Where Were You?
There are those moments in history that always beg the question "Where were you?"
Where were you when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded?
Where were you when Kennedy was assassinated?
Where were you when the Berlin Wall came down?
Today is one of those days people will inevitably ask "Where were you?" It is such an infamous date in history that the event is defined by the date alone. "Where were you on 9/11?" Nobody has to ask what year, because they remember. They remember the day our illusion (or delusion, maybe) of being untouchable came crashing down with the towers in New York. They remember the heart of our country's defense system, The Pentagon, having no line of defense as a plane came barreling at them. They remember the brave men and women who sacrificed themselves in a Pennsylvania field to save countless others.
I remember where I was. I had just dropped off my oldest daughter at the babysitter and was on my way to work when I heard it on the radio. It didn't seem real at first. I was actually angry at the guys on the morning radio show because I thought it was the worst kind of joke. But when I got to work, I found out it was true. Keep in mind, this was sixteen years ago and I did not have a cell phone to call family and friends. I didn't have anyone near any of the crash sites, but on that day, everyone wondered when it would end. Where would the next plane crash? Are there more attacks coming? Our country felt like a war zone and all I wanted to do was get my daughter and husband and go home, where I felt safe. Or at least I should have felt safe. That day and for days after all that was on the television was replays of the attacks. Understandable, as this was a major event, but also damaging to the psyche.
In those moments, our country pulled together. Nobody cared if the person standing next to them was black white, hispanic, or Asian. They didn't ask if someone was gay, trans, straight, Christian, or atheist. We pulled together and stood united against our enemy. We were a stronger country because we were a united people. I know that anyone under the age of 21 probably doesn't remember much about this day in history. But when I see the headlines today and I see all the division and hate in our society, I think about those people who experienced 9/11 and I wonder, "Where were you? And why don't you remember?"
