As we mark the 5th anniversary of 9/11 I think it is worth remembering where we were that day and how it effected us.
I awoke that morning and turned on the TV to sit with my coffee to learn that a plane had already struck the first tower. I called to my husband to come down and see. As we questioned whether or not this was an accident the scenes came across the screen of a plane now hitting the second tower. We sat glued to the television as the horror of that day unfolded and we realized this could not be an accident. I remember the chaos and the fear. Planes from all over were being diverted to Canada to clear American airspace. Flights from Europe to the US were rerouted to small communities on Canada's east coast like Gander and Sydney and travelers were shuttled from there to other area communities. Hotel rooms across the country filled quickly. In some cases there would be more “refugees” than citizens in these towns by the time the day was over. People volunteered to take strangers into their homes and feed and clothe them for however long it took to get the planes flying again. Condi Rice will be in Nova Scotia today to mark the anniversary to say thanks to the many families there who did this. There was also a certain amount of fear about whether or not there could still be terrorists on board some of the planes and might they now head for targets of opportunity here? In the midst of all of this the stories came across of a fire at Toronto city hall just as we were leaving for work and of fighters being scrambled to deal with a plane out West in Canada that was not responding to air traffic controllers.
At the time hubby and I worked for a cellular telephone carrier. As we arrived late morning to begin our shift we found the place completely swamped. Everyone had picked up the phone to check on loved ones. To top it all off thousands of now stranded travellers had got off their planes here in Canada and picked up their cellphones to call home and tell them they were okay. Circuits were overloaded with the traffic. Many were getting busy signals and calling in to inquire why they couldn't get through. In the midst of all of this office buildings in the area began to empty out as workers headed home. We were offered the option to go home but only a handful left (one girl had a relative who was supposed to be at the towers that day but later turned out to have changed plans). Eventually we were the last large office building in the area still working. No one knew to what extent these attacks would take. Would other office buildings be targeted. Could we be in danger? In the chaos and confusion of the day anything seemed possible. But we stayed anyway. The group of us worked like a team with a purpose. Managers and staff who didn't normally answer phones took up the challenge to help with the workload. Like many we put in overtime to ensure we helped as many people as we could get calls through to their loved ones. In our own way we felt like we had proved the terrorists wrong by staying. The people of North American can not be frightened away so easily.
When we left that evening it was still light out but it was like a scene out of a zombie movie. Not a soul was in sight on the streets on the way home that night and it seemed like ours was the only car in existence. Everyone had rushed home to be with the ones they love to watch and try and make sense of an act that had none. We finally learned that the fire at Toronto city hall had only been a garbage dumpster and the plane out west had a pilot who spoke poor english but was escorted safely to the ground. It didn't matter. Whether or not any local buildings had been targeted we were a part of the tragedy that day and felt as connected to the events as anyone.
In the days that followed we continued to work long hours as our network dealt with the overwhelming number of stranded travellers. We ordered T shirts with Canadian and American flags on them with the quote “the flag stands for freedom and you can't take that away”. The money raised was sent to the victims families and the T shirts became an exception to our usual dress code. It was not uncommon to see business suits and dresses with an ill fitting T shirt draped over top that fall. We survived but we never forgot. It was the only time in my lifetime that we felt like there was no Canada or US but only one North American people united in one cause. We sent our boys to Afganistan and today they are still there making up a large portion of the forces fighting in the more dangerous Taliban held areas. My cousin is there training boys to fight before they head for the front lines. We watch the news for his name and hope to never see it. If you were to ask the Canadian boys over there why they were there they would answer with a number. 9/11 a number that has come to symbolize so much, so quickly to so many.
