Where were you?

Alan Jackson's "Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)" is one of the best representations of 9/11 sentiment that I can think of.  It really hits home with me.  Watch the video below.  I'm going to write about where I was, and I encourage you--if you need a place--to leave a comment talking about where you were, what you were thinking and how you've held up since, or any other thoughts/feelings you have as we remember back five years ago.

I--like so many others--can remember exactly where I was when I first heard the news.  I was sitting in my 10th grade keyboarding class.  Somebody had heard rumor of the happenings, but nobody had confirmed anything at this point. As I left that classroom and headed for the bandroom--with wild reports of planes dropping out of the sky into Dulles, DC and Pennsylvania, but not yet any information on the World Trade Center or on who had done it--I headed to the band room hoping that my family members--many of whom work around the DC/Metro area--would be safe.

The band room was buzzing with speculation, but nothing had been confirmed.  The misinformation that was spreading quickly through school was highly inaccurate and only served to help complicate the situation.  The classroom TV's and radios were left off--whether this was by mandate from the "higher ups" or just teacher discretion is still unclear.  While the logic--don't scare the kids any more than they already are--is understandable, all leaving us in the dark really served to do was to perpetuate teh spreading of rumors and speculation. 

When I arrived home, I knew something had happened, but still was unsure of what.  I remember saying, "I don't want to hear any more about this from anybody but the news." Mom had been watching CNN all day, so it was already on.  We watched Aaron Brown who, for all his current faults, covered the situation with strength and resolve.

September 11, 2001 did not "change" me, but it did serve to wake me up and strengthen my beliefs.  Though at 15 I didn't have a huge grasp on politics, prior to 9/11 I was NOT a fan of President Bush (though I respected him as the President)--that all changed with 9/11.  I took comfort in Bush's speech shortly after 9/11:

Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America.

I suppose my biggest concern five years later is that many Americans have forgotten the brutal slaying of 3,000 of our brothers and sisters.  We have forgotten that it was an unprovoked attack against the heart of our economy and our military.  We have forgotten what it felt like to watch those planes smash into the towers and the Pentagon.  And in our forgetfulness, we have lost the passion and the resolve that it is going to take to stop those who hate us.  This is a continuing war.  We're not done yet, and most of us understand why.

Listen to the song provided above.  Think back to 9/11.  Remember those feelings.

God Bless the United States.  God Bless the President and our troops.  Thoughts and prayers to all who were lost, and to all who remain as we remember five years after September 11, 2001.

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