Never Forget
Just like we were told to ask our parents where they were the Day JFK was assasinated, I anticipate the day my children come home and ask me where I was on 9/11. While the beginnings of the day are still vague, I remember sitting in my dorm room at UNLV. My suitemate, Julie, had told us that something had happened. Not realizing the full meaning of what had happened, I went to my first class. When I returned, my roommate and both suitemates were in our dorm room watching the news. It was then that I realized exactly what had happened to our country that day.
Like most Americans, I thought the World Trade Center was untouchable. There had been bombing attempts before that failed to take the buildings down. Watching the towers crumble, it was a harsh reality that life was we knew it was over.
In the days that followed, I remember Las Vegas being a ghost town. It used to take at least an hour to get from one end of the strip to the other. After 9/11 it took minutes. The sidewalks were no longer filled with people casino hopping.
While I've always felt a sense of loss and anguish since that day, it really sank in when I visited ground zero for the very first time. We were living in New Jersey and would take trips into the city all of the time. One day we decided to go to ground zero. They had a memorial museum opened, although it's nothing like it is now. It really hit exactly what happened. We saw pieces of mangled metal, dust covered boots, purses, briefcases, pieces of peoples lives that were taken on that day. We didn't admit it until later that day, but walking through the museum choked both Jonathon and I up.
Every year I turn the TV on Discovery and re-watch all of the 9/11 programs. It's a tradition that I will probably carry on forever. We must never forget the men and women who sacrificed their lives, willingly or innocently, for our country.
Like most Americans, I thought the World Trade Center was untouchable. There had been bombing attempts before that failed to take the buildings down. Watching the towers crumble, it was a harsh reality that life was we knew it was over.
In the days that followed, I remember Las Vegas being a ghost town. It used to take at least an hour to get from one end of the strip to the other. After 9/11 it took minutes. The sidewalks were no longer filled with people casino hopping.
While I've always felt a sense of loss and anguish since that day, it really sank in when I visited ground zero for the very first time. We were living in New Jersey and would take trips into the city all of the time. One day we decided to go to ground zero. They had a memorial museum opened, although it's nothing like it is now. It really hit exactly what happened. We saw pieces of mangled metal, dust covered boots, purses, briefcases, pieces of peoples lives that were taken on that day. We didn't admit it until later that day, but walking through the museum choked both Jonathon and I up.
Every year I turn the TV on Discovery and re-watch all of the 9/11 programs. It's a tradition that I will probably carry on forever. We must never forget the men and women who sacrificed their lives, willingly or innocently, for our country.
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