In Remembrance of 9-11
Flags are flying half-staff today in remembrance of the events that took place on Tuesday, September 11, 2011. And rightly so. Most Americans back then believed that simultaneous terrorist attacks could never happen to the United States of America, but they did. I watched in horror, as did most of the nation, while they aired on national television.
The Twin Towers. The Pentagon. Shanksville, Pennsylvania. For over a decade, those four coordinated acts of terror affected and altered the lives of millions of citizens. From those on the front lines to those who were inspired to go to the front lines, our nation’s citizens held the memory of that day to be as significant for my generation as the bombing of Pearl Harbor was for a previous one.
Where were you on 9-11? If you remember that day, then you have a story to tell. I remember that day well, and I’d like to share my story about that time.
My husband, Scott, and 10-year-old son, Will, and I were a USMC family living in the colonel’s quarters in Okinawa, Japan. Okinawa is a remarkable place. We were stationed there for five years, and I still consider it my second home.
On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, it had been one week since I had undergone gallbladder surgery, and I was trying to rest on the couch. It was about seven o’clock at night, but with the time difference, it was morning in New York City, and the Today Show played on television. Cameras panned the city’s beautiful skyline and remarkably caught the image of a plane that circled the Twin Towers. I remember saying to Scott, “That plane is going to hit the building!”
Seconds later, Matt Louer made the same or similar comment. And then the plane hit one of the Twin Towers. We numbly watched—flames, smoke, the building collapsing. This had to be a movie stunt. It wasn’t really happening, yet we silently watched, horrified, terrified, and helpless. And a second plane hit the other tower. Over and over, the television replayed the collisions, and it was so cataclysmic that it never seemed real, but it was.
Then, the Pentagon was hit. We had friends and colleagues there- one died, and several were injured. Some friends’ children were in the child center there and the babies were corralled into cribs and pushed out and away from the building, saving them all.
The fourth plane would have hit a prime target in D.C., yet its passengers altered the course and saved countless lives by forfeiting their own—they were heroes.
Nightmare isn’t a strong enough word to describe the day. It was hell.
Within the hour, Scott was called back to work. I think I only saw him once in three days, just to come home to shower and take back more uniforms. Our housing community was a fenced-in compound that became our fortress. Barbed wire was laid out, concrete barricades were added, the gate was locked, and two Humvees manned by Marines with machine guns guarded us. We were nestled there for three weeks before being given the go-ahead to leave the compound.
Military bases have threat condition levels: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and all clear. Alpha is the highest level. We stayed in Alpha for several months and then went to Bravo for the remainder of the next year.
During that time, the Japanese government went into its highest alert mode, closing many businesses and identifying and watching every Muslim as well as any suspected or known threat on the island. They didn’t play games.
Typically, two Japanese gate guards were on duty at the compound for several days. We would bring dinners, coffee, and desserts to them and the Marines. Other than MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), it was probably the only real food they got.
At the end of week three, Will and I were allowed to shop at the commissary for food and staples in preparation for a CAT 4 typhoon scheduled to hit the next day. Scott couldn’t help, so even though I wasn’t supposed to drive, Will put the items in the cart and unloaded them into our house. We didn’t see Scott until the storm was on top of us, and then immediately afterward, he went back to work because we were still in Threat Con Alpha.
Through it all, my family stateside called often. Would we be forced to leave? Would we not be allowed to go? Were we in danger? Frankly, we were more scared when North Korea fired missiles into the East China Sea or over Okinawa, and the Air Force from Kadena Air Base would scramble their jets.
During our time as a family in the Marine Corps, I’ve gone through four combat deployments, and there have always been casualties, physical and psychological, for short term and long term. For me, 9-11 was like a combat deployment; only our family was together, and by God’s grace, we came out okay.
Three years ago, when Americans in Afghanistan were being evacuated, I watched the news, and it felt like another 9-11 or combat deployment. Only this time, I wondered if my family had been there, would we have been left behind?
God bless the USA, our military troops, and their families serving worldwide.