A NATION PICKS UP THE PIECES

by John Weaver

I was in my car traveling to Myrtle Beach South Carolina. It was just before 9 am, and I was listening to The Howard Stern radio show. Howard announced a plane had struck the World Trade Center. My first thought: "This is a joke," but Howard's tone dismissed jokes. My second thought: "A pilot or air traffic controller had made a terrible professional mistake." For the first time Howard Stern was not making jokes.

I changed the radio station to news and heard a second plane had struck another tower. What a strange feeling. A feeling that my grandparents may have felt the moment they heard about the attck of Pearl Harbor.

I tried to find a television. I stopped at three different retail stores, but all of the televisions were were locked into corporate satellite feeds. Satellite feeds selling digital systems and Disney movies. I asked retail people if they could tune in a national news broadcast. They couldn't --

I could not find this breaking news on a television set in America's favorite shopping outlets that carried a hundreds of TV sets.

Back in my car there was no music on the radio. Just the news of the towers, the fire and smoke. At a Circuit City I found television sets showing the destruction. I watched the towers implode. There were 10-15 strangers standing nearby watching the same screen. No one was talking.

To think that humans flew planes into buildings to kill innocent people blows my mind. To kill people who who were beginning their work day. People who had families, dreams and a future. The news broadcasted the planes from different angles as they hit the towers. I've seen it a hundred of times and I still don't believe it.

People jumped out of the windows at the World Trade Center. I just can't believe it happened.

The news showed a video of Palastinean people in the streets cheering and blowing their car horns in celebration.

The news now reports that the attack may cost $5-25 billion but can you really put a dollar figure on children who went to bed without a Mother or Father. Can you put a price tag on the bravery of the New York Firefighters and NYPD? Can you price an attack on freedom?

Emotions all over the world have to resemble my own. It's a roller coaster of highs and lows. This a collective trauma. One minute I'm hurt and the next I'm mad. I cheer the real heroes who are risking their own lives 24 hours a day to save survivors. My morning paper dated Thursday, September 13, 2001 says -- "NATION PICKS UP THE PIECES" -- A picture of rescue workers, dwarfed by the massive remains of the World Trade Center, sift through rubble in search of survivors. My wife hung ourAmerican flag outside the front door. Looking down the street all you can see are American flags. This nation is strong and will pick up the pieces. I will help somehow. Prayers for the fallen and praise for the living. God bless the USA!

 

*John Weaver is a published and award winning author of several short stories and a weekly sports column called The Score.John is a marketing and publicty specialist who has worked with hundreds of authors and publishers. Here John sits in the dugout of his favorite team The Atlanta Braves.