Many of us are irritated by long lines at airports, ever-present security cameras, ID checks or the potential that Granny will get frisked at the ballpark. But a lot of us understand why things have changed so much since 9/11.

Friday’s column asked folks where they were that day, and how it has changed them.

Wow!

The comments speak for themselves. This is definitely worth reading. And maybe passing on to your kids so that they can better understand you.

Here goes:

• “Thank you very much for your moving article. It brought tears to my eyes. I am one of those you described, for whom 9/11 was a defining moment. I was working in the FAA building on Independence Avenue that September morning. I remember it started as a stunningly beautiful, clear, crisp day. When the news broke and we were released from work, somebody said that the Metro was closed. We were surrounded by traffic gridlock. I walked with a co-worker all the way to Rosslyn, where I got a ride the rest of the way home. As we were walking, we could see smoke in the distance rising from Pentagon, could hear sirens everywhere, and the roads were full of cars at a standstill. We needed to stop and rest, but were also afraid to – we had to keep moving – there was talk about the Capitol Building or the White House being a potential target, and we were right there. I later learned that a former colleague, who worked at the Pentagon, was recognized for leading coworkers out of the building to safety. He described to me the sound of the crash, the smell of jet fuel, and without really thinking about it, moving into action to order his co-workers out. My kids were in elementary school then. That afternoon, I met them at school. I gathered them up in my arms and hugged them tight. Yes, I remember that day. Always will.” Allison Ritman
• “Your last paragraph sums it up…I don’t know why we don’t teach this to our kids. Fear of offending…? How about using it as a lesson in how this country works? Many a hero emerged during that time. I remember distinctly being at my audit site and crowding into the taxpayer’s cafeteria to watch the news. I remember getting the phone call from the office, accounting for our whereabouts and then being told to go home because the schools were letting out.

  “My son was only a year old, I had just buried my father (the year before), my then-husband was out of town and my daughter came home traumatized by the video the teachers made them watch, over and over. My daughter was so terrified. We had heard from Dad and it would take a little while for him to come home but he was safe. When I tucked her in, she was still scared. I then reminded her of a family friend who is a U.S. Marshal; ‘he’s on the job and he’s got friends. That’s his job to keep us safe.’ Somehow that knowledge helped both of us sleep.

  “As the days went on, we simply did what President Bush told us to do….carry on with life. My daughter went back to school and I went back to work. Maybe they don’t teach about the event because it could be offensive; but they ought to teach about the nation that didn’t roll over and surrender but got up the next morning and went to work. Maybe we did move on TOO WELL and we’ve gotten complacent. I hope not!

  “By the way – My daughter married her high school boyfriend. They are the same age. He’s in the Air Force. Coincidence?

  “Thanks for the reminder!” Diane W. Helton

• “Very troubling that so much of our history is being rewritten. Even more troubling that others choose not to even acknowledge and teach it.” Vicki S., U.S. Secret Service
• “What a truly wonderful column, thank you. Also, thank you for the many times you have defended federal employees. The 9/11 attacks, Oklahoma City, Austin – all show that if you work for the federal government, you could be targeted. However, we still work. What we do is important for this country and I’m so glad that you point this out. Again, thank you.” Regina – IRS
• “I remember exactly where I was that day – across the street from the Pentagon at the Paperclip Building working for the DOD-IG. I will never forget the boom I heard when the plane hit the Pentagon. I will also never forget how our military helped all of us (civilians) to safety.” J.V.
• “I was in HUD Headquarters on 9/11. Someone on my staff had a radio on and I was told about the Twin Towers being hit.

  “I and a bunch of my colleagues went to the FHA Commissioners Office to see what we could do to help. We saw the Pentagon burning. A forth plane headed to DC, and the possibility of six more being hijacked. No one knew what to do. Eventually, we were all told to go home.

  “I remember how eerie it was driving over the bridge to Virginia. The Pentagon was burning and firefighters were working furiously to put it out. I saw an injured Pentagon worker in the back of a station wagon being taken to a hospital.

  “I arrived home and hunkered down, expecting more carnage. I was transfixed on the TV. The rumors were rampant…every rumor was put on the air…not the finest hour for broadcast journalism.

          Read more: Mike Causey

  “I felt that there was a target on my back, not only on that day, but for months after.

  “I retired from the federal government the following year, and moved from the DC area in 2004. I now live about 7 miles from ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’.” Marc Harris

• “I work in Cleveland, but at 8:46 a.m. on 9/11 I was in WTC, the U.S. Customs building situated 40 feet at the plaza level from WTC 1, the North Tower, at the start of a Wearing Apparel Seminar. Twenty minutes earlier I had been walking through the lobby of WTC 1 marveling at what a gorgeous day it was.” Gary Geoffrion
• “Mike. Good idea trying to get stuff down in writing for the next generation. Most older people will view this as being one of those few times in life where you can never forget where you were or what you felt. The pure trauma of seeing Americans jumping out of the upper floors of the towers to a certain death, rather than face the horrific fires.

  “Or the sound of the bodies (hopefully they were dead by then) going ‘thump, thump’ every few seconds as they hit the pavement nearby as one of the last camera shots at ground level was taken before the first tower fell.

• “I myself was on 4th street NE behind the Capitol Building…at a sales meeting with a lovely lady and we stood in shock together as we watched the horror unfolding on her TV. We abandoned our meeting, and as I raced to the car, mindful that a plane was still in the air and heading for DC, I will be always grateful to the drivers passing slowly by with WTOP blasting from open car windows for the benefit of anyone who was not yet aware.

  “Upon reaching College Park…I remember standing outside the house looking up at 2 fighter planes heading NW towards PA, flying low and very, very fast. I did not understand then that their mission was to take out a plane full of Americans before it could be crashed into DC. I would like someday to hear from those pilots, as their orders would have been indeed very difficult and painful to execute. (Just in case any young reader is confused, the pilots were spared the act of shooting down the plane – the very brave people on board took care of business for us.)

  “May God show mercy and love to all innocent people killed during times of war.” P.J.M.

• “Your column was right on the money. As 9/11 Memorial Docents, we love seeing the busloads of kids visiting. I always ask them whether their schools do anything in particular on the anniversaries, and more often than not, they do not. It is so important to reach this generation and those following so we in fact never forget how this tragic event changed our lives….

  Thanks for highlighting this important event!” Suzanne & David McCandless

• “You could not have articulated “9/11” better. It brings chills to my skin as my husband, like your son, was at Nat’l Airport trying to get to Boston that day. He was the last person that could not progress through security. Like your son he was tossed out of the airport onto the front of the airport. He took the first bus he saw which was headed to VA just to get away from the soot and smoke of the Pentagon (he lost several coworkers at the Pentagon who worked for Verizon). He then took other buses, the Metro, and a cab to get back to N. Potomac — took 5 hours. He returned many days later to pick up his car at National Airport.

  “I am leaving on this 9/11 to Chicago on business. Lightning does not strike the same place twice, but I am a bit nervous flying out on that day. When I arrive in Chicago, or better yet when we are airborne, I will feel a whole lot better.

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  “So thank you for that wonderful reminder that awful things can happen in the USA.” Andie

• “You said that for 10 – 11 year olds 9/11 ‘…probably wasn’t a defining moment – like Pearl Harbor or the assassinations of John F. Kennedy or Martin Luther King Jr. – for their generation.’ I have to disagree. I was in that age group on Nov 22, 1963 and I can tell you most assuredly that event was, and remains, a ‘defining moment’ for me and others of my generation. Seeing the reaction of adults was probably the most indelible mark on my memory. I will wager that today’s 19-20 year olds 35 years hence will likewise have indelible imprints in their memory of the reactions of adults on that fateful morning. In fact, the event will be even more of a defining moment for them, because unlike 1963, they got to watch the whole scenario unfold over and over on the television for months afterward. Also, unlike 1963, their own personal safety felt threatened.” Ken S.
• “That day I was working in my office at 441 G Street, N.W. (GAO Bldg). Some of us had our portable radios on and some offices had TVs. Right after the Pentagon was hit, we evacuated, and my vanpool (I was the owner/operator) did not reach Baltimore, Maryland until 1 a.m. on 09/12. There were such traffic jams getting out of Washington. The (14th Street Bridge) for Va. residents was closed. The subway system shut down. My vanpool had to go Northwest towards Frederick, Md. to get to Baltimore, Maryland. 09/11 was nightmare I will never forget. That same year, I decided to retire from government service in December 2001 after 45 years service. Harvey Gold of Boynton Beach, Florida

No group is ever going to surpass the greatest generation – our parents and grandparents, uncles and aunts.

But I think our bunch has shown that we can honor them and still give them a run for their money.

To reach me: mcausey@federalnewsradio.com

Nearly Useless Factoid
by Suzanne Kubota

(Standing down, making way and saluting. sk)

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