Remembering
Posted Tue, 09/11/12
For me, memories of 9/11 always involve Wilbert. Both of us worked in the business office at Lakeview Hospital when the attacks took place. Our boss at the time came into the office and told everyone to stop what they were doing and to follow her. She took us to the main lobby of the hospital, where we all sat on couches and watched a large television as events unfolded.
Wilbert and I were dumbstruck with horror, holding hands as we watched the television screen for the next few hours. Every so often, we would exchange glances without words. As each tower fell, Wilbert gripped my hand a little tighter. The feelings of sadness and growing anger amongst the group of us was highly palpable, which I'm sure was mirrored in most places across our shocked nation.
The victims of 9/11 deserve the respect and recognition also given to those who fell during war, other terrorist acts and the assault on Pearl Harbor. The somber remembrances are not only for the sake of surviving family members but for the nation as a whole. Each generation has their own terrible event that makes an indelible, lifelong impression. I'm too young to recall John F. Kennedy's assassination, therefore 9/11 is the most vivid national tragedy that surfaces in my memory each year. As with all horrific acts, we must never forget the victims nor the people who tried to help them.