A day that changed me forever

I woke up that day in the pre-dawn darkness and got ready for work.

I was an independent contractor and was contracted to deliver drugs and medical supplies to Pharmacies and Hospitals.

I got to the warehouse ,loaded my truck with the days deliveries, and hit the road as the sun was coming up. It was a bluebird day! It was a cool morning , not a cloud in the sky and the sky was that deep blue that only God could have created.

I made my way along my route and was about 6o miles from home and my wife calls my cell phone.

My wife was six months pregnant and home with my three year old son, and my two oldest kids were in school.

I don't remember what we were talking about, but she mentioned a plane crashed into the WTC

I remember thinking it was probably little plane like a Cessna or whatever,so we said our see you later and I made a delivery at a pharmacy and as I got back in my truck I turned on the radio.

It was at that moment ,I knew the world, my world and me had changed forever!

A second Plane had hit the WTC, and things got blurred, my thoughts got blurred .

I had narcotics that had to be delivered according to law ,so I could not just head back home.

Then I heard about the Pentagon and knew we were attacked. I had no idea what was going to happen next.

Then the news of a missing plane over Pa. I was in Pa . We lived in Pa.

I had no way of knowing how many planes had been Hijacked or where they were.

I wanted and needed to get to my home sixty miles away and protect my family, but my deliveries had to be done first I only had two left and they were only minutes apart.

I pulled up to a residential care facility, state hospital, and there was a carnival going on .

The people at this facility were mentally and physically challenged.

It was completely surreal .

The world was falling apart and I drove up on a carnival with people having fun and balloons and laughing , and all the staff members standing around with ashen faces and not really saying a word but helping the kids get on rides and play games.

It was like everyone knew a secret and nobody was telling the carnival goers.

I made it home in record time , I never knew my truck could move so fast.

I passed a state prison along the interstate and there were State Troopers everywhere surrounding it . There was nobody moving in or out of that prison even if they worked there or not.

I had never seen anything like it.

I got home my kids were home from school and my three year old tells me " bad men crashed airplanes in to a big building" . Even a three year old knew something was wrong.

I sat glued to the 24 /7 news coverage. Mentally I was making plans to bug out if need be.

Now we knew only four planes were hijacked all others were grounded and accounted for.

For now we , the U.S. was safe and under control.

I remember working the next day , and no airplanes in the sky. I remember it was the first time I had ever seen fighter jets patrol over the area , unless there was an air show or NASCAR race.

The whole way I thought about things had changed.

Over the months that followed, I had mixed feelings inside I felt guilty for worrying and panicking when 3000 people had died and 3000 families were searching and mourning .

I had no right to feel the way I did that day when people had lost so much and kids no longer had mommies and daddies.

I learned what Islam was and terrorism and places called Kandahar .

I saw a whole undivided country stand together and wanted to fight back.

I saw people talking nice to complete strangers and helping each other carrying packages and holding doors .

We were Americans ,One nation ,under God, and indivisible.........................for awhile.

Now we are D's and R's and racists and haters and socialists and extremists.

We have come really, really far and not enough people remember that horrible day.

As a country it seems half of us have re-buried our heads in the sand . The same mistakes are being made again and again.

My wife gave birth to our son on Dec 7 2001, another day that had marked a day America was attacked.

That attack gave America a resolve to fight and finish that fight . Fight to win.

Right now I do not think the countries leadership has that resolve.

I pray I am wrong.