Going...Going...Gone

I Remember

It’s not too often that I dwell on things that happen in America, but each year on the anniversary of 9/11, I have to confess, I do remember and take a moment to think about it.

On 9/11 I was at Cameron High School in Southeastern Oklahoma speaking to high school students about the benefits of attending college. It was while I was there, just before my time to speak that the first plane flew into one of the towers. The students came in frightened and asking questions and their teacher told them to be quiet and just listen to what I had to say. As I looked out over those faces, I saw fear and wonder and tears. I could not speak without first trying to alleviate some of their fears and giving those students the respect they deserved when their nation was at risk so before I began speaking, I told them the situation and what had happened. It seemed to calm them a bit, too at least know what had happened.

Five days later, I was on a plane to Presque Isle in far northern Maine. It was an experience never to be forgotten by me.

At Will Rogers World Airport in OKC, armed guards stood waiting to search our car. They searched under the hood, in the trunk and everywhere else. When we got inside the airport we went through rigorous security. The further we went into the airport, the eerier the feeling became and we could see that we were among only a handful of passengers. We didn’t have to ask why, we already knew. It was the effect of 9/11 and the fact that two commercial planes had been used to fly into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and the third one had crashed due to the courageous passengers aboard.

My son-in-law works for the FAA and was in Washington DC when the Pentagon was hit. He heard a great boom as the plane flew into the Pentagon. The airports were closed so he and his co-workers were told to rent a van and drive the 1313 miles back to Oklahoma.

Our flight out of OKC had only 5 passengers. The stewardesses didn’t talk as they went about their job and neither did anyone else. Our lay-over in Raleigh, North Carolina went the same. An eerie silence hung over the airport and all airport TV stations were tuned to CNN or some other news station. Speculation was still high as to whether more attacks would occur and all ears tuned to the news.

Our flight from Raleigh to Presque Isle went the same with one exception, as we neared New York City our pilot spoke over the intercom and said, “We’re nearing New York and we’ll be flying almost directly over the Twin Towers, may God rest their souls.” As we flew over, we could see the smoke from the fallen towers rising high up into the air in an almost straight line and fires still burning. I looked out and felt sick to see the smoke knowing people were trapped down there and many others dead and that our country had been violated by terrorism.

As we came even with the site, our pilot tipped his wing to those down below and to his fallen comrades.

Yes, I remember.