What Were You Doing 13 Years Ago Today?

   13 years. It's easy to say, and seems to have passed literally in the blink of an eye. But one day that fall also seemed to drag on for an eternity. I had taken my wife to work that Tuesday, September 11th, 2001, and was sitting down having a coffee before heading to work myself. I flicked on CNN, and to my astonishment, heard a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Like so many other people early that morning, I thought it was a terrible accident. Then came the news the second tower was hit, along with the Pentagon in Washington DC. And a 4th plane had crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.
   Needless to say, I was shocked, especially when the realization dawned on me that the U.S was under attack.
   I also remember being glued to the TV watching as the twin towers fell (plus a 3rd damaged in the attacks), and the chaos that ensued in both New York and Washington. In fact, I was so engrossed in what was happening that, and I hate to admit this even though it's true, it never dawned on me at the time to call the radio station I was working for and see if they needed me to come in early.
   Those of us who were watching at the time will remember how the rest of that day unfolded. The horrible realization that thousands of people had been killed or injured. The grounding of all air traffic over the U.S and to some extent parts of Canada as well. And the long road back from that bleak day, which continues even 13 years later.
   The events of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 still reverberate even today. The war on terror continues. The fight against extremism continues. And even though the mastermind of that horrible day, Osama bin Laden, was hunted down and killed in May 2011, the threat continues.
   On this 13th anniversary, as on others, we should all pause and remember the tragic events that day and pay tribute to the men, women and children who were killed in New York, Washington and that field in Pennsylvania. I know I will.

TTFN