Ten Years Since 9/11

Where were you? I was watching the Today show and getting ready for work as a reporter at WBBJ in Jackson, Tennessee. It felt surreal to watch the news unfold and so unnerving to hear the horror and disbelief in the anchors' voices as they watched these unbelievable events unfold right along with us. My assignment at work that day took me to a college campus where young students were suddenly contemplating a different kind of future - one that likely involved our nation at war. Next, the news photographer and I went to an electronics store where every TV was tuned to news coverage. No sets were being sold but the store was packed with people with their eyes glued. I ended the day at a blood donation center where volunteers were showing up in record numbers. People wanted to do something - ANYTHING. But the memory that stands out the most is standing in the middle of the town square where it appeared to be a regular workday - dozens of people walking from here to there. Cars circling the courthouse looking for a parking spot. But if you closed your eyes and just listened, you could hear the impact of the day's events. Dead silence. No one was saying a word - no one! All you could hear was news coverage coming from car radios. Blank looks covered every face.
There were no skyscrapers in Jackson, Tennessee. Most people I talked to that day had never been to New York City - some had never flown. But even in Small Town U.S.A., tears were shed, hearts were heavy, and lives were forever changed. No one felt like a stranger that day. It dawned on me then and I still think today that those terrorists may have destroyed buildings, but they instantly built a stronger nation.