Never Forget

I remember hearing as I grew up, "I remember where I was when I heard that President Kennedy had been shot." I never really understood the impact that this event had on the people that remembered because I wasn't there.

I know now. My children ask me questions and I answer them about "that day" but I can never describe in words how I felt. I watched the Towers fall, as a military member I hurt when I found out that the Pentagon had been hit and fellow members of the military and others that supported us had been killed and I felt the pain but also pride in knowing that a group of hero's on Flight 93 brought down a plane in a field in my home state to prevent more death and destruction.

I really had put that day in my past. I won't ever forget but I have never really allowed myself to go back there. I stay away from programs about 9/11, try not to look at pictures and I have never let Abby take out the DVD that I bought for her of all the original newscasts from that day because I knew one day that she would want to know more. That day and all that it represented has stayed locked away.

This year was different. This year I did watch the programs and looked at pictures. This morning I went to late church and stayed home so that I could watch the remembrance ceremony. I cried the whole way through it. Tears falling from my eyes and dripping down my face. I let myself feel the sadness and I tried to share with the girls what it was like. How sad, and angry and terror filled that I felt that day.

I also shared with them my hope and my pride in our Country, in those that put themselves in harm's way, in how our Country came together.

I wrote my story of "Where were you?' so that my girls would know.

I was in the Air Force stationed in New Mexico. I had dropped Abby off at her on-base babysitter at 6:30 am and then headed to our clinic, that was located at the VA and off the Air Force base, for work at 7:00. We were two hours behind time wise in New Mexico so I arrived to the news that a plane had hit the first tower and they were not sure what had happened.. I went to find a T.V. set and watched in horror as they replayed the second plane hitting the second tower at 9:03 (7:03 our time). I immediately called Bud who was in training that day for Security Forces over on the main base. He told me to head to base quickly because my USAF ID had expired and I kept delaying going to get a new one. He wisely predicted that within minutes they were going to lock the base down and I wouldn't get on with an expired ID. I headed to the base and I was the last car through before they locked the base down. The airman told me that the only reason that I was getting on was because he had previously worked for Bud and knew him. I finally made it back to our clinic and was told by my commanding officer to start making arrangements for my 1 year old daughter because it was likely that we would be deployed somewhere. I remember calling her babysitter and just crying, begging her to keep my baby safe that day and asking her if I had to go would she keep my precious girl? The clinics were silent that day as people cancelled appointments and staff just stood around t.v's watching.

Bud went straight from his training session that morning to work protecting the base and worked the next 24 hours straight. Before that day he had about 40 Airman on his watch and they doubled it to 80 immediately.. The following weeks were unreal. Every day I entered the base, it took an hour or two. The bomb dogs sniffed my car, they ran mirrors under my undercarriage, they even made me get Abby out of her car seat several times to look under it, the entire time, tanks with gunners sat trained at the base entrance and on our cars. For the next six weeks, we were confined to going to work. coming home and being by the phone 24/7 for a moment's notice recall. If I went to the grocery store I had to call my supervisor to let him know where I would be. I was no longer allowed to wear my uniform outside of the base (they didn't consider it safe) so I wore street clothes and changed in and out of my uniform at work.

The events of that day profoundly changed me. They rocked the security that I had always felt in being an American. I learned that I wasn't necessarily safe here in my own country. I also learned about the goodness of people and the pride in being an America and in coming together.

I will never forget!

In Remembrance of the Lives Lost on 9/11/2001

Field of Flags

Kennesaw Mtn Battle Park

Photo by Laura Hunter