I had a late night business meeting and dinner the night before. Got home around 10:30 or so. Didn't have anything early the next day, and my wife, Heather, who was finishing up her last semester at Tech as an Architecture major, didn't have class until 9:30. We both slept in.
Around 8:30, my mom called me and asked me what was going on in NYC. I told her I had no clue what she was talking about. I stumbled to the living room and turned on the TV and saw the 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower. I sat there stunned and I was speechless. A few minutes later, Heather came into the living room and was making her way to the kitchen. She stopped, paused, and look at the TV. Both towers were on fire. I remember us talking about whether or not the towers would fall or if the fire would be put out in time. Still get chills when she explained that, structurally, the building would not be able to withstand that kind of impact, the heat of the fire, etc. She said, "They are going to crumble."
We sat there all morning just glued to the TV. Then we saw the Pentagon on fire. I had worked in that building just 7 years earlier. And I know this sounds crazy 22 years later, but I remember thinking "I am glad we have a Texan in the White House." I had met then Gov. Bush years earlier and I knew that retribution was coming and it would be certain.
It's funny how you remember the little things. I remember going to the Chicken Express off of 82nd and University after driving aimlessly in Lubbock. I remember being totally dumb, sad, and angry at the same time. But what still haunts me to this day is watching family members and loved ones just mobbing any camera man with a picture of those feared to be dead but holding out hope that someone would see it and the slim chance that they were still alive. I remember a day care worker trying to figure out what to tell a 6 year old kid why their parent had not come to pick them up. It was surreal and still gives me chills today.
Now, 22 years later, I struggle trying to tell Scarlett (19) and Zach (13), about that day. I can tell them about WWII, past Presidencies, political history, and current events. But for some reason, I am absolutely speechless about that day. How do you explain the acts of mad men determine to kill indiscriminately ? I hope at some point, I will have the wisdom to articulate those events. I have no problem telling my children that evil does exist. But, on this event, with it being close to home, on American soil, it is still very difficult for me.
Around 8:30, my mom called me and asked me what was going on in NYC. I told her I had no clue what she was talking about. I stumbled to the living room and turned on the TV and saw the 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower. I sat there stunned and I was speechless. A few minutes later, Heather came into the living room and was making her way to the kitchen. She stopped, paused, and look at the TV. Both towers were on fire. I remember us talking about whether or not the towers would fall or if the fire would be put out in time. Still get chills when she explained that, structurally, the building would not be able to withstand that kind of impact, the heat of the fire, etc. She said, "They are going to crumble."
We sat there all morning just glued to the TV. Then we saw the Pentagon on fire. I had worked in that building just 7 years earlier. And I know this sounds crazy 22 years later, but I remember thinking "I am glad we have a Texan in the White House." I had met then Gov. Bush years earlier and I knew that retribution was coming and it would be certain.
It's funny how you remember the little things. I remember going to the Chicken Express off of 82nd and University after driving aimlessly in Lubbock. I remember being totally dumb, sad, and angry at the same time. But what still haunts me to this day is watching family members and loved ones just mobbing any camera man with a picture of those feared to be dead but holding out hope that someone would see it and the slim chance that they were still alive. I remember a day care worker trying to figure out what to tell a 6 year old kid why their parent had not come to pick them up. It was surreal and still gives me chills today.
Now, 22 years later, I struggle trying to tell Scarlett (19) and Zach (13), about that day. I can tell them about WWII, past Presidencies, political history, and current events. But for some reason, I am absolutely speechless about that day. How do you explain the acts of mad men determine to kill indiscriminately ? I hope at some point, I will have the wisdom to articulate those events. I have no problem telling my children that evil does exist. But, on this event, with it being close to home, on American soil, it is still very difficult for me.
