An haunting and unsettling day etched in my memory forever (like everyone alive to see it).
I was 28 and working nights, 4 days on/off, and it was an off day for me. I needed a heater switch for my old YJ and had set my alarm early to make sure I got it done soon. Woke up to the Bob and Sheri show out of Charlotte because I knew that Sheri's voice irritated me and I would get up to shut the noise off.
She had a somewhat more serious tone that morning, and through the grogginess, i heard her say that a plane had flown into the world trade center. Nobody in the media was saying it was intentional at that time (though in retrospect, the tone she took maybe suggests she had seen video of it or something and knew what was going on but just didn't say). I remember thinking what kind of dumbass could't see one of the tallest buildings in the world?
Got dressed, stumbled to the TV and turned it on. Shortly later the second plane hit, and the whole world then knew for sure.
Sometime later 2 fighters flew over the house (western NC near the TN/NC border). They weren't supersonic, but they were hauling ass. Seems like about 45 minutes passed before they news of flight 93 crashing was announced. I'm not a conspiracy guy much anymore, but I have always wondered if 93 had a little help hitting the ground. Thanks to the braves souls on board, it wasn't going to do much damage either way.
Headed to the parts store in my old YJ. Crisp, early fall day with the doors off, listening to the radio feeds. Shortly after coming out, they announced that one of the towers had fallen while I was putting in the switch. Spent the rest of the day riding back roads listening to what was going on. Charlotte is a major banking center, and it was feared that they might be targeted, so everything closed.
I'm not 1st responder/fireman type of person. I can, and have, dove into such a situation like that when it is thrust upon me for friends and relatives, but it's not in my nature to get the urge drive hours to help total strangers. On this day, however...after the anger passed...I came oh-so close to going home and throwing a dufflebag into he Jeep and making for NY (where I have never been). Reports that it was basically impossible to get into northern Va at that point soon tempered that thought...but i felt that there was something I had to do...
I think they were surprised. As the Charlie daniels song said, we may argue amongst ourselves, but you outsiders best leave us alone. The uniting of the country was, i suspect, the total oppisite of what the goatf***ers envisioned. On that day, you weren't anything but AMERICAN.
Don't want to go political here, but there are certain groups who would like us to forget ALL ABOUT the morning of September 11th, 2001. I hope it becomes mandatory for students to watch the events of that morning so they can see that pure evil can't be reasoned with, and will know the truth.
NEVER FORGET!
