I think I posted about 9-11 last year...10th anniversary and all. The 8th grade writing assignment this week is to interview someone who remembers it (they were 2 at the time) and write about that experience. Two of them interviewed me. Here are the "facts" I shared with them:
*The prince was in 1st grade.
*The princess was in preschool.
*The king was in Idaho for work.
*We NEVER had the TV on in the morning. NEVER. I can't stress that enough. NEVER!
*The prince left for school (walking with his buddy Daniel--or I walked him and came back--I'm not sure.)
*I was combing the princess' hair and had a strong urge to turn on the TV. I did.
*The first plane had hit, but the second hadn't.
*I remember thinking, "No. That's a freak accident."
*As I put the pony tail in her hair the second hit.
*I KNEW then it was no accident.
*But it's weird how you just go on with your day. We were, for all intents and purposes, under attack.
*But I finished getting the princess ready and headed to preschool. I was parent-helper that day. I had obligations.
*The preschool teacher wouldn't even acknowledge the attack and insisted we not speak about it--which, in hind sight, was smart of her.
*After preschool we went home, and I sat in front of the TV.
*By then the Pentagon hit and the PA field hit had happened. Those people were heroes.
*I believe the school put the kids in lock-down that day, but I could be wrong. They had several lock-down situations the first couple of years the prince was in school, but we haven't had one in many years now!
*He drew a picture of the towers being hit one day, later, at Grandma's. She saved it and gave it to us. (If I felt like digging it out, I'd scan it and add it here, but that's not going to happen today.)
*I talked to the king. He thought he was probably stuck in ID for awhile.
*I called other family members. We worried most about the sister in Colorado Springs. NORAD.
*The kids went to bed that night no worse for the tragedy.
*I went to bed fine too, but I woke in the middle of the night, scared. Really, really scared. I slept with the light on that night--the only time I have done that since I was a child.
*The king did get stranded in Idaho for several days when all flights were canceled. He eventually rented a car and drove home, but that was several days after the attack.
*And don't think the 3-year-old princess wasn't affected that day. Though it didn't show then, she knew all was not right with her world. When she traveled to DC/NYNY this spring, of all the things she saw that week, the glass case full of badges of fire-fighters, police, and rescue workers at Trinity Church near the memorial was the thing that impressed her the most.
Where were you?
6 comments:
Daniel was in kindergarden and I debated keeping him home that day, but then sent him when your son showed up at the door. Christian was blissfully unaware. I remember sitting at home watching TV all day. What struck me the most was watching those people jump out of the towers from 50+ floors, knowing the wouldn't survive the fall but preferring that to burning. I had to go to work that night but didn't really want to. We will have extra security at work today.
I was at U of KY for a clinical supervision session before going to the office. Watched and rewatched the planes hit the towers in the student theatre until I forced myself to go to meeting. One of my clearest memories of that day is the absolute silence walking home later. I lived near an airport. And I remember the people holding hands to jump.
Grrr....stupid Blogger! Just typed it all up and it didn't post. Trying it again....although I am very long winded!
I remember dropping J off at my neighbors house early in the morning. He had to go to kindergarten and we had to take A to Shriners Hospital in SLC. My neighbors 20ish year old son came running upstairs while I was dropping J off and was saying something about a bomb and the Pentagon or something. So I hopped in the van and turned the radio on explaining to Marty that there was something going on.
We listened to the coverage all the way to the hospital. I remember hearing the broadcasters as the first tower fell. They were devastated. It was very eerie.
We got concerned about them possibly closing the schools. I made several phone calls to friends, neighbors and my kids' schools to make sure they would be picked up and cared for in that event.
The first coverage we saw was at the hospital. They had tvs set up all over and people were huddled around them, including us.
Later we went to a movie and dinner mall to buy Krispy Kremes (the only place to get them for a while in this area). They had big screens that usually were showing movie trailers and other advertisements, but that day they were on the news channels showing coverage.
I remember feeling very relieved that evening when our family was all home together.
Also, I loved the feeling of unity I felt as an American. Wish those good feelings had lasted a little longer. We forget too soon how easy it is to lose everything.
Jackie had left for school that morning and I was squirreled away in my office working, enjoying a quiet fall morning. I never had the TV on during the day. A friend I work with (who listens to the news all day while she's working) called me and yelled over the phone, "We're being attacked by suicide planes. Turn on the TV quick." I rushed out to the living room and scared my husband half to death with my wild news while he was enjoying his morning coffee and reading the paper. I told him what my friend had said and he looked at me like I had lost my mind. Neither one of us could believe it. My first thought was that this was how World War II started too. They bombed Pearl Harbor and we reacted. Could it be that we were attacked and now we were going to have another world war? We watched TV in utter disbelief. Jackie was a senior in high school and came home very worried. She was certainly old enough to know about our world and now was aware of the evil people in it. During her senior year, Jackie caught the military fever (thank you recruiters) and begged us to sign her military paperwork so she could join up the second she graduated from high school. Big fight around here. I refused to sign paperwork on her behalf and felt that if she wanted to be in the military, she could mature for one more year and make that decision at age 18 or 19 or 20? My husband who is military was pleased that she wanted to serve at such a young age. Like I said, big fight. I'm not anti-military. I just think 17 is too young to decide your life path.
I'm sure glad the war is finally over and that lots of the evil people have been taken care of. Now it's on to the business of taking care of our country, getting people back to work, educating our young people, and being the best place to live in the world. I'm glad I live here.
I was driving my school bus.I had all of my students on board & was headed to West high to deliver them to school. I heard the news very early that morning. I was driving near Shiloh & Grand Ave when I heard about it on the bus radio. In the morning we listened to Cat Country when the kids were still waking up. In the afternoon we listened to Y93. The Breakfast Flakes had just reported that a plane had hit the first tower.I thought it was a privatr plane. I thought to myself "it must be a really stupid pilot to do that" I went home for a couple hours between runs & turned on the TV. I thought like Mary Beth when I saw those people jumping out of the windows.I e-mailed Lynelle that evening to tell her that the US was under attack & Bin Laden had to die.I didn't even know what the World Trade Center was then but I had heard something about Bin Laden on 60 Minutes not to long before. Rick & I were glued to the TV the rest of the week.
I also put my flag out the next day just as I had done when Irak invaded Quat. I think that is when patriotism was restored to what it was like when I was a little girl. It was very alive in a small town.
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