Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning

All though most will recognize the title of this post as one of Alan Jackson's many chart topping songs, this song holds special meaning for me. As my friends know, my music taste tends to be somewhat eclectic in nature. At any given time you check my iPod, you are likely to find music ranging from classics to country, to 80's and 90's rock, rap, hip-hop, heavy metal and last, but certainly not least, contemporary Christian music. Music is something I enjoy very much, and if you stop by office on any given day, there is a good chance that my iTunes will be launched and music will be playing. I often say that there is a song for every occasion. For those of you who may be too refined to ever listen to country music, I have included the video of the song that I believe is most fitting to remember September 11, 2001. This was performed just a short time after the attacks. You should take a couple of minutes and listen to it.

As I reflect on the 10th anniversary of 9/11 today, the memories are still very vivid to me from that day. As Katrina and I spoke to our children this week about 9/11, I told them that this event was probably the single most significant historical event in my lifetime. I told the story of my mother telling me exactly where she was in 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated. I remember her describing being in a classroom and all the teachers and students were crying as the events unfolded from the infamous day. For my father, I remember him talking about the day that USA finally became the first country to place a man on the moon and how exciting that was for our country at that time. For grandparents, Pearl Harbor seems to be the event that signaled great change in our nation. In my lifetime, there have been a couple of events that I remember as being significant. I remember President Reagan instructing Mikhail Gorbachev to "tear down those walls!" I am not sure I understood at the time how important this development was. In my mind, Russia was the great enemy of the USA. I think movies Red Dawn and Rocky IV may have helped shape my views too! I also clearly remember the space shuttle Challenger explosion. This was a big deal because of the teacher that was on board. I remember they put her picture in all the schools (at least in my hometown). Those are the two most significant events that jump out in my mind before September 11, 2001.

One of the reasons that I relate so well to Alan Jackson’s song (besides the fact that I think Mr. Jackson is one of the all-time best country music artist in general!) about 9/11 is the line that says “Were you teaching a classroom of innocent children?” On that day, I was indeed teaching a class of innocent children. I, along with 5^th grade teacher Deb Gruner was teaching 6^th grade in Brainerd Baptist Middle School. The middle school was located in three portable buildings where our BX facility currently stands. I had a free period during 2^nd period and was down in the main school office (the same place it currently is) and remember several staff standing around the TV in the library watching. It was a crazy scene. Right after the attacks, there was a feeling of panic across the entire country and everyone wondered what was going to be attacked next. Security levels were heightened at schools all across the country. We happened to have a student whose mother was a flight attendant and her regular flight was a Delta flight that ran from Atlanta to Washington D.C., and she was at work that day. There was legitimate concern about her safety and huge sigh of relief when his mother was able to call and assure him that she was o.k. Our students were too young to realize how these events would be affecting their lives. Ten years later, those students are now adults. Some of those students have gone on to serve our country and fight in a war that is the direct result of that fateful day, but all have been impacted. The world is not the same as it was before that day.
I remember coming home to our new house (at the time!) to a mom of two baby boys and just holding my family as we watched the clips of the towers falling over and over. My wife’s family lives in central Pennsylvania relatively close to where Flight 93 crashed, so there was a heightened sense of concern about this as well.
I have taken just a few minutes to recall my memories of that day. I sat at the UT vs. Cincinnati game yesterday and watched as Chattanoogan Patrick Lenoir led the team through the T before the game started and have read about how he has dealt with losing a brother in the south tower on this day. In Mark Wiedmer's article, Mr. Lenoir states that "Everybody in this country was affected. Everybody was hurt. I just had a little more personal experience with it than some." I also believe this is true and I think that it is important to never forget how our country pulled together and to never forget the sacrifice of the many men and women who died that day "doing what they do". What are your memories of that day?