I was a young 20-something in 2001. I was doing an afternoon drive shift in Macon, Ga in 2001. I remember the day before, September 10th,2001, it was a pretty normal day, went to work then dinner with friends. After dinner, we all went to a bar, then went to a billiard bar and then to a friends house after all the bars closed. I was out till about 3am. I know, I know, nothing good happens after midnight. I went home in the wee early morning hours of September 11th. Brushed my teeth, washed my face and went to bed.
I remember being jarred awake by my phone ringing off the hook! I figured I better get up and answer this time, not certain what time it was. First few times was my boss, but this time it was my mom in hysterics…asking me what was going on, we’re being bombed! I turned on the tv, only to be heartbroken, confused, scared, concerned and shaken to my core! I told my mom, the pilot had to have had a heart attack or some other kind of medical issue. Just then, a second plane flew right into the second building! My mom and I both screamed and cried. Through my tears and lump in my throat, I said, “Mom, I love you very much but I’ve got to get to work!”
I didn’t even shower off the bar stink from the night before…I threw on a pair of shorts, t shirt and a ball cap. I feed my cat and sped away to the radio station that happened to be only about 10-15 minutes away! I’ll be honest, that drive seemed to take an eternity because my mind was racing! I was glued to the radio in the car!
When I got to work, I was given my assignment, my job at the radio station was to gather info and deliver to the people on the air till my shift was to start, then it was my job to deliver the info. I can’t tell you the emotions I was going through both on and off the air. I have never cried so much! I was crying on the air, crying in my car and when I got home that night and for days after that. It almost didn’t seem real, It felt like a dream that I couldn’t wake up from and that the hurt would never end!
The hurt continues to this day, and there isn’t a day I don’t fly the American Flag! That day, we were as one! There was no racial divide, there was no rich, no poor, no tall, no short, no skinny, no fat, no educated, no uneducated…we were a UNITED country! We were the UNITED States of America. That’s what began the healing of this tragedy.
This is a day I will never forget. All the victims and all the heroes! We will always salute the victims and the heroes!
I hope one day I can be as courageous as the heroes! Thank you to those people who did something for this country that is bigger than anything!
Monica
