story10750.xml

story10750.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-08-12

I was on the phone ordering materials for a job we were doing when the salesman told me that the Trade Center had been attacked. He had the radio on at his desk and had heard the news. We instantly stoppped with the order as I turned on the television to find the news. Of course that was not hard to do. The salesman and I said our goodbyes and we each turned our attention to the moment. My father and I manage Viet-Vet, a contracting business in Maryland. My father is a decorated Nam vet who takes his Country seriously. As I told him what was going on we both just stopped to watch the news. We watched as the second plane slammed into the Tower, and as we watched I could feel the anger grow inside myself. I felt an overwelming urge to just run. There was anger an abundance of it, but there was also a huge sense of loss, a sense of emptiness. I can't even describe all the mixed emotions raging inside. After watching for what seemed an eternity I felt that I needed to go to work to busy myself if nothing else. As I drove to the jobsite, The Pentagon was attacked. I had to ask God when he was going to stop the madness that was going on all around me that day.

As I worked that day, I kept the radio on listenning to the kaos and hoping it was an Orsen Wells tale, but knowing that it had been too real. For days my family and I stayyed glued to the TV, watching, elated at the survivors rescue devasted as the number of dead and missing kept rising.

A few weeks after 9-11-01 a local motorcycle dealer organized a fund raiser for the victims families. The paticipants met at the store, roughly 7,000 people to ride our bikes around the Baltimore Beltway in a parade displaying flags of all sizes. People lined the streets to greet the riders to thank us for supporting our heroes. We didn't deserve thanks. It is every Americans responsibility to support your troops, local public services and your elected officials. Let's not loose sight of why we do what we do. Because at the time we believe it to be right. Follow your beliefs, your heart and never forget what has happened to "Our Great Nation".