First Anniversary
September 18, 2007 - 11:51am — ecooley
I have been purposefully quiet about the events of 9/11/01 but as the week passed I received some emails from people. They wanted to know why I had not written anything about “where I was.” Well here is a slightly different 9/11/01 story.
Where were you on September 11, 2002?
I was sitting on a crowded bus outside of Shanksville Pennsylvania, with a group of national and international journalists and my friend Paula. A Flight 93 press pass hung around my neck a camera was in my hand and a bag full of 3.5 inch floppies sat in my lap. A bomb threat had been called in and our bus was a “vehicle of interest”. It was a tense time. When we finally arrived at the memorial it was a surreal scene. I remember the wind blowing hard. I remember the site of countless satellite trucks and news media. I saw the Governor of our fair state, Pennsylvania, talking to CBS.
I was here to capture the stories of Flight 93 Anniversary participants but most impressive were the words not uttered. The sight of people waving flags, of children holding close to their parents, people sharing stories, hearing the wind blow in the field, the sound of music, and the tears; how does one capture tall of this. When the bell rang for each name of a victim from Flight 93 it was hard to suppress my own emotions.
As the ceremony, the ringing of the bell and dignitaries speaking, ended and the family started to board the bus the press corps found themselves in the middle of an emotionally charged moment. A small girl sat at the window on a bus with a flag. She looked out the window at all of us. She started to smile and wave the flag. Right behind her sat, what I can only imagine was her mother, she had tears streaming down her face. She was saying something to all of us. “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.” The little girl just looked out the window at thousands of people and smiled. We waved back at the two on the bus and we shouted thank you, we applauded and we cried.
I could not take a picture of that moment. It just did not seem right. It was private. It belonged in the hearts of those of us who were a part of that moment.
So often people ask me where I was on 9/11/01. I tell them and while I believe that it is important to ask the questions let us never forget that the object of those terrorists on flight 93 was to kill. It was an attempt to strike at our freedom. Freedom comes with responsibility and the crew and passengers of Flight 93 paid a price for freedom. So while it is good to ask “where were you on 9/11/01. I think it is just as important to ask, “what sacrifices are you making to preserve freedom for yourself and your posterity.” How have you helped another person today? What are you doing to make a difference in your family, community, state, and country?
To this day I attend the 9/11anniversary. Sometimes at Flight 93 and sometimes in local parks all across our community, I hope you got the chance to attend those functions.
The following is a collection of images from that day.
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Comments
Many Memories
Being there on the first anniversary was very powerful. I remember thinking that the weather that day was so perfect -- the dark heavy clouds threatened but never rained, the wind blew constantly. To be there with the families and coworkers of the unexpected heroes of Flight 93 was an honor that I will never forget.
My most remarkable memory of that day was during the ceremony. As part of the press corps, Erin and I were in the "pen," between the families and dignitaries under the tent and the public. There was quite a distance from the speaker's platform to the back of the public crowd, so applause and crowd reactions lagged a couple of seconds. For all of the speeches by the governor and the dignitaries, the applause would roll toward the stage from the back of the crowd. But one speaker thanked the public, particularly the people of nearby Shanksville, for being so considerate and helpful. This time, the applause started at the speaker's platform and rolled back to the crowd. And here we were, the press, right in the middle. I almost felt like an intruder, like I should duck out of the way to let that wave of heartfelt appreciation flow over me to the people who deserved it. It was then that I understood the meaning of "media," and its derivation from words meaning "between."
It was a day as unforgettable as Sept. 11, 2001.
How is the weather?
You are right. I remember I was so excited to have a press pass but then when that time came I felt like I wanted to be a part of the audience not a part of the media. I felt like an intruder. It was a strange feeling.
On a lighter note, that day we got to meet the meteorologist for the President of theUnited States
Clay hardens by immobility – men's minds by standing pat. Both lose the power to take new impressions. (Pinchot 1910: 138)
great photos
great photography work, Erin. i can't believe you took all those awesome shots in one day. they are all picture post cards.
Thank
Glad you like the photos. Those photos were collected from several people. Paula, Jack, and myself. There were a lot of other great photographs from that day. Many photos that told better stories. We are trying to locate those pictures.
It was an easy subject to photograph. The day was very dramatic.
Clay hardens by immobility – men's minds by standing pat. Both lose the power to take new impressions. (Pinchot 1910: 138)