nmah4192.xml

nmah4192.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I live far away in a small remote town at the top of the Sierra Mountains. I was married on Sunday and awakened early with delightful ideas revolving in my mind of what to do with my new husband and our time alone. I never thought my honeymoon would be spent watching live the horrific scenes from New York for days. As the second plane came across the screen I realized as millions of others did that this was no accident.

I instantly thought of our best friend who is an American Airlines pilot who flys many of the trips from New York to the West coast. I was the one who had to call his wife and ask where he was. The answer was not one I wanted, "New York". She had not had the television on and was unaware at that early hour of what had happened. She was fairly sure that his departure from New York was set for evening but she didn't have his flight schedule.

The next few hours were a miserable waiting period. With the fall of the WTC also was the cell phone service. Calling my friends phone produced direct connection to voice mail. American Airlines was doing the best they could to locate crews in New York. Luckily my friend realized he had many messages on his cell phone. He was unable to dial out and went outside the hotel to try his cell phone hoping to get a better signal. As he realized he had no signal he looked towards Manhattan and saw smoke. He still had no idea that a few miles away disaster had struck. Once he found a working phone, he called his voice mail and listened to all of his loved ones asking where he was and was he ok. Only then had he realized that planes from his airline had been used in terrorist attacks.

With my friends wifes relief of knowing her husband was albeit stuck in New York but safe came the realization that any number of friends and co-workers were lost. Fear was now replaced with a deep sense of sorrow.

Meanwhile I realized that some of my friends who had traveled so far to celebrate our wedding vows were scheduled to depart that afternoon by airplane. The airlines closed and my friends were few of the thousands of travelers who were stuck. Many more hours were filled with trying to find out information for traveling or car rental while we gathered to watch endless hours of broadcast.

I will always remember my wedding and memories of love, family, and security that I felt that day. I also know that the days after will be forever imprinted with the new feelings of fear, sorrow, and the guilt felt for being lucky.

In the couple of months after 9/11 my life changed drastically. I refused to fly for any long distance. My 16 year old son was invited to Washington DC in October for a national young leaders conference. I debated for days whether he should be allowed to go. I listened to all of the politicians who suggested that terror was the results after as well as during an attack. It was decided that my son should travel to the capitol. The day he departed I was so overwhelmed with fear and tears that a friend had to take him to the airport without me. I was told that it was a good thing I did not go to the airport because the site of the National Guard with there guns would have distressed me even more.

When he returned the following Monday the news media was reporting the anthrax found in the capitol. My son had been through numerous buildings to meet our Nevada senator and representative and watched the senates discussion on pilots caring guns. He couldn't remember all the buildings he had been in. Hour after hour, day after day, I watched and read any news I could about the anthrax and where they found it. I watched my son carefully every day. Offices that I knew my son had visited hadn't reopened. A week later I was in a doctors office with him having a swab test for anthrax taken. The following week he had such a severe headache for 3 days that I returned to the doctor. Again, I was lucky and found that a virus with many symptoms of the anthrax had been spreading around our small town. He was safe and healthy.

As the months have progressed I have settled back into my routines. I have a new awareness that whether you are in a large city, small town, eastcoast or westcoast every person has been effected in some way by these terrorist attacks. The world seems alot smaller today than it did a year ago.

Those who gave there lives and those who fought to save lives. The way "americans" became one. Many ethnics, religions, and skin colors are now joined as "americans".

I flew my flag after 9/11 until the snow season came. It flew in memory of those who died and in prayer for those who continued to fight terroist around the world. For our military and there families. I have always believed in our flag and what it stands for.