Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning?

The title today of course is a song title by Alan Jackson. Today here on post we participated in what other communities in the states will be doing, through "America Supports You".com, we did a Freedom Walk. For Linda :) We walked from the Elementary School down Beach Street, in front of the high school and then took a left at the light, down to the Recycling Center, back up the street to Memorial Park. We had a small ceremony in the park. Col. Gatto spoke, Brenda S. spoke (who organized the event), and the Ele. Principal spoke. When Col. Gatto was speaking there were tons of school age children there and talked about how many of them were either babies or so young they don't remember the events. It's hard to imagine that they don't remember a time before "Homeland Security" "Terror Alerts", etc I'm raising children in truly a different world than I grew up in. Jacob asked a lot of questions when we got home about what happened 5 yrs ago and so I told him some things. He got teary eyed and said it made him sad that so many people died. We talked a lot about Flight 93. I think it seemed almost amazing to him that those people chose to crash the plane. It is amazing, the true sacrifice they made. I can't imagine the terror they must have felt knowing that most likely they were not going to survive, yet being willing to do it so that evil could not hurt even more.

I was driving to work that day, after dropping off Jacob at my friends house (I'd given my 2 wks notice the day before). On the radio they said a plane had went into the first tower, by the time I got into work the second tower had hit. I don't remember what time it was, but I was sitting around ( I worked in a bank) with my coworkers, we were all in shock, when they announced a plane had hit the Pentagon. Terror hit me then, because we had friends who we'd been stationed with at Fort Belvoir who worked there. A lady who I worked with grew up in NYC and her brother still lived there and worked in one of the towers, she was truly paniced and of course went home and continued to try and call. She finally heard from her 3 or 4 days later. He didn't have to be work until 10 that day, so he hadn't even left for work yet.

I went and got Jacob at noon from my friends who was watching him for me until I quit working (the woman who had been watching him was well an idiot and had no business watching any child), and took him to my neighbors. Normally from the bank to where my friend lived off post it took 15 minutes, it took me nearly 1 hr to get off post and it took over 2 hrs to get back on post. I dropped Jacob off at my neighbors, and went back to work, not that there was anything to do. Our bank and the branch literally had NO customer's that day. The commissary ended up closing early, as did the PX because there was simply no business of course...everyone was glued to their tv's at home, if they weren't at work themselves.

That night I sat in my living room floor rocking Jacob back and forth. Chad was in Kuwait at this point, he'd only been there for not quite a month. I was so scared of the unknown. Not knowing what was going to happen with Chad and their unit. I think it was 4 days until Chad was finally able to call, and it was for I think a whopping 2 minutes, but everyone got the same amt of time just to for everyone to hear their loved ones voices and then it was the next soldiers turn.

I look at Jacob and think how he was this little tiny baby who was just crawling around and now he's this 5 yr old little boy. I know this day is one of those days we live with that will stay with us for the rest of our lives.

ALAN JACKSON LYRICS"Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)"
Where were you when the world stopped turning
that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LADid you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry
Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below
Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political manI watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political manI watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is loveI'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political manI watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love
The greatest is love
The greatest is love
Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day