Looking back on 9/11

By the time I was able to squeeze into the crowd to see what was going on, the first plane had already hit the North Tower. It seemed like a horrible accident, but at this time we were all just amazed that a plane had actually hit one of the towers. Then that all changed ... plane number two hit its target, the South Tower, and I think it's safe to say that the world changed a little for everyone at that precise moment. At this point it was obvious this was more than just a random plane wreck.

Then we found out about the Pentagon getting hit, and about another plane going down in Pennsylvania. I remember wondering just how many more there would be that day. It seemed like every 20 minutes we were getting news of something new and in my mind I was almost convinced that the attacks would just keep coming every 20 minutes indefinitely.

At this point it was obvious that there would be no work done so we all left the office in a daze to go home and watch it over and over and over again on every news channel for the rest of the day. The images are still as fresh in my mind as they were that day. I come from the generation that never has been through a long drawn out war (the first Gulf War was so fast it seemed like it was over before it even started), so this was all new stuff to me. Terrorists don't attack America, I kept thinking ... there had to be some mistake, this sort of thing only took place in the Middle East.

I am not sure which images have had the greater impact on me in the past six years. The visions of the towers being hit, or the images of the faces I saw on TV for the next couple of weeks of survivors looking for their friends and family members who were still missing. Do you remember the walls of pictures that people were hanging with faces of their lost? I do. It was like something out of a movie, but only made worse because we all know it was real.

Over the next month or two I also remember some really great memories coming out of the attacks. I found it amazing how the country moved in the exact opposite direction as to what the terrorists had expected. They may have wanted Americans to crumble and fall apart, but that was NOT what happened. There was more patriotism, and a more united feeling than I had personally ever witnessed in my lifetime.

Can you remember all the American flags everywhere you looked? I can. Every other car seemed to have a flag on it, houses, buildings, etc. They were everywhere. The country, for a short time, was united and strong, despite the terrorists best efforts to derail us.

Since the initial wave of unity and patriotism things have definitely changed in the past several years. It seemed to last long enough for America to go to war in Afghanistan, but once the Iraq war hit the unity was gone. It makes me sad to realize that we have divided just as the terrorists were hoping we would, but it wasn't because of their attack, it was because of our attack on Iraq. I'm not taking any sides on this debate as we each have our own ideas on the war in Iraq, but there is no way to dismiss the concept that this current war has divided the country to the breaking point.

I suppose the point I am trying to make is that when you look back today on 9/11, try to focus on the good that came out of it, and not the horrible images and feelings that the attacks may have created inside you. Remember the feeling when the Yankee's had their first home game following the attacks, remember the way people all across the nation joined in their support. Remember how it didn't matter if you were young, old, black, or white, you were American, and you were proud of that.

But that is enough on my reflections of the day. What about your experiences? If you would like to share your memories of that day we would love to hear them.

[photo feelnyankee]

Michael Fowlkes has worked as a stock trader for seven years and spent the last two years working as an analyst for the online investment advisory service Investor's Observer.