REMEMBERING 9/11

On the anniversary of such a horrific day, everyone pauses and recalls their 9/11 story. You can't help but think back to exactly where you were when the events took place...

I was working for a political consulting firm in DC. I remember as I drove to work listening to the radio and hearing about a "small plane, perhaps a helicopter" hitting the Towers. It was odd and everyone was quite confused.

Not understanding yet what had happened, I thought to myself if our day's plans would be changed. My boss and I were to be in NYC for a presentation to Michael Bloomberg, who was running for mayor at the time. We had been working for him for months doing focus groups, surveys, etc. That morning we were going to fly up and give him the latest research results.

When I got to work, some of us grabbed our coffee and headed to the conference room. My boss came around that time too and he wasn't yet very concerned. He was more concerned if we had our presentation ready! He still thought we were headed to NYC.

Soon we realized this was a much more serious situation but we didn't realize how close to home it would be coming.

Our office was in the tallest building in that area and was just minutes from the Pentagon (which is also just minutes from my house). I can't recall the exact timing but I just remember our office getting an emergency evacuation from the authorities. Everyone else left but my boss and I hung in so we could work more. Yes I know, crazy! But I was a workaholic and so was he...and we didn't quite acknowledge the events going on around us.

As I recall, the FBI then alerted us that a plane was headed our direction and we had to leave NOW. It was crazy outside. Traffic was bumper to bumper and everyone was just freaking out thinking we were going to be hit any minute. It was so bizarre. You would hear a plane roar overhead and everyone would stick their head out their window to see what was going on. What was that? Is that "the" plane? Are we about to be hit?

I made it home and then didn't know what to do. I took my dog on a walk and there was this eerie feeling everywhere. Very few people were outside and it was as though danger was just around the corner. It was such a bizarre sensation. There was another family outside who was feeling the same way. We quickly bonded as we talked about our mornings and what was ahead of us. As we talked a plane roared overhead in the eerie silence. I remember all of us looking up and very quietly watching the plane. What was that? It turned out to be a fighter jet (and many more after that) that was trying to protect the airways but each time we heard it, we froze.

After being glued to the TV all day, a few friends and I headed to the Capitol for a candlelight vigil that night. It was intense, beautiful, frightening, extremely sad...and so emotional. People from all walks of life gathered around and sang songs, lit candles, and held hands. It was incredible.

Life didn't return to normal in that area for quite a long time. Every day as I drove to and from work, I passed the Pentagon and was harshly reminded of what happened. I had been dating an FBI agent and he was very involved with the post-attack work at the Pentagon. Needless to say, he experienced things on a daily basis that were beyond words during that process. He couldn't say much but he didn't need too.

And all that "research" we did for Bloomberg and other politicians? At that point, who in the world cared which words or phrases worked with the voters? It was so irrelevant now. It seemed so petty and political, and that certainly wasn't the focus as our country tried to come together. It completely changed the course of our company for quite some time.

Just writing this all down brings back such vivid memories. Such a long time ago...but quite honestly, anything "pre Max" seems like a LONG time ago. I can't imagine if he had been alive that day and away from me at the hospital or in school. I would have been so incredibly desperate to get to him. What would have happened if he had been separated from his caregiver/teacher/nurse? What if someone didn't know he cannot eat orally or that he MUST have his medications at particular times? What about his oxygen? Would we have run out and his little body would have been deprived? I can't imagine what parents were feeling that day...especially parents with special needs children. It must have been absolutely frightening.

Well speaking of special needs, Maxwell is in his little chair beside my desk and he looks like he is about to fall asleep, so I best get the oxygen ready.

As we remember our emotional stories from 9/11, let us not forget the harsh lessons of that tragic day. And let us not forget the fight we still have ahead of us. The terrorist war is not over and we must remain vigilant.