September 11: The Pain New York Will Never Forget

On September 11, 2001, I was just 21 years old. Looking back now, I realize how young, carefree, and sheltered I truly was. I grew up in a deeply religious home, went to public school, but was still kept safe from most of the darker realities of the world. I thought I knew how life worked until that day stripped away every illusion of innocence I had left.

A New Life, A New Job

Earlier that year, I had stepped out of the protective bubble of my New York childhood and moved away from home. By September, I was working as a morning radio host at a small station in Vermont. That morning seemed like any other. I had just finished reading the news, tossed to commercials, and figured I had 90 seconds to run to the kitchen, top off my coffee, and hurry back before the music started. I had no idea that in those fleeting seconds, life as I knew it was about to shatter.

READ MORE: Images That Remind Us of the Devastation Caused on September 11th

A Joke That Wasn’t a Joke

As I poured my coffee, the kitchen radio played Don Imus, the national host we all knew. I heard him say something about a plane hitting the Twin Towers. My first thought? He had to be making some dark, inappropriate joke. If not, maybe it was just some bizarre accident. I shrugged it off, still unaware of what was unfolding.

Watching the Unthinkable

Back in the studio, I casually flipped on the TV, figuring if something was really happening, I’d see it there. Seconds later, with my headphones on and microphone live, I saw it. The second plane crashing into the tower, into a building full of people who were simply starting their workday. In that instant, it hit me. This was no joke. This was no accident. This was a deliberate act of terror. America, my home, was under attack.

Breaking Down on the Air

Every part of me began to shake. Tears streamed down my face as I tried to explain to my listeners what I was watching unfold in real time. I still have cassette tapes of that day’s broadcast, but even after nearly two decades, I can’t bring myself to listen. The fear, the grief, the helplessness, it’s all burned into my memory.

Chaos in the Hours That Followed

The rest of the day was chaos. I ran back and forth between the fax machine, the newswire, and the studio, desperate to keep up with the flood of information. Listeners with family in New York and Pennsylvania called in, begging for answers, and I had none to give. I felt helpless as the world seemed to crumble in front of our eyes. And in many ways, it did. Nothing would ever be the same, not our country, not our community, not me.

The Unimaginable Loss

Time felt like it froze as we tried to grasp what was happening. Nearly 3,000 lives were stolen in a matter of hours. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, people simply working, traveling, or helping others. The scale of loss was something we couldn’t, and still can’t, fully comprehend.

A Nation United

In the days and weeks after, something remarkable happened. Strangers showed kindness to one another. People were slower to anger, quicker to offer compassion. Flags flew on homes, cars, and storefronts. We were Americans, and we stood shoulder to shoulder in grief and in pride. For a time, the tragedy bound us together in ways we hadn’t seen before.

Have We Forgotten?

As years passed, life crept back to “normal.” Sometimes I wonder if we've forgotten. Maybe not entirely, but I do think the meaning of that day has faded for many. Political arguments and conspiracy theories have clouded what matters most: we were attacked as one people. Innocent lives were lost, families torn apart. The terrorists didn’t choose based on politics or religion, they struck at all of us.

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Why We Must Remember

September 11th should never become just another date on the calendar. It should be a day to pause, to reflect, and to remember. To honor the lives lost that day and in the years since. To tell our children what happened, so they can carry the memory forward when we no longer can. The very least we can do is ensure that those lives are never forgotten.