I woke up on 9-11 and turned on the TV, just as I did everyday, to find that tower 1 had been hit. I woke up my wife immediately and as she awoke the 2nd tower was hit. We sat in awe of what was transpiring. I thought to myself, “I wish I was watching a movie.” I knew I wasn’t. After watching the collapse of both towers, my wife and I went out to take the kids to daycare and go shopping for groceries. When we got back it was about 1:30pm and the mail had come. Little did I know that my destiny would be revealed to me at this moment. I told my wife not to touch the mail. I asked her, “Wouldn’t it be something if I received my letter today?” I picked the mail out of the box and pulled out the last envelope from the pile and there it was. I received a congradulatory letter from the Chicago Fire Department stating that I was to report to fire academy October 16, 2001. I had taken the test back in November of 1995 and went through all the processes through the years since. I am know a Chicago Fire Fighter and 9-11 will always be a special day for me. I hope to be as strong, as willing and as perservering as the firefighters who died that day. They did not die in vain, they died saving 25,000+ people. They did their job and they did it well.