“Where were you when the world stopped turning, on that September day?”
These lyrics from Alan Jackson never fail to take me back to that beautiful
blue skied morning, September 11th, 2001.
I was stationed in Washington, DC, a LTC, in the United States Army,
working for the Chief, of the Army Reserve, whose office was in the Pentagon.
That morning, I was on the 15th floor of an office building in Crystal City, VA
about 3 blocks away from the Pentagon.
I remember being called over to our bank of TV’s to watch what was going on in New York City.
A plane had hit the World Trade Center North Tower, it was about 8:55 a.m. at that time,
no one really knew the facts, my initial thoughts were…how in the world
could someone accidentally hit such a large building?
As we continued to watch this live broadcast, at 9:03 a.m. a large jet,
United Airlines 175 hit the World Trade Center South Tower.
At that moment in time, every person standing in that room with me,
knew we were under some kind of an attack.
I remember so vividly, as many of you do, the shock and the horror
of watching those towers burn.
Several of us had morning meetings at the Pentagon, a stone throw away,
and we needed to get going, it would be a short, quick walk…
as we approached the parking lot, we heard the blast, and we saw
the fire and the smoke. The Pentagon had been hit by flight 77, it was 9:37 a.m.
Several of my fellow officers had children in the Pentagon Day Care
and we could not tell from the parking lot, which side was hit,
as we ran towards the building, we saw that the plane had
struck on the opposite side of the Day Care, that in and of itself was
a blessing on such a horrific day.
The rest of the morning was a blur, as roads shut down,
helicopters landed to transport the most seriously wounded
to local hospitals, we tried to give blood, I was unable to
call my family and friends to let them know I was safe,
due to overloaded telephone circuits, I knew they would be worried,
knowing I spent most of my time in the building.
I remember watching the Pentagon collapse in on itself
as it was engulfed in flames and I remember due to all the roads
being shut down, the slow, lonely walk home.
What I remember most vividly about this day is not the evil,
not the horror… I remember the COURAGE.
The courage of individuals to step forward, to save lives,
to do what had to be done. I remember the courage of a nation
that unlike any other recent time came together for the common good,
to solve problems, to mourn our dead, and to go to war against
those that would do us harm.
There are moments in our lives that live forever in our hearts
and our minds; moments that touch us so deeply that it
actually defines the next generation.
September 11th, 2001, was such a day.
I ask you to remember that we are still a Nation at war,
remember our men and women as they continue to selflessly serve this country.
Today, September 11th, 2011, as we remember and move forward
during historically difficult times, I would like to leave you with
these words from Franklin D. Roosevelt…
“Today we are faced with the pre-eminent fact that if civilization
is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships,
the ability of people’s of all kinds to live together and to work
together in the same world at peace.”
There is no time in our history, where building girls of courage,
confidence and character, who make the world a better place is more important!!
They are our future, they will carry the leadership torch and be the change
our world needs.
Thank you for making a difference in the lives of our girls!!
Warmly,
Lora
Posted by Angel Puckett on September 12, 2011 at 3:52 am
Thank you for sharing that with us, Lora!
Like you, every time I hear Alan Jackson’s song, it takes me right back to that morning.