09/11
This is my fourth attempt at writing something that fits the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on US Soil.
I still find it hard to come to terms with so many different aspects of what happened that day but I will try and put some of it down now.
On that fateful Tuesday, clear blue skies and cool, fall like temperatures, one could never envision such a life altering event happening. Lower Manhattan, like the rest of the East Coast, gearing up for another day and without warning (maybe, maybe not, I am not debating that here) a Boeing 757 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Seventeen minutes later, another jet hit the South Tower. At 9:37 another hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon. Finally, the fourth hijacked plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pa at 10:03 am. That plane apparently was headed towards the US Capitol.
September 11, 2001 would be the day that would define a generation and its lasting impact will most likely never truly fade away. It is hard to find a person that has not been impacted by these attacks. There are towns throughout Long Island and New Jersey that lost twenty or more residents. Young, old, white, black, American, British, it didn’t matter. A callous disregard for human life knows no boundaries and this was as callous as can be imagined.
I could write about the markets and the resilience of the financial system but that does little to offer the human element and at the end of the day, who really cares about the rebound and reconstruction, families were and still are devastated. The human toll can never be measured nor should it. Everyone’s loss was a little different and while that is a bond for those who were affected it doesn’t mitigate the loss.
The loss of life was astounding that day and there will never be words to truly describe the pain and heartache thousands of families felt and still feel, unfortunately, this is a story that really has no end.
Hundreds of first responders died heroically trying to do their jobs and save as many lives as possible. Thousands of first responders are dealing with that loss and many more are dealing with the after effects as well. Cancers, tumors, mental issues, suicides and every imaginable health issue are affecting thousands of survivors from that day.
I could go on about how it impacted me and my family and the course I unfortunately took but I truly feel this is not about me. This is ultimately a private issue I will forever deal with and the pain I have caused is only a small part of the fabric of this story.
I, like you, still sit and watch the roll call and I, like you, still sit and cry as I hear familiar names called out. With all the sadness and heartache, there is still a resilience that is tested time and time again. That is what today is about, paying respect to the loss but also showing ourselves, our families, and the World, we are resilient.
Finally, I went to the site and walked around the memorial and people can talk trash about New York all they want, but that memorial is one of the most special places I have ever visited and as long as it is there, the victims will never be forgotten.