i was in st. paul, minnesota, working at the children’s hospital for a few months, living with my dad and stepmom. i had my alarm set for 630am to the local NPR radio station. when the alarm went off, i heard in my half-waking state what i thought was a radio show, like war of the worlds. they were talking about how planes had crashed into the world trade center in NYC.
i laid there for a few moments, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. a bit more awake, i realized this was the news i was listening to, not some fictional radio show. i sprang out of bed, threw some clothes on, and went downstairs to watch the news. when i walked into the living room, my stepmom was there, watching CNN. i didn’t say anything as i stood behind her, my eyes were fixed on the screen as i watched smoke and fire billow out of the towers.
i sat down next to her and watched in horror as they replayed video showing the second plane crash into the towers. we were both speechless, occasionally mumbling to each other how what we were watching was so completely unbelievable. i couldn’t pull myself away from the television, but i finally had to get ready for work.
i showered quickly and listened to the radio in my bedroom as i dressed and in the car as i drove to the hospital. it was the first time in my recollection that not a single station was playing music. every single station was broadcasting news of what was happening. i parked my car and walked as quickly as i could to the pediatric epilepsy unit, found a radio to put at my work station and tried to watch ten children on monitors, as i listened intently to the news.
eventually, a television was set up in the middle of the unit. parents watched as their children played. nurses tried to do their jobs. hardly a word was spoken that didn’t reflect the shock, dismay, confusion, and horror of what we were watching. there were, and still are, no words to describe how i felt as they showed, over and over again, the collapse of the towers. that scene is the most astonishing i’ve ever seen, before or since.
the days, weeks, and months that followed that event saw me glued to CNN. as much then as now, those images are burned in my brain. some news broadcaster, i remember, equated that event to the bombing of pearl harbor for my parents generation. five years later, i agree with that. i will always remember where i was, what i was doing, and how i felt as i watched to towers come crashing down.