Remembering 9/11 And How It Feels 25 Years Later
In the days after September 11, 2001, the world was still in shock at the horrific attacks on the United States. That feeling hasn't really ever gone away for most of us. Every day we're reminded of the changes to our lives. Whether it's when you're traveling by airplane, entering buildings, filling up your gas tank, or even turning on the TV and watching the news.
It's been a wild 25 years.
In some way, shape, or form, 9/11 affected all of us.
By 2001, seeing breaking news on TV wasn't as common as it is today. By then, the major news that we had witnessed was the horrible Challenger disaster in 1986, the rescue of Baby Jessica in 1987, the Gulf War in 1991, the O.J. Simpson murder trial in 1995, and the threat of Y2K. We'd NEVER seen anything like this. This wasn't in a war-torn country overseas; this was here in one of the biggest cities in the world.
I remember it like it was yesterday. I was living in Columbia, Missouri, and working the overnight shift at a radio station. I had just fallen asleep when my roommate, Aric, pounded on my door, telling me that we were being attacked. I rolled over and thought, "Oh, we'll get em!" Then it hit me that something bad was happening, and I jumped out of bed and rushed to the living room, sat on the couch, and the second plane hit the second World Trade Center building.
For most people, unless you were in New York City, your 9/11 story probably is the same. Turned the TV on and saw the second plane hit.
At the radio station, we went wall-to-wall news for the next week, and I had little to do besides babysit the station. That gave me plenty of time to sit outside and listen to fighter jets fly overhead. Columbia, MO, is in the middle of the state, and the fighters were flying a loop from Kansas City to St. Louis, patrolling the skies. I can remember the chills every time I heard those jet engines roaring overhead.
I spent the rest of my time absorbing as much information as I could about the search for survivors, the volunteers working tirelessly, stories of bravery and selflessness, and the country coming together as one. Men and women loaded into their vehicles and set out for New York City and Washington, D.C., to help however they could. Communities from across the country sent supplies, water, food, tools, and anything else that could help.
The next year was really a blur since we were all still in a daze from the initial attacks; then the military struck Afghanistan, the TSA was created, and our focus was still on New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania as the cleanup was underway.
It's been 25 years, but I feel the same way today as I did then when this date rolls around. I hope that September 11, 2001, is never forgotten.