September 11, 2001, was a Tuesday like any other. The sun rose on the Eastern seaboard in New York City at 6:33 am, just over two hours before an unbelievable terror engulfed the most powerful nation in the world.
A strong upper level ridge had pushed through the Northeastern United States, stalling and redirecting hurricane Erin, which was a category 1 at the time, from moving back toward the coast and potentially causing flight delays in Boston and NYC. Instead of 70 mph winds and sideways rain, the Big Apple woke up to a gorgeous seasonal 67 F and mostly sunny skies.
I was in third grade. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was attending school at North Raleigh Christian Academy at what was the Durant campus. We all left school very shortly after arriving, and my teacher seemed distraught. When my brother and I got home, we went next door to see the news. By the time we arrived, we watched the second plane crash into the South tower. I was horrified. "How could someone do something like this to so many innocent people? Were they all going to die?" The questions kept replaying over, and over, and over in my head.
Numbers from this infamous day: Almost 3,000 people total died in the World Trade Centers, the Pentagon, and Flight 93: 343 were firefighters and EMS, 23 NYCPD officers, 37 Port Authority police officers, and 125 military personnel. Over 10,000 other people were treated for injuries. Only 6 people who were actually in the World Trade Center towers when they fell, survived.
Over 500, 528 to be exact, were volunteer first-responders. Individuals who put their lives on the line every single day to make sure the general public is safe from harm. Firefighters, Police officers, Paramedics, and members of our military are all volunteers. I was only in third grade, but I remember that time, when being an American citizen meant being an American citizen. Our status as Americans did not rely on the color of our skin, the platform of beliefs we held, or the label we could have had from life circumstances. Being an American meant being a part of something bigger and better, having opportunity to grow and learn, being a piece of the heterogeneous homogeneity characterized by the melting pot we lived in. Why now do we such a hard time seeing the best in one another, and instead assume the worst about someone?
Take today, and this week, and this month, and through the rest of the year to thank our volunteers. Thank a firefighter. Thank a police officer. Thank a Paramedic. For goodness sake thank a member of our armed forces. Thank those who work at the food bank. Thank those who work at consignment shops. Thank those who work in places you frequent. Thank everyone you come in contact with, because without them doing their job, you would not be able to live your life the way you do now. Most of all though, especially today, thank our first-responders.
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