What Were You Doing On 9-11?
by Harriet Hairston
In the midst of the firestorm caused by Rep. Joe Wilson’s disrespect of the POTUS, life goes on. There was a moment, a stitch in the time of our Nation’s history, when life was unceremoniously brought to a tragic pause. Although this article comes days after the eighth anniversary of 9-11, it still deserves attention, and for me, I’ll never forget that day…
The Air Force paid my way through school. I was pelted with eggs at a not-so-military-friendly school, but I kept wearing my uniform every Wednesday because those fools wasting perfectly good food were not paying for my education. It was capitalism at its best…I serve four years with a great salary for them paying my tuition, books and fees for three and a half years.
On September 9, 1999, I earned my commission as a second lieutenant and went off into the wild blue yonder as a section commander with Air Combat Command in Florida. The first two years of my career had their ups and downs, but I learned a lot, and made lifelong friends in the process. However, my focus was on a JOB, not serving my country.
On September 9, 2001, I was promoted to first lieutenant, but Friday, the 7th, we celebrated that promotion at my job. More money, more shopping, more donations to charitable organizations, more freedom to do what I wanted and do well on the job.
Business as usual met me on the 10th of September. I had to once again reprimand some of the young airmen working for me for watching soap operas on the job. I told them it was unprofessional, and if they were going to enjoy the privilege of having a television in the workplace, that the channel needed to be news or military related.
September 11th came around, and I walked into my office on a rampage! No, these young ladies did NOT just totally disregard what I just said 24 hours ago! I mean, soap operas is one thing, but watching a movie when you’re supposed to be working is another! Before I could say anything, I realized with horror that this was no action flick playing on the screen…it was the real deal, and my viewpoint regarding my “job” and career totally changed. As I watched the second plane assault that building, I realized that suddenly I was no longer engaged in a simple job. I was serving my country!
As the F-15s began to ramp up, preparing for their inevitable orders, the tanks and weapons began to arrive at the entrances and exits to the base, and we all realized that our fun and games during operational readiness exercises were about to be put to the test for real, I no longer took my career for granted. I was suddenly more appreciative of the sacrifices those who had served before me had made for the sake of freedom.
That’s the long and short of my story and how 9-11 altered my life. Suddenly the words of Charles Shurz rang clearly: “Our country, right or wrong. When right, to be kept right; when wrong, to be put right.”
What were you doing, and how did 9-11 change you?
God bless!
~ Harriet
Harriet Hairston, a freelance writer, human resources administrator at an HBCU and creator of the motivational blog, “Can She SAY That?!?” has a unique style that brings readers into her life through her transparent demeanor. She lives in Louisiana with her husband and two sons. You can reach her at harriet_hairston@yahoo.com.
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