I was dropping Andy off at work on September 11, 2001 when the radio announcer said that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. My first thought was, “Somebody piloted their small plane right into a tower.” It didn’t occur to me that it was something much, much more. After dropping Andy off and saying goodbye to him, I drove to the parking garage. As I was parking the car, I heard that another plane had hit the other tower. It was then that I thought, “This is not some mistake.” I ran to work and immediately logged into my computer only to discover that all major news websites were down. Too much traffic trying to figure out what was going on. Americans from all over the country searching for every ounce of information they could find. I was so stunned. I had no words. Work was horrifyingly quiet all day. About mid-morning, I walked to the University Bookstore because I had to pick up a book that my office had ordered. Normally, the MU campus is bustling – chatter, laughter, etc. It was completely silent. Every person I passed was silent. No words at all. In the bookstore, screens were set up with projectors running the news. That was the first time I saw the news footage of the planes crashing into the towers. Tears started to stream down my face. In that moment, I knew that life would never be the same. Never. It was in that moment that the world stopped turning for me for minutes. I will truly never forget. 9/11/01 changed us all. May God Bless those lost and everyone affected by that horrifying day. Today, I especially think of the men and women of the Armed Forces who stood up and said, “You will never do this to us again.” Please watch over them and return them home safely to their families.
