The Day the World Changed

It is in some ways quite selfish, but it is also quite natural for human beings to think of such events in terms of oneself.

For the World War II generation, it is Pearl Harbor.

For the Baby Boomers, it is the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

For those of us in the succeeding generations, it will always be "Where were you and what were you doing when the planes hit on September 11?"

I remember clearly what I was doing on that bright and sunny Tuesday morning. You see, my wedding to my beloved Sarah was only 4 days away - on the following Saturday, September 15. I was at work in my office (at that time, in Charlottesville, VA) taking care of some last-minute wedding and honeymoon details, as well as completing some work that needed to be done before taking 2-and-a-half weeks of vacation. I was scheduled to be off Thursday and Friday of that week and the following 2 weeks.

Suddenly, a co-worker burst into my office and said "A plane just flew into the World Trade Center! It's all over the radio!"

The first thing I did was go to FreeRepublic to get the news. At first, many believed it was just a small plane that had flown into one of the towers. However, some were convinced it was indeed a terrorist attack. When another jet flew into the other tower 18 minutes later, the worst fears were confirmed. Earlier that morning, while driving to work, I had listened to an NPR report on the death of Ahmed Shah Massoud, the leader of the Afghan Northern Alliance, at the hands of Al Quaeda terrorists. It seemed too much of a coincidence to be unrelated.

As I read the reports on FreeRepublic in total shock and horror, I remember like it was just a few moments ago the fleeting selfish thoughts that flew through my mind: "Our guests from out of town (2 of whom were flying from England) won't be able to make it to the wedding. We'll have to cancel the honeymoon in Scotland."

But before I could start feeling sorry for our predicament, I felt ashamed, and thought to myself: "At least our loved ones will be safe. At least we'll be celebrating a wedding this Saturday rather than mourning at a funeral. Disrupted travel plans are a small sacrifice when compared to the loss others are suffering - when compared to those who will never see their loved ones again." I then said a prayer for those who were directly suffering as a result of the terrorism, as well as the families of those who would not survive.

I watched in horror a little while later as the towers came crashing down - I was sitting in the barber's chair to get my haircut. The barber shop was busy, but complete silence descended over the place as everyone's eyes were glued to the barber shop's television. More than a few tears were shed at what would clearly be the loss of thousands of innocent lives.

Later that morning, we learned of the plane that crashed into the Pentagon, and the plane that was meant for either the White House or the Capitol that crashed in a field in rural Pennsylvania. I remember getting choked up at learning that Barbara Olsen, conservative author and commentator (and wife of Solicitor General Ted Olsen), was on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon.

My company set up a television in the lunchroom so that the employees could watch the news. I got into a little trouble for confronting a member of our company's human resources department (who should have known better, given her position) who reacted to the news by stating "What do you expect, what with George Bush pissing off the whole world?"

Proving that irrational Bush-hatred predates September 11, the Afghan War, and the Iraq War.

Sarah and I worked together in those days. It was nice to be able to comfort one another at work that day. I thought often of those who weren't so lucky as to be able to be with and hold their loved ones ever again.

Not only that day, but that entire week was so surreal for Sarah and me, as well as for our families. All at the same time celebrating the greatest joy of our lives while mourning the deepest sorrow and sense of loss we had ever felt.


Incidentally, every one of our guests flying from out of town, except for Sarah's great-aunt and great-uncle who were coming from England, were able to make it for the wedding. And Sarah and I were able to fly to Scotland for our honeymoon, albeit a day later than planned.