09/11/2026
🇺🇸 Good Morning & Happy Friday. 🇺🇸
Today is a day of remembrance. September 11, 2001. A day that changed our country, our families, and countless lives forever.
It’s hard to believe that 25 years have passed since that morning. I can still remember exactly where I was.
I was 17 years old, a senior in high school, walking between classes when I noticed some construction workers who were working on our school had stopped and gathered around a truck with the radio playing. I stopped to listen and quickly realized something was very wrong.
When I got to my next class, where I was a teacher’s aide for my drafting class, my teacher called me over to his desk. He told me that he believed we were under attack. The school had shut down the television feeds because they didn’t want to cause panic, but he said the news would spread soon and we would likely be released early.
My first thought was, “I need to call my dad.”
When my dad came to pick me up, I asked him, “Do you know what’s going on?”
He simply said, “Yes.”
We went straight home and watched the news for the rest of the day, trying to understand what was happening and wondering what would happen next.
I will never forget something my dad said that day:
“After today, we’re going to war.”
At the time, I was preparing to sign up for the United States Air Force that month. I was planning to enlist with my friend Anna. I had been a member of Civil Air Patrol and an Air Force Junior ROTC officer, and I had spent years preparing myself for a career in military service. I was excited about the path I thought my life was about to take.
But after September 11th, my dad pulled me aside and said something I will never forget:
“Heidi, I wouldn’t sign up for the military. War is hell, and I’ve been there before during Vietnam. And the military isn’t what it used to be when I was in. If you stay, I’ll pay for college. The choice is yours, and I’ll support whatever you choose.”
Looking back, I knew exactly why my dad was saying those things. He had been through war, and more than anything, he didn’t want his daughter to ever be put in harm’s way.
I met up with my friend Anna and told her I had decided not to join.
She was shocked.
Honestly, so was I.
One decision changed the entire direction of my life.
September 11th didn’t just change history. It changed individual lives and the paths people were on. So many people made decisions that day that they never could have imagined making before that morning.
Twenty-five years later, I still remember the fear, the uncertainty, the sadness, and the feeling that our world had suddenly changed forever.
Today, I remember the innocent lives lost, the families who were forever changed, and the brave men and women who ran toward danger while others were running away. 🇺🇸
We remember. We honor. We will never forget.
❤️🤍💙
Where were you on September 11, 2001? What do you remember about that day?
