So as many of you know today is September 11, 2012. Today is
not only 3 of my cousins’ birthdays..shout out to Mark, Erin and Jordan…Love y'all!!
But today is also the day that many Americans will never forget. It’s been 11
years since a terrorist attack took down planes, buildings and killed thousands
of Americans. As we remember those who were lost and those who so courageously
aided in help I cant help but be thankful that though this was a horrific tragedy
I’m still proud to be an American. We all came together at a time of need and
forgot about politics to be help one another mourn and rebuild. As I think
about this day and remember those who were lost I’m reminded about where I was
and how this day affected me and family 11 years ago.
I was a freshman at Whittier College (my first time at
college) and I remember vividly the day that brought terror throughout the
country and the worse stomachache I have ever felt in my life. My mom who had
been working in DC and was supposed to be flying home from DC the morning of
September 11th. I received a loud bang at my dorm room just a little
before 7am (pacific time)…of course this bang startled the hell out of me
because what college kid do you know wakes up before 7am??!! I opened the door
and saw the scared look on my friend’s face as he tried to ask me if I had
spoken with my mom that morning. I said no dude it’s 7am..I did not think it
was weird he was asking about my mom because I lived in small co-ed dorm and
everyone knew everyone else’s parents and everyone’s business all the time so
many of my dorm friends knew my mom was in DC at the time. As he tried to speak
he just grabbed my arm and said come downstairs to the TV room something has
happen in DC. As we ran down to the TV room I had no idea what was going on. I
just thought my mom made national news for boycotting something or standing
next the president or something (she loves her politics). I had no idea what I was in for. The TV room
was packed with my whole dorm (all 40 of us) as we were glued to the TV to find
out what was going on. By this time the news was already thinking it was a
terrorist attack. I immediately grabbed the phone and tried to call my mom’s
cell phone..all I got was a busy signal...so I hung up and tried again..at this
point I was beginning to tear up with fear that my mom was on a flight that had
gone down or was at the pentagon. Next, I called my dad.. I could hear the
quivering in his phone as he tried to assure me that mom was fine but he was
not able to reach her. My brother was calling on the other line so my dad had
to hang up to keep a line open in case my mom called..he said he would call me
back after he tried to get info and try to reach my mom again. I continued
calling my mom’s cell phone throughout the day but only to receive a constant
busy signal. Our family rallied together to stay in touch and try to continue
reaching my mom. Not being together as a family made this all so much worse. I was hundreds of miles away from any relative. By the end of the day we still hadn’t heard from my mom and I
immediately thought the worse..she was on the plane that went down or she was
at the pentagon. I was glued to the TV all day in hopes for information or names. I’ll never forget the fear and helplessness I felt that day. Finally,
at the end of day my dad was able to get through to my mom. She called later
and explained that there was so much chaos and the city went on lock down. She
said the cell service was impossible to make a call or get on the Internet. She
said being in the city that day was the most eeriest sight she had ever seen. As she returned to our
boathouse from the airport she said the city streets were emptiest she has ever
seen and army tanks strolled the streets for civilian protection.
My mom inspired me to write this today because as she pulled up from work she saw the American Flag flying in our front yard. She immediately began taking video of the flag and became very choked up and emotional as she recorded a message for my brother, sister and I saying how scared she was on that day and all she could think about was her kids and fear she would never see them again. As I think about this day and the fear my family and I felt I’m thankful that my family was one of the lucky ones to come out as a survivor. However, I think about all those other poor families that went through the same feelings and emotions as I did and their outcome was much more different then my family’s. September 11th is a day to remember but it also a day that I’m thankful for what I still have..which is my family and my freedom. I hope each and every one of you will remember this day in history and how it’s important to never forget those who were lost.
My mom inspired me to write this today because as she pulled up from work she saw the American Flag flying in our front yard. She immediately began taking video of the flag and became very choked up and emotional as she recorded a message for my brother, sister and I saying how scared she was on that day and all she could think about was her kids and fear she would never see them again. As I think about this day and the fear my family and I felt I’m thankful that my family was one of the lucky ones to come out as a survivor. However, I think about all those other poor families that went through the same feelings and emotions as I did and their outcome was much more different then my family’s. September 11th is a day to remember but it also a day that I’m thankful for what I still have..which is my family and my freedom. I hope each and every one of you will remember this day in history and how it’s important to never forget those who were lost.
