The tears and memories came flooding back on Thursday as the nation paused on the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
As I looked through the hundreds of photos moving on the Associated Press wire and scenes that flashed across television screens over the course of the day, my heart went out to the families who have now lived seven years without their mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives because of senseless acts of terrorism.
Almost 3,000 people died that day, including 2,751 at the World Trade Center, 184 at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and 40 in Shanksville, Pa.
The images of the young children who were just babies when they lost a parent touched me the most. All they have left of their loved ones are the memories shared by family and friends.
How sad for these youngsters, who don’t know what it’s like to sit on their dad’s knee or have their mom wrap them up with arms of love.
Despite seven years, there are still vivid memories of that fateful day etched in my mind.
I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when terrorists drove two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York. And just a few minutes later, there was breaking news of a plane hitting the Pentagon.
That’s when I knew for certain our nation was under attack.
Then came the report of a plane that went down in Pennsylvania, where passengers reportedly stormed the cockpit to thwart terrorists’ plan to use that plane as a weapon like the others. The passengers on Flight 93 are remembered today as heroes. They saved the lives of countless others who were the target of the fourth plane.
As I sat in the conference room at the Commonwealth and watched on television as people jumped from the buildings in New York and the towers crumbled, I could not grasp why or how this could happen in our country. It was so unbelievable. Just knowing there were thousands of people running for their lives or trapped in two buildings that had no hope of standing was almost unbearable.
The attacks made the threat of terrorism on our home soil very real, and it touched each of our lives and the way we live them in a profound way.
I am much more fearful of a repeat attack. Yet prior to that day, I’m not sure I had ever imagined what a terrorist attack on American soil would be like.
One of the first things I did after the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 was call my mother. Even though there was no apparent danger to my family or this area of the country, it somehow helped to reach out to a loved one in the aftermath of such a life-altering event. It gave me a sense of comfort and safety just to hear her voice.
Oh how I wish those who lost their mothers, or fathers for that matter, could experience that same comfort today.
On Thursday, as I was heading to my Kiwanis meeting at noon, I called my mom again.
She told me how she sat there Thursday morning, watching the memorial services at Ground Zero and listening to the song that talked about how God provided courage and comfort for those who did and did not make it through the attacks.
“I just sat there and cried,” my mother said.
I knew exactly how she felt. I, too, shed a few tears Thursday, as I have on every anniversary of that horrific day.
As a citizen, there is not much we can do to prevent such attacks, except pray for our leaders and military and ask God to continue to have mercy on and provide blessings for our country. Even with the tragedy of Sept. 11, the United States continues to be one of the safest nations in which to live.
And let’s not forget to pray for the victims’ families and survivors of Sept. 11. For those of us who weren’t there, there’s no way we can fathom what they have been through and will continue to go through for many years to come.
May God be with them always.
