Seven Years Later
Today marks the seventh anniversary of the day that America seemed to shatter. A day that none of us will never forget.
My story is much like everyone’s – for me, September 11, 2001 was just a normal day. I was living in California, working as the CFO for Onlinefocus. My wife Tammy and I got up that morning and - like any morning - went through our daily routine...a routine that did not include turning on the TV or listening to the radio.
I got on my motorcycle for the 25 mile commute from Fremont to Cupertino. That’s when I first noticed something strange – traffic was unusually heavy, but everyone seemed in a daze. Then I saw a traffic message board that read: “Airport Closed, All Flights Cancelled." As I was riding by the airport, I peeked over to see if there was a crash or something, but it was strangely quiet.
About 15 minutes later, I was the first one to arrive at the office and begin my day. It was just before 8 am Pacific time; unbeknownst to me, everything had already happened. Four planes had been hijacked; three crashed into their intended target and one was taken down by passengers who will always be remembered as heroes. The two towers were gone….but I was still unaware, living my life, my routine, as I did everyday.
Then I remembered - I had been wondering about the airport. I jumped online and...what the?...holy?...I quickly turned the radio on and could not believe what I was hearing...I called my Dad. Like me, he was unaware. Like most days, he was sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper and drinking his morning coffee. September 11th was calm, peaceful and beautiful – like most September mornings in California. When I told my Dad about what I had read, he said “What???” and then I simply said, "Turn on the TV and call me back..."
From there, everything else is a blur. I remember moments, such as when we lay in bed that night listening to Air Force jets patrolling the skies...trying to fall asleep, but feeling like the world had changed...not knowing what was coming next.
So here we sit, seven years later. So much has changed, yet has anything truly changed? My life, my routine, my family is much as it was seven years ago. I got up this morning and - although I am now in Alabama - I have my daily routine; but now I turn on the TV every morning to see what’s going on in the world. My life is great; I love my family and I love my job. My Dad is sitting at his kitchen table right now, reading his paper, sipping coffee, and enjoying a typical glorious September California morning.
The world may have stopped turning on 9/11/01...but since that day, life has gone on. We live in a great country – we still have tremendous opportunity – the American way is still pure, still vibrant, still strong. We all thought those ‘evil doers' took our freedom away – but we have persevered and the American way of life is still present.
On this day, I remember all those that perished on that morning. I think of their families, because - unlike mine - their lives were forever changed. I also think about all the American heroes and I thank them – because of their spirit which shone so brightly through on that day – and it’s their soul that is the real soul of America.
God Bless America
Never Forget
Don Kassner
My story is much like everyone’s – for me, September 11, 2001 was just a normal day. I was living in California, working as the CFO for Onlinefocus. My wife Tammy and I got up that morning and - like any morning - went through our daily routine...a routine that did not include turning on the TV or listening to the radio.
I got on my motorcycle for the 25 mile commute from Fremont to Cupertino. That’s when I first noticed something strange – traffic was unusually heavy, but everyone seemed in a daze. Then I saw a traffic message board that read: “Airport Closed, All Flights Cancelled." As I was riding by the airport, I peeked over to see if there was a crash or something, but it was strangely quiet.
About 15 minutes later, I was the first one to arrive at the office and begin my day. It was just before 8 am Pacific time; unbeknownst to me, everything had already happened. Four planes had been hijacked; three crashed into their intended target and one was taken down by passengers who will always be remembered as heroes. The two towers were gone….but I was still unaware, living my life, my routine, as I did everyday.
Then I remembered - I had been wondering about the airport. I jumped online and...what the?...holy?...I quickly turned the radio on and could not believe what I was hearing...I called my Dad. Like me, he was unaware. Like most days, he was sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper and drinking his morning coffee. September 11th was calm, peaceful and beautiful – like most September mornings in California. When I told my Dad about what I had read, he said “What???” and then I simply said, "Turn on the TV and call me back..."
From there, everything else is a blur. I remember moments, such as when we lay in bed that night listening to Air Force jets patrolling the skies...trying to fall asleep, but feeling like the world had changed...not knowing what was coming next.
So here we sit, seven years later. So much has changed, yet has anything truly changed? My life, my routine, my family is much as it was seven years ago. I got up this morning and - although I am now in Alabama - I have my daily routine; but now I turn on the TV every morning to see what’s going on in the world. My life is great; I love my family and I love my job. My Dad is sitting at his kitchen table right now, reading his paper, sipping coffee, and enjoying a typical glorious September California morning.
The world may have stopped turning on 9/11/01...but since that day, life has gone on. We live in a great country – we still have tremendous opportunity – the American way is still pure, still vibrant, still strong. We all thought those ‘evil doers' took our freedom away – but we have persevered and the American way of life is still present.
On this day, I remember all those that perished on that morning. I think of their families, because - unlike mine - their lives were forever changed. I also think about all the American heroes and I thank them – because of their spirit which shone so brightly through on that day – and it’s their soul that is the real soul of America.
God Bless America
Never Forget
Don Kassner
My parents and grandparents - and of course the media - always had special reverence for December 7, the day Japan attacked the U.S. Fleet at Pearl Harbor. As a kid I watched the TV newsreels, read the books, saw the pictures, and felt the emotion that day brought to my family and to the nation. Now I have my own shocking, emotion-filled memories of two days that, for me, were like Dec 7.
The first of those days was in November 1963 when, as I walked across the campus at the University of Detroit. I learned that the President, John F. Kennedy, had been shot in Dallas. I can still hear the exact words and clearly see my immediate surroundings when I heard a friend say, "Kennedy's been shot!" I waited for a punch line that never came, and sat with others in the student union cafeteria listening to the radio until JFK was declared dead.
Then came September 11. I had flown into San Jose the evening of the 10th and checked in at the Santa Clara Westin. When I awoke on the 11th I showered, dressed, and headed for the elevator. While waiting for the elevator, I looked out the window to see how bad the traffic on Highway 101 was, and was surprised that it was sparse rather than bumper to bumper like it usually was. When I got on the elevator, I commented to the one other passenger that traffic was unusually light that morning. With a somber face, she said "Everyone's watching television." I thought, "What a strange comment!"
The elevator doors opened on the main floor and I was faced with a crowd of hundreds gathered around a lobby TV set. From a distance I could see heavy smoke emanating from a bunch of buildings in a city somewhere. I moved closer and saw that it was the World Trade Center in New York, which I had visited many times, including the top floor restaurant, Windows on the World.
I had a meeting scheduled at the hotel restaurant about the same time, so I went there and waited for the businesspeople, who showed up right on time. They were dazed too - who wouldn't be? We attempted to conduct business, but it was no use. So we parted and headed our separate ways. I stayed in the lobby glued to the TV, which was now showing two burning towers, and soon...the towers came down. It couldn't be happening, not in 2001 in America! Or could it? Yes, it could.
Now I drove into the office in Cupertino, where a representative of a major client was visiting us from Atlanta. She and I sat on the floor in an office and just talked. Not about business, but about what was happening, about our families in Georgia, Florida and Michigan. No business was accomplished. And this day, I later realized, was the beginning of hard times for my company and for the nation - and for the civilized world.
The airports were closed, so I couldn't go home to Florida, and it was impossible to accomplish anything for business, so I took my rented Mustang convertible and drove. And drove and drove until the airports reopened that weekend. Then I went home.
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Another infamous day in the history of the Free World, 9/11/01. We will never forget this day in our history, nor the lives of all the people who perished in the Twin Towers, The Pentagon, and somewhere in the fields of Pensylvannia.
As we continue to reflect on the lives of our friends, relatives and countrymen who perished that infamous day of September 11th - let us continue to pursue the culprits of this unforgetable and ragic event: Osama Bin Ladin, Al Zawahiri, and all the enemies of the Free World. Let us not rest until justice is served to each criminal/terrorist, to find them dead or alive, so help us God!
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While September 11, 2001 produced an almost unspeakable tragedy in our country, its affect on me was both immediate and far reaching. It has produced a new spirit in me that focuses on the “least of them.” The least of them being defined as those who met a tragic end on that day but did not work for a law firm, was not a personal friend, not a family member, and who probably had gone unnoticed while performing their daily duties within the Trade Centers. Those who made sure the bathrooms where clean, the garbage was taken out, served at the restaurants, and performed the so called menial duties that some would frown upon but are most necessary. I thank them and continue to be appreciative to all who perform these duties for making my trips to landmarks, public buildings, and even institutions of higher learning a pleasant place to visit. They have names as well, and I always take the time to learn them.
This day of rememberance also brings to mind “the best of us,” those have committed a good portion of their lives to giving in ways that most of us may only talk about. These are the men and women who devote a significant amount of time and energy to organizations such as the American Red Cross. These ordinary men and women leave their families and the comfort of their homes to respond to the needs of other Americans in times of tragedy and despair. These are born out of brilliant and comprehensive parenting, exceptional relationships, and a strong humanitarian foundation.
I remember those we lost on this day seven years ago and I will never forget, but while I remember how and where they died; I continue to remember that they lived and they too where products of the least of us and the best of us. They had lives outside of their connection to the Trade Centers. I think of their mothers and fathers; I think of their children-all seven years older- and contemplate the absoluteness of their feelings of loss and pray the way their parents lived will have much more of an impact than the way they died.
Never forget those who died, and allow this tragedy to remind us to remember and appreciate those who live.
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