nmah4129.xml

nmah4129.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

On the morning of September 11, 2001 my husband and I were at home with our 2
children. My husband is a firefighter for a department that is about 30 miles
south of Chicago. The phone rang and a friend of ours asked us if we were
watching the news. He then told us about the first plane hitting the World
Trade Center. We immediately turned on the television and saw the second plane
hit the towers. My heart sank to my stomach and we knew that this was no
accident. Soon after we heard about the plane hitting the Pentagon. My husband
was put on alert by his department and all I could do was cry. Our son was 4
years old at the time and was asking a ton of questions. We kept it as simple
as "There are people in the world who don't like Americans so they crashed the
planes into the buildings." Fortunately, that was enough for him. As the day
went on we listened to the reports of FDNY firefighters that were missing,
presumed dead or injured. I saw the concern on my husband's face be!
cause he had known many of the firefighters that were undoubtedly there at the
time of the tragedy. Throughout the day we just hugged eachother and our
children and cried.
When reports started coming in revealing the names of the FDNY firfighters that
were dead, my husband recognized quite a few. He had taken many classes that
were either taught by or attended by guys from New York. It was amazing to hear
just how many of them he knew and considered his "Brothers".
Everytime the phone rang I would wonder if it was work calling him to send him
to New York for assistance. Many friends from other departments went
immediately to offer their assistance. Finally FDNY stated that if any
department wanted to help, please inform them of 10-20 people who would be
coming out and add their certifications. They were in need of men certified in
Structural Collapse. Ironically, this was the class that my husband had taken
with the majority of the FDNY guys he knew. He never ended up going to Ground
Zero, but our hearts were there with all of the Brothers as well as their
families.
I have kept all of the newspapers, magazines and articles I have found
regarding the attacks of September 11 so our children can use it for reference
later in school. We will also have the stories of comeraderie and "Brotherhood"
from my husband.
Since the attacks, I have never once watched my husband go to work, gotten off
the phone with him, or kissed him goodbye without telling him to be careful and
that I loved him. It has made me realize that there are no guarantees that my
husband will come home after his 24 hour shift. We have to live each day to the
fullest and remember to say, "I love you".
My heart goes out to all of the victims, not only firefighters, rescue workers,
or police officers, but to everyone who worked in the World Trade Centers and
the Pentagon and everyone on the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. May their
families be watched over and blessed everyday. God Bless the United States of
America!!

We always fly a flag! The events of Septmeber 11, 2001 have shown us how fortunate we are to live in a country that comes together so well in the wake of tragedy.