It’s 9/11 again. Eleven years ago today, also on a sunny Tuesday morning, America lived its worst nightmare.
New York, the city the world loves to love, became the stage of unforgettable, unforgivable acts of aggression against America and its people. Not too far away, the Pentagon, in Northern Virginia, and a rural field in Western Pennsylvania also became part of the 9/11 tragedy. Thousands of innocent Americans died that day. Many more were either physically or emotionally wounded.
Every year on this date, I remember how I felt watching the images of the attacks as they unfolded and the chaos that followed. Watching today’s commemoration of the 11th anniversary of 9/11 and retrospectives of the events on TV, I was, as always, overcome with emotion.
The horror of those scenes will remain forever in my mind. I vividly remember how I felt fearing the entire country might be under attack, and wondering if the US was prepared to be on the receiving end of such brutal and coward acts.
But New Yorkers rose to the occasion. Americans rose to the occasion. Heroes came from everywhere to courageously confront chaos. Like angels, they rescued and treated victims, recovered the dead and comforted families. And they cleared and cleaned and worked relentlessly until normalcy was restored.
Bravery and resilience prevailed. But life as we knew it, was no more.