Today is the 10th Anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11.
There are days in history and our lifetimes that we can always remember exactly what we were doing at the very moment the news broke, at about 3pm UK time. The day of 9/11, I spent in a series of meetings, the last one at a Doctors practice, as one of the company's branches has a close relationship with the practice. As I was leaving the news was announced over the radio, and all the staff rushed to the staffing area to put the TV on. We all stood in complete disbelief watching the images, asking why?
In 2007 I read a book called The Day the World Came to Town; 9/11 in Gander Newfoundland by Jim Defede. Here is that review -
This was an incredibly inspiring and thought provoking book. The kindness displayed by the population of Gander to so many people who were passengers on the planes that could not enter US air space is overwhelming. I was touched by many of the stories - A group of Orthodox Jewish, and the the story of the Jewish chap who had lived in Newfoundland since the War years and not told his wife he was Jewish, the lady who left complete strangers in her home to shower inviting them to rest and relax and to simply close the door when they left. The trust of the Newfoundlanders during a time filled with mistrust was amazing. Not to mention the story of the young couple bringing back to the US their adopted daughter and of course the couple whose son was a fire fighter in New York.
Yes, I do recall exactly what I was doing that day...just as I recall what was happening way back in 1963 when JFK was assassinated. Those are moments crystallized in our memory banks.
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ReplyDeleteIt's something we were all talking about today at church...Where Were You on 9/11? It was a strange day for me, as I was in Dallas for my first day of training as a federal employee. I remember the shock on the faces of my co-workers, many of whom were retired military.
ReplyDeleteHere's my whine...that is, uh, post for the week: Slogging Through with a Behemoth Cold.
I was in NYC in my midtown office and will never forget walking home uptown with fighter jets flying low overhead.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing a documentary about Gander and its role in 9/11 - I was so touched by the generosity and thoughtfulness of the people there. I especially remember that story of the couple whose son was a firefighter - how powerless they must have felt so far away from the city.
Being on the west coast and a college student, I was sleeping. I woke at around 6:30 am Pacific and got myself downstairs to eat some breakfast before I left for my 9 am History class that day. I heard the news at around 6:45 that day and because my schedule didn't have a class on the Wednesday, I sat in front of the TV watching the news because there was nothing else on.
ReplyDeleteThe most frightening thing I had happen to me was when I was driving home on Thursday night from a class and had a small nightmare of a plane crashing in front of me on the darkened highway.