The Day The Earth Stood Still: Part 1

As I get older, it is unbelievable to me how very fast time goes by. In just a few short days, the world will acknowledge the 10 year anniversary of 9/11. Even though I was not directly affected by the events of that day, I find myself resisting the process of remembering. All of the stories, pictures and videos from that day and where the survivors are now strike a nerve in me that is still so raw, even after all of these years. The events took place during a time that I was dealing with some post-partem depression, and it's a place I don't like to visit. However, I believe strongly in archiving the family history. This is my generation's Pearl Harbor or JFK assassination. So, for my future generations, I wrote down the details of that day in the way it related to me and my family. I did this about 2 months after the attacks. In fact, I wrote it the day another plane crashed in New York in November 2001. It's a fairly long account, so I'm bringing it to you in three parts. I realize everyone is being reflective right now, so this is just one of millions of stories that are being told on such a significant anniversary. This story isn't special or unique; it's just mine.

November 12, 2001

Today, there was a plane crash in Queens, NY. No one knows right now if it was an accident or an act of terrorism. When I walked into the living room at 8:40 (central) this morning and saw the breaking news report, my heart sank. Black smoke billowed up from the ground and immediately I thought, "Please, God, not again!". I said a quick prayer and thought about the day two months ago when the world was changed forever. I have articles describing the historic events of that day, but I want to give my own account.

September 11, 2001. The day started like any other. I woke up around 7am. I really try to give my day to God, but when I first wake up, I start to think about everything that has to be done and get sidetracked. This day was different. Before getting out of bed, I thanked God for the day, and asked for protection for every member of my family. Then, I woke Pierce up and got him dressed for pre-school. I kissed Tim and Pierce goodbye, then got 7-month-old Reagan up and fed. Today was Tuesday; Ladies Bible Class day. I needed to shower and dress, but I decided to take the time to have some coffee and watch The Today Show on NBC. I think it was about 7:50 (central), and one of the Kennedys was being interviewed (I think it was Edward). I really wasn't interested in the interview, so I turned it to Fox. A cartoon was on, so I turned it to CBS. The top of the screen said, "BREAKING NEWS" and there was black smoke pouring out of a tall building. Bryant Gumble said that witnesses had reported a plane crashing into tower #1 of the World Trade Center. I was panicked! Preferring NBC, I kept turning it back there to see what they were saying. They were showing commercials. I couldn't figure out why they wouldn't be showing this. Finally, at 8 (central), Matt Lauer told of breaking news at the World Trade Center. They talked to a doorman at the Marriot Hotel, which was between towers #1 and #2. He said it looked like a small charter plane had hit the tower. Debris was falling and people were running. I just couldn't believe what a horrible accident this was! How could a pilot not see the WTC? It was 110 stories high! Katie Couric was talking to an NBC producer who called in from her cell phone at about 8:05. Suddenly, she screamed and said, "Oh my God, another one just hit!". A huge fireball rose from the second tower. I could hear Al Roker and others off camera gasp. The producer yelled into her cell phone, "Did you see that?!" Katie answered yes. My feet were frozen and my knees were locked. My brain couldn't process what I was seeing. I screamed over and over, "Oh my God, my God!". My next thought was, "This is it! The world is ending!". The Today Show anchors were at a loss for words. I decided to call my mother. I knew she couldn't do anything, but I just needed to hear her voice. She sounded groggy. I asked, "Are you watching this?". She said she was still in bed. I told her to turn on the TV. The WTC had just been hit by two small airplanes. She got the TV on just as NBC began to replay the second plane hitting. It took me a moment to realize that it was a replay and not a third plane hitting the towers. I tried to fill her in on what I knew, and the thought suddenly hit me: THIS WAS NO ACCIDENT. We both watched, stunned, she in SC and me in TN. After a few minutes, we hung up, hoping nothing worse would happen.

Ladies class! My first impulse was to stay home and watch the news coverage. Then, I knew that now more than ever, we needed to be together praying for our country. I tried to pull myself away from the TV. Katie Couric kept saying it was possible this wasn't an accident, but an act of terrorism. I yelled back, "Of course this is terrorism! Don't you see that?!". I finally carried the radio into our bathroom and turned it to 99.7 talk radio so I could get a shower. The station was airing ABC's live coverage. Peter Jennings was covering the story. A couple of minutes after I got in the shower, president George W. Bush made his first public statements. He was in Florida talking to second graders when everything began. He gave a brief synopsis of events. Then, he said that we would "hunt down the folks who committed this act". I felt reassured. A minute or two after he spoke, Peter Jennings said he had more breaking news. There were reports of smoke coming from the Pentagon. Once again, I panicked. This couldn't be happening! Sure enough, the Pentagon had also been hit by an airplane. For the first time ever, the FAA ordered all planes in the air to land at the closest airport. Then, US airports were to close indefinitely. By now, we knew that the planes that crashed were Boeings: 757s and 767s. Big planes. They just looked small beside the enormous World Trade Center.

I hurried out of the shower and ran back to the TV. Once again, I needed to hear a familiar voice. I knew Tim was in a meeting, but I called him on his cell phone. He was getting pretty sketchy details from phone calls to the other men in the meeting. I told him the Pentagon had been hit and that all US airports had been closed. He couldn't talk long, so we exchanged "I love you"s and hung up. I ran to get dressed and put on my makeup. I was in the living room getting things together for Ladies Class. It was about 9am (central). Someone was being interviewed on NBC. Matt Lauer interrupted and said, "Can we roll the tape back a little? I thought I just saw something fall from the side of tower #2.". Before the tape could be rolled back, the tower crumbled. It just pancaked; floor after floor until there was nothing but smoke. It was such a strong building. No one seemed to think it would come down. This was the first time I heard someone mention all of the firefighters that were inside the buildings helping people out. How many were in that building when it came down?