I will NEVER, ever forget the fear and sadness I felt on that day and for many afterwards. It was numbing.
I was on my way into work in Arlington when I heard our morning show break in with the news...that a plane had hit the World Trade Center in New York. Like all of us, I thought...that can't be what happened...something else is going on. By the time I got to the office, it became apparent that this was an act of terror.
As I walked into our office, I saw it - people running down the halls, screaming about the Pentagon being on fire - I looked out a window and could see the smoke and became absolutely terrified. My parents in Texas were watching the news and calling, begging me to get out of the city. I couldn't, I told them...part of my job is broadcasting the news. By around noon, we had decided to simulcast our sister station, which was a news outlet. My boss told me to go home, so I did...and spent the rest of the day sobbing, glued to the tv.
In the days following the attacks, I recall seeing flags everywhere I went in the DMV. And watching Americans unite and display such an awe-inspiring and patriotic sense of love and resolve for our great nation during a time of horror and uncertainty.
It's all still so vivid...like it was yesterday. And today, 22 years later...we remember. The day that changed our existence forever.
To everyone who lost a loved one...to the survivors, the fearless first responders and our brave troops...may God continue to watch over you, bless you and keep you.