9-11 Rememberings

(from last year's blog post for today)

9-11 "Rememberings"

I try and spend the days before 9-11 remembering. Remembering what NYC looked like with the Towers. Remembering the feelings I had as I watched the replays as the first plane hit. Remembering the feeling I had that it wasn't just an accident. Remembering how we watched the second plane go in, and knew we were right. Remembering a mighty strong message from a President who was and is a Patriot. But mostly, remembering the anger. Even before I knew the who and the what, I was angry. I still am. 

I was a few years into a new aviation career with a Company I'd done business with for years in KINT, I was their first Technical Librarian (aka the Book Bitch). Good people at Piedmont (now Landmark), and the ties I built to them that day and since are still strong. I was walking back into the building and noticed a few people standing in the Snack Bar, unusual since it wasn't breaktime. I stuck my head in the door, and they said a plane had hit a tower in NYC. I was like "WTF?" so I went in to watch. Tiny little black and white, with a lopsided antenna, local Fox affiliate fading in and out as usual. 


After the second plane hit, I knew where I needed to go. To my office, to a phone. You see, my son was in the USN at the time. Stationed safely away in a remote base under a mountain on the East Coast ( not mentioning the name or place, I did that once and got a phone call to stop), he was a CRT. Crypto. That means he probably knew stuff that was going on and couldn't talk about it. But I needed to hear his voice. And I did, in less than an hour. "Mom, I'm fine. We're going in the mountain. I'll call when I can." And he did. Six weeks later. As the battle in Afghanistan was kicking into gear. Which leads me to one of my best "rememberings" of 9-11 events.

Sitting in turn 2 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on a crisp October afternoon. Just after the National anthem. A real President, who did and still loves America announced we had begun military operations in Afghanistan. The crowd went wild is an understatement. I can feel the love of Country still, as i remember the chants of USA!USA! USA! One of our finest hours. Too bad the asshat in charge now has taken us back 30 years militarily and we've watched another Vietnam unfold.

I've had a wish for post 9-11 America. I've wished we could forever feel the way we did on 9-12. Glenn Beck had that right. We were truly all Americans that day. Some days, I'm not so sure that can happen again. But you know me, the eternal optimist. I don't give up, and I believe in my heart of hearts that America doesn't give up. Certain people, maybe. But they can GTFO as far as I care. Liberals who apologize for our greatness, progressives who think we are not exceptional. Just.Go.Away. There's plenty of us here that want to display our great Nation instead of disparaging it. Go hang with your multicultural buddies in Europe. We'll keep the fires burning here.