Lest We Forget
Why I'll be writing my personal history of 9/11 today
Release Date: September 11, 2024
I remember in the hours, days and weeks following the attacks on September 11, 2001 thinking I would never forget the details of that day. That they would be with me for a lifetime as part of my personal history.
I was, of course, wrong.
Twenty-three years have passed, and, although I have a few very vivid memories from that time, much of what I remember today probably came from news reports and documentaries rather than my own experiences.
Why? Because in thinking I could never forget the horror of those moments, I didn’t bother to preserve my own memories. Sort of ironic for someone who has kept a journal since she was 12, right?
Today I’m rectifying that. Someday in the future, my grandchildren are going to read about 9/11 and wonder what it felt like to be alive on that historic day, and I want them to hear it from me.
I want them to know I sat in front of the TV every night silently sobbing into a pillow so I wouldn’t wake my kids. That for months I stiffened every time a plane passed overhead. That I interviewed a local priest who was supposed to be in the building, but stopped for coffee instead, and that, to this day, I fight back tears while singing the Star Spangled Banner, remembering the first time we sang it after 9/11 and how all the players and everyone in the stands held hands.
I want them to know how 9/11 changed me as a human, an American, a mother, a writer. A believer. And how it changed the world we left them.
And I want them to hear it from someone they knew and trusted and loved.
I’m a big believer in the value of prompts when it comes to preserving personal history, and have used them for years both in my own journaling practice and in conducting oral histories and family history interviews. Here are some AI-generated prompts I’ll be using today as I put together my 9/11 story. I’m sharing them here just in case you’re of the mind to do some memory preserving work today, as well.
1. Where were you when you first heard about the 9/11 attacks? Describe the moment in detail.
2. What was your initial reaction when you realized the severity of the attacks?
3. How did the events of 9/11 impact your sense of safety and security?
4. What were the immediate changes you noticed in your community or workplace following the attacks?
5. How did you communicate with family and friends on 9/11? What were those conversations like?
6. What emotions did you experience in the days and weeks following the attacks? How did you cope with them?
7. Describe any significant changes in your worldview or beliefs as a result of 9/11.
8. Did you attend any memorials, vigils, or community gatherings in the aftermath? What was that experience like?
9. How did 9/11 influence your relationships with family, friends, or colleagues?
10. What do you remember about the media coverage on 9/11 and the days that followed? How did it shape your understanding of the events?
11. Were there any acts of kindness or solidarity that stood out to you after 9/11? How did they impact you?
12. Did the events of 9/11 affect your sense of national identity or patriotism? If so, how?
13. How did you explain the events of 9/11 to children or younger family members at the time?
14. What long-term effects did 9/11 have on your life or the lives of those around you?
15. Reflect on any travel experiences after 9/11. How did they differ from your previous experiences?
16. How did 9/11 impact your views on global events, politics, or foreign policy?
17. What are your thoughts on the ways 9/11 is commemorated today? How do you feel it should be remembered?
18. How did 9/11 shape your perspective on resilience and recovery, both personally and as a society?
19. If you could speak to future generations about 9/11, what lessons would you want them to take away from your experience?
20. Looking back, how do you feel your understanding of 9/11 has evolved over time? What insights have you gained?
At fist, I was glued to the news, but when I got home from picking my son up from kindergarten, they were now showing people jumping to their deaths. I had explained in the car what was happening, but I turned the TV off. I wasn't hiding what was going on from my children, but they didn't need to see it.
Still, when they weren't around, the TV or the radio were constantly going. I wanted to hear about survivors. And my hopes were raised -- they heard noises, there was a pocket they were working to reach. But then it would turn out to be nothing again and again. After day three, I couldn't take the up and down anymore and I turned off the constant news.
A small comfort was the American flag. It was everywhere and most people were flying it on their cars. The stories from New York of people sleeping on the street together, aiding strangers, and walking miles together to get home brought me comfort. Instead of the disaster bringing out the worst of people and anarchy ruling, good people worked together like they are doing now with the hurricane relief.
As long as I can still get the stories about good people, I have hope for my country no matter how dark the media makes it look.
Lori,
As I was reviewing my Facebook memories for this day, I came across a memory from a friend whom we met in Saudi Arabia and was at the time in Ankara, Turkey.
I was in The house that we had settled down in Ankara - Turkey that day. It was two years since we had retired from Aramco.
I was sitting at the kitchen table checking my e-mails on my lap top. My husband Shevket called from upstairs saying that something strange is happening in the USA and that I should turn on the TV news. But just then the yahoo screen started to give the news. I watched the second airplane hitting the tower live. We were both tongue tied. I still turn rigid upon remembering the event.
Later that night, I remembered that the taxi driver who was taking us from the airport to our hotel on our first trip to NY had told us to visit the twin towers. Erol was only 5 years old and was busy throwing up into the small bag that I had picked up from the airplane because his stomach was upset. Aaaand I regret not having toured the twin towers on that trip.
A few hours later our son called from the USA. He was a boarding student in Boston at the time. I thought he had remembered that trip and would tell me that he wished we had entered inside the twin towers. But noooo. He spoke in a low voice and said “Maaam what is happening. Why this. Why a moslem did this. My school friends have started to look at me with suspicion. Are we that baaad”. I felt a huge disappointment and fear in his voice.
I called a friend of mine. They took my son from his dorm and let him stay in their house that day. They took him to a fancy breakfast the next morning to build some morale.
I guess his friends got back with him because he never complained again.
But his grades were the lowest that term. He recovered later and graduated with an average above 3.5. It effected religions of all kinds. Mostly the humans.
Sorry I am late writing this comment but I saw it just now. I have been busy lately taking care of my sister who got the c- disease. So not much time to spare on the internet.