On Sept 11, 2001 I was working in my cube (for the Federal Gov't). I remember walking in to the office and noting how crystal clear the morning had dawned. That was one of the last good memories I have of that day.
9/11 changed everything. How many times have we heard that one? As cynical and jaded as I have become in the last few years, I have begun to accept that, for me, it did.
Soon after the 1st plane hit, my boss came over to my cube to tell me her husband had called to tell her to turn on the Today show. We turned on CNN instead and watched in horror. It was mind blowing.
Soon rumors started to hit the airwaves that the Capitol had been hit or was on fire. I called my mom to see if my younger brother was on duty at the Hill (he used to be a Capitol Hill police officer.) Thankfully, he wasn't. But my mom was seriousy stressed out. I remember feeling uneasy about the tension in her voice. My mom is a typical Finn, very stoic and not prone to dramatics. I asked what was wrong. She told me "I can't get a hold of your father" "Mom, Dad works in Rosslyn, no worries, he is bout 2 miles from where the plan hit the Pentagon. I am sure he will call soon" Mom's reply "No, he is at a conference at the Pentagon this whole week and I can't reach him on his cell phone"
That was a serious "oh shit" moment for me. Of course, I assured her that all would be well. After all, Dad has come out of two combat tours in VietNam (as a Marine Coprs rifle company commander) unscathed, he would be fine. Right????
The rest of my day pretty much sucked. I didn't tell anyone in the office about my phone conversation with my Mom. The day was bad enough, watching people wave towels out of windows from the top of the WTC's and the panic in the streets. I feared that if I told anyone that we couldn't reach my Dad, he may never come home. How freakin' irrational is that? Funny how the mind works.
I got home pretty late that day. My base was in lockdown. Thankfully, my Dad made it home ok. My folks live in Stafford County, about 45 miles south of DC on 95. After the chaos at the Pentagon, he was able to hitchhike home. It took him hours. He was able to get through to my Mom around 3pm. So, for 6 hours she was in total fear for his safety. Her family kept calling from Helsinki to find out WTF.
So for me, 9/11 did change everything. I now appreciate my family more than I ever thought possible because there are thousands of families for whom that day did not have a happy ending like mine did.
Peace.