Today, rather that writing about technology or tips or finances or gardening, I’d like everyone who comes to visit to pause for a moment and remember where they were and what they were doing when the tragic events of 9/11 unfolded before us.
I had been recently “down-sized” and was at home with a very young child, watching early morning cartoons when the programming was interrupted with “breaking news”. We spent the remainder of the morning glued to the television set.
The days that followed
In the days that followed I don’t think I’ve ever in my life seen more American Flags. It seemed that every house on every street had at least one flag flying. Cars had stickers and window-flags flying. Every store in the county was sold-out of flags.
As terrible as the events of 9/11 were, seeing everyone come together under one flag and one purpose moved me to the core. I miss that feeling.
Not long after
I landed a job building computers in a warehouse in an industrial park near a small municipal airport and the local Air Force base.
The skies were eerily silent. No commercial jets were in the air flying high over head. No small planes were taking off or landing at the local airport. Even the Air Force flights were grounded.
Later the AFB began training runs again – unlike any I’d seen before. Pairs of fighters would fly North from the base, then turn and head East… in what I can only describe as a “interwoven slalom”.
What are your memories of 9/11?
Now it’s your turn… what were you doing when you heard the news? What do you remember about the patriotism that followed?