ALWAYS REMEMBERED
It was lunchtime here in the UK. An ordinary working day; yes, quite ordinary.
When the company's resident practical joker stuck his head through our office door and told us a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center, we laughed.
It was as simple and unbelievable as that. We laughed.
Fifteen minutes later, one of the company directors came into our office, plugged in a small TV and we sat in stunned silence as Flight 175 ploughed into the South Tower. Remained unmoving as Flight 77 hit the Pentagon. Wondered what was to come, as Flight 93 was reported missing, presumed crashed...
With the hour looming and the twin towers burning on the screen before us, we began to come to terms with what we had witnessed. The decision was made to turn off the TV. Someone reached for the button, and swore as the South Tower began to fall before our eyes.
We waited with almost resigned inevitability, for the other tower to go.
It wasn't the fact that such a massive international icon was wiped from the face of the earth. It wasn't even the needless loss of life. For me, the fact that such a simple plan, carried out by men who had the desire to die for an extremist religious viewpoint, was truly frightening.
Those who lost relatives and friends in such an horrific way, must think back on those moments with hearts and minds that may never really heal. For the rest of the free world, the time for denial and sticking heads in the sand was well and truly over.
The world today is so different than it was 12 years ago; so much more different than it would have been, had this never happened.
September 11th, 2001 should have been 'just another, ordinary day' and the 4,380 days since, would have been so different.
Raise your glass in solemn remembrance of those innocent men, women and children who died 12 years ago, then raise it again in proud salute to those who continue to give their lives, so that this may never happen again.
