This past Sunday was the 10-year anniversary of the horrific day we now remember as 9/11.  I have been reading with interest the many “Where were you on 9/11?” Facebook posts and blog entries and thought I would share my own.

I was in Washington on 9/11, in our apartment less than 5 miles from the White House.  My husband and I awoke that morning to our clock radio which was tuned to NPR.  The first voice we heard was then-host Bob Edwards informing us that they were interrupting their normal broadcast to convey news about planes that had crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  We could hear in Bob Edwards’ voice that something was horribly wrong and we quickly rushed downstairs to turn on the TV.  It was hard to process what we were seeing.  We watched the news coverage, including the fall of the towers, and then got dressed so that we would be ready for who knew what.

After the attacks,

most people felt afraid,

some people felt angry

. . . but there was a third reaction too.

I can’t say I know anyone other than my husband who exhibited the third option—the coldly rational approach.  After watching the coverage for hours, my husband announced that while the events were truly awful, he would probably still have to work that day since none of the terror occurred anywhere near his office and it looked like the attack was over.  I didn’t want him to go but he insisted and headed off in the car.

I stayed glued to the TV and the radio and wondered what I should do.  Soon after my husband left, radio announcements indicated that bridges into DC were being closed.  I worried that I was now separated from my husband.  Meanwhile, my husband arrived at work only to find that the office was closing for the day and everyone was being sent home.  The cell phone network was completely overloaded so I had no idea he was on his way back.

My husband fought his way through heavy traffic back into the city.  Fortunately, there were still routes into and out of DC but traffic patterns were altered from normal.    My graduate school classes were canceled for the evening and we spent most of the day reassuring family members that we were all right.

The city was so quiet for the next several days.  The usual noise of traffic was gone, replaced instead by the sound of military jets streaming across the skies, day and night.

The next week, anthrax attacks began in the U.S. mail system and seemed particularly targeted at government officials in Washington.  The post office near our home was closed for decontamination.

One year later, the sniper attacks began.  Innocent people throughout the Washington area who were out taking a walk, pumping gas or exiting hardware stores were picked off and killed without warning.  At the time, no one knew that the anthrax and sniper attacks were unrelated terrorist events.  It seemed like one long siege.

I feared being outside in the open.  I feared riding the Metro.  I feared just about every aspect of life in Washington during that year and a half.  I don’t like remembering it.

There are some things about 9/11, however, that I don’t mind remembering.

During the height of the attacks, who can forget how eloquent then-Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani suddenly became.  He conveyed the perfect balance of emotion and strength in an incomprehensible situation.  We needed someone like that in that moment.  We needed someone to show us how to react.

Another person with just the right words was General Hugh Shelton, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  General Shelton appeared with the President at a speech on September 12.  General Shelton appeared to be about 7 feet tall and towered over everyone around him.  He looked confident in his military uniform and said in a strong voice:

“I will tell you up front, I have no intentions of discussing today what comes next, but make no mistake about it, your armed forces are ready.”

–Gen. Hugh Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

It was the first time since the attacks that I felt a little less afraid and that life as we knew it might not be coming to an end.  I needed to know that there were strong, brave people like General Shelton ready to defend our nation.

Finally, the 9/11 moment that impressed me the most was when I was sworn into the New York bar in January 2002.  I was sworn into the Third Department, which is the department assigned to everyone who does not reside in New York, including a huge number of lawyers from foreign countries.  We all descended on Albany, New York for the ceremony.  Albany is not like New York City.  It is a medium-sized city much like the capitals in most states.  The people were friendly with a small town sort of charm.

9/11 was still fresh on everyone’s minds and I was curious to see how Albany was going to react to such an international crowd.  To my great surprise, these New Yorkers could not have been more warm and welcoming to our diverse group.  The judge conducting the swearing in ceremony led us in heartfelt renditions of “God Bless America” and the national anthem.  He reiterated several times that he wanted us to know that we were all invited to practice in New York  and that no terrorist attack would stop New York from continuing to be a place where the world is welcome.  To hear this message from the heartland of New York at a time when the wounds were still so fresh was especially touching.  It was a lesson in understanding and fairness that I will never forget.

I have listened to several of the speeches from the 9/11 tributes this weekend and have been impressed by the eloquence conveyed and the beauty of the memorials that have been constructed.  I hope the grieving families find some peace in these venerated spaces and that we all use them as inspiration to continue to strive for a world where terrorism is completely unnecessary.

What do you remember most about 9/11?  Please share in the comments.