Where Was I on 9/11

I was in bed asleep half listening to Good Morning America. I heard Dianne Sawyer signing off and then I heard her say, "We have a breaking news bulletin, The World Trade Center is on Fire." That completely woke me up because I knew it had to be bad. Then they showed a picture of the top of the building with the flames billowing out of the sides. My first thought was, "Oh my God, there must be at least 5,000 people up there!"

I stared in horror at the tv and then I got up and went downstairs to Sis's bedroom because the tv upstairs didn't get good reception. I spent the rest of the day in Sis's bed crying in horror with each development. It felt like somebody kept punching me in the stomach with each piece of bad news.

I have to confess I didn't understand that it was a terrorist attack at first. I just thought something was going horribly wrong with the flight controllers or the airport or something - even when the second plane hit, I didn't think about terrorism. That was about the time the news media went nuts talking about it. I just couldn't fathom it.

Then the plane crashed into the Pentagon and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. You didn't have to knock me over the head anymore. Even I understood that it was terrorism by this time. Sis came home about the same time as the 2nd. plane hit. She didn't understand what I was even trying to tell her.

Then the first tower fell and I didn't comprehend what I was seeing. I just thought something exploded. When Peter Jennings said the tower had fallen, I thought, "surely, not. he's mistaken." He wasn't.

Then I watched a reporter grill a fireman because she was angry that the NYFD had ordered an evacuation of the 2nd. tower even though there were civilians inside. She was relentless and the poor fireman kept his composure as she treated him like crap. I still wonder if she has ever realized what a piece of crap she was sometimes.

Until that day I had always made fun of people who would tell you where they were when Kennedy was assassinated. (I was in my crib) Now I understand. I wish I didn't.