9-11, 14 YEARS LATER

I thought I could make it through this anniversary without a tear, especially since I am no longer a teacher and won't be teaching a 9-11 lesson. Today I passed a flag flying at half-staff, then a second, and a third. Then all the memories rushed past.

Life was a little different those days. Cell phones weren't so common. Teachers weren't allowed to have them in the classroom back then. The Internet wasn't the same, either. Social media wasn't quite as -- organized. Information was limited.

I was isolated with a classroom full of 2nd graders. There was a whisper in a hallway about an explosion at one of the Twin Towers. It wasn't till lunch in the teacher's lounge that I saw the first video. I felt sick, numb when I returned to teach.

But things got worse as time went on. Later we learned the horrible incident were worse than we first imagined. It wasn't 1 plane, but 4 that were hijacked and crashed that day. That night, I crossed a darkened Hernando Desoto Bridge from Arkansas into Memphis,Tennessee.The bridge was considered a target and lights remained darkened for many months.

The next day, you could feel the fear in the classroom. School was closed after a half day, due to other threats called into the radio station and the widespread panic that caused.

The attack was on certain specific locations, but all of the US felt the pain. Fourteen years have passed and most children don't know about 9-11. If you don't believe me, stop a child and ask him/her. It is amazing how little they know.

Maybe some people think it is a good thing that the horrors of 9-11 should be forgotten. I don't. I remember people cheering at our pain, chanting "Death to America."

Evil attacked that day, but heroes fought back and that should never be forgotten.