All We Can Do Is Cry
Saturday, September 10th, 2016: I'm consumed by the various TV specials about the 9/11 tragedy. I'm drawn to switch channels back and forth to watch the docudramas about the attack on the twin towers and flight 93. Christine arrives from her errands and quietly sits on the couch next to me. Together, we relive the horrible day and gain insight into the events that unfolded on the doomed airplane.
Innocent victims, devastated families, incredible heroes overwhelm our hearts. All we can do is cry.
The first tower collapses and it's still as visually surreal as it was the day I thought I saw it happen. Emotions escalate as Matt Lauer and Katy Couric narrate the absurdity. Paper flying like confetti at the end of WW2. Real time coverage of bewildered citizens on the streets below. It's simply unbelievable even though we know it really did happen. We felt so helpless and all we could do was cry.
Anger mixes into my emotions and I feel like joining the military....again. We were beaten that day and somebody must pay. I think of how many men and women stepped up and took it to Al Qaeda, and how many gave life and limb, how many families suffered and continue to suffer.
Sunday, September 11th, 2016 at 8:30am. The 15th anniversary TV coverage is widespread and solemn. The ring of a bell and a moment of silence. Children of the fallen take their turn at the podium. All we could do is cry.
I understand better now how wisdom comes through experience. As a Baby Boomer, I didn't experience the attack on Pearl Harbor. I could only watch the old film reels and learn from the stories of those who were there or heard about it in the news. As much as I try, it is impossible to feel the same level of emotion as the greatest generation, who can remember exactly where they were when they heard the news of Pearl Harbor.
But I, like millions of Americans, do remember where I was when I learned about the 9/11 attack. I can still feel my emotions well up when I relive that horrific day. It must be the same for those who witnessed Pearl Harbor on milestone anniversaries are marked on TV.
All I know is this was our Pearl Harbor and it was recorded in real time and in vivid color. I suppose this is a good thing for future generations to "experience it for themselves." Christine and I can't seem to pull ourselves away from the TV. All we can do is cry.
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My husband was working in lower Manhattan and heard the first plane hit and watches the papers floating. He stayed overnight as part of an emergency team to keep operations going at his job. All these years and this was the first year he actually saw the footage of what happened. It was hard for him to watch.
DikDik Pellek
September 11, 2011 ·
Ten years ago, today, at: 8:46:30 Flight #11 crashes into the North Tower; at 9:03:02 Flight #175 crashes into the South Tower; at 9:37:46 Flight #77 crashes into the Pentagon; at 10:03:11 Flight #93 crashes in a Pennsylvania field. May we never forget.
Now it has been 15 years and counting. The note above is a permanent part of my records.
For all the suffering of the past, there are a few present who are willing to remind us. And all we can do is cry.
