Remembering Sept. 11th, 2001

It was May 2003 and going to NYC was something I'd always wanted to do and yet now I found there was so much more meaning with my desire to go. And while the four of us who went reveled in the hustle and bustle of Times Square, there was another task we would plan for one of our days. From being in Times Square at any given hour, the people were plenty. The streets were always full and bustling. Coffee vendors and their little carts had the best coffee ever! Also in carts were the Nuts-4-you vendors, which I became addicted to. The four of us had a good friend who lives in NYC, whom we spent a lot of time with and who was a great tour guide in letting us know the places to visit. Yes, we went to the Today show in Rockefeller Ctr, the museums, the eateries, etc. The Statue of Liberty was off limits to visitors still.

Then, came the day we planned to visit Ground Zero.........


I still remember the chills and then the tears that filled my eyes and rolled down my cheeks as I stood in that place. That place was the now empty site except for debri, of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, that no longer stood as glistening buildings in the sun along the skyline of New York but rather a mess of rubble that was cordoned off by very tall linked fence. Along the top, were slate black plaques. I soon found out what each and every plaque stated.

At first, I took a deep breathe as we got closer. I could feel my heart beginning to feel heavy and a sadness that was steadily creeping up into my very being. Would I cry, would I let myself? I started with the dedication plaque and then the real tears began as I started looking at names that were displayed on plaques up above. Those plaques held the name of every single person who died on that awful day, Sept 11th, 2001.

The site was a steady flow of people coming to pay their respects, just as I had done. I can say that every eye I looked into, was  a tear-filled one. It was a moment that I will never forget, the physical feelings I cannot describe with due justice. The minutes turned to hours as I stood there amongst the rubble, amongst others just like me to pay respects to what use to be. We didn't wonder where each other was in our group of four, and we didn't care. We were all lost in the moment and this was a day to pay respects, to mourn for those innocent lives, a day to realize that our freedom does not come without cost, a day to feel resentment for the horrendous massacre that had taken place on this very ground. A day that brought back resentment feelings like the day I visited Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona. A day that changes how you think about terrorism, our military, our policemen and women and the firemen and women who risk their lives every single day.

Other days consisted of visiting Central Park and other well known landmarks in New York. It was 2nd nature to Thank every policeman or fireman we saw, as were hundreds of others. And while being in New York City for just over a week and enjoying staying in the new W hotel in times square was fun and action packed; I left New York with a lesson that would stay with me the rest of my life.

While it is not always on everyone's mind, we must continue to Thank the men & women of our armed services who have devoted their lives for us, our freedom, and to protect us against terrorists that changed America 9/11/01. And although it's been 10 years, I can close my eyes or look at those photos and feel that same emotion that I felt while standing there in a sadness, in complete disbelief. I have just a few photos in the video below; I hope they bring to life, just a little of what I saw that day.

Our lives become busy and hectic and we struggle to find the time to do all that we want to, but the one thing that we can do, is truly Never Forget! I know I never could.

God Bless the USA..............