I have never posted about this since that day but I was at ground zero after the attacks. The morning of September 11th 2001 I was at work in Minneapolis. ( I was an executive at a technology consulting firm at the time) I was at my desk when a fellow exec came running into our office in total shock and yelling to turn on the TV!! I immediately thought the US was going to be hit with several strikes and/or bombs throughout the rest of the day. As I watched what was happening on TV and seeing the people devastated and emergency personnel just as devastated I felt helpless with regards from where I was at… I decide to go out to take out a company canoe on the lake that was a part of the property where I worked and try to settle down. co-workers watched me out the window in the middle of the lake wondering what the hell I was doing. Little did they know I was planning out how I was going to handle my boss so I could leave work to hit the road and drive to New York to go help. I am actually trained and experienced in disaster relief. Within a couple days a friend and I rolled into NYC in the early morning. As we approached the smoke was of course still billowing from Ground Zero. I remember the Washington Bridge being closed for a bit due to another terror threat or precaution. From that morning on is where it all seemed like a movie. The destruction was inconceivable, the major buildings surrounding the towers that were blown out with chunks missing and all shattered windows, American flags hanging from windows everywhere. We rolled up our sleeves and kept firefighters, police and other emergency workers refreshed and fed, we comforted those in need and provided an ear to those in loss. I spent some time on the rubble of Ground Zero keeping the rescue missions going, I witnessed as firefighters would locate a body and the whole commotion of ground zero would go eerily silent for several minute as they would clear the rubble and lift the remains, in some cases a fellow lost fellow firefighter from the scene. This activity really shook some of the strongest men and this is where you saw a community truly come together and be there for others in any way needed. The days following the attacks was nothing but people coming together, people dropping everything and putting aside differences for a common purpose. The country had its social veneer removed in an instant and suddenly people were being so real with each other. I saw first hand what can be accomplished by the American people when they take matters into their own hands with the intention of getting something constructive done. We all saw America bounce back in the spirit of AMERICA. I saw this occur in the worst of situations with destruction from physical to mental and spiritual at the highest levels. This is called necessity level. Unfortunately when things get a little easier we as a people tend go back to routines we get more comfortable. Things get less real and the social veneer goes back up. We do not confront the scene at hand. I do not not care what any one says, we do forget. Let today be a reminder of what was sacrificed by heroes who saved others at the expense of some leaving their own body behind in the rubble. Let it be a reminder that those actions may be what inspired others to pull through and for America to bounce back. Let it be a reminder that there are 364 other days in the year that action can be taken to make this spinning ball of mud a better place and to help others in any way you can. There is a 9/11 happening every day somewhere. Be a hero. Dont forget.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Sep 2014 18:02:20 +0000
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