Like most Americans I remember that morning. I getting ready for work that Tuesday morning when my wife told me a plane collided into a building in New York. The first thing I noticed when looking at the tv was the blue sky. I told her I can't see how a pilot could mistakenly hit a building, even if he were drunk. Was this a commercial passenger flight (God I hope not!!), or was it a private jet, in which case it's possible an idiot jet owner/pilot could have incapacitated himself. I concluded it was an aircraft malfunction. I dimly recalled a collision years before in which a pilot tried to steer one way, the automated system attempted to steer a different way due to misinterpretation of whatever, and the jet hit a mountain. Maybe...
Fifteen minutes later, as I was leaving she told me the other building was hit. Instantly I knew we were at war. The US was at war with a foreign power. I overreached in concluding how different our lives were going to be. The draft will be reinstated. Gas and food would be rationed. I'm not old enough to remember WWII but I heard the many stories.
The next day at home I heard a jet engine overhead. I rushed out to see what kind of craft it was. During the abnormal silence of the skies when every flight was grounded I was curious. Not frightened, I just wanted to look but didn't see it in time. Oh well.
I was eventually relieved that American society didn't go through the same turmoil of 60 years earlier, but at the same time knew many things would be different from now on.
I hope you're not reading this thinking I have some deep insight to impart. I'm just, idk...
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