Our precious sons,
10 years ago on September, 11 2001 two planes hit the world trade center buildings in NYC. The WTC buildings were icons of architecture, tourism, and the skyline. Your dad and I wanted to tell you where we were on that day. This is your dad’s first post on our blog. He always helps me with them but he hasn’t written one yet.
From Mommy:
I was a senior at Charlotte Latin and on a camping trip with my environmental science class in the NC mountains. We didn’t have tv or radio so as we hiked back to the bus around 11am we passed people with radios and they said that planes had hit the towers. We started hurrying to get back to the bus. Our teacher turned on the radio and we had it on the entire way back to Charlotte. I was scared about what was going to happen. There was a plane that was brought down by passengers in PA. A plane hit the pentagon. The USA was under attack.
How would this change our country and even the world? There would be a war and it was a day that I will never forget.
Ten years later; I feel great joy in my life. I’m so proud of your dad for defending our country. He is a hero and I love him tons and tons! We are blessed to have each other and to know Jesus. I pray that you make God your rock. I love you both!
From Daddy:
The morning of 11 SEP 2001, I went to work at Scientific Atlanta (now Cisco) as a Co-op. I was sitting in my shared cube when a colleague walked by and stated “a plane just crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers, probably just a small prop plane”.
I didn’t think much of it and kept checking my email.
About 10 minutes later, everyone was going into the lab (SA makes cable distribution equipment, so our labs contained hundreds of TVs) to watch the news.
I suddenly saw on every new station the live TV coverage and learned the crashes were no small prop planes.
We all watched in disbelief and really didn’t know what to make of it.
My team director sent everyone home for the day, so I went home to my dorm at GA Tech.
My fraternity brothers and I watched the news the rest of the day and by the end the events finally sank in as to what really happened.
Anger set in and I asked myself many questions.
Who were these people, the news was talking about who attacked America? Where were these terrorists from again?
Why would they conduct such a horrific attack?
What did this all mean for the future safety of Americans?
11 SEP 2001 was the first day I felt God calling me to join the US military. Three main reasons, listed below lead me to this decision:
1) American pride, sense of duty and retaliation for the 9/11 attacks.
2) Your great grandfather, William Ridley Monk I was a Naval Officer in WWII.
3) Earlier that year, I saw 20% of the Scientific Atlanta let go due to the tech bubble burst and I thought there was much more to life than being an engineer in Corp. America.
Two years later I graduated GA Tech and completed Officer Candidate School to earn my Commission in the US Navy.
I am sitting here writing this letter to you 10 years later and can clearly remember that day.
I took you both to church this morning and we prayed for the victims’ relatives, American’s leadership and even our enemies of the 9/11 attack.
11 SEP 2001 has been the craziest and most horrifying experience of my life.
I prayed this morning, that neither of you would have to witness such a tragedy.
However, if you do, know our Lord has been there since the beginning and will be here until the end.
Your mom dressed you both in American colors and I felt very proud to be an American and to serve this great country of ours.
I am very proud to be your father and married to your mother.
I love you all very much, Daddy
