Remembering 9/11

It was 21 years ago but it could have been yesterday

Twenty-one years ago, I was working at the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Washington, DC. September 11, 2001, was a beautiful Tuesday. The sky was a glorious blue. I worked in media liaison and had access to reports from all over the world. Walking to Union Station, I remember thinking how safe we were in the United States. My exact thought was “I am so glad we have two oceans keeping us safe from attack from a foreign power.” I would think about that thought later and how naive it was.

I am not a morning person. I am also not a big fan of authority figures. When my boss stepped into my office and asked, “Did you see what happened at the World Trade Center?” I was irritated. I can’t know everything, I thought. I just said, “No.” That’s when she told me the first plane hit the north tower. Like many people, I assumed it was a small plane like a Cessna. It didn’t even occur to me that it was a terrorist attack.

Of course, all of that changed a few minutes later. Our worst fears were confirmed when the plane hit the Pentagon. A colleague was at the Metro station closest to the Pentagon when it was hit. I have friends who lost their jobs when George W. Bush moved into the White House. They would have been injured or killed if they were there. Their offices were hit by…