I’ve started to notice as I age, that I don’t remember things as well as I used to remember. It could be a conversation that I had just a short 30 minutes ago, or what I had for lunch yesterday, either way I seem to forget things a lot quicker than I did in my 20’s and 30’s.
But one day I will never forget is 9/11/2001. It was a day my life forever changed, and when I started to see the world for what it really is in reality. I was stationed at Scott AFB, IL, and was on my morning break outside when the news hit. Immediately thereafter, the base went on lockdown and all support teams were activated. I was on the Blood Donor center team, and my job was to help prepare units after they were drawn from the patients. Our team sprang into action, and over 16 hours later we had collected and prepared around 100 units of blood for both the victims and the first responders. That part of the day was a blur, and we honestly didn’t have time to really register what happened that morning and later in to the day.
But when I got home, reality hit. I was a single Mom at the time, and my roommate was watching my daughter who was only 2 years old at the time. Since the base was on lockdown and I lived ON the base, I invited all of my friends to come to my house to stay. We were all exhausted both physically and mentally and seeing the HUMVEES driving through the base only caused a higher level of fear. So we did what that group did best, and we hunkered down on my dilapidated couch, and held each other and cried watching the news. Seeing the bodies fall from the sky is a vision that I will never erase from my memory, along with the close knit family I had when I was in the military. While the day was a tragic day to say the least, I am so glad I had these people to share it with. My brothers and sisters in arms will forever be my family.
Often while I tend to forget the irrelevant things in life, moments like these will never be forgotten.
Movin' it with Michelle 
So moving and so true. This event made us all realize what is important in life.Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you! I appreciate you taking the time to read and comment.
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I agree it is a day that I too will never forget. Thank you for your service to our country and doing what you did, being a single parent and dealing with it all is overwhelming. I worked for McDonnel Douglas/Boeing at the time and I remember me and two other men watching on the computer as the other plane flew into the second building. That horrifying memory will never leave my brain. I was in NY city two months prior and on top of those buildings, I still remember the young man who took me through the metal detector and joked with me and my daughter while we were in line, since he was on the ground floor I’m pretty sure he made it out. It is times like this that brings out the best & worst in our human nature. We never forget and teach our children so they are vigilant and don’t have to deal with what we did… hug
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Oh wow. Thank you for sharing your story. This day is always hard for me but I reminder that although I never deployed, I did do my part. Thanks Myra. Xo
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*bows head and respectfully remember the fallen on 9/11. I remember at the time, I was based in Zhuhai, China and seeing the plane hit the twin towers was just frighteningly eerie.
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Right? A day I’ll never forgot.
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Agree!!
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We were both at home, oddly. I worked from home at the time, and I think my husband had a meeting later and so was going into work late. As usual I didn’t have the tv on. I don’t want it on all the time.
I had an appointment that morning, too, and she called me and told me to turn the tv on. I really didn’t get it at first. I thought what a tragic accident.
For days afterwards we had the tvs on almost constantly, which I know now wasn’t the best thing to do. I would never fill myself with all that on a regular basis (although my husband would).
We lived quite close to the airport at the time. Planes often flew over our house. One of my strongest memories was of the eerie silence in the days that followed.
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Thanks for sharing. It amazes me how clear my memories are of that day, and the days that followed.
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It was a terrible day.
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