9-11 WAS LIKE A "BAD"-DREAM
EVEN "WHILE" IT WAS GOING-ON..
"THAT" IS DEFINITELY ONE OF "THOSE" DAYS
WHERE WE'LL "ALWAYS" REMEMBER
"WHERE" WE WERE
WHEN WE "HEARD" THE NEWS..
"I" WAS WORKING AT A NEWS-TALK STATION AT THE TIME..
& THEY CALLED ME AT HOME
WITH THE STORY
THAT A PLANE HAD RUN INTO THE WORLD TRADE CENTER..
SO WE..
"IMMEDIATELY" FLIPPED-ON THE TV AT HOME..
& STARTED WATCHING..
& I GOT TO WORK..
& "EVERYONE" WAS GLUED TO THE TV..
& I'LL "NEVER" FORGET THIS..
WHEN THE "2ND" TOWER CAME-DOWN..
THIS CO-WORKER OF MINE..
THIS BIG..TOUGH..LOUD.."MANLY-
MAN"..
STARTED CRYING..
& WHEN I GOT HOME THAT NIGHT..
WE WERE GLUED TO THE TV "AGAIN"..
& THEY HAD THE VIDEO OF THE PLANES FLYING INTO THE TOWERS..
(IT WAS "POWERFUL")..
& THE PEOPLE IN MANHATTAN
RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVES AS THE TOWERS FELL..
& ALL THAT DUST & DIRT
TURNED DAY INTO NIGHT..
& THE SIGHT OF GROUND-ZERO..
& ALL THOSE "HEROES"..
DIGGING FOR "SURVIVORS"..
& I REMEMBER..
AFTER AWHILE..
GOING OUTSIDE & SITTING ON MY PATIO..
JUST TO TAKE A "BREAK" FROM IT ALL..
& LOOKING "UP" AT THE SKY..
THAT IS NORMALLY "FILLED" WITH AIR-TRAFFIC OF SOME-SORT..
& THERE WAS "NOTHING"..
(BECAUSE "ALL" AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN "GROUNDED")..
& IT SEEMED SO "QUIET"..
& THAT DAY..
& THE NEXT..
& THE NEXT..
FELT LIKE A "DREAM"..
IT WAS JUST "SO"-"UNBELIEVABLE"..
"SO"-"SAD"..
& "THEN"
MY WIFE & I
WENT TO A "9-11"-MASS
AT "ST. PHILIPS"..
& WHEN IT WAS "OVER"..
THE FINAL SONG WAS "AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL"..
& "I" GOT ABOUT "ONE"-LINE-IN..
("OH BEAUTIFUL..FOR SPACIOUS SKIES..FOR AMBER WAVES OF GRAIN")..
& I JUST-STARTED "CRYING"-MY-EYES-OUT..
"IN"-CHURCH..
IN-FRONT OF "ALL" THESE OTHER-PEOPLE..
IT WAS LIKE "ALL" THE SADNESS FROM THE PREVIOUS 3-DAYS..
CAME FLOODING-OUT
SINGING "THAT"-SONG..
& HERE IT IS..
NOW "11"-YEARS AGO..
& IT "FEELS"
SO-LONG-AGO..
& WE "CERTAINLY" "DON'T"
THINK ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS WE "USED"-TO..
IN THE YEARS RIGHT-AFTER..
BUT..IT'S IMPORTANT TO TAKE A "MOMENT" TODAY..
TO REMEMBER THE 2,977 AMERICANS KILLED THAT-DAY..
"&"..
THE THOUSAND'S OF MEMBERS OF THE U.S. MILITARY ..
WHO HAVE DIED..
OR BEEN WOUNDED..
FIGHTING IN THE WAR THAT FOLLOWED..
& THEIR FAMILIES.
R.I.P.
"NEVER" FORGET..