September 11, 2009.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was on the verge of being late for a conference call at the bank where I worked. As I hurried out of my condominium, I crossed paths with one of my neighbors. He mentioned that a plane had hit the World Trade Tower, but he failed to say anything about it being a passenger plane. Not having much time to talk, I responded briefly that a plane once hit the Empire State Building in the '40s, so this current incident, while tragic, probably was something along the size of a small Cessna.
I arrived at the bank in time to catch the beginning of the conference call. Within seconds of taking my seat, a distraught teller entered the room and told of the second plane striking the towers...
That evening I stared at the Hollywood-like footage of the attack and eventual collapse of the towers. Like most of the public, I had a difficult time digesting the events of the day. There was utter chaos, which I believe President Bush handled as a true leader would. The uncertainty of my future now held a certainty - I would be going to war. At some point my National Guard unit would be activated, and we would do our duty. With this in mind, I began the assiduous task of getting my life in order.
(From "Your Neighbor Went to War," by Diggs Brown.)
