Eleven years have passed since the day in 2001 that changed the US and much of the world forever. Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when they found out.
Colin was a senior in HS in the broadcasting class and they were watching the news when the first plane hit the north tower. He and Kiel ran up to tell us in the SS department and we turned on the tvs. I immediately thought of Justin who worked at a bank in the financial district, but I was pretty certain he was on second shift. I called him and woke him up. He was alright for the moment, but the next days and weeks were traumatic for everyone in the city and of course the rest of the nation. I also had cousins who worked in Manhattan that I worried about all day. But mostly, we were horrified at the events that unfolded over the course of the day.
It was so very difficult to explain and buffer all the information for our students. Some schools blocked the tvs and did not discuss what was happening with the students, but we watched it in real time.
Steve volunteered to go serve at ground zero with other firemen and first responders from around the nation. He was stationed close by and spent his time helping the NYC firemen deal with the trauma. Mostly he listened while they talked about their lost friends and colleagues and about the horrors they had seen.
We have been back to the scene nearly every year to see the progress of the Freedom Tower and the Memorials. Last year we were very moved by the new memorial pools, but the most touching displays were in those first few months. Families posted pictures of their loved ones and were pleading for information, hoping beyond hope for news that they were alive.
I kept thinking about Zafar, Bek and our other friends in Uzbekistan. He emailed us immediately and conveyed his sorrow, but I knew that from that moment on, that most Americans would judge all Muslims by this act of terror.
