I had just graduated from college and was driving back home to Columbus to take care of a few things. I heard a breaking news story on the radio that a plane had gone down over the Hudson River. “That’s really tragic,” I thought to myself.
A little bit later, I heard another update that everyone had survived the crash. I was shocked. (more…)
It’s become somewhat of an annual tradition. I always watch a documentary about September 11 on the anniversary of that day. In American history, it’s still the most significant event to have happened in my lifetime. By far. It’s our “you remember where you were when you heard” moment.
It’s interesting to watch the documentaries, to see the video at the time. I remember the day like it was yesterday but every year, the quality of the videos seems a little more dated, the outfits people are wearing seem a little more 90s.
I remember it like it was yesterday, and so it’s crazy for me to consider that kids in school (aside from seniors) weren’t even born when this event happened. This monumental day that was a paradigm shift in American history is just that to kids, history. They learn about that day from what people tell them and from the same documentaries I watch.
If you weren’t alive that day, and watch documentaries about 9/11, I think it’s hard to appreciate the chaos of September 11th. There’s a sense of fatalism in the documentaries. They almost always begin by contrasting the beauty of that morning against the pandemonium that was soon to burst forth. (more…)
Originally posted September 11, 2012
As I write these words, the stresses of everyday life come to mind. I think of how busy I am between work and my other commitments. I’m so often short-sighted and allow myself to get frustrated. It’s getting late and I jot some thoughts down before going to sleep. On this night, my thoughts are on the past and with people I’ve never met. Seventeen years ago tonight, thousands of Americans went to bed, unaware that it was the eve of their last day on earth.
For me, that’s surreal. Monday was an ordinary start to the work week. In the evening, people played with their kids, and watched Monday Night Football, and kissed their spouses goodnight. They prepared to go on flights for work, or vacation, or just to make it home. They thought about what bill needed to be paid and the home repair which needed to be completed. They went to sleep like it was any other night and woke up to a beautiful Tuesday morning. (more…)
Based on an essay of the same title, originally published September 11, 2011
I thought it was an accident. When my high school principal announced over the PA system that the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane. I distinctly remember hearing someone in the back of the class mutter, “terrorism.”
I was taking a quiz in my third period geometry class fifteen years ago. I was 15 years old, and a sophomore in high school.
I’ve changed a lot over these last fifteen years; we’ve all changed a lot over these last ten years. (more…)
As I write these words, the stresses of everyday life come to mind. I think of how busy I am between school, work, and other commitments. I’m so often shortsighted and allow myself to get frustrated. It’s getting late and I jot some thoughts down before going to sleep. On this night, my thoughts are on the past and with people I’ve never met. Eleven years ago tonight, thousands of Americans went to bed, unaware that it was the eve of their last day on earth.
For me, that’s surreal. Monday was an ordinary start to the work week. In the evening, people played with their kids, and watched Monday Night Football, and kissed their spouses goodnight. They prepared to go on flights for work, or vacation, or just to make it home. They thought about what bill needed to be paid and the home repair which needed to be completed. They went to sleep like it was any other night and woke up to a beautiful Tuesday morning. (more…)
