Inside 9/11

No matter how much time passes, the hurt and devastation of 9/11 does not fade. I saw a commercial for National Geographic TV for a special titled "Inside 9/11," and I decided to record it. I'm just now watching it and it brings me to tears to re-watch the towers being hit, hear cries of pain and terror, see pictures of smiling pilots and flight attendants who passed that day, and to see little dropping dots from the flaming wreckage KNOWING they are desperate people overtaken by fear. It's heartbreaking, and the images still sting as though I am seeing them for the first time.

It's awesome, yet saddening, to listen to the survivors' stories and see the scars the day left upon them. I specifically remember where I was...we all do! I was leaving my apartment in Urbana, IL, driving to open Abercrombie & Fitch for the day. On the radio, a deejay was giving the breaking news and I remember thinking "WHAT is going ON?!?!" Because they were saying it was a low-flying plane and just an accident. Then, minutes later, the 2nd plane hits and you just knew it was an attack. I got to work and just turned on the tv as I opened the store and followed the news to keep hearing the story develop. A few hours later, we got the call from home office that the stores were closing. We all went to a friend's house and sat together on the couch to watch the devastation that just happened to our country. It was unbelievable. Then everyone freaked out about gas and my sister and I (later that evening) sat in her living room and watched out the window at the people lined up down the street for blocks just to get gas.

Such a horrible day and something unthinkable...how can such horrible people exist on this planet?! And among everyone else?! A man who worked at the ticket check-in counter just spoke about how he checked in one of the terrorists and when he spoke to the man, the man just glared at him and he said he just felt anger and a horrible feeling when this man looked through him with a cold stare. He said he mentally slapped himself for letting them pass and not going with his instinct of looking like a terrorist. Can you imagine feeling like you let this happen because you didn't go with a gut instinct because you didn't want to offend someone? Gosh no, what a hard position...and a very hard thing to live with forever. It even showed surveillance using the hand-wand for extra security for some of the men and not catching the knives they had. I will never complain about security measure our airports take to ensure our safety. There is absolutely no reason those pilots and flight attendants should have ever been at risk for their safety because they were doing us all such a huge convenience in travel...please, continue to check us, even if we appear naked on your screen, I DO NOT CARE, I want everyone to be safe.