nmah6444.xml

nmah6444.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-02-18

I was at work on September 11, 2001 when I first heard the news of the Attack. I was an Accountant at the local utility board in Knoxville, Tennessee. The day was to be one of celebration. My friend Naomi was celebrating her 36th birthday and our Accounting Team would normally take the birthday person to lunch. The celebration soon turned to tragedy as we heard that an airplane had hit the World Trade Center. We quickly turned on the television and found scenes of our beloved Nation being attacked.

I felt sick and wanted to wake up from this terrible nightmare, but this was not a dream and the reality would soon become more devastating as the second Tower fell. The news of the Attack on the Pentagon and the devastation that the crash had caused quickly followed. The terror was not to be over as news of United Airlines Flight 93 had crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The lives lost were unbelievable as we all sit helpless.

I prayed for our nation and for the families that had loved ones in all of the Attacks. My heart was broken, for our nation and for the families. My thoughts and prayers were on asking God for forgiveness as a person and as a Nation. I prayed that our Nation would turn to God and get back to the principles that this Great Nation was founded on.

It took several days before our Accounting Team realized that Naomis birthday had not been celebrated. For Naomi, she would still each year get the strange looks when ask when her birthday was, as she would reply 9-11.

We have grown stronger as a Nation and for a few months, I did see people believing and trusting God more. We let our guard down as a Nation and we paid the price. The events of 9-11 will forever be remembered by this generation that lived the nightmare of that tragic day.

God Bless The Families That Lost Their Loved Ones On That Horrible Day. (John 3:16).

I now realize how easy it is for a Nation like the United States to be devastated in a few moments in time. We need to pray for our Nation and Leaders daily.

The great number of people that stood together helping each other. Some did not know the people they were helping but this did not matter. The love and helping of each other was wonderful. The Nation spoke more about God and his blessing than ever before.

I did fly a flag more since that day. The events of September 11th did make me realize what freedom really meant to me, my family, and our Great Nation.