They say moments and experiences like these become Darwinian. It is a surreal snapshot of history. Growing up we always heard about the “The Day Kennedy was shot”, ” Princess Diana’s death”, or “The day man walked on the moon”. These moments become do pronounced as they are experienced by millions around the world. In my generation I saw Princess Disna’s tragedy. To this day, l can as it is often said remember exactly where I was. At the time I remember it being traject and heartbreaking. It stands out in my memory among things like my wedding day, or recovering from a stroke. September 11th was one of those days. The 9/11 Attacks (Turning Points) Paperback – February 7, 2017 by Laura K. Murray (Author) Shocked I remember hearing it as my radio alarm clock was waking me for work. Not wanting to get up I hit the snooze button and lay there. The next interval went off and my hand hesitated to turn it off. The news reports we’re coming in. At that time The first tower had been hit and the Pentagon. As the reports generated my foggy brain I became side awake. Rushing to the living room to turn on the news. I was dumbfounded. I have never had to sit down so quickly. I could not believe the scenes as the video came in. As we watched in stricken horror, the second tower was hit as we watched it live. I did not live a sheltered upbringing. Until now it had been read from a book or portrayed in a movie. It was hard to fathom how this could happen in my home country. I had seen the way violence had touched others around the world. While it deeply saddened me, I knew I was fortunate to live in the USA. The Waiting We immediately called both friends and family. Next was our building going about business as usual. They initially decided yes. So highly distracted as the story unfolded I was forced to get ready for work. People were expected and I had to be there. I waited until the last possible moment to turn off the news and head out the door. Kept the radio on hoping for more information. At work we turned on a small radio as we prepared for the day. Threats and Fears Now I referred to working in a public building, a shopping mall to be precise. It was a small store located not far from the main entrance. We had only been there about an hour and a half as other colleagues joined us. Though information was vague everyone had heard pats, bits, and updates. Twenty minutes later amid fears that buildings like ours would become targets especially with the airport literally around the corner we were advised to send everyone home. Some had to await rides done had no where to go. So the responsibility fell to us. We took some employees home with us. More Somber Still As soon as I arrived home with employees in tow, the news casts took center stage. As we watched tge further horrors unfold in Pennsylvania and as the towers fell, I was strickened with the monumental loss. I did not know anyone personally but the faces and stories of both triumph and failure endured I would remember it long after tge day was done. Like many in the following days I was saddened and angry. Things like this don’t happen a lot in America. As the grim news continued to add more numbers, I equated that it must be close to what December 7, 1941, must have felt like. As the puzzle was put together of those responsible my first thought was why? What did any of us ever do that could justify this heinous act? As more evidence was found it was hard to believe someone could hate us so much for just living our lives. ( Yes I know there were other factors.)