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Julie and I visited Ground Zero a week after it happened. The devastation was unbelievable. They were still finding remains, and we watched the trucks hauling away wreckage. The thing that is indelibly etched into my mind is the smell. The combination of jet fuel, melted steel, and blood was unforgettable

Today should be a remembrance of the horror, the heroism, and the unity in the nation in response.

Unfortunately the unity was temporary.

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Unfortunately - I'm starting to believe the "Never Forget" was temporary also

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Lasted long enough to cram the Patriot Act down our throats.

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And the Department of Homeland Security. Government's answer to everything: more bureaucrats.

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I’ve often felt life would be better if we only had more unelected bureaucrats. 😂

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😀

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Called in “sick” that day as I was tired. Had the today show on as I was laying in bed. The horror of that day and the days and weeks after never fade. Every time I watch a documentary about what happened that day I cry. I cannot imagine what those people went thru that jumping out the window was a better alternative

My grandchildren ages 14 and 9 didn’t know anything about 9/11. We pulled up some shows so they could watch what happened. It’s a shame that this history isn’t being taught

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My friend woke me up with a phone call. I had sent the children to school and gone back to bed. She told me to get out of bed and turn the tv on and she’d explain while I was on my way. We watched together and we saw some sway before the first tower fell. We cried, we prayed. My husband was at Penn State on business and the children and I were here in Texas. We had only lived here two months. Pretty much alone with two kids, and no idea how and when my husband would return.

One of my husband’s co-workers called. I had met her one time at a function. She was in the process of relocating from PA. Her husband and children were in PA and she had only reported the day before. I had a practice of welcoming new transplants and helping them settle, so she had my number. She explained they sent everyone home, but she didn’t want to go to the motel and be alone. Obviously she came to our house. She went to school in NYC and lost people she knew. We got to know each other very well that day, so much so, they all became like family.

I will never forget the feeling of helplessness and not knowing what to do and the responsibility of holding down the fort and keeping it together for the children felt as if I was wearing a leaded vest. I remember feeling gratitude more people weren’t killed, as we realized tens of thousands of people could have potentially lost their lives. I prayed and prayed and prayed some more.

I also remember being in the backyard when a plane flew by for the first time in what felt like forever. It broke the eerie silence and was reassuring because it meant my husband would be home soon. I don’t remember how long he was gone, but it was definitely longer than the three days it was supposed to be, because he was scheduled to be home on the 12th. There were four people on his flight.

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Unity doesn't play into the plans, divided we fall

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Unfortunately, a true story: I used to care for a wealthy elderly lady. She told me she and friends were out golfing when it happened, and she was irritated because she felt they closed the golf course “for nothing”. She was living in Washington at the time….

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I remember picking up my daughters from high school that day - looking at all those beautiful children whose lives were forever changed. 😢

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I was working a block away from the White House at the time, but I wasn’t at work when the planes hit. I was at the dentist. They had the radio playing over the intercom and someone came on and announced that a plane had hit the WTC. While I was still sitting in the chair the second plane hit, and everyone realized we were under attack. After my appointment, I started making my way to work not even thinking that DC could be a target. I stood on the platform at the metro station for half and hour before a train finally showed up. In the meantime, I tried to get a hold of my manager to let her know I was having trouble getting in, but the lines were jammed, so I went in. When I got there, I learned that they had closed the office. Everyone was just sitting around watching the news coverage. I ended up pretty much turning around and going right back home. I did not want to be at work. The rest of the day, I watched the news and cried. The next day was weird because fighter jets were flying back and forth over our building all day. It felt like we were at war.

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