September 11 - Remembering the Heartbreak

By: Mike Bryant
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:24:52
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When I started to write this week’s Tech Tips article, I was pretty well prepared. I even had an article idea before I sat down to write, and had actually even done some research into the topic. As I sat down at my desk, however, and logged into my Yahoo Instant Messenger account, I started chatting with Al, a fellow computer nerd and good friend of mine down in Atlanta. Then I noticed the date and suddenly remembered the day that we spent together five years ago.

Now, I didn’t need a reminder, I already knew what today is. Along with the day I got married, the day my children were born and the day my mother passed away, there are some dates that I am simply unable to forget. Today is one of those days.

September 11, 2001: I was driving to work, late as usual. Also, as usual, I was listening to my favorite Atlanta classic rock station on the radio. After the song ended, the DJ came on and said that nothing new had been found out about the helicopter that had crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers. She said that the station would break-in with any news, then continued to play more music. By the time I got to work, the story was pretty clear. It wasn’t a helicopter. And it wasn’t just one of the towers.

After arriving at work, Al and I drove across the street to K-Mart to try and get a glimpse of what was going on. While we were there, standing in front of a row of TV sets, along with 20 or so others, we watched the first tower crumble on live TV. I breathed the words, ‘Oh God’ as I felt my eyes get warm with water. Looking over at Al, I noticed a tear rolling down his cheek as well. We should have been on our third cup of coffee, arguing over the best solution to some silly software problem. Instead, there we stood in a K-Mart, watching TV with a host of strangers who had come there to also see.

I remember distinctly the first time I traveled to New York. I was lucky enough to be in a window seat on the left side of the plane and as we started to fly over and to the right of Manhattan, the sight of the Statue of Liberty and the forest of buildings behind it was an amazing sight. The Trade Center towered above the financial district of lower Manhattan. That was August, 2000. A few years later, on my last trip to New York, my hotel was only a few blocks from Ground Zero. Walking around the perimeter of what used to be a beacon of structural engineering and a major center of commerce, I was stricken by the giant hole that was all that remained.

While we most often focus on New York, let us never forget that the Pentagon was also a target that day, and lives were lost there as well. The number of lives lost and the stories of how it all happened are truly saddening.

Through all that happened and all that has yet to occur, I am forever comforted by the actions of a few brave souls on the morning of September 11, 2001. The steps taken by passengers on board United Flight 93 saved the lives of those that were in the yet-unknown fourth target location. They weren’t trying to be heroes, but they did see what was happening and they knew what had to be done. They knew that their lives must end prematurely so that others might live. And they acted on that knowledge, overtaking the hijackers and driving the plane nose-first into a Pennsylvania field. Whenever Flight 93 comes to mind, I always think of a favorite verse from the Bible, ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13)’ May those brave souls of Flight 93, and indeed, all those whose lives were lost in the Pentagon and in New York, forever rest in peace.

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions for future articles, please email me at mike@MikeBryant.com.

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