September 11, 2001
I remember when I was growing up that my mom would talk about where she was when each Kennedy was shot. I thought that those were such defining moments for her, and for many. I wondered if I would ever have an event in my lifetime that would have the same impact on me.
In 2020, I can say that there have been several such moments. The most impactful, though, were the events of September 11, 2001. I’m sure if you were alive and an adult, you remember where you were when you learned about the planes crashing into the twin towers in New York, the Pentagon, and the field in Pennsylvania.
I live in Arizona, and I did back then too. At that time of year, we are 3 hours behind EST. (Arizona doesn’t do daylight saving time, so for six months we’re 3 hours behind, and for six months we’re 2 hours behind). I was backing out of the driveway to go to work. I turned on the radio and the traffic guy was talking about how he was grounded because the airspace had been “sanitized” and all planes and helicopters were grounded. Then the DJ said that the second building had fallen.
I thought it was some elaborate hoax. I continued to drive to work, but I’m not sure how I got there safely. I was riveted to the news that was coming in. First about the towers, then about the Pentagon, and then about the flight in Pennsylvania. When I got to work, I called my husband. He wasn’t my…
