Remembering September 11, 2001

Six years ago today, also on a Tuesday, I was sitting in the Dentists office having a troublesome tooth extracted. As the dentist and his assistant were running about the office, letting the Novocain kick in a bit before starting work on my tooth, I lay in the reclined chair listening to the piped in radio. It was Magic 107.7, playing their light contemporary music when they broke in to announce that a plane that crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City.

Not much information was known at that point. I remember sitting there, thinking how strange it was that a plane hadn’t been able to see the tower and maneuver out of its way. That’s when the second newsbreak interrupted the soothing music. A second plane had collided with the second of the World Trade Center towers. That is no coincidence, I thought.

I listened as much s I could before the dentist returned to yank my tooth out. Slightly distracted, I only noticed the pressure of him pulling out the molar, and hearing the cracking of the tooth, as he had to break it apart to get it out. I felt no pain, thankfully, and when he was finished, he packed the tooth and sent me on my way.

All the way back to the office, (yes, I went back to work) I was listening as the coverage of the plane crashes consumed the airwaves. Not sure what to think, I ran over the many possibilities that could have lead to such a tragic accident. I don’t remember it ever occurring to me in those first few hours that it was a terrorist attack. Then the first building came down, followed shortly by the second. Sending plumes of smoke and debris through out the city, injuring the people who were still out on the street.

Not long afterwards, the world learned that a plane had also crashed into the impenetrable Pentagon, and a fourth plane had crashed somewhere in Pennsylvania, apparently failing to accomplish it’s mission. It was only later that we learned that the truly brave men and women on that plane overpowered the terrorists and brought the plane down, before it could hit its intended target, The White House. And then we heard those now famous, and soul stirring words, “Let’s Roll.”

The atmosphere at the government office where I was working at the time was tense. People had there radios tuned in, TV’s turned on. Many went home for lunch, as did I, and watched anxiously as the rescue efforts ensued. It was so surreal. I couldn’t believe this was happening. The gravity of the situation, two seemingly indestructible buildings crumbling to the ground, part of the pentagon reduced to rubble, and a failed attempt on the White House. It seemed too much to handle. All I could do was pray for those people who had lost their lives, for those who survived and the families of all those brave men and women who ran into a burning building while everyone else was running out.

Six years later, it is still very clear in my mind. It’s something that a person doesn’t easily forget, even if they were (as I was) a thousand miles away. To say that I was completely unaffected would be in accurate. How anyone could claim that it didn’t affect them would seem ludicrous. The world hasn’t been he same since…and I doubt it ever will be again.

Like those who experienced the events of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 those memories will forever be imprinted in the story that is each and every American’s life. We will never forget. I will never forget.


What do you remember from that day? Where were you on September 11, 2001?