Eight years ago...9/11

Today I sit here at my computer, contemplating the events of 8 years and 1 day ago. We were living in base housing at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, DC. My middle daughter and her family were with us at the time and she came to my bedroom door and told me to turn on the TV...."An airplane has hit the Pentagon"!
At the time, my husband was a Lt. Col in the Air Force and was stationed at the Pentagon...he was at work that day! The Pentagon is a huge building and I had no idea where his office was in comparison to where the plane had hit. I will tell you that in my heart I had a sense of Peace and just 'knew' that my husband was not harmed. We sat and listened to the news that afternoon, waiting to hear something from my husband. Family members were calling wanting to know if we were all safe. I won't go into all of the detail but will simply say that 6 hours after the news first came, my husband walked into the house and we were all so very thankful. My husband, Jim, said that he and a few others were gathered around a television watching the news of the Twin Towers when all of a sudden they 'felt a big THUD and then a quick RUMBLE....Sirens immediately began sounding and everyone who was physically able began evacuating according to the emergency plan of action that had been in place. Jim said that the second they heard the THUD he stated to all those around him, 'We've just been hit'! Officers began giving orders to evacuate and stayed to be sure everyone within their area had left the building. They stood withing a reasonable 'safe' distance outside the perimeter of the building, waiting for further instructions. I can only imagine all of the 'speculation' that must have been discussed as the men and women employed at the Pentagon that day stood and observed all that was occurring....just as their friends and family waited at their homes or place of employment to hear news of their loved one. After quite some time, everyone was 'ordered home' . Even on a 'good' day, traffic around the DC beltway is extremely crowded....on this particular day...'bumper-to-bumper' traffic doesn't even begin to adequately describe the traffic jams encountered by all those who were attempting to get home to the loved ones! The Metro, another major source of transportation, was majorly backed up also and people had to stand and wait for long periods of time before a train would actually have even 'standing room' available. But something that was 'unique' to the transportation that day....people were much more 'patient' than usual and there was far less 'rage' or 'frustration' noted among the crowds....more-than-likely, they were all just thankful that they were safe and were even able to 'go home' as some were not nearly so fortunate.

And so today, I am thankful for the blessing of having my husband with me and he was totally unharmed on that tragic day! To those who were not so fortunate, my prayers continue to be with them....I can only pray that God will give them strength and comfort as they continue with their daily living, it can't be easy for them.

Finally, 2 days after the 'attack', my husband and I drove around the area of the pentagon and we saw the tail of the plane coming out from the building, along with all of the debris still scattered around the immediate grounds. It was a grave site to behold, yet at the same time, we were thankful for the reminder of why some are willing to serve their country via the military....they are brave and courageous and serve our country with honor and integrity! We will always be thankful for the small opportunity we had to serve with the USAF...and I say 'we' because anyone who is, or was, a member of the military has family and friends who support them and are affected by their 'sense of duty'.

A week or so after the attack, my husband was given a map of the pentagon. On it was a spot marked with an 'X' -- indicating the spot the plane had hit at the pentagon....also on the map was an 'X' marking the area of the pentagon where my husband was working that day. If the plane had gone to the right, just one more 'pie slice over', it would have hit exactly where my husband stood! We have kept that map as a constant reminder of another wonderful blessing from God upon our lives. We are no more special than those who were not so fortunate, but God has His own plan for our lives and His work for our lives is not yet complete. Therefore, we are even more determined to try and live our lives in such a way as to please God and honor Him with all that He gives and all that He allows for us.

Three years after the 9/11 attack, my husband retired from the USAF, having served for a little over 25 years! I am proud of him and of his service to our country. I am proud of the opportunity to have supported his service for all those years! He served honorably and proudly and I am so blessed to call him 'my husband' and 'my friend'. I am proud of him!

To those of you reading this, thank you for allowing me this moment of reflection and thanksgiving.

May you all be blessed and be safe.


Until next time,
Make time to create, but remember to have fun and enjoy the experience!
Barbg(WV)