9/11: A Tragic Day of History

We spend so much time talking about the politics and conspiracies around September 11, 2001. But on this day, that’s not what matters. What matters is remembering.

Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives that morning. Twenty-four years later, we don’t hear their names or their stories often enough. Instead, the focus tends to shift to those who caused it. But today isn’t about them.

Families were torn apart. Children said goodbye for the last time, to parents who never came home. Husbands and wives had their last morning together, not knowing it was the last time. Friends and coworkers who laughed together, argued together, or maybe hardly knew each other, disappeared.

Let’s think about the people trapped inside the towers. What went through their minds? Some probably prayed. Some called loved ones one last time to say goodbye. Some made the heartbreaking choice to jump, thinking maybe the chances of survival was better than waiting on the towers to collapse. The fear they faced is something we can’t even imagine.

And then there were the heroes. Almost 450 first responders—firefighters, police officers, paramedics—rushed into the danger while everyone else was rushing out. They went up those stairwells, knowing they might not come back, simply because someone else needed help. They gave their lives trying to save others.  They said goodbye to their family members to never return home as well. Or maybe they were just leaving their shift when they heard and kept going to help out.  Maybe they were called in on a day off, not knowing this day would be their last, as they rushed out the door, barely saying goodbye to their families.

The people who lived in New York and the surrounding areas, as well, must have been terrified. The terror they felt as they coughed on the smoke filling the sky.  The sirens as first responders rushed to the towers. The uncertainty of not knowing if their loved ones were safe, the panic, the helplessness. Families searching for news, neighbors helping each other, strangers offering comfort in the chaos. Their fear, heartbreak, and courage in the midst of the unimaginable also became part of the story of that day.

This wasn't just something that impacted the United States; it was something that was felt around the world. It has had a profound impact on the way we view the world today. One pivotal moment in history completely changed everything.

So today, let’s remember. Let’s honor the lives lost. Let’s honor the families left behind. Let’s honor the bravery of those who ran toward the flames, determined to save even one more life.

We will never forget.

 

 9/11: A Tragic Day in History

(The time this was posted: 8:46 A.M. Is the time the first tower fell.  The second tower fell at 9:03)