Never Forget

By Elaine L. Orr

On September 11th each year, the words "never forget" appear in thousands of articles and cross many more thousands of lips. September 11, 2001 seems like an impossibly long time ago and as if it all happened yesterday. 

I was in Washington, DC, in a building a few blocks from the White House to the West and U.S. Capitol to the East. Our fear of "what's next" was nothing compared to the fear of those stuck in the Twin Towers above the floors where the planes struck. Still, I wouldn't go on the subway, and was prepared to walk to Kensington until a colleague offered a ride.

The photo at left is a thank-you note to police, firefighters, and the Red Cross from a 2nd grade class in Arlington, Virginia. It hung on a fence surrounding Arlington National Cemetery (where my parents now are), across from the damaged portion of the Pentagon. I visited there soon after.

The message is, "Thank you for helping the people at the Pentagon. You are great people for saving others. We know that your job is hard and dangerous. Thank you for protecting us." You can see the other flowers, and there were more spread on the ground. 

Thousands volunteered to give blood most of which, sadly, was not needed. For a brief time we came together as a nation. People were polite while boarding airplanes, we nodded or smiled at strangers.

I hope we never have such an event in our country again, but I wish there could be a way to create the spirit of generosity that followed that terrible day.

                                                              *     *     *     *     *     *

 Check out Elaine's web page or sign up for her newsletter

Never Forgetting

Elaine L. Orr

You don't need to be an American to remember where you were on September 11, 2001. I was in an office in Washington, DC, about 10 blocks north of the Potomac River. A south-facing window showed the smoke rising from the Pentaton.

The fire was out very quickly, unlike in New York City. Because of the massive demand for news, we couldn't get on the Internet. TV and radio worked fine, and rumors rocketed around the office. A car bomb was said to have been found in front of the State Department -- not true, but the most persistent of the batch. It wasn't until I saw a two-inch "rumor-denied" piece in the next day's Washington Post, that I realized that rumor was also false.

Pentagon gap is below lowest-hanging traffic light

My office was three blocks west of the White House and eight east of the U.S. Capitol, so after the plance crashed in Pennsylvania, we worried about more planes en route to DC. For about an hour, traffice was gridlocked. I had come in on the Metro. Could we take the subway home? And when I say 'home,' I mean a friend's house. I was visiting from Iowa. With all air traffic stopped, several days later I could fly home, but not before then. 

My clearest memory is that I was the only one watching the office television who cried when the second tower came down. Were people numb? I never asked the others why they didn't cry.

Letter from school children after September 11th/
Fence at Arlington National Cemetery.

Such concerns are minor compare to what was happening at the Pentagon and in New York City.

On the 13th, I drove to Arlington, Virginia and parked close enough to walk to a spot next to Arlington National Cemetery. My parents are in there, and my mother sometimes worked in the Pentagon during World War II. The huge hole boggled my mind, as did the idea of 184 people dying there two days prior.

Lots of other people wanted a sense of community with the tragedy, as you can see by the sign hung on the fence that surrounds the cemetery. A couple dozen people stood or sat quietly, looking at the Pentagon.

Most years I write about September 11th. Maybe someone who lived through that time will be comforted, and perhaps someone who has no memory of it will feel the sorrow. We cannot forget.

                                                                   * * * * *

To learn more about Elaine L. Orr, visit her website or sign up for her newsletter 

Always Remember

I'm sure tens of thousands of notes, blog posts, and tweets begin with "always remember" on September 11th. I do one tweet that day, in memory of those who died. This year I put yellow roses with the words. Nothing can ever be adequate.

Two days after 9/11, I drove to a spot near the Pentagon (outside Arlington National Cemetery). I didn't go the day after, because we had a meeting of the Social Equity Panel at the National Academy of Public Administration. The late Phil Rutledge and I decided that if we canceled, we would be letting the terrorists win.

A small hillside in Arlington, Virginia had bouquets and messages to and from many, including this sign on the cemetery fence. I look at this photo every year.

The world came together to help the United States grieve. I will always remember that, too.
Elaine L. Orr