Where Were You on 9-11-01?

My wife stood over me shaking me. I had spent the "midnight to 3am shift" doing feedings for my three week old daughter (I didn't breast feed, but my wife pumped), so it was hard to wake me up. I blearally opened my eyes wondering how it was already time to go to the office since I had arranged to come in late during the first few months after my daughter was born.

"Planes have crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon."

"Honey," I answered tiredly, thinking she was making a joke to wake me up,"you're reading too much Tom Clancy."

I looked up at the look in her eyes and saw that she was serious. "What? What happened?"

"They don't know, but they say it is terrorism."

I wondered how terrorists had become pilots of three planes, or how three pilots had turned to terrorism. I hurried downstairs to see the news on. I saw one of the buildings of the World Trade Center, the other one obscured by smoke.

"Wow, there is so much smoke that you can't even see the second building."

"No. No. The second building isn't there."

I sat dumbfounded on the couch. I, like most other Americans, spent a lot of that morning on the couch, going through the various news channels. At one point I sat with my little girl cradled in my arms, wondering what would happen to America, and her future in it.

I actually made it to the office around lunch time, at about the same time as everyone else in my office. Not a lot of work got done as we watched the internet (and I think a TV - I can't remember now) for updates on what was going on.

My bewinderment turned to rage. Those who did this would pay. We would take the fight to them. They would know America's anger and fear our wrath.