9/11 25 Years On

25 years ago, at this exact moment, I was horror-struck watching The Today Show. I had just seen hundreds of people perish on live TV, something I couldn’t quite comprehend the enormity of at only 19.

I knew my day wasn’t going to go according to plan no matter what unfolded from here. The biggest worry was “how many more of them are there?”, because once is an accident and twice is planned.

I had no idea how busy my day was about to get as an EMT and firefighter just a stone’s throw from Shanksville. I also didn’t know that this dispatch record would be something I would listen to annually for many years to come. You can even hear my dad on it at one point.

In the intervening years, many people have forgotten about this day. Young people have no comprehension of just what we lost then or how different life was before it. Those of you who haven’t done a good job of explaining it to them should be ashamed of themselves, as should anyone who learned nothing from this.

Never forget 9/11/2001.

God bless the survivors, the families, the first responders, and especially those who lost their lives these last 25 years who did rush to help.