09-11-01 - Five Years Later -

I was 15 when 9-11 happened. I woke up at about 8am with a bad feeling that it wasn't going to be a normal Tuesday. I got out of bed and watched some Lois And Clark on TV (it was satellite, so I knew nothing of what was happening), then went to take a shower before I started on my schoolwork for the day. When I came downstairs, Sarah and Momma were watching TV, which never happened after 9am on any weekday. I knew right away that my feeling had been right, that something bad must have happened. I looked at the TV and immediately saw Tower 2 fall. I got this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I had just watched the deaths of a lot of people. At that point, I didn't know anything about the planes flying into the buildings. All I saw was a gaping hole in the top of a tower, and then a collapse. After that, they showed some coverage of the Pentagon, and my eyes were glued to the TV. All of a sudden they went back to NYC, and I saw Tower 1 fall.
Before Tower 1 fell, I could see in the background that things were falling out of windows, and since I saw paper strewn all over the streets, I thought that it was more paper. As it turns out, it wasn't all paper. Some of what was flying out of those windows was people. They knew that if they stayed in the building, that the fire would eventually reach them, and they would be burned up. So jumping out of a building from 80 stories up was a better way to die. I was told later that most would have had heart attacks before they reached the ground. I hope they all died before they got to the ground.

As the day went on, we learned that another plane had crashed near Shanksville, PA. Only this plane wasn't driven to the ground by terrorists. It was taken down by a group of passengers who knew that if was better to sacrifice themselves, than others. I'm not sure if they knew that the plane they were in was supposed to hit the U.S. Capitol Building, but they weren't going to let more people die than had to.
I got the chance to go to Shanksville, PA on October 11, 2002. It was a rainy day and very, very depressing. I could still smell the jet fuel, even though the memorial is about about 150 yards from the actual crash site. When we got done we went down a little gravel road to turn around, and I saw some of the small craters left by debris. The memorial is on top of a small hill, and I could see the larger hole left by the plane itself. Seeing the crash site made it more real for me. It was no longer just something I had seen coverage of on TV. When I looked out over that field and saw that crash site, the reality of it all hit me.

Those terrorists thought that they had devised the perfect plan to bring down America. And while I hope that there's never another day like 09-11-01, I think we showed them that it's going to take a lot to bring us down. 5 years later, I can say with more confidence than ever, that I'm proud to be an American.

09-11-2006

"Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning"

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below

Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

The greatest is love
The greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day