9/11/06

Monday was 9/11/2006. I sure do wish that was just another "plain old, regular day" on the calendar like most other dates. Unfortunately, as you know, it is not. The events of 9/11/2001 profoundly changed the way most Americans look at the world around us. When I was growing up during the Cold War, there was always the threat of nuclear attack in the back of my mind. I had always heard that the town in which I was born and raised was one of the Soviets' highest priority targets in the event of a military confrontation. Despite all of this, however, the reality was that there were never were Soviet attacks on America during this time. Between 1979 and 2001 there were incidents involving terrorism against Americans, but the vast majority of those were against military personnel stationed overseas. That all radically changed on 9/11/01. In a series of attacks, 2948 innocent people were murdered here on American soil. I remember that morning like it was yesterday. I was on leave from work that day from 7:30-11:45. I was at my home in Good Hope and was listening to the Rick and Bubba radio show out of Birmingham. When I turned on the radio, they were beginning to describe the first attack. In a matter of minutes I realized something had gone terribly wrong. My first reaction was that it was just a really bad plane wreck. As details began to emerge, it was apparent we were under attack. We had no idea of the scope, but a wave of fear and dismay seemed to roll across the country. Both of the twin towers were attacked by terrorists who hijacked airplanes, as was the Pentagon, and another plane crashed near Shanksville, PA. Was it going to end? I felt an impulsive desire to be near my children. I drove to the school and ate lunch with them. The teachers and parents were all talking with disbelief about what was happening. David was old enough to understand the basics of what was going on. I don't think Joe understood very deeply what was happening. It helped me to be there to reassure my children that they would be ok. I remember the uneasy feeling I had, wondering if there was an extensive network of other attacks that would be happening that same day, even close to where I live. I remember that my sister had to evacuate the office building that she worked at in Chicago because it was next to the Sears Tower, which was also threatened. One of the images that sticks with me the most that day was of President Bush. He was speaking at a school in Florida when he was interrupted by an aide that whispered something about it into his ear. It seemed that just like the rest of us, it was impossible for him to fully process immediately the scope of what was happening. I remember the feeling of unity and spiritual bond that seemingly all Americans shared during that time. I remember the Wednesday night church service at Seventh Street following the attack. David was drawing something on the bulletin and prayer list. Toward the end of the service he showed me what it was. He had sketched a picture of an airplane crashing into a skyscraper. I still have that sketch. On 9/11/2006, I ate lunch at school with my boys and reminded them of that day. I asked them if their teachers had mentioned it in class, and they had. Flags all over the country flew at half-mast in remembrance and memorial. It seemed like that for one day at least, most Americans paused and took a few moments to remember what happened on 9/11/01. Ever since that fateful day Americans have had a renewed sense of the dangers of living in America in the 21st century. Thank God that we have not been attacked again. I pray in the name of Jesus that we will never be attacked again. We should never forget those who lost their lives. We should never forget the heroes such as the New York firefighters and the passengers of the plane that crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. We should remain vigilant to protect our country. We should stay on the offensive against the groups that continue to vow to attack us and kill us. To do any less would dishonor the memory of our fellow citizens who perished that day.