Recently there has been a lot of talk on TV about the events of September 11, 2001. I've told Alyssa about it before, but I've decided that since today marks the 10th anniversary of that terrible day, that today would be a good day to write down my memories of that day. I want my children to know what I remember and felt from that day.
It started out as a normal day (for everyone.) Jason ended up sleeping at his parents house as he had been down there late the night before working on some homework. We were both still students at Weber State University. In high-school we had a foreign exchange student live with us and she was back in the United States as she had just finished a summer job at the Grand Canyon. She stayed at my apartment that night. I took the day off work since we had plans that day. When I got done with my classes we would go down to Bridal Image (the bridal shop owned by my aunt Barbara) to look at wedding dresses for Maria as she was engaged and wanted to buy a dress before she returned back to Russia in a day or two.
When my alarm clock went off I heard one of the men on the radio saying that an airplane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers in New York City. I pictured a small plane with an inexperienced pilot who just had an accident. But the concern in the mans voice made me more worried. I got up and turned the television to the Today show. I could see the building on fire and my first concern was, "How are they going to put a fire out that high?" and "What about those poor people above the fire? Can they rescue them by helicopter?" I was getting ready for my Education Math class in the bathroom with the TV still on in the living room. Maria was still asleep in the second bedroom. As I was getting ready for class I heard them say another airplane had hit the second tower. It seems it wasn't long after this they said a plane had crashed into the Pentagon in Washington. I remember getting that feeling of dread, where my stomach turns and my heart begins to race, when I know something is seriously wrong.
I woke Maria up and told her about it. I remember saying, "How can someone do something like this?" and she told me, "You can't try to understand it, you are a good person and you'd never be able to understand something so evil." She was right.
I left her home while I went to class. I remember listening to the radio while I was driving. They said on the radio that one of the towers had fallen. I didn't picture it coming down the way it did. I pictured it tipping to the side, sort of like the leaning tower of Pisa. I figured there was just no way that a building full of people could possibly just fall to the ground killing everyone inside. That just didn't seem possible--not in my world. But I was wrong. By the time I got to school both buildings had fallen and I could see for myself what really happened since there were TV's on in all the classrooms at school.
Most classes were cancelled that day. Most professors decided not to hold class. Not mine. She had arranged for a guest speaker that day and she decided to carry on anyway. None of us were in the mood to listen to a guest speaker. I don't even remember what he came to talk about. I only remember that we just sat there, stunned. He was very late and we all sat there not saying much. When he got there he said that a fourth plane had crashed in Pennsylvania and it was suspected it was part of this terrible attack on the United States. He didn't seem like he wanted to speak to us that day either.
When I arrived back to my apartment Maria, my mom, and I decided we should still go shopping for a wedding dress for Maria. She was to return to Russia in a couple of days (at least she was suppose to, we didn't know if flights would be going again by then) and we figured we would just be sitting home watching the news, we mind as well get this taken care of.
I remember that for the next couple of days I couldn't take my eyes off the TV. I remember I shed a lot of tears. I remember thinking that surely by the time I woke up the next morning they'd be saying that they had pulled some survivors from the wreckage. I was wrong. This was an event of such huge magnitude, it took a long time to wrap my mind around it all.
As the weeks passed I remember how the American people rallied to be united. Everyone flew flags, offered money, and donated blood. I remember feeling so thankful when, a few weeks later, it was time for General Conference. I longed for words from of comfort from our prophet. Jason and I were able to get tickets to the Sunday afternoon session of conference. I remember President Hinckley getting up after one of the speakers and announcing that President Bush had just informed the American people that our troops had just started bombing Afghanistan. I didn't realize that the people at home had their broadcast of conference pre-empted by the news of this announcement.
2,700 + people died that day. It is hard to comprehend the size of those buildings, the size of those airplanes that were used as weapons. I may never completely understand it. I didn't know anyone personally who was involved, so I can probably never understand what it feels like for them. But I do remember being in total disbelief that good people, just going about their everyday lives--other Americans just like me--were brutally attacked in our own country.
It started out as a normal day (for everyone.) Jason ended up sleeping at his parents house as he had been down there late the night before working on some homework. We were both still students at Weber State University. In high-school we had a foreign exchange student live with us and she was back in the United States as she had just finished a summer job at the Grand Canyon. She stayed at my apartment that night. I took the day off work since we had plans that day. When I got done with my classes we would go down to Bridal Image (the bridal shop owned by my aunt Barbara) to look at wedding dresses for Maria as she was engaged and wanted to buy a dress before she returned back to Russia in a day or two.
When my alarm clock went off I heard one of the men on the radio saying that an airplane had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers in New York City. I pictured a small plane with an inexperienced pilot who just had an accident. But the concern in the mans voice made me more worried. I got up and turned the television to the Today show. I could see the building on fire and my first concern was, "How are they going to put a fire out that high?" and "What about those poor people above the fire? Can they rescue them by helicopter?" I was getting ready for my Education Math class in the bathroom with the TV still on in the living room. Maria was still asleep in the second bedroom. As I was getting ready for class I heard them say another airplane had hit the second tower. It seems it wasn't long after this they said a plane had crashed into the Pentagon in Washington. I remember getting that feeling of dread, where my stomach turns and my heart begins to race, when I know something is seriously wrong.
I woke Maria up and told her about it. I remember saying, "How can someone do something like this?" and she told me, "You can't try to understand it, you are a good person and you'd never be able to understand something so evil." She was right.
I left her home while I went to class. I remember listening to the radio while I was driving. They said on the radio that one of the towers had fallen. I didn't picture it coming down the way it did. I pictured it tipping to the side, sort of like the leaning tower of Pisa. I figured there was just no way that a building full of people could possibly just fall to the ground killing everyone inside. That just didn't seem possible--not in my world. But I was wrong. By the time I got to school both buildings had fallen and I could see for myself what really happened since there were TV's on in all the classrooms at school.
Most classes were cancelled that day. Most professors decided not to hold class. Not mine. She had arranged for a guest speaker that day and she decided to carry on anyway. None of us were in the mood to listen to a guest speaker. I don't even remember what he came to talk about. I only remember that we just sat there, stunned. He was very late and we all sat there not saying much. When he got there he said that a fourth plane had crashed in Pennsylvania and it was suspected it was part of this terrible attack on the United States. He didn't seem like he wanted to speak to us that day either.
When I arrived back to my apartment Maria, my mom, and I decided we should still go shopping for a wedding dress for Maria. She was to return to Russia in a couple of days (at least she was suppose to, we didn't know if flights would be going again by then) and we figured we would just be sitting home watching the news, we mind as well get this taken care of.
I remember that for the next couple of days I couldn't take my eyes off the TV. I remember I shed a lot of tears. I remember thinking that surely by the time I woke up the next morning they'd be saying that they had pulled some survivors from the wreckage. I was wrong. This was an event of such huge magnitude, it took a long time to wrap my mind around it all.
As the weeks passed I remember how the American people rallied to be united. Everyone flew flags, offered money, and donated blood. I remember feeling so thankful when, a few weeks later, it was time for General Conference. I longed for words from of comfort from our prophet. Jason and I were able to get tickets to the Sunday afternoon session of conference. I remember President Hinckley getting up after one of the speakers and announcing that President Bush had just informed the American people that our troops had just started bombing Afghanistan. I didn't realize that the people at home had their broadcast of conference pre-empted by the news of this announcement.
2,700 + people died that day. It is hard to comprehend the size of those buildings, the size of those airplanes that were used as weapons. I may never completely understand it. I didn't know anyone personally who was involved, so I can probably never understand what it feels like for them. But I do remember being in total disbelief that good people, just going about their everyday lives--other Americans just like me--were brutally attacked in our own country.
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