story10244.xml

story10244.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-12-09

I can remember my Grandparent's telling my sister and I the story of Pearl Harbor over, and over again. Now, I have an 'attack' story to pass onto my children and onto their children.
I was a sophomore in high school, and when my alarm clock rang on the morning of September 11th, 2001 - I rolled out of bed and turned by TV on like I always do. I then continued to grab my towel and head to the shower, but the horrific images on the screen caught my eye. At first I just though - "Oh, a small plane hit a downtown tower somewhere." Then the shock came as I focused in. I dropped my towel and ran into the living room, where my mom welcomed me with open arms. She held me as we sat on the couch in horror and watched the towers collapse. Needless to say, I didn't go to school that day.
Two days later, I woke up dreading the day. My father was shipping out to "Location M" smack dab in the heart of Afghanistan. He is active duty Air Force, and is a proud defender of his country. I held onto my "Daddy" forever, and exchanged "I love you's" until he walked out the door. A million questions ran through my head - was he scared? would he live through this? would i ever see him again?
Months after months passed, and my mom and I lived day by day - keeping my father in our prayers. My Dad didn't come back home to us for roughly 9 months. It was, pardon my language.. hell without him.
This tragic event has brought my family much closer, and has taught me not to take things for granted. I was to say thankyou to my Dad, and to all of the troops that have served and are still serving in the war against terrorism, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. To you, we owe our lives.