Today is one of those days of memoriam where you stop and remember lives that were needlessly lost to a series of unfathomable events. But, none the less, these lives are remembered for their sacrifice and simply because they were loved and cherished. Our continued condolences to those family members, friends and others who were intimately affected by 9/11.September 11, 2001 radically changed the landscape of industry and thinking in this country. Aspects of our lives we'd normally take for granted - hopping on a plane, going to work, kissing a spouse goodbye in the morning - would forever be changed in a matter of seconds for thousands of people. Eight years ago today will be forever etched in the minds of the American population. Many of us old enough to remember, can recollect the horrific scenes which were broadcast on every network for the hours, weeks and days following.
While its coming up on a decade since those tragic events in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania, for some the memory is as fresh as today. I, the author of this post, remember sitting in a college classroom when I and my classmates received word. Our professor turned on the television and we all sat dumbstruck, many in tears, as we watched the news reports and the incident unfold.
Where were you when you first heard the news?
I, too, remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. I didn't have to be at work until 1:00 that day. I was watching the Today Show when they started covering the events. At first they didn't know what had happened. I saw multiple floors on fire. At that time I was an Assistant Chief with my local volunteer fire department. I called my chief on the phone to tell him to turn on the TV. As he was, I was describing what I saw to him. I saw the second plane strike the south tower. At that point, we pretty much said goodbye and hung up the phone. I knew that the boys from FDNY would be heading up those towers, and I knew it would be bad. Then, one at a time, the towers came down. I felt like my heart was ripped out when I saw it happen. The loss of life I knew would be great, but never did I imagine 343 firefighters killed in one day. It will truly be a day that I will never forget.
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