The phone rang early that morning it was only about 6:30am our time (in CA)so that was unusual but I just figured it was my step dad being called into work. Then my mom came busting into my room yelling that a terrorist attack was happening back east. My mom over reacts a lot so I didn’t believe it at first. Though when I walked into the living room and saw the tv I knew it was real. My grandma was visiting from back east and was suppose to fly home in a couple days. She ended up being stuck with us for an extra week. Our phone was ringing off the hook because we go back to Boston very often since my sister lives in New Hampshire, and everyone was calling to make sure we weren’t coming home. My dad also had just recently gone to NYC alot for business so I was so excited when I reached him by phone. My mom made me stay home from school that day, I was 17 at the time and had just started my senior year and wanted to go be with my friends that day. But my mom claimed since we live in southern California so close to LA that I was not going anywhere. After a few hours though I convinced her to let me go into work that day right near the house. At work we had customers coming in crying, hardly anyone was talking and we had the tv on all day. After I got off work mom and I went to the grocery store to stock pile things and most the water was gone. A clerk had brought a fresh box of water jugs out and people were breaking the box open for water, we managed to get some and went home. Later I went to my dads house nearby and my little brother was 6 and came up to me and saw I was wearing a flag pin. He asked, “is that for the people in the planes?” I remember trying everything not to cry because I felt his and every other child’s innocence in a way was stolen that day. Though for many kids they lost a lot more than just there innocence and we have prayed for them all so much.
I did not travel for a full year after that but have since flown to Boston and New York over 30 times and even just went to the ball drop in Times Square this year, I do not let the terrorists fears stop me from doing what I want to do, I just wish we could have gotten Osama by now. Dude its been 5 years!