9/11 ~ Always Remember ~ Never Forget
September 11, 2001 is a date in American history that will always be remembered somberly .
There are certain events that seem to always elicit the phrase “I’ll always remember where I was / what I was doing when I heard the news”. While Pearl Harbor and the Kennedy Assassination were “the” events for our elder generation … 9/11 is “the” life-changing event for my generation.
Where were you? What were you doing?
I was at home getting ready for work. I had just gotten my kids on the school bus and was watching the Today show while putting on my make-up. I remember poking myself in the eye with my mascara wand because I was watching the footage of the first plane crashing into the tower in the mirror. At first, I thought it was probably a scene from an upcoming movie trailer. I continued to watch the show (on the actual TV, instead of in the mirror), in awestruck horror … dumbstruck … as a plane hit the second tower.
It felt like time was standing still.
When I came to my senses, I called the school … they advised leaving the kids there because they had counselors on staff that were going to talk to all the kids to help them to “process” all that was happening.
When I got to work, it was eerily quiet. My co-workers were gathered around a small 13” TV that my boss had brought with her to the office. I booted up my computer and got a cup of coffee before joining them.
As if on cue, right when my boss said we need to take care of our clients who were out of town, the phones started ringing off the hook. It went from creepy calm to complete chaos in an instant.
I was a travel agent at a corporate agency whose clients were primarily traveling businessmen and woman. They were now stranded all over the world … with no way to get back home to their families. All flights were grounded … no take-off or landings. We got busy reserving every available rental car we could for our clients in the USA. In two cities, we even booked several greyhound type buses because we had so many clients stranded in the same area. We extended hotel reservations for our clients that were stranded out of the country. It took several days of intense work, but we were able to get everyone home.
9/11 changed many, many things in America … actually in the whole world. It definitely changed the travel industry in a way (I believe) it has never completely bounced back from. This horrific act of terrorism on US soil has forever changed the world. Security & safety are of the utmost importance (as they should be), but … Travel, as we knew it, will never again be the same 🙁
Where were you? What were you doing?
#9/11 #AlwaysRemember #NeverForget #GodBlessAmerica #Heros
Please share your memories, thoughts and feelings on this anniversary of 9/11 …
Photo credit to Holidays Throughout the Year