Around this time of year I tend to think back to my Army days. When 9/11 happened, I was twenty-one and working day shifts as an armed security officer, and doing college at night. I served in the National Guard before I switched to Active Duty, and I remember that day vividly. I went into work, made the round of the business I guarded, and started writing my morning report. Once a month I had to wear my Army Uniform as I had Weekend Drill, so the employees there knew that I served.
While I wrote my report, one of the managers came down, rather pale in the face, and asked if I’d heard what happened in New York. As a rule of thumb, I didn’t work with a radio or TV on so I could pay attention to security, so I replied no. He simply said, “Come upstairs, there’s something you have to see.” So I went with him into the conference room, and they had the news on of the planes hitting the Twin Towers and Pentagon. I was shocked and devastated, and moved by the courage of the police and firemen who risked and gave their lives to save others.
Literally five minutes after learning about what happened, I got a call from my National Guard commander, telling me to have my bags packed as our Guard unit was on high alert for being activated. In the coming months, I had my GI duffel bag packed to the brim and my boots polished. I even prepaid a month of my apartment’s rent in case I had to go at a moment’s notice. Months passed, and after rumors and rumors of activation, nothing happened. Then I made the decision to switch to active duty, and they sent me to Germany. What transpired next confirmed for me that everything happens for a reason.
A week after I left for Germany, I got an email from a battle buddy of mine in my unit that they were activated to the Middle East, right in the middle of where everything was happening.
A day after I got the email, I met my future husband while I was on a stint in London, and we’ve been married since then. I do believe in destiny, but I also believe we can affect our destiny by the choices we make. Many people weren’t so lucky as I was; some went into work that ill-fated day, and paid the ultimate price for simply being productive people in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The one thought I have today of 9/11 is that this life is fleeting. We don’t know when we’ll die or how, so the best thing we can do is love our family and make sure they know they’re loved. That is the only universal surety. I’m so grateful for our country and for the gift of freedom. I’m thankful to everyone I served with and for the amazing people I’ve met, many of whom I’ve based characters I write off of. I hope everyone holds their loved ones a little tighter today.
I remember it like yesterday! Bless all those who helped in times of need, and all the families of anyone affected.
Amen, Jerry. That Mr.Rogers quote about looking for the helpers in the world when tragedy strikes is so true. So many people stepped up to offer shelter and aid, and that’s perhaps the strongest thing to take away from 9/11, the strength of the human spirit when situations are at their worst. Thanks for your comment.