The Personal Side of 9/11
My visit to Ground Zero reminded me of the events of September 11, 2001 and the impact those events have had on our nation, and my own life.
We can all remember where we were when we heard the news of 9/11. For me, the news came on the morning after my first meeting as the new Chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County. We had an exciting meeting on the evening of September 10, drawing hundreds of people to the Manchester Grand Hyatt including friends and colleagues from out of town.
Less than twelve hours after we adjourned that meeting, three planes commandeered by terrorists hit their targets in New York and Washington, while a fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. By the end of that day, the global war on terror would be on.
On the morning of 9-11 my clock radio came on around 6:40, with the LA newscaster saying something about "all bridges and tunnels into the city are closed." That odd statement (what bridges and tunnels into LA?) prompted me to turn on the TV to see a picture of the World Trade Center with smoke emerging. Shortly thereafter, the buildings collapsed, leading eventually to the work site I saw on my visit last weekend. Photos
One of the passengers on American flight 77 out of Washington, DC was conservative activist Barbara Olson. Barbara was married to President Bush's Solicitor General, Ted. Barbara and I attended many of the same meetings in Washington and I knew her as a tenacious activist. Sadly, she met the same fate as the other passengers when her plane was crashed into the Pentagon.
One of my closest friends on Long Island arrived home from an overnight tour of duty a few hours before the buildings were hit. By Noon he would be on his way back to the city, part of a NYPD citywide mobilization. He would be on hand near the WTC site for the next few days -straight. Today, he suffers from an extremely rare condition that has been attributed to exposure to the contaminants that filled the air following the collapse of the towers. His situation reminds me of the importance that we as a society make sure those who were impacted in the line of duty, and their families, are properly taken care of.
We can all remember where we were when we heard the news of 9/11. For me, the news came on the morning after my first meeting as the new Chairman of the Republican Party of San Diego County. We had an exciting meeting on the evening of September 10, drawing hundreds of people to the Manchester Grand Hyatt including friends and colleagues from out of town.
Less than twelve hours after we adjourned that meeting, three planes commandeered by terrorists hit their targets in New York and Washington, while a fourth crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. By the end of that day, the global war on terror would be on.
On the morning of 9-11 my clock radio came on around 6:40, with the LA newscaster saying something about "all bridges and tunnels into the city are closed." That odd statement (what bridges and tunnels into LA?) prompted me to turn on the TV to see a picture of the World Trade Center with smoke emerging. Shortly thereafter, the buildings collapsed, leading eventually to the work site I saw on my visit last weekend. Photos
One of the passengers on American flight 77 out of Washington, DC was conservative activist Barbara Olson. Barbara was married to President Bush's Solicitor General, Ted. Barbara and I attended many of the same meetings in Washington and I knew her as a tenacious activist. Sadly, she met the same fate as the other passengers when her plane was crashed into the Pentagon.
One of my closest friends on Long Island arrived home from an overnight tour of duty a few hours before the buildings were hit. By Noon he would be on his way back to the city, part of a NYPD citywide mobilization. He would be on hand near the WTC site for the next few days -straight. Today, he suffers from an extremely rare condition that has been attributed to exposure to the contaminants that filled the air following the collapse of the towers. His situation reminds me of the importance that we as a society make sure those who were impacted in the line of duty, and their families, are properly taken care of.
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