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.

9-11

What can I say about this day that hasn't all ready been said? 9-11-01 is a day that is marked in U.S.A. history that may only be equaled to 12-7-41, Pearl Harbor Day. I remember watching the news day after day, praying that people would be found alive in the rubble of the Twin Towers. I was appalled to see the damaged Pentagon. I wept over the courageous passenger of flight 93. I wept and wept and wept.

Eventually, all the tears were gone. It was time to live again.

Ten years have come and gone. I have watched documentaries reliving the event and again I find myself weeping.

Tomorrow is 9-11. I will pay my respects. I will have a moment of silence. Then I will live again.

There are people out there full of hate. They never want us to get over 9-11. To love our country and to have joy in our lives would be our best revenge.

9-11

There was a generation that remembered December 7 as clearly as December 25. It was the first time that generation truly felt unsafe on its own shores. It was known later as Pearl Harbor Day and caused the USA to enter WW2.

A war or 2 passes, a cold war, and for a few years we forgot what it was like to be afraid in our own country.

Other countries knew or have known this feeling of terrorism. We were just lucky that for about 50 years there was no actual major attack of our people on our soil.

Yea, terrorists attacked Americans elsewhere, lots of times, and we can't forget the first World Trade Center attack either. --But we did ignore the warnings and the first World Trade Center attack. Denial is always a dangerous thing.

So our eyes were opened--no matter how tightly we tried to keep them shut. We now have our own December 7 and will share our memories with children and grandchildren, but they will forget. Some have all ready forgotten.

Unfortunately, the next generation will have its own disasters to face.

All we can really do is hope--and pray for wisdom and courage.