Delegate Pat McDonough and Delegate Rick Impallaria, along with volunteer firefighters and community groups, will host a flag-waving remembrance tribute to the victims and families of 911. This is the 7th Anniversary of that tragic day in New York City.
The annual event is open to the public and will take place on the Route 152 overpass at Interstate 95. There will be plenty of free parking at the Park and Ride on Mountain Road (Route 152).
Delegate McDonough stated, “We encourage people to bring their families, friends, and flags on Thursday, Sept. 11th from 4 to 6 in the afternoon.”
Steve Jackson is the founder of the event.
For additional information, you may contact Delegate Pat McDonough at 410-238-0025 or send an e-mail to Patmcdee@comcast.net.
Good…we missed them.
So it was seven years ago, almost to the hour, that I walked into the newsroom and, with a couple other guys, watched as smoke rose from a building in New York.
We all thought it was some goof with a little one-man plane that got lost/went crazy and crashed. It didn’t take long to realize this was something much different.
A lot of went on that day was a blur, ( I remember my mom calling at one point to tell me my Dad, who works in Washington DC, was OK. I had totally forgotten that he might have been in harm’s way) but some of it is crystal clear.
I was dispatched to APG to see how the local federally military base was handling the apparent terrorist attacks. I might have been the last person to access the post without having to display any sort of ID. I cruised through the main gates of the then-open base as if it was any other day prior to Sept. 11, 2001.
There was nothing special or out of the ordinary going on. No formations of troops marching down the roads or helicopters buzzing through the air.
But by the time I reached the other side of the post, plans had kicked into gear and the military base had become a much different place.
I was asked to pull over and step out of my car by a soldier armed with a machine gun. He radioed in to someone else and was quickly joined by a few similarly-armed colleagues. I was questioned, several other vehicles were stopped and then we were all escorted off base.
Driving back to Bel Air and listening to the radio, was the first time it dawned on me that something major had happened and that the world was changing.
Its been 7 years since I was in my office in Joppa and a driver came in and casually mentioned the plane crash in NY. I opened AOL and there it was in all its dial up glory. A still picture and a paragraph. As I learned what happened I went to a local store with a TV and watched in absolute horror as the world changed.
I felt absolutely helpless. I had a feeling I should be doing something but …there was not a thing I could do. I was working in Joppa and drove to Edgewood area…where my last army assignment was 20 years earlier…it was not yet locked down. There was nothing I could do. I remember the reports, WCBM reporting that a plane was SHOT down over Pennsylvania at first ( I cried like a baby, and am getting teary writing this), at the thought that we had to kill some to save many and what evil, soul-less bastards set this in motion. In the end that exact sacrifice was made by those on the plane.
The events of that day exposed a festering disease in world society, a spreading cancer. Its being addressed and we are now better for it. Many have sacrificed for it…many have suffered because of it…many have spun it….no one is happy with it.
God Bless America…a place we can still run our mouths and do our thing!
I would like to share this and I would like you to share yours.
Go Dagger !!
God bless them all.
And God bless our President, military and agencies for their brilliant and brave work since then.
I happened to be working from home that day and watching over my 9-month old daughter. After watching TV coverage all day, including seeing the 2nd plane hit, all I could do was go in and hold her, being thankful that I didn’t have to explain what was happening to her and that she didn’t know what was going on.
Fast forward to last week, almost 7 years later, when she came home and asked about what happened. They have been talking about it in her 2nd grade class. While we were able to discuss it on her level fairly well, still part of me wishes I didn’t have to.
I still remember like it was yesterday… I was in room 435 with the patient in A bed when the patient on the other side of the curtain screamed, “Oh my God, we are under attack”. I remember turning to see what the hell was going on, and everything just sort of going into slow motion. A few other doctors, nurses and visitors had peeked their heads in as well as we watched a God awful scene on the television set.
The hair on my arms was standing straight up, my stomach was turning, I felt shear horror and I had tears rolling down my face. I had no clue, nor did the rest of the world, what was actually happening in front of my eyes. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any scarier… the second plane flew clear through the second World Trade building.
As we regrouped and had a small briefing at the hospital, as we were only 40 miles from our Nation’s capitol , all I could think was, “I just want to hold my daughter”. At the time our eldest was about 10 months old and my husband was working from home 2 days a week. He was at home with her on September the 11th, 2001. And I was 35 miles away… though it seemed like 100’s.
Then we heard all kinds of reports, “there were 5 planes missing, no 3 planes missing, and one is headed right for D.C.” Horror was the feeling. Once again, we were only about a half an hour from D.C. and could get overflow or be needed to assist in any way we could. It was the unknown…
Being on a cardiac critical care floor, we had to keep focus and keep on with our duties. Just imagine the fear that these patients felt with wires coming out of their chests that were serving as temporary pacemakers and the very ill, frail patients that could not walk if their lives depended on it felt. It was so damn scary.
I can remember looking around and seeing grown men with tears running down their faces and looks of hopelessness and fear. I can remember looking around at my fellow nurses, physicians and surgeons and thinking, “he looks like “them”, could he be part of this terror”?
I will never forget all the men, women and children that lost their lives that day, September 11th, 2001 to terrorists with nothing but rage, anger and hate inside of them. And I thank my lucky stars everyday that there are men and women out there that put their lives on the line to protect our freedoms while their families await their safe returns. I hope that today, everyone takes a moment to reflect on what exactly took place that day in New York. I am so proud to live in the United States of America and do not take my freedom for granted. I have taught my kids why we wear our red, white and blue on this day and to always remember we live in the land of the free. God Bless the United States of America…
Fast forward to this morning when explaining to our 4, 6 and almost 8 year old… They had terror in their eyes and asked, “will it happen again”?
I reassured them as all parents should….
On a lighter note…
7 years ago today was the exact date we stopped counting hanging and pregnant chads!
Go Dagger !