Memoirs of 9/11

Ten years later the shock and horror of the terrorist attacks has not dimmed, especially for the people of Massachusetts. Our family, friends and neighbors were on those planes leaving Logan Airport that fateful day. We will forever be intertwined with the Twin Towers, New York City, The Pentagon and the field in Pennsylvania. 

I was so moved by the day that I wrote several pages in a journal. Here are a few excepts from that day 10 years ago:

9/11/01 11:23 PM

What was normal yesterday has been turned upside down today… Where do I begin? My neighbor called and said a plane just went into the World Trade Center in NYC. I asked if it was an accident or a terrorist act. She didn’t know. I was headed out the door to work, and I said I would listen to the radio on the way, but I didn’t because they never seem to have any details until much later. I got to work and my co-workers were crowded around the T.V. watching the second 767 jet go into the second World Trade Center tower. We just stood there as our jaws dropped. It was like a scene out of an action-adventure film like “Die Hard”, except it wasn’t Hollywood special effects. Then the second tower collapsed. People were even jumping from the building. All of this “live” on national T.V. It was indescribable horror. We were in shock! Who could do such a thing? Then we hear that a third plane has dove into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.! We were just wondering what target is going to be next? Then we hear that Camp David was attacked, and there was a car bomb in D.C. as well. But those reports turned out to be false. The fourth plane that was hijacked crashed down outside of Pittsburg, PA. There it crashed in a remote section of woods. It was mass chaos – all planes were told to land at the nearest available airport. The two planes that crashed into the World Trade Center came out of Logan Airport in Boston! They all were planes bound for the West Coast. So they had a lot of fuel on them to burn a long time.

I felt like crying several times today seeing the people and the destruction. We finally shut off the T.V. at lunchtime since it was just too much for us to fathom. I was getting a stress headache as well. Everyone was very dazed and sad. What can you say? Innocent men, women and I’m sure children were killed and/or affected by this great tragedy. Thousands of people are dead – the pictures are incredible. President Bush came on the T.V. around 8:30 PM and said “We will find those responsible and bring them to justice”. 

There has been no more air travel today, but as I was looking into the empty night sky – I saw many twinkling lights. Planes – military planes hundreds of them – silently flying, probably to war. There will be war – make no mistake about it. We should just be sure we know for sure who these cowards are. They think it is Osama Bin Laden who is behind this attack. I pray God will be with us as we go to war, and that he will comfort all those affected by this tragedy. It was been a terrible, terrible day in the history of the U.S. I’d better get some sleep.  12:04PM

Let us always remember September 11, 2001 and never, ever let terrorists attack our land. Let us remain vigilant and always alert; report any suspicious activity to the authorities – better safe than sorry! United we stand together as a great nation and let freedom forever ring in our land.