For me “September 11” is a season rather than just a day. Here’s what that time looked like for me.
I had seen my parents off on their way back to Vermont after a visit to Marietta for the Sternwheel festival on 9/10. It’s hard to imagine now, but they had no cellphone so there was no way to connect with them as they drove across NY on September 11. As the events unfolded, I never really felt they were in danger, but certainly wanted to confirm they were home safe.
I had a couple friends in NY and fought intermittent cell coverage to connect with them.
I was introduced to that day exiting the shower and hearing a radio special report about an incident at the world trade center. I thought it was the anniversary of the parking garage bombing, but they were speaking in the present tense. When they said President Bush was going to make a statement, things started to click.
I remember thinking that the situation at the WTC was bad, but the gravity of that day really struck when the pictures of smoke over the Pentagon were shown. Later I remember ABC News’ Peter Jennings getting a report about the first tower collapsing. He couldn’t quite grasp what was happening — a portion of the building collapsed? The whole thing? The entire, imposing, strong as steel, 110 story tall, tower is gone? It was, literally, unbelievable.
After a chaotic day, members of Congress gathered outside the Capitol united and strengthened in their resolve. As their press conference ended, someone randomly started singing God Bless America and soon everyone had joined it. I still get goosebumps thinking about it.
The next day I left my house to run some errands. North of Marietta is an electrical plant with enormous cooling towers and smoke stacks. I’d seen them most ever day for 5 years. But that day I turned the corner and my heart literally stopped for the moment it took my brain to register that the smoke and steam weren’t evidence of further attacks in SE Ohio.
A couple days later Marietta joined thousands of other communities with a candlelight prayer vigil. I spoke briefly, I think about the need to have unity and resolve, and kept the candle. I etched in “Never Forget 9/11/01.” As it turned out, never forgetting wasn’t ever an issue.
Earlier that summer some friends had bought tickets to the 9/18 reds baseball game. As it turned out, that was the first day baseball resumed after 9/11. As we walked in, we got newspaper sized printed flags and the atmosphere was electric. For a week, we had all dealt with the tragedy as individuals and families. Now we’d get to share the sorrow, anger, and resolve with 45,000 people.
During the 7th inning stretch they played God Bless America. The Cubs players running out to their positions stopped in their tracks to share in that moment.
On a Thursday at the end of September a friend and I made the spontaneous decision to help jumpstart tourism and we headed to Washington, DC.
Our first night there we decided to taxi around to some sights. Our taxi driver was Muslim and actually apologized for what had happened. He drove us around that night turning the meter off at each stop and waiting as we got out and explored the memorials.
The next day we got what now sees like a stunning reminder of 9/11. At the national air and space museum we took in an Imax show. A few minutes in, the camera cut to a flyover of the world trade center. The view seemed like it was mere yards from the tops of the buildings. There were audible gasps and a scream in the crowd. I still can’t figure out why they didn’t move faster to either edit or close that particular movie. If it was meant as a tribute, it was poorly received.
On the way out of town we managed to get on the wrong parkway and drove past the Pentagon. The closest we’d gotten previously during the trip was a subway ride when we were told not to exit despite an automated stop at the pentagon. That message was reinforced by men in vests carrying large guns patrolling the subway landing when the doors opened, paused, and then closed again.
Seeing the Pentagon was stunning. On TV it looked horrifying. In person it looked real. The flag famously deployed from the roof blew in a gentle breeze.
That, in a nutshell, illustrates the season of 9/11 for me. The strength and resolve embodied in the flag covering the sorrow about the utter devastation of it all.
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