Remembering 9/11

9/11, a day that will stick in my mind forever. My neighbor had been summoned to attend AA classes as a result of a DUI. He couldn’t drive himself to them as his license had also been suspended. The company that I was working for at the time had hired me under contract to reset Wal-Mart book and magazine racks. This particular day I was scheduled to go to the Wal-Mart in Fairfax. So Paul and I were in my car heading to Fairfax. I was to drop him off for his class, and continue on to the store to do my assignment. Paul had my cell number to call me when he was finished. I would pick him up and he would come help me finish if necessary. We were driving down the parkway when the first announcement came over the radio. We did not know what to make of the news that an airplane had crashed into the World Trade center. We talked about it being a deliberate act but dismissed it. I dropped him off and arrived at my destination. I was not in the store but a few minutes when the second plane hit. All of the monitors in the store were tuned to news stations, my eyes were riveted to the scenes in front of me. I forced myself to do the job I was there to do, but kept an eye on the TVs. Then the announcement came of the attack on the Pentagon. My heart leaped into my throat. Was my husband there today? I kept trying to remember if he mentioned that morning if he would be there. His office was at another military base in the area, but his duties took him to the Pentagon frequently. Was he there today? While on duty his cell phone is turned off as part of security protocol so I could not call him to get the reassurance that I so desperately wanted. Was he there? Next thing I knew the announcer was calling my name for a phone call. It was Paul. They had released all of the military members from the AA class. He couldn’t reach me on the cell, but knew where I was and had found the number to the store. I told him that I would come and get him, but I had not finished in the store. He said he would help me and then we would head back to the post. So I left the store. It took a long time to get to the Courthouse. Everyone was exiting DC. Many businesses had closed and sent their employees home. The Government had sent all but Key and Essential personnel home. Traffic was a bear. We got back to my store an hour later. It took the better part of 2 hours to finish my project. My mom called, and managed to get through on my cell. I assured her that I was alright and gave her the news that I had not heard from Sundown. I suspected that he was okay and as a military wife I was trained to know that it may be hours before I would hear from him. He would be given an assignment to help with the crisis. It could very well be days before I heard from him. The trip home was awful. We sat a stoplight very close to home for over 45 minutes. Traffic was at a gridlock. The Post was on lockdown. The line was very long getting into the housing area where I lived at the time; on a military post. I had to have my car searched including; glove box, inside, under the hood, and trunk. The mirrors were used to view the undercarriage.
The thing I remember most is the silence. That evening all of my neighbors who had made it home, Soldiers, Spouses, and children were all out on the street. We were quietly discussing the events of the days, and worrying about those we had not heard from. There was an uneasy feeling, almost that same feeling you get when you see a storm brewing in the distance, or the minutes before a total eclipse. But the silence in the air is something I will never forget… not an airplane in the sky. Sometime that evening Air Force One flew overhead led by the fighter jets and chased by them as well. We all stood there looking up watching that jet fly over, wondering how our lives will change. We knew it was the President since all other planes had been grounded. As it grew dark we all retreated to our homes and watched the video clips over and over as the news stations reported the death toll rising.
Sundown was ok, he was not in the Pentagon that morning, although was sent there to help with traffic later that day. He was able to get a quick call out to me late in the afternoon. A friend of mine was not so fortunate, as her father was killed in the Pentagon that day, two weeks away from his retirement.
The days that followed were a blur. I volunteered on post working with the ACS (Army Community Services) to help support the recovery / relief efforts. Bunkers were placed at the entrance to our housing community and were manned with soldiers pointing M16’s at us as we drove through the gates. Our i.d.’s were checked, and we had to disembark our vehicles while they were searched each time we came home no matter what time or what the weather was. I do remember one other thing, for weeks after abandoned cars on the side of the road made me very uneasy.

Lives were lost, and dreams were shattered that day, but by far the worst thing America lost was her sense of security and safety.