nmah6201.xml

nmah6201.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-09-11

I was in the Baptist Hospital Pre-op room in Knoxville, TN. awaiting a procedure on my back as the news first came in about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. At that point the staff and we patients all thought that a tragic accident had taken place. Within minutes word spread that a second plane had hit the second tower and all of us realized that this was an attack on America by terrorists, not an accident. Prayers were offered for those involved, tears were shed, and our world was forever changed. Just minutes before being "put under" for my procedure I heard the announcement over an operating room radio that a plane had also flown into the Pentagon. The doctor and nurses had been talking and missed the announcement and asked me what it had been. The next thing I heard was the doctor telling them to "put me under", my last thought was what kind of world would I be waking up to. And, when I woke up about an hour later it was to a very subdued staff and fellow patients. Later that day after I was released, we came home, watched television for a while and then headed to the Tennessee Valley Fair. The mood there was very un-fair-like, many people had stayed home, those of us who hadn't talked in disbelief about the events of the day. The sense of loss was very intense and wide-spread. It didn't take long for the citizens of my adopted home to begin efforts to aid in helping those personally affected by the events of 9-11. There was even a fund set up to purchase a new fire engine for New York City to help replace equipment lost. I stayed glued to the television for days, it was too sad to watch, but I couldn't turn it off either. My heart broke for those who had lost loved ones, friends, and co-workers. Because my youngest son is a volunteer firefighter in Michigan I felt especially sensitive to the New York firefighters, police, and paramedics. I have lived through the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert Kennedy in my lifetime. I can still vividly remember every moment of the day when John Kennedy was shot, just as I will always remember with great sadness the death of so many innocent people in the tragic aftermath of 9-11. It was the day that America truly lost it's innocence and learned what so many other countries in this world live with on a daily basis. It was a hard lesson, but one that served a purpose, it has brought Americans closer together and into an age where we are again concerned for our brothers and sisters. Patriotism was "born again", and hopefully will never be allowed to take a back seat in our lives again.

9-11 was a wake-up call for me, a reminder that there are no "sure things" in life. I don't take family, friends, or community forgranted anymore. It reminded me of what really is important in life...the people we love. It reminded me that no one is guaranteed a tomorrow, so it's important to tell those who are important to us just what they mean to us and how we feel about them. It reminded me of all the sacrifices made by so many over the years to keep America free. We may not do everything right, but I wouldn't chose to live anywhere else in this world. I'm proud to be an American!

That we should never be complacent about our life here in America, we are just a vunerable as anyone else in the World. We should always remember the people who lost their lives, the "coming together of Americans" that those events started,the day we truly became "our brother's keeper". And, we should remember to give thanks to those that serve us, that put their lives on the line every day to help keep America a land that we can be proud of.

Yes, and I still do. The American flag and the National Anthem has always brought a lump to my throat, but now it also brings tears to my eyes...that it had to take so much loss for us to come together as Americans and to show our pride in our country.