We Remember: September 11, 2001

10 years ago today... I am a freshman student at Salisbury University in only my 3rd week away from home. It is a Tuesday morning and math class is drudging on as usual. As I return to my dorm room, something is different... in the air, in the faces on campus... and then the TV tells me - At 8:46 a.m., five hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 11 into the World Trade Center's North Tower and at 9:03 a.m. another five hijackers crashed United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower.
Unfathomable. Impossible. Who did this? Has this ever happened before? How did "they" get control of our planes? How many have been killed? Where will people go? Are there enough policemen and firefighters to help?

At 9:37 a.m. another five hijackers fly American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon.
Breath-stopping. Tear-jerking. How close is the Pentagon to the World Bank? Did my father see what happened? Is he OK? All of our friends and family in D.C. - are they OK? Will there be a second hit in D.C. in a few minutes? Are "they" targeting more cities? Am I safe? Should I go home to my family? Are the roads closed? Is the president safe?

I get a call from my mother. She is safe. My father is safe and watching the shock unfold in D.C. I am safe. My sister is safe at school. At 9:59 a.m. the World Trade Center's South Tower collapses.
Our country is literally falling down. We are being crushed by opposing forces under structures of which we are most proud. Americans are running through the streets of New York City unsure what to think, unsure where to go. Firefighters and policemen and other heroes are running toward the ashes, running toward those who need help, running to protect our freedom and lives in limbo.

At 10:03 a.m. a fourth flight, United Airlines Flight 93, under the control of four hijackers, eventually crashes near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after the passengers fought the hijackers. (Flight 93's ultimate target is believed to have been either the Capitol or the White House.)
Overwhelming. Heart-wrenching. Are there more crashes to come? Do the families know what's happened? How would I have reacted? Could I stop that kind of evil as these passengers did? What will "we" do now?

The university president tells students we are free to leave campus if we so desire... absences will be excused. I pack my bags to go home. I cannot imagine being away from my family any longer. I need my parents to tell me things will be OK. At 10:28 a.m. the World Trade Center's North Tower collapses.
Amongst all the chaos, I am silent. Even my gasp is unheard. There are no words to describe what I am feeling. Tears are falling. My heart steadily throbs for the fallen.

On this day... I remember. I ache. I vow to pass on the memory. I am proud. I am an American.