My Remembrance of that Awful Day 20 Years Ago I’ll Never Forget

It's been 20 years. It's been 20 years since a series of attacks was carried out against the United States on our native soil. It's been 20 years of families remembering the loved ones they lost on that day. It's been 20 years of some people somewhat forgetting what happened on that morning. It's been 20 years that still feels like it happened yesterday.

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September 11, 2001, I was not even a year into my radio career. I was sitting in the control room that morning doing what I normally do. That particular morning, I didn't have the TV on a news channel. My cohorts at the station across from me came down the hall and told me a plane had hit the North tower of the World Trade Center in New York. Oh wow! I flipped over to the news channel. That's when I saw the second plane hit the South tower.

Okay, this is not an accident. I was glued to the TV. As word came down of what was going on, the reality of the situation began to hit me. I had to take that ten months of radio lessons and start putting them to good use. I opened the mic and began delivering the news that the United States was under attack.

I got a break after a couple of hours and I called my mom. I needed to talk to her. Her words were comforting and we prayed together.

From there, the marathon began. We took shifts to keep the news going 24 hours from that Tuesday through that Friday. That Friday, September 14, was also my 24th birthday. I had already made plans with a couple of friends to go to Six Flags that Saturday. I needed this moment to de-stress from the week of nonstop news. I choked up walking to the entrance seeing their huge American flag at half staff. The park was packed. I guess everyone needed that bit of normalcy after a horrible week.

It's crazy to think that a senior in high school this year was not even born when this took place. It's merely a chapter in a history book. In a way, it's kinda like learning about Pearl Harbor when I was in school. It was horrible what happened but I will never understand the full emotion of that event because I wasn't there. Please teach your kids about what happened on September 11, 2001.

For those who have served in the fight against terror, Thank You. To the first responders who don't get appreciated enough, Thank You. It seems that every generation has a moment that will always live on in their memories. For ours, September 11, 2001, is that day. 20 years in my memory and in my heart that I will never forget.