911 – eight years later
Eight years ago today, our country and our world changed forever. On that gorgeous Tuesday on September 11th, I was speaking to a friend shortly after the attacks, when I said something that I remember to this very day. I told him that “the world as we know it - is gone for good.” I’m not saying that my statement was in any way profound; it was just a simple observation made at the spur of an emotional moment. Eight years later, I realize that what I said that day will forever be a sad but indisputable truth.
Being a resident of New York and having been in the Trade Center Towers several times in my life, that day will always remain fresh in my mind. I recall speaking to my girlfriend (now my wife) who was at work a little more than a mile away from the towers, when she told me that she and some of her co-workers had just witnessed the second plane hit the South Tower. Up until that time, I was still holding out hope that the first plane that struck the North Tower was some sort of freakish accident. I then went back to the TV and realized the horrific reality of the situation.
My wife, like thousands of other New Yorkers on that fateful day, then walked home to Queens from the Westside of Manhattan. The city was in total lockdown and all of the normal modes of transportation were shut down. She walked directly across the middle of the 59th Street Bridge, which would normally be packed with bumper to bumper traffic. When I finally found her on the Queens side of the bridge, I was never so happy to see her, and never so aware of how fragile life can be. I envisioned one of the planes being flown by the evil terrorists overshooting its target and smashing directly into the building where she worked.
After we gathered ourselves, we then went home and watched the rest of the death and devastation unfold on television. As I watched this real life horror movie, my anger grew exponentially at the low-life vermin who perpetrated this murderous act. As I found out more about the origin of the evil monsters, my anger also grew at their supporters, enablers, and the sick form of the religion which they ascribed to.
As I continued to watch the coverage, I saw and heard things that I could never imagine happening in our great country. There were numerous reports and even some brief footage of desperate people jumping from the burning buildings to a certain death. Just imagine how horrific the situation must have been for people to willingly jump from the 90th floor of a skyscraper. One particular couple even held hands as they jumped to their death to escape incineration. To this day, I believe that many who jumped did so because they believed that their families could at least recover their remains and give them a proper burial. Little could they or anyone else imagine, that their broken bodies would soon be covered and perhaps lost forever beneath millions of tons of rubble.
(I posted the video below not to sensationalize the tragic death of innocent people, but rather to remind many who have forgotten what happened that day! I know it’s hard to watch, but we need to remember.)
That September 11th evening, we participated in a spontaneous street rally where people gathered waving American flags and holding candles, while passing cars honked their horns long and hard in solidarity. Whenever a police car or a fire truck passed by, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause and cheers of thanks and encouragement. I actually couldn’t believe that this was happening – not in liberal New York City! However, as I would soon find out, there were also sickos walking around anxious to defend the indefensible.
On the way home from the rally, a mere ten hours after the attacks, I started noticing homemade 8 x 11 fliers taped to mailboxes and light poles. I stopped to read one of these fliers and my exhilaration from the rally instantly turned to red-hot anger. Some low-lives had actually taken the time to put together a flier that urged people to “stop the hate towards Muslims.” I can’t remember the exact words of the rest of the text, and I regrettably didn’t save a copy. The flier basically blamed America, and portrayed the attackers as the victims! I remember being fit to be tied and ripping off as many of the fliers as I could all the way home.
It’s now been eight years since that beautiful day turned into a living nightmare. Many of us still remember that day as if it were yesterday. The less fortunate, who actually lost loved ones on the planes, in the towers, or in the Pentagon, will forever live with the pain and loss. However, I believe that memories of 911 have been slowly but surely receding from the minds of many Americans who did not suffer a personal loss on that day. If I’m correct, I believe that this is a very dangerous thing.
Over the past eight years the mainstream media has grown more and more indifferent to covering the horror and evil of that infamous day. Sure they run some programming every September 11th, but the coverage is evolving into a benign narrative which lacks the proper seriousness and outrage that should be permanently attached to the event. They have long since stopped playing the videos of the people jumping to their deaths and the towers crumbling into a heap. They seem to believe that showing footage of that day would somehow be unfair to people of the same religion and background as the hateful attackers. They fear that those people would be made to feel….. uncomfortable.
Not only has America been permanently changed by September 11th, 2001, but I have also been personally changed by it. Because of that day, I now have a lower tolerance for fools, cowards, and America-haters. I also have very little sympathy for immigrants who come to our great country, and then complain about their perceived lack of acceptance or respect. I have little or no patience for political correctness and those who would use it as a weapon against us in order to destroy our culture and our way of life. On the flip side, I have a greater appreciation for life, and a better understanding of its frailty. I’m also much more determined to speak out against evil, and to protect my loved ones and my country from harm.
Oh yeah, I’m definitely a different person than I was before September 11th 2001. I will never forget that day!
How about you?
Reader Comments
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on that day when the world changed for all of us. I have a tribute to one of the victims, and a link to a post I wrote on the 5th anniversary down near the bottom.
No, I will never forget, even though there are those that want to minimize the events leading to the deaths of nearly 3,000 of our fellow citizens.