I watched the second plane fly into the South tower in a patient's room. It was surreal watching the events unfold that morning all while trying to perform our jobs. The hospital where we were working mobilized to get every bed ready for survivors of the Pentagon crash. None came. The mood was somber, scared, tense. The uncertainty unsettling.
Matt and I had been married for less than two months at that time. I spent another night at the hospital, too scared to go home without him. He was on call that night. That day will always be a part of our lives. It has impacted our life in ways we could have never imagined when we joined the military. So as I drove home this morning watching the beautiful sunrise, I remembered all of those who have sacrificed so that we can live our life of freedom.
2 comments:
I was in Tel Aviv, Israel, at the airport, when a shop keeper excitedly, and repeatedly yelled at my crew and I, "Pilot, Pilot, TV, TV!!!" It took several tries for him to finally get us into his little store at the airport (I didn't want to buy a TV...).
In his store, we saw a TV. On the TV a huge building was smoking and burning. I though I was hearing people say that a plane had crashed into this building. I thought this building was in Lebanon... Then I saw the Empire State Building in the background as the video panned around... It appeared to be a clear day...a beautiful day....
I remarked to my crew that it seemed impossible for an aircraft to accidentally crash into one of the trade towers on such a clear day... Moments later we watched a second aircraft strike the second tower. I had no doubt what we were witnessing, and we headed to our 767 to launch out of Israel as quickly as possible (I felt that a coordinated attack could involve Israel very quickly, at this point).
As we arrived at our jet, our Israeli mechanic met us, and explained that a third aircraft had struck the Pentagon. He said he was so sorry that this was happening to the United States. He said he hoped we understood what his country had been enduring for years from terrorists...how it hurt when Israelis were called "terrorists" by reacting to similar attacks against themselves...
I won't forget how the Israels opened their closed airspace to us, so that we could get to Turkey.
I won't forget how when we got to Turkey, we were having a sad dinner at the hotel in Istanbul, and the some of the hotel staff came up to us, explaining how the Israelis had blown up the World Trade Center towers...
Nope...I'll never forget this moment.
Nor will I forget where I was when I heard we got Bin-Laden...
Thanks Bob! What an incredible story. So thankful you were safe. The Lord was definitely watching over you that day.
Post a Comment