Where were you? Like the day that JFK was assasinated, we can all say exactly where we were and what we were doing when the events of September 11 unfolded five years ago.

Mark and I had only been in Bremerton five months. I was VERY pregnant with Ben, and was up early that morning getting the kids ready for school. Paige and Sam were watching cartoons, so I was unaware as to what was going on. Mark was still in bed. Mom phoned and asked if I was watching the news...and I said no...cartoons are on. She said 'you need to turn on the TV'....we hung up and I did. It was at that time that the smoke was billowing from the first tower hit and the second plane had just hit. I knew instantly that I had to get Mark up. He came out and took one look at the TV and started making phone calls. He knew he had to get in touch with his command and get on base. He was told that the base had been closed and the subs were all already heading out to sea. He was to not even try to get on base, but to keep in touch throughout the day.

I could tell that Mark felt 'powerless'. He felt he should be on that boat....some of his shipmates were headed out to sea and no-one knew for how long they would stay out there. He was getting antsy. So I suggested we go and try to watch the subs leave through the Hood Canal bridge. By this time, Katie and Sam were already at school. We felt they needed to keep a routine, at least for right now. So Mark and Paige and I headed to the waterfront. We couldn't get NEAR the bridge so took a road along the waterfront. We stopped and asked a man out in his yard if there was public beach access anywhere as we wanted to watch Marks sub leave. He graciously let us tramp across his yard and sit on the beach in front of his house. We watched the boat leave and silently said a prayer for their safety and safe return.

I have a picture on my entertainment center that I will never take down. It is a picture of Paige, playing with rocks on the beach...the wind gently blowing her head of golden curls...the date stamped on the bottom right corner is 9/11/01. It is a picture of gleeful innocence taken during the very minutes that the country she is living in was being forever changed.


After the beach, we headed into town to the Red Cross. They couldn't take my blood (being pregnant) and merely took down Marks name and blood type on a roster. Why? Because the town we live in is a military town right to the core and so The Red Cross had so many people lined up in front of their building, and down the block, and around the corner, that they didn't need anymore donors at that time. By days end, the American Flag was flying from anyplace possible, homes, cars, businesses.....and our town pulled together and hunkered down for the long haul.

We are still reminded every day of the events of Sept 11/01. When going on base now, we have to pass through a very tight security barrier that was erected after the attacks. There is an 'alert' status board when we go into the Commissary parking lot. And the Flag still flies, although not in such profussion, definately in more places than before the attacks. Living in a military town, we see reminders every day and we will never forget.

May those of you not faced with these daily reminders never forget either. May we always remember the solidarity that was shown that day. How strangers hugged...how people reached out to others....lets not let these actions be reserved for times of crisis. Lets always reach out to our fellow man. It is in this way that we show those cowards that America was not weakened by their acts.

Much love,
Mark, Jaye and Gang