09/12/2020
I can’t believe that it has been 19 years since the tragedy of 9-11. Being from New York this hits home with me. This is one of the events that you remember exactly what you were doing and where you were. I was in our living room waiting to take my daughter to school. I remember the special report on CBS that Brian Gumble broke in and there was a picture of the World Trade Center with smoke coming out of the top of one of the towers. Initial they were saying that they thought it was a small commuter plane but how would a little plane cause that much smoke and flames. Then in the next few minutes the second plane hit the other tower.
I would say that in all my life, this one of the most unforgettable images that will never go away. I have been in that building many times, I had drinks at Windows of the World on the 110th floor. My father worked on those buildings while it was being constructed in the early 1970’s. In a matter of minutes both of those buildings came tumbling down.
2977 people were killed on that day. That includes the victims in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. I think about the family’s, friends and coworkers of all those people and how this senseless act affected all of them too. The 343 brave firemen and paramedics and 70 brave police ran into those buildings to try and rescue the people trapped on the upper floors. We may never know how many rescue workers, firemen and volunteers will be affected to the exposure of the debris that will cause illness, cancer, respiratory issues, and PTSD down the road.
9-11 has changed the world as we knew it. Airport security, metal detectors at sporting events, the stock market took a hit. We had to adjust because we never expected an attack like this one.
After 9-11 the country came together and helped the families of the victims, to help clean up, to help rebuild and help prevent another attack like this. I think we can all agree that it was the right thing to do and it will take time to get things back to normal. I hate that 9-11 happened and now we are in some crazy times. Does it compare? As I see it only on the fact that people died, from something we didn’t expect. Mask, no mask, forest fires, protest, cities being destroyed, business having to close and de-funding police programs. As a country we agreed to do something about it and fix it as best we can. We didn’t see the Corona come either. We are trying to adjust but there seems to be more everyday that adds to all of this. Can we come again 19 years later and get back to business and fix all of this. We live in the best country in the world. We can sleep at night and know we are protected, if we call for help someone is on the way to help. Its not like this everywhere, try living in other countries where a missile might hit your home or if you get sick there is no doctors to treat you or get killed because someone doesn’t like your religion. Countries that have dictators take everything and let their people starve. Not a place where I would want to live.
We are smart enough to fix it. Look at all the things that have now: technology, ordering things from your phone and having them delivered to your front steps, there are cures for diseases that there were no cures for. 20 years ago, we may have thought any of those things were a dream, but now are reality.
A vaccine or cure for Corona is in the works and being done in record time.
Lets not forget 9-11, isn’t good to know if you are in trouble you have first responders that will run towards you, not away. Remember the victims that were minding their own business and had their world turned upside down. Feel for the families who lost loved ones and pray for the children who will never see their dad or mom because they were lost in the tragedy. Similar things are going on but let’s get together we are one country and stop all of this other nonsense.
