As an 11-year-old in the 6th
grade on November 22nd of 1963, I still remember the principal (I
cannot recall her name) coming into our classroom to share the news of the
assassination of President John F. Kennedy. I have a strong recollection of the
tears in her eyes as the entire school was dismissed and sent home for the
remainder of the day.
Yesterday was the 18th
anniversary of the only other experience in my lifetime that resonates in this
way, the bombing of the World Trade Center. Every year on that day, those of us
who are old enough to remember think back on where we were when we were when we
first heard the news. I can still recall my assistant, Carla, coming into my
office to tell me that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. My
immediate reaction was that it was a terrorist attack, which sadly turned out
to be correct.
Yesterday I was thinking of Carla and
sent her a note. She wrote back and said
I had you on mind yesterday, I took the day off to take my
mom to visit Ground Zero.
Yes, you called it first, and to this day, I wonder why that
came to your mind in a flash.
To which I responded
You have to remember that there had been another bombing at
the World Trade Center, back in 1993 (just 8 years earlier). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_World_Trade_Center_bombing
I think that's why it came to me right away. Also, it seemed
impossible to believe that a plane would just fly right into one of those
buildings, and by the time the second plane hit it was clear to everyone that
this was not just some random accident. That's why I immediately thought it was
terrorism rather than just random bad luck.
In the days and weeks that followed we
came to learn of friends who had relatives who had worked in the World Trade
Center and did not survive the attack. Carla wrote something that made me
ponder just how many other people have died in the years since from injuries or
exposures they had in the aftermath of the bombing.
My friend that told me (that it was no accident) died this
past Mother’s Day; she developed Pulmonary Fibrosis, which they think was a
result of the dust from 911.
Will we ever really know the true toll
of that horrific day?
Love,
Rebecca
2 comments:
I vividly remember running across the hall to your office, and we were trying to watch the events unroll on CNN through the internet (which led to frustration as it was very slow)!
I was a day we felt punched in the abdomen and I had worries about how anyone in our office was going to get home. I also feared that the Chrysler building
would be next and we were in danger!
I am fortunate in that I lost no one on that awful day, but still remember the pain we felt as a community and nation!
Hi Nana,
We learnt about this in social studies today. It was very sad!
Ellie
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