I was in the third grade, and I remember that morning like it was yesterday.
I had asked my teacher if I could use the restroom. As I walked down the hallway, I could hear gasps coming from the other classrooms. I looked into one of the rooms and saw a building on the television with smoke pouring from it.
Then I watched as the second plane slammed into the tower.
I ran back to my classroom to warn my teacher. My little third grade brain did not fully understand what had just happened, but I knew it was bad.
Not long after, my mom came to school and picked up my little sister and me. We could tell something was wrong. As we were leaving, I asked her why we were going home.
She told me, “Something bad has happened, and I want you both at home.”
I asked her, “Was it the building on fire?”
That was the moment I started to realize what I had seen on that television was something much, much bigger than I could understand.
Twenty five years later, I can still picture that hallway. I can still picture that television. It feels like yesterday.
To the brave men and women who did not run away from the danger, but instead ran toward it to save complete strangers, thank you.
To my brothers and sisters in the fire service who laid down their lives trying to save thousands of others, thank you.
To every firefighter, police officer, paramedic, dispatcher, member of our military, civilian hero, and ordinary American who stepped forward when our country needed them most, thank you.
And to every family who lost someone that day, my heart goes out to you. No amount of time can erase what happened or the people who never came home.
343 FDNY.
72 law enforcement officers.
8 EMS providers.
Thousands of innocent civilians, passengers and military personnel. Never Forget.
Never forgotten.
🇺🇸 Never Forget September 11, 2001.
Where were you that morning?
