SEPT. 11, 2001: Who alive today doesn’t have a vivid
recollection of where they were as the events of Sept. 11 were
unfolding?

Our old buddy Ken Cogan of Crosby was in Ireland with his wife,
Jane, where they got a bit of an international perspective.

The town they were in had a particular affection for Americans
because President Kennedy had visited this place which was the home
of his ancestors. “There was nobody in the streets; Everybody was
in church,” Ken tells us.

Later, at an ocean-side restaurant, the Cogans got free drinks
when it was discovered they were from the United States. In return,
Ken gave the man one of the souvenir Sacagawea dollars he’d brought
with him. “He got tears in his eyes.”

Despite the turmoil in this country and abroad, Ken tells us
they flew home with few problems at any of the airports. Needless
to say, though, the tragedy put a damper on the Cogans
international excursion.

Even after seven years, thinking about Sept. 11 puts a knot in
our stomach.

We were in the newsroom, of course, and it was right around 9
a.m. As with any American tragedy, we gathered around the
television set only to see the carnage unfold before our eyes.

As a journalist, one is always aware of how any event fits into
the new cycle. Here was one that obviously was not going to fit
neatly into any such news cycle but would remain open-ended,
particularly for the first couple days.

Between the planes striking the buildings, seeing people jump to
their deaths, watching the towers collapse – and realizing what it
meant for those inside – and seeing horrified pedestrians running
from a cloud of debris, we began to realize the enormity of the
event.

Perhaps our most vivid feeling, however, was the uncertainty …
Were we under attack? Would this country be invaded? What would
happen next? Would things ever be the same again?

As the day’s events began to wrap up, we wondered what the next
day would bring.

Another overwhelming feeling was a desire for revenge, a surge
of that familiar streak of patriotism, and a kinship with everyone
in the country, particularly those in New York and Washington,
D.C.

Our world did change, of course. We moved on, yes, but we
certainly have not forgotten Sept. 11, 2001.