July 11, 2001. Two months before September 11th. I was boarding my first plane ride with my parents. We zipped through the fast-paced and lenient security lines. “Why would anyone want to bring a knife or gun on a plane?” I wondered to myself as I glanced at the list of things not permitted past the security screenings. “Those people would get into a lot of trouble with these policemen if they did that.”
July 11, 2001. Two months before September 11th. A day when the thing I was most worried about on a plane ride was the “event of an emergency” as the stewardess put it in the pre-flight tutorial. “Do you think we’re going to have to use our face masks?” I fearfully asked my parents. “No sweetie,” my dad replied, “Those things never happen. They just tell us these things to scare us.” Knowing we were safe from danger, I settled in my seat and gazed out my window.
July 11, 2001. Two months before September 11th. The ride was long. I had time to read my book and take a nap! I was awakened by a loud announcement from our stewardess that we were arriving into Chicago momentarily. We landed smoothly and safely in Illinois, according to my parents. I thought it was rather abrupt and bumpy. “That was not smooth at all!” I complained to my parents, “It felt like we crashed into the ground!”
September 11th. Busy airports were packed with the usual flow of travelers. Some may have been eagerly waiting to board their first plane ride. Others may have been anxious to come home to friends and family. Perhaps some were hoping to make it to their business meetings on time. Security lines quickly scanned their bags and sent them on their way to their different stations.
September 11th. The steward or stewardess gave their routine speech over the things to do during an emergency situation. This speech may have worried some first-time fliers or may have not affected the regular plane riders. No one on the planes suspected their lives to be in any kind of turmoil that day. I was just another regular day for flying. Believing in their safety, passengers probably settled in and pulled out their favorite magazines to catch up on the latest gossip. Others may have gazed out their windows to the world passing quickly below them.
September 11th. The mood drastically changed when passengers realized they were in grave danger and heading for a very rough landing. Face masks could not save them from the danger they were in. No cheesy introduction video could have prepared them for the horrific events that happened in the last hours of their lives. No one would complain about their rough, explosive landing into the Twin Towers. Prayers, tears, and screams filled the planes. I cannot even imagine the thoughts passing through each individual mind. Thoughts of what it would feel like to die or things they wished they could have done before they died – thoughts one should never have to think.
September 11th – a normal day that changed the face of America forever.
-Megan Christy -
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