Reactionary

Before five years ago, the general knowledge was that I was supposed to remember where I was and what I was doing when the Challenger exploded much like people older than me remembered Kennedy getting shot in Dallas. The truth is, I have only a vague recollection of the Challenger blowing up. I remember learning about the astronauts whose bios appeared in our Scholastic newsletters at school more clearly. I was at school and I remember seeing the footage, though I’m not sure if it was in real-time or if it had already happened. I don’t remember anyone having strong reactions. All I remember is a distant shuttle blowing up.

That’s much the same way I found out about the collapse of the World Trade Center in New York five years ago. But I remember it much more clearly. I was at my parents’ house for two weeks of downtime after returning from the UK, the most magnificent vacation ever, 6 weeks o the train, stopping to go to concerts and ancient stone circles. I’d seen Wales, Stonehenge, the Highlands, Hadrian’s Wall. I’d seen U2 at Slane, twice. I think I’d gotten back into the country the 4th of September, just days before four airliners had been high-jacked and slammed into buildings full of people.

I was watching ER reruns on TNT and I remember it was a beautiful day at the beginning of autumn, when the light starts to take on that orange clarity. Suddenly, Mark Green’s face disappeared and there was news, something about burning buildings in New York. I thought the cable was acting up. And then I thought it was old footage from the WTC bombings in the 90’s. I thought it was some kind of anniversary. My little old grandma was puttering around outside watering plants and my pet chihuahua was asleep in the patch of sun in front of me. I remember hearing one of the news voices saying something about shortly afterwards, the buildings had collapsed. Slowly, it began to dawn on me. I switched to CNN and it began coming together of what had happened, though at the time even CNN didn’t have the whole story. I think there for a minute people thought it was some kind of an accident. The phone calls began later that day. I remember watching the news for days. News journalists have never looked so confused. I was due to fly out to the East Coast on the 16th. I don’t remember much about that flight, but I remember the silence on the unit at the hospital when I showed up for my assignment.

I didn’t make it to the so-called “Ground Zero” until last year.

A lot of things have been done in the name of safety since that day, one more foolish than the last. But I believe then what I knew then, especially fresh from a piercing anti-IRA “Bullet the Blue Sky” at Slane. What the rest of the world has been dealing with for years has finally landed on this side of the Atlantic. And things never change. You just have to take it on the chin, I guess. But have no fear.

Posted on September 11th, 2006 under Life •  Print •  Email • RSS 2.0 feed • Leave a response, or trackback