10 on the 10th: Memories and Thoughts about 9-11

 This month's 10 on the 10th is all about 9-11 with the 20th anniversary of the attacks coming up tomorrow.  I still remember this day so vividly that it seems amazing to me that it was 20 years ago!  



1.  I distinctly remember standing in the second grade class (substitute teaching for Mrs. Turner) when an aide came into the room smiling at the kids and walked up to me to whisper that two planes had flown into the World Trade Centers in New York and that a TV would be set up in the staff room for us to watch during all breaks but to keep it from the kids. I didn't really get what she was saying... then watching the replays of the two planes hitting the towers just minutes apart... that is forever etched in my mind. I watched that TV in the staff room any moment I had free. 


2. I remember trying to act as though nothing was wrong all that day at school; working in an elementary school it was decided that we say NOTHING at all to the kids and let their parents approach it at home that evening.  We were expected to begin talking about it with our classes as a whole a day or two later expressing what we were doing to keep them safe and encouraging them to talk to any adult if they felt scared and I remember thinking that I felt so unprepared for that. 

3.  I remember stumbling through that day and week stunned and watching TV just about non- stop through all the coverage which just kept getting worse as people jumped, buildings collapsed, and rescue workers searched through all the wreckage.   


4. As news came out about the Pentagon and the flight that had been headed for the capital that instead crashed into a field.  Hearing the phone calls home over and over from people on the planes and in the towers was just heartbreaking.


5. I can remember being on edge whenever we spotted a low flying plane for months and probably even years after that. 

6.  I had been married earlier that same spring and travel was so easy then but my sister who was getting married at the very beginning of October had a much more difficult time with so many new and strict protocols in place.  I remember thinking I would have been afraid to fly-- especially from the east coast to the west coast like they were doing.   

7. We drove by New York many, many, many years later on our way home from Myrtle Beach and seeing the new skyline of New York from across the river was disconcerting to me having grown up with the twin towers as a ready sign of reference. 


8.  I can remember watching all sorts of memorial footage and reading books about Sept. 11th with my oldest two sons during our homeschooling history lessons.  I know that it feels no more real to them than much of what I learned in my history books but it made such an impression on me that I felt it was important to cover this important part of American history. 

9. I don't think I felt that we as a country had ever been so united (in my lifetime) as we seemed to be in those days immediately following the attacks and I remember hoping that at the very least some good could come out of all that bad.  

  (All photos on this page are courtesy of Pixabay) 

10. Like most history events I am still learning new things about the attacks I didn't know about either through documentaries that have come out or even through historical fiction novels that have been published since.  While NYC can be a day trip from our home we rarely go into the city and I didn't personally know anyone living there at the time so I didn't realize the attacks had prompted a fairly quick mass exodus of people wanting to flee to safety in case something else had been planned.  I had never heard of the terrorist group Al Qaeda before the attacks and was surprised to learn that they've been growing since the cold war.  

Linking up with: On the Edge,  Claire Justine, 








Comments

  1. This was a beautiful tribute and remembrance. It’s surreal it’s been 20 years.

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    1. It is so hard to believe it's been that long.

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  2. What a wonderful tribute- thank you for sharing your thoughts Joanne

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  3. I wish we still had that sense of unity as a country now.

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    1. I do too! It seems like so many of our arguments are so minor too..

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  4. We have been talking about this all day at work. The weather is just like that day and here in NY there were many families impacted. I was in 8th grade and my sister was on a plane, thank god a different one. Just crazy it's been 20 years.

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    1. Oh I just bet! Thank goodness your sister was on a different plane.

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  5. We watched a really good show last night about a women's perspective of 9/11. It's on Hulu, but it is an ABC show with Robin Roberts. I can't believe it's been 20 years. Just so much sadness and trauma.

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    1. I have been watching a few different shows and they are heartbreaking (yet I am learning a lot of things I never knew before).

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  6. It is so shocking that it has been 20 years. My brother in law was supposed to be in the twin towers that morning for a meeting but missed his train. It took so many hours to confirm that he was safe. What a nice tribute.
    Blessings, Dawn

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    1. Dawn, that must have been so hard! I cannot even imagine.

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    2. Oh wow, Dawn, that must have been so scary!

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  7. This was beautiful. Hearing other peoples memories and experiences are so powerful

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  8. I was ill in bed and my mum rang and told me to switch the TV on. It is still so shocking even 20 years later and I'd say even more so for you as an American. I have been watching documentaries about 9/11 tonight and I learned a lot of new things about the attacks. Sending love and hugs x

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    1. Me too! I have been learning so much about the attacks that I never knew before.

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  9. Thanks for sharing this. So beautiful and a great tribute.

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  10. I was pregnant with my first child then and was working in a daycare center as a substitute teacher aid. Now that baby is in college and it is surreal to me as his age will forever be linked to how many years passed since 9/11 20 years doesn't seem real when it feels like yesterday sometimes that it happened. When my memory of that day can so easily be pulled back out at a moments notice. This is a truly touching and beautiful post! #AnythingGoes

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    1. That is very surreal that his age will forever be linked to that and I too often feel like it wasn't that long ago when I can so clearly remember so many details from that day.

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  11. It is insane to me that it's been 20 years. I remember every bit of that day so vividly it seems like just yesterday.

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  12. Oh, my, I held my breath reading this. So hard to be among children when receiving news like this. Having to put on a brave face while wanting to ask a million questions or just run and hide. I am glad you have studied 9-11 with your own children in homeschooling. I think it is so important that we learn from the past.

    My sister's 3 year old son was dying of cancer that fall. We were all planning to get together at her house for Thanksgiving, provided Andrew was still alive. None of us felt comfortable flying to Houston that holiday so we all drove. Thank goodness we did get together, as Andrew died the day after Thanksgiving.

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    1. Oh I am so sorry to hear about your nephew but so glad you all were able to get together that thanksgiving.

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