9/11/01 A Personal Recollection
It is the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks by Islam fundamentalists. This message is not to incite hate, encourage war, or seek any kind of division or unity among people. It is only meant to be a recollection and a contemplation of one of the most significant events in United States history.
Five years ago at 8:46 AM, my wife and I were in a motel in Texas on our way to Mexico. We were lazily getting ready for the day and the TV was on CNN as was our habit at the time. The reports came streaming in rapidly. Not much was known but the North Tower of the WTC was obviously damaged and talking heads were reporting that a large plane had struck the tower. This caught our undivided attention immediately. The talking heads were speaking of this as some sort of accident. Little mention was made of a possible terrorist attack. As a pilot, I said to my wife, this was no accident. I even commented that Osama Bin Laden was a likely culprit.
Then, while the cameras were rolling on the towers, a second plane flew directly into the South Tower on live television. Only a few minutes had passed and reporters were being careful, but it was obvious to everyone at this point that this was an intentional and hostile act. More news streamed in about the Pentagon, a field in Pennsylvania, and the people aboard four commercial flights.
Thoughts were going through my head -- When would this stop? How long will this sort of news continue? How far had the pepetrators planned? Fortunately, this was the end of the physical devastation.
We have all read and seen much information about the events since 9/11/01. But I want to reflect in real time the events as I perceived them and reacted to them.
We reconsidered our thoughts of going to Mexico. We ate breakfast at a Waffle House and asked people about the WTC. It was not yet 10AM and no one there seemed to know anything about it. Strange how important TV "seems" to be. Silently I thought it was amazing that so many people would not know of such a significant event. Then I considered, it could easily be me who knew nothing about the event that morning. It was only a matter of habit that we knew of the tragedy at all. Immediately, a waitress turned on a television and a customer commented that Saddam Hussein surely was behind the act.
We went to a Diamond Shamrock gas station to get fuel. The line was very long but the price was normal. We waited. I spoke briefly with the guy at the register. He said that gas would be over $4/gallon tomorrow and the crowd was anticipating this. I remarked that this was obvious price-gouging and the man at the register quickly agreed with a knowing look. Apparently he was not a Diamond Shamrock stockholder.
We meandered for a while in Texas as my wife is interested in antique shops. (I call them ye olde junk shoppes.) The radio had reported that the Mexican border had been closed and all commercial and private air travel was suspended. We resolved to proceed toward Mexico figuring that the closure may lift soon and we were enjoying Texas.
Small-town Texas, in my experience, is a friendly, open, and patriotic place. On a typical day many state and national flags are waving at homes and offices. This activity seemed to jump substantially in the days immediately following 9/11/01. Conversations with strangers came easily in these rural areas especially after a national tragedy. While my wife perused the antique stores, I would converse with people who appeared to be loafing (perhaps while their spouses were shopping.) A sense of my childhood came over me. People loafing at the gas station, the grocery store, etc. A far more communal time. Perhaps this is the way in small town Texas but it was a heart-warming experience to see again and again what I had remembered of society in small-town Missouri in my childhood.
Everyone, and there were many, who offered an opinion on the culprit of the 9/11 events was firm that Saddam Hussein must have been responsible. I had not yet seen any news report, or editorial speculating that Hussein was responsible. It was a conclusion that was easily reached by American citizens so soon after the Gulf War.
As we prayed for the families of victims, America and its leaders, a quick resolution of the insanity, and a peaceful redress of grievances, we proceeded to Mexico where we took Spanish classes, visited missions, toured Mayan runes, and played CNN whereever it was available.
It was a shocking and horrible event but Jesus tarried. Life on this earth continues. Is there a point to this account? Not really. I'm just recollecting. Let us continue to pray for all the victims of 9/11 and for peace. A repeat of the Crusades with modern technology remains a real possibility.
Five years ago at 8:46 AM, my wife and I were in a motel in Texas on our way to Mexico. We were lazily getting ready for the day and the TV was on CNN as was our habit at the time. The reports came streaming in rapidly. Not much was known but the North Tower of the WTC was obviously damaged and talking heads were reporting that a large plane had struck the tower. This caught our undivided attention immediately. The talking heads were speaking of this as some sort of accident. Little mention was made of a possible terrorist attack. As a pilot, I said to my wife, this was no accident. I even commented that Osama Bin Laden was a likely culprit.
Then, while the cameras were rolling on the towers, a second plane flew directly into the South Tower on live television. Only a few minutes had passed and reporters were being careful, but it was obvious to everyone at this point that this was an intentional and hostile act. More news streamed in about the Pentagon, a field in Pennsylvania, and the people aboard four commercial flights.
Thoughts were going through my head -- When would this stop? How long will this sort of news continue? How far had the pepetrators planned? Fortunately, this was the end of the physical devastation.
We have all read and seen much information about the events since 9/11/01. But I want to reflect in real time the events as I perceived them and reacted to them.
We reconsidered our thoughts of going to Mexico. We ate breakfast at a Waffle House and asked people about the WTC. It was not yet 10AM and no one there seemed to know anything about it. Strange how important TV "seems" to be. Silently I thought it was amazing that so many people would not know of such a significant event. Then I considered, it could easily be me who knew nothing about the event that morning. It was only a matter of habit that we knew of the tragedy at all. Immediately, a waitress turned on a television and a customer commented that Saddam Hussein surely was behind the act.
We went to a Diamond Shamrock gas station to get fuel. The line was very long but the price was normal. We waited. I spoke briefly with the guy at the register. He said that gas would be over $4/gallon tomorrow and the crowd was anticipating this. I remarked that this was obvious price-gouging and the man at the register quickly agreed with a knowing look. Apparently he was not a Diamond Shamrock stockholder.
We meandered for a while in Texas as my wife is interested in antique shops. (I call them ye olde junk shoppes.) The radio had reported that the Mexican border had been closed and all commercial and private air travel was suspended. We resolved to proceed toward Mexico figuring that the closure may lift soon and we were enjoying Texas.
Small-town Texas, in my experience, is a friendly, open, and patriotic place. On a typical day many state and national flags are waving at homes and offices. This activity seemed to jump substantially in the days immediately following 9/11/01. Conversations with strangers came easily in these rural areas especially after a national tragedy. While my wife perused the antique stores, I would converse with people who appeared to be loafing (perhaps while their spouses were shopping.) A sense of my childhood came over me. People loafing at the gas station, the grocery store, etc. A far more communal time. Perhaps this is the way in small town Texas but it was a heart-warming experience to see again and again what I had remembered of society in small-town Missouri in my childhood.
Everyone, and there were many, who offered an opinion on the culprit of the 9/11 events was firm that Saddam Hussein must have been responsible. I had not yet seen any news report, or editorial speculating that Hussein was responsible. It was a conclusion that was easily reached by American citizens so soon after the Gulf War.
As we prayed for the families of victims, America and its leaders, a quick resolution of the insanity, and a peaceful redress of grievances, we proceeded to Mexico where we took Spanish classes, visited missions, toured Mayan runes, and played CNN whereever it was available.
It was a shocking and horrible event but Jesus tarried. Life on this earth continues. Is there a point to this account? Not really. I'm just recollecting. Let us continue to pray for all the victims of 9/11 and for peace. A repeat of the Crusades with modern technology remains a real possibility.
posted by Nick | 9:08 AM
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