Have We Forgotten?

By Jim Ferretti:

I spent parts of Monday and Tuesday this week watching video news coverage of the September 11th terrorist attack.  I was looking for sound from that day to use in a special story that is set to air this year during the anniversary of that tragic day.

Every single thing I watched, took me back to that day.

I was 25 years old, newly married and living in Lake Oswego.  I did not have to get up early for work or to get kids off to school in those days.  My wife woke up first on that Tuesday morning and she did, what ever it is women do in the morning.  At some point she turned on the T.V. and saw what had happened.  She ran back into the room and woke me up with these word’s, “JIM!  WE’RE UNDER ATTACK!”   I jumped out of bed and ran to the window to look at…. my cherry red Ford Mustang GT thinking someone was attacking my car!  Of course a short time later my wife explained to me what an idiot I was.

I remember sitting in my chair, watching the T.V. with my mouth wide open not believing what I was watching.  What was happening?  Is there going to be a draft?  Am I going to have to go to war?

We had an exchange worker staying with us as well.  He came to the U.S. on a work visa and I agreed to host him for the summer.  He was set to head home to Scotland on Friday of that week and of course had his flight canceled as all flights were grounded.

I had to go to work later that day and at the time worked outside.  I remember how odd it was to never see an airplane in the sky.  Of course it was all anyone was talking about because there was nothing else that mattered.

I remember how for the next week, there was nothing on T.V. but coverage of the attack, and with good reasoning.

I remember we all printed out pictures of American Flags and put them in the windows of our cars.

I remember how we were all proud to say we were Americans.

I remember how it did not matter who you were, we were all family.

I saw this picture on social media this week and it really got me thinking:

Have we forgotten?

I saw a post from the Forest Grove Fire Department over the weekend showing several people planing 2,977 small American flags in the grass under the towns large American flag on Pacific Ave.

I drove out there myself to see what had been done.

It’s a pretty amazing sight.

Apparently in 2017, a community member bought all the flags to plant, one for every person who died that day.  Last year it apparently took several days to plant all of the flags.  This year about 20 people including firefighters joined in and helped plant all the flags in just a few hours.

So again, have we forgotten?

For most I think the answer is no.

I know that I have not and will never forget that day.