Saturday, September 10, 2011

In Remembrance

       As the dreadful hour of the tragic event of September 11, 2001 draws closer and closer to mark the 10th anniversary of that terrible day, I think back to where I was that morning. It's 0845 in the morning on September 11, 2001 myself and two other mobile techs are on our way to Louisiana Tech College  for a blood drive. We are listening to K104.1 out of Monroe Louisiana, all singing along to Mrs. Steven Rudy by Mark McGuinn when the song breaks for an emergency report. Flight 11 out of Boston has just flew into the North Tower of The World Trade Center. All three of our mouths hang open as we look at each other, somehow knowing this was a day that would change us all forever. Flash forward to 0903 we are unloading our gear at Tech and setting up for the blood drive, the T.V.'s in the open hall are on as we keep a steady eye on the news. That's when Flight 175 also from Boston flies into the South Tower of The World Trade Center.We all stood watching wishing there was something we could do to help the poor souls trapped in those buildings, but knowing we had a job to do here because if it was anything other than a search and rescue operation they were gonna need blood up there, so we start the Blood Drive. All threw the day we draw unit after unit as we listen to the news of Flight  77 crashing into the Pentagon, the Towers falling, Flight 93 going down in a Pennsylvania field. We were projected to draw 75 units at the drive that day. We drew over 300 after having called in for extra blood bags twice that day.

        The blood drive lasted until about 2100 the night, my center director called me and asked if I had anything left in me, I said yes and he told me to go to the Ruston Center they were backed up over there and needed help. At 0145 that morning we ran out of bags and didn't have another ice chest to put not one more unit of blood into. I gather up 20 ice chests with 25 units of blood a piece in them and start my trip back to Monroe.

            By the time it is all said and done and I make it home to Bastrop Louisiana, shower and get into bed it's pushing 0300. I lay there in the dark listening to the sound of my a/c and fan running and think back to different times in my life. The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster, The Reagan Assassination attempt, The Berlin Wall falling, The First Gulf War, all 4(at the time) of my children's births, my best friend David Terry (Termite) Robertson dying after that bull stepped on him. All of these different memories flooding me all at once. I realize I remember every place I was when something good or bad happened to me, if it was a life changing event I remember exactly where I was that day. But somehow this one was different, this was a blatant slap in our face. Someone took months if not years out of their lives to plan this horror on this country. As I laid there trying to shut my mind off from the days events, I found myself getting angrier and angrier. Not knowing who to turn my anger against, at this time it was still an unnamed faceless evil that did this. We had our suspicions but didn't know for sure and no one had yet took credit for it.

    At 0500 my alarm clock goes off I reach over and turn it off, get up go take another shower so I at least look like I've had some sleep. That was pretty much how the next 4 days went for me. We got to the point we were having to turn donors away so we didn't deplete our donor population, but no one seemed to understand that so then we became an outlet for the peoples anger in and around Monroe. Finally on day 5 I get a much needed break, it's only for one day but let me tell you friends I don't think I moved the whole 24 hours I slept in that bed. The next morning when I got up was the first real time I had seen my kids since all this started, I walked into the kitchen for some breakfast before work and they are all looking at me. Everyone with the same helpless look on their face and the same fear in their eyes. Now don't get me wrong I realize every American felt those feeling and had that look (so I'm not saying we are anymore patriotic than anyone else,) all I'm saying is that was the first time like many of you I didn't know what to tell my kids. It was also the first time they looked at me like even though you're Daddy, you can't always protect us.

       I sat at the table we all joined hands and prayed that morning, I ate my breakfast and to work I went. Realizing nothing in this world is guaranteed, not one second past this one is for certain. So now the people behind this who have taking so much from us has also given us something. Fear. The same fear that we felt when we watched those fiery smoking Towers fall, as we prayed for the people trapped in them and the families of all of those lost. We as a nation were scared, and looking for someone to blame. Then let's just say one idiot decided to step up and take the credit. Our fear turned to anger, our anger into hatred, we wanted Osama bin Laden's head on a stake. We were willing to go through anyone to do it, and now here it is 10 years later, Osama and Sadam both dead and we still have the same fear and anger in us.

       Not only did we lose thousands of lives that day 10 long years ago, not only have we lost thousands of U.S.Military Soldiers in the long 10 years since that awful day. We also lost our innocence as a young country, we never dreamed in a million years that would happen to us. Just like the lost lives of all the dear loved ones we can never get back, our innocence is also gone forever. Let's never let anyone else ever steal anything from us again! I will not be posting tomorrow in observance of September 11, 2001, I will be spending the day at church and with my family. I pray for you all and wish you the very best!!! GOD BLESS AMERICA, WE WILL NOT TIRE, WE WILL NOT FALTER AND WE WILL NOT FAIL!

                                                                                      Until next time, HIL   

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