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On September 11 a Nation Became a Neighborhood

11 September 2011

Where were you on September 11, 2001?  It's something our generation will never forget.  We'll never forget how we felt, where we were, what we saw (whether on TV or in person) or what we heard. 

I had been camping with friends.  It was a great weekend of fun and relaxation.  We were scheduled to leave on that Tuesday, so we tore down camp, loaded everything into the car and happily got into the car thinking of all the great moments we had that weekend.  Then, we turned on the radio and chaos ensued.  We literally had no idea what was going on.  I remember us thinking maybe the president was dead.  I remember being glued to listening to the radio because we had no other means of knowing anything.  Once we got out of the woods, we found the closest gas station we could so that we could figure out what had happened.  We still had not seen anything on the news.

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw on television once I got home.  At that point I had known what had happened through the radio, but actually seeing it was indescribable.  It wasn't only seeing the buildings, it was seeing how scared the American people were, seeing how our nation came together to mourn, seeing the bravery of our people, that to this day gives me chills.  I come from a family of US Marines and patriotism is in my blood. 


When I was on my whirlwind New York trip in April, I was able to see Ground Zero.  Being there, seeing that history, is a powerful experience.  One I think every American should see.  Not just as a tourist stop, but as a patriot to pay respect to all those that lost their lives that day.
"On that terrible day, a nation became a neighborhood, all Americans became New Yorkers." - Governor George Pataki

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