(Answering OOC: As most of you know, most of Julie's back-story is based on elements from my "real" life; only names of people and pets, etc. have been changed; and I am going to "re-set" Julie's age a little in her current story-line; making her quite a bit younger; which will make sense to you later. But that is a subject for another time.)
I had to cheat, and do the math on my computer. I was 31 on September 11, 2001.
Mom remembers it like this. She had just finished her chores in the barn, and was on her way over to my grandparents (her parents) house next door, to have coffee--and perhaps lunch. That was not unusual; she went over there every day--sometimes several times a day--to have food, and have long conversations on a variety of topics with her mom; and later with her dad; after he came home from working at the Veterans' Affairs office. (Grandpa had been at Pearl Harbor; where he was originally a cook with the Cee Bees; and he was moved to other positions later on.)
So my grandma saw my mom coming over from the barn, and yelled out to her,"Get in here!! The United States is being attacked!! I don't know exactly what was said between them after that.
Then my mom called me. It was later in the morning; I was going to go the bathroom, and my mom called me from next door, asking if I knew what happened. I said,"No, I don't know what you're talking about. What happened?" She told me what happened, and that I wouldn't believe it; and turn on the TV.
This was before the days of digital/HD TV when you could still get a fairly clear picture on 7 basic, non-cable, non-satellite stations with whatever antenna was either on the TV, itself, or whatever rooftop antenna was on your house. (No watching things on your computer, in the internet.) So I went over to the little black-and-white TV in my bed room, and turned it on. At that point, it was just the news anchors repeating what happened, over and over; showing the footage of each of the planes crashing into the towers. Mom was right; it was unbelievable; it seemed like something in a movie.
My mom was a police-officer in the University Circle area; a beautiful, historic area of Cleveland; that unfortunately was adjacent to some high-crime areas; and before they had their own police department, people were afraid to come to the tourist-spots, like the Cleveland Museum of Art. Mom went to the academy in Cleveland; (and at the time, I remember saying to her, in many occasions that SHE was more likely to catch Carmen Sandiego than I was; a joke that finds more humorous NOW than she did THEN. Lol.) and even though it was her day off, she wondered if she might be called in that day; and I'm sure that if someone had called her, she would have gladly gone in; but since she was part-time, she was not called in; and looking back on it, I'm glad she wasn't.
Soon afterward, we learned about the attack on the the Pentagon; and with Cleveland being the closet big city near us, the plane United 93 flew over Cleveland's airspace, on the way back to DC; and we all know how that ended. Now, living in a slightly more rural area, I can't say that anyone I know saw the plane fly over here; but when my mom went back to work at her department a few days later, another officer she knew said he looked up, and saw that plane overhead.
So, yeah, this terrible day did have an impact on all of us, as Americans; and anytime you're watching a TV show or a movie that was made BEFORE that day, with the NYC skyline, you can't help but say OMG!! There are the Twin Towers!! This happens, even at the very end of the intro to WoEiCS? where Carmen takes that backwards dive of the Torch of the Statue of Liberty, to escape Zack & Ivy.
And when I watch the footage of these events that they're showing on the History Channel today; what I see are men and women of all different skin colors, speaking with many different accents, all looking up in disbelief at what is happening; and at the same time, trying to help each other, when they can; the first responders who are gladly risking everything to save and and help people; and the people who are happy to see the police and the firefighters, for that very reason. And I say to aloud, to myself, "THAT is America!!"
But, it's not...Not anymore...And it makes me sad.. ?
