania. Of the 2700+ in the WTC, 343 of them were firefighters who, without a single worry about their own life or personal safety, braved their way into the burning towers so they could rescue as many people as possible. Those 343 people were true heroes. The unsung soldiers of 9/11. Today we remember, and we shall never forget.