Patriot Day
“Patriot Day 2018, also referred to as September 11, is a holiday observed annually. It
is a day dedicated to remembering and paying tribute to the 2,977 people killed and
numerous people who were injured during the terrorist attacks on September 11,
2001, in New York, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.”
Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Where were you when you heard the news? We all have our stories,
and we will never forget those horrific moments on that dreadful day and the many challenging days
that followed. We were united in patriotism.
I can pull up that day in my mind so vividly. It’s as if I close my eyes, and I am back at Fort Bragg,
NC, parking my car at my friend’s home for a planning meeting. She came running out of her house
at just a few minutes before 9 a.m., screaming, “Oh God, Jane, you have to come in and watch this
on the television. Something dreadful has happened in New York City.” At that point, it was just New
York City. As we watched her television, we saw the second plane, Flight 175, hit the South Tower at
9:02. Obviously, our meeting plans came to a screeching halt. After contacting my family (Gary first), and hearing his and my children’s voices, I had the strength I needed. I had to help; I needed to do more.
After spending an inordinate number of hours at our local Red Cross Station at Fort Bragg, I asked to
be trained in Disaster Services so I could help on a larger level. I felt strongly that my services, as a
Registered Nurse, could be helpful anywhere and said so:, “Send me wherever you think is best.”
They sent me to New York City to work in Disaster Health Services. I spent my volunteer time at
Ground Zero taking care of the rescue/recovery workers at a First Aid station just one block from
where the Trade Towers once majestically stood. I was one of thousands who helped during that
time. For the brief 61⁄2 weeks I lived there. The foul and caustic air permeated my nostrils. I shared
monumental experiences, cried, laughed, and survived. I arrived home a different person, as if I had
fought in a war, and in some ways, I had.
As September 11, Patriot Day approaches, let us all pause and reflect. The events of 9/11 and after
changed our lives. Our country came together in a commonality ...patriotism. Let us not forget.
“Patriot Day 2018, also referred to as September 11, is a holiday observed annually. It
is a day dedicated to remembering and paying tribute to the 2,977 people killed and
numerous people who were injured during the terrorist attacks on September 11,
2001, in New York, Washington, DC, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.”
Tuesday, September 11, 2001. Where were you when you heard the news? We all have our stories,
and we will never forget those horrific moments on that dreadful day and the many challenging days
that followed. We were united in patriotism.
I can pull up that day in my mind so vividly. It’s as if I close my eyes, and I am back at Fort Bragg,
NC, parking my car at my friend’s home for a planning meeting. She came running out of her house
at just a few minutes before 9 a.m., screaming, “Oh God, Jane, you have to come in and watch this
on the television. Something dreadful has happened in New York City.” At that point, it was just New
York City. As we watched her television, we saw the second plane, Flight 175, hit the South Tower at
9:02. Obviously, our meeting plans came to a screeching halt. After contacting my family (Gary first), and hearing his and my children’s voices, I had the strength I needed. I had to help; I needed to do more.
After spending an inordinate number of hours at our local Red Cross Station at Fort Bragg, I asked to
be trained in Disaster Services so I could help on a larger level. I felt strongly that my services, as a
Registered Nurse, could be helpful anywhere and said so:, “Send me wherever you think is best.”
They sent me to New York City to work in Disaster Health Services. I spent my volunteer time at
Ground Zero taking care of the rescue/recovery workers at a First Aid station just one block from
where the Trade Towers once majestically stood. I was one of thousands who helped during that
time. For the brief 61⁄2 weeks I lived there. The foul and caustic air permeated my nostrils. I shared
monumental experiences, cried, laughed, and survived. I arrived home a different person, as if I had
fought in a war, and in some ways, I had.
As September 11, Patriot Day approaches, let us all pause and reflect. The events of 9/11 and after
changed our lives. Our country came together in a commonality ...patriotism. Let us not forget.
