September 11, 2001

September 11, 2001, was 20 years ago today. I can account for almost every minute of that day. I was still in the Navy stationed in Va Beach and was getting ready to make my daily mail run. I was getting ready to leave the building until I realized the building had gotten quiet, and folks were gathering in our front office, where we checked and issued badges for everyone that came in. I peaked in the office and asked what was going on. It was at that point I saw the second plane crash into the World Trade Center. 

My Executive Office (2nd in command) had told me to finish my morning run and come back as soon as possible. I went to pick up the mail at PSD Oceana, and then I heard a scream as the plane crashed into the Pentagon. No sooner did that happen than I got a call to stop what I was doing and get back ASAP. As we watched the attacks and chaos unfold, all we could do was empty our building and get everyone home. Every car was getting checked by the K-9 units as we left base. What was normally a 5 to 8-minute drive to get off base was now about 2 hours. I got home and turned on the t.v. As most folks were doing at this time, we were trying to figure out what was going on.    

As I watched the news, I looked out of our back patio window and saw nothing. No cars, no people, not so much as a stray animal. We had been attacked. Fear, concern, anger, these were just some of the emotions that we felt like people. My wife and I just hugged each other and cried as we took all of this in. 

Some of the faces had expressions, and others didn't. The people were desperate for answers, clues, anything that could explain what had just happened. As the buildings burned, the cameras fixed on the unfortunate souls who could no longer bear the unknown and decided to take their own lives by jumping from their burning encampment. To this day, emotion overtakes me when I see footage of that day. It's painful, and my heart and soul will always go out to those that lost loved ones in those vicious attacks. 

We wanted answers, closure, and justice. 

20 years later, September 11th has been relegated to memes on social media thinly veiled in "patriotism." Joining the ranks of July 4th, Memorial Day, and Veteran's Day. You can set your calendars to it. Folks will have their opinions on who to blame, and that's fine as they are absolutely entitled to do so. So I ask this question when you remember September 11th, what parts are you remembering? Are you molding your memories to fit an agenda? Does your empathy go past our first responders and to the victims of the discriminatory attacks on people of color that happened out of pure racist anger? 

Once the stores put the American Flags in their discount bins, we returned to our political sides, and the finger-pointing started, the conspiracy theories were birthed, senseless attacks on people of color started, and it was back to business. Once capitalism is done with a cause, we seem to follow suit. Unfortunately, September 11th is no different. Now, this may make some folks mad, and I get it. I say this, look inside yourself and ask that hard question of "Once it's not on sale, do you care?". You might surprise yourself.

Every time I write or talk about that day, I still fight back the tears of anger. Anger from the attack, anger from the political fearmongering that followed. Anger that it's used as a political weapon from both sides. I'm no different and try to catch myself when I do find myself going down that road. To politicize the event to fit an agenda is to dishonor the souls we lost. We can do better; they deserve better.      

20 years later, we still have unanswered questions. Our government has seemed to forget the first responders that we have immortalized for their heroism. We barely talk about the victims of the hate crimes that followed the attacks. 

That day we weren't democrats, republicans, liberals, or conservatives. We were frightened. We were people.