nmah6839.xml

nmah6839.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-09-23

I had just flown into San Francisco from Las Vegas on the evening of September 10th. My sister,her fiancee and I had gone there to celebrate my 21st birthday. I ended up sleeping over my girlfriends house and we had woken up in the morning without turning on the TV or radio. We had parted our ways for work and I had hopped into my car ready for my 30 minute commute. I usually have some kind of tape playing in the car and that day was no different. I remember the moment I realized something was going on was when I was sitting at a Red Light near my work. I looked at the cars around me and saw the same dejected look on everyones face. It seemed quite odd, but I didn't really think anything of it until the next intersection I had a different set of cars around me with the drivers having the same looks. I popped the tape out and that was when I heard the radio and what was going on. I rushed to work knowing we had a little portable TV there. Since I was the opening the store that day and would be the only one in for a while I huddled around that TV for a couple of hours. The scenes were straight out of a movie. I had never been to New York so I wasn't really familiar with the World Trade Center other then knowing the fact they were two "tall ass" buildings. After watching the Towers collapse and being totally disgusted with whoever could do such a thing I started thinking about the World and how it had been completely different before I had woke up that morning. I lived really close to SFO airport and had grown accustom to the loud noises of planes landing and taking off. What caught my attention that day was the lack of noise. It was the most quiet my neighborhood had ever been in my lifetime.

I am not quite sure how it has changed, but I can honestly say that not a day has gone by since 9/11/2001 that I haven't at least had a passing thought about the attacks.

What should ultimately be remembered about September 11th is that we can never take anything for granted. I have heard many accounts from the victims families and the one thing you always hear is that they wished they had had a chance to say goodbye. Always give a hug or a kiss to loved ones cause you never know when they may be taken from you.

My mom flew her Fathers flag that had been on used at his funeral. Since then she has changed the flag, but there has been one swinging in the yard ever since and when I get my first place I will definitely fly one. Unfortunately many of the flags that flew after that day have been taken down and stored away for the next disaster. People should be proud of the flag, but it definitely is not what represents us. Our ability to forgive and move on is ultimately how we should be judged.