I wasn’t around when Pearl Harbor was bombed but I know everyone from that generation remembers exactly where they were when it happened. My generation has the same memories of 9-11. I vividly remember watching TV in my office having just returned from Florida the night before where we debated staying one more day to get an early round of golf in on September 11th and then fly home after lunch. I was the party pooper in the group as I had been away for several days and I had my own two bachelor parties coming up with my wedding just under 5 weeks away.
Anyway, I was sitting at my desk when news broke that a plane had hit the WTC. I kept saying that it had to be false because there was no plane on the ground. I kept thinking that it had to be a little Cessna or small prop plane, never even contemplating a full scale commercial jet due to the unthinkable. As the second plane and video footage was released, word quickly spread that this was terrorism of an unfathomable magnitude. In 2001, I was the only one who had a TV in the office. One by one, people in my office park would wander in to get a glimpse of the footage and listen to the media.
I still shake my head in disbelief when I think about it. It’s still surreal. While I never forget those whom I knew who perished, today is one of those days where I dwell on it all of the time and pray for their families and everyone else impacted. I get angry when I hear that schools either do not teach about this unspeakable attack or refuse to show TV footage to the kids for fear that it may hurt the children. “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it” – George Santayana
Never Forget…
