From Boston to Sarasota: We Remember | 9/11

Memorial Timeline

9/11 Timeline – Wiki

It was the day flights took off as usual from Boston Logan International Airport. It was the day workers entered the trade towers expecting nothing out of the ordinary. It was the day the President sat in on a reading program at a school in Sarasota, Florida. It was the day I watered plants in the doctor’s office. It was the day that changed America forever.

25 years ago our nation and world was shook to its core. In a few brief moments, totally taken by surprise, the world watched in horror as thousands of Americans lost theirs lives as innocent bystanders of terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center towers.

And today… It’s still a day we can’t forget.

The words of one 60 minutes reporter ring true I’m sure for many of us still living with this memory, “It really was the day that changed the world. We all watched it. We all remember where we were when it happened.”

I know I do. I can’t think about 9/11 without remembering the first moments I heard the news. I was in the patient lobby of the small doctor’s office that I worked for…by myself. No one was there yet. The office wasn’t open, but it was part of our morning routine to check the patient lobby, water the plants, fluff the pillows…and turn on the wooden-box TV set.

What I remember most vividly was returning to the TV set after the others had been informed (but continued their duties) and dropping to my knees as I witnessed on live TV the second tower getting hit and later their collapsing.

2001: 9/11 News Break In

Second plane hit, NBC, 9/11, 09:02

(full original footage below)

9/11: The Towers Collapse

I was so far away, but I felt it as much as anyone else who loved the people of our country and had never seen anything close to something like this happening on our soil. And like everyone else, I was in a stupor of disbelief, second-guessing if I was really telling everyone what I’d just witnessed.

This year, as difficult as it still is to think about, talk about, write about, I wanted to make sure I took the time, not just in honor of those who were lost or those are still grieving missing loved ones or who have survived to carry on, but to preserve this history and legacy for the next generations.

Writing History for News Gens

Last year was the first year I taught my son about 9/11 in context. There’s so much I hesitate to teach him, fearing how it may impact him or give him nightmares, or change his innocent view of the world, but also knowing how important understanding history is, especially the stories of the heroic men and women who sacrificed their lives so others could live.

I found it a bit surprising how hard it was to find a decent narrative documentary that really explained what happened. There are so many good documentaries that piece together the events as they happened without any narration -and there’s certainly place for that, but I realize this is the time when new generations aren’t going to have a backstory to lean on since they weren’t there and where we need to consider giving them a fuller picture.

I also recognize the lack of narration may be due to the unsolved mysteries or controversies surrounding the days events.

After previewing about 10 or so documentaries on Roku, I resorted to my preferred channel of choice (YouTube, if you haven’t noticed) and DW’s was the first narrative documentary I found to suffice.

Today, there’s no lack of video footage surfacing over the years, nor a lack of stories from thousands, but I had to explain to my son that not so long ago, people in the tower, for example, didn’t have phones that recorded video. They just had flip phones or land lines…and maybe for the best anyway.

As for this article, it’s not about getting every detail right or trying to make sense of it all, it’s simply a memorial tribute to the events that happened and remembering everyone who grieved this day like I did and everyone out there still having faith and hope.

Kid-friendly mini-doc

In closing, a prayer from today’s memorial service at the Pentagon:

[A Prayer of Encouragement and Hope]

O mighty G-D, who is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble,
Help us to be still and know that you are G-D.
Though the earth should change and the mountains slip
into the heart of the sea,
though all should roar and quake at the
swelling pride of man,
The LORD of hosts is with us,
the G-D of Jacob is our stronghold.

Draw near O G-D,
that in the faces of those we have lost,
we might see your face.
That in their stories,
we might hear your voice.
That in the gift of their sacrifice,
we might know the strength of your love,
and the assurance of your presence.

O G-D, bless those who grieve,
help them see that you regard their tears
as your very own.
Help us remember as a people and a nation,
that though the cause of evil prosper,
yet the truth alone is strong.
And that in you, the LORD,
the maker of heaven and earth,
our momentary light afflictions
cannot be compared
to the eternal weight of glory,
yet to be revealed.

Grant us the faith to see
what our eyes cannot:
That you love us.
That you meet us in the hour
of our greatest need;
and that you offer us
a future and a hope.

O LORD, we are grateful,
for all who answered the call
to this crisis 25 years ago.
Many answered with their lives

To our first responders:
grant them strength
to remain steadfast in their duties.

To our military services and their leaders:
grant them virtue in difficult hours
and courage in crisis.

And to our beloved nation,
America the beautiful, which has
known your blessing
and the fruit of your divine favor:
grant us the grace to return
to our first love.

To the G-D who called us into being,
and the one who calls us still,
For righteousness exalts a nation,
and you are able to save to the uttermost,
all who call upon you.

Heal us, O G-D, our land and our lives.

We ask these things in your holy name.

Amen.

Prayer from 9/11 Memorial Ceremony 25th Anniversary at the Pentagon

Happy Rosh Hashanah,
In heartfelt remembrance,