Last Friday marked the 25th anniversary of a day that changed our nation forever.
Has it really been 25 years?
On Sept. 11, 2001, terrorists attacked the United States in a way most Americans could never have imagined. The events that unfolded that morning in New York City, at the Pentagon and in a field in Pennsylvania seemed almost surreal.
For those of us old enough to remember, it is one of those moments when you know exactly where you were and what you were doing.
I certainly do.
I had been with the Bossier Press-Tribune, now part of Specht Newspapers, for only about six weeks. I was preparing to leave home that morning to make advertising sales calls when I heard Good Morning America’s Charlie Gibson talking about what was initially believed to be a small plane that had accidentally struck one of the World Trade Center towers.
I stopped to watch.
Then a second plane struck the other tower.
In that instant, everything changed.
Not knowing what else to do, I left home and continued with my sales calls. At every business I visited that morning, however, all conversation and attention were focused on what was happening.
I soon decided to return to the office.
Getting there was not easy. Barksdale Air Force Base had already been placed under heightened security, and the closure of Barksdale Boulevard at the West Gate forced traffic to detour.
Then I heard something extraordinary on the radio.
President George W. Bush, who had been in Florida that morning, was reportedly headed to Barksdale Air Force Base.
The reports were true.
I remember seeing two F-16s overhead with Air Force One nearby. Later, our newspaper staff rushed outside our office on Viking Drive to watch Air Force One leave Barksdale and head toward Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska.
Suddenly, Bossier City had become part of one of the most consequential days in American history. President Bush stopped at Barksdale, addressed the nation and continued working with national security officials before departing.
Twenty-five years later, I can still picture that day.
I can remember the uncertainty. I remember the fear and anger. But I also remember something else.
I remember Americans coming together.
We honored police officers, firefighters, members of our military and first responders. We prayed for families we had never met. We displayed our flag with pride. For a time, many of the things that normally divided us seemed far less important than the things we shared.
There is a lesson in that worth remembering today.
We can never adequately thank the men and women who place themselves in harm’s way to protect others. We can, however, make sure they know their service and sacrifice are appreciated.
And we can make sure Sept. 11 never becomes simply another date on the calendar.
Bossier City, through Barksdale Air Force Base, will always have a unique connection to the events of that day. For those of us who witnessed it, the memories remain vivid even after 25 years.
Alan Jackson famously asked in song where we were when the world stopped turning that September day.
I know exactly where I was.
And I will never forget.
None of us should.
Randy Brown is Regional Publisher and Executive VP of Specht Newspapers, Inc.