I remember the absolutely crystal blue skies in NY state that day.  It was a beautiful September day.  The kids had just gone back to school, I was home with just my little one, barely over a year old.  I had just stepped out of the shower when the phone rang.

Clark was calling me from the base (Fort Drum 10th Mountain Div.), he asked if I was watching CNN.  I made some off the cuff remark that "duh, I have a 1 year old at home, Sesame Street maybe, CNN?? No!".  He said go turn it on, someone just flew a plane into the WTC.  Then he said "Oh My God, did you see that??" It didn't sink in, I was standing in a towel and told him I'd call him back.  I got dressed, went downstairs and turned the TV to CNN.  The OMG was because he was watching the 2nd plane hit the 2nd tower.

I called him back and we talked a bit, he was in military mode so I didn't get to talk to him long.  Then I sat riveted to the television, and watched as a 3rd plane (initially thought to be a helicopter) crashed into the pentagon.  I knew better than to try and call Clark on the base, so I sent him an email that said "Should I be getting scared now?"  He replied with one word  - "Yes"

At 1:00 p.m. he pulled up in front of the house.  All the fear of that day deepened 10 fold because I knew there was only one reason he was home.  He quietly loaded all his mobility gear into the back of his car and kissed me deeply and wiped away my tears, then kissed his son of only a year, and said "I don't know when I'll be home again"  I had a million questions, and knew that he could answer none of them.  I told him to call the first chance he got.

As I watched him drive away I was mixed with a sense of terrible grief and fear because I truly did not know when I would see him again, or IF I would see him again.  But more than that, I held a sense of pride that carried me through that dark day.

The skies were very blue that day, and without a cloud in the NY sky, the rain of a million tears fell upon us...

Cat
      
When Alex got home off the school bus, he was unsure what to do with himself, with what was going on around him (the base) and wondering if his step-dad was coming home - he decided to do the only thing he could to cope - he rebuilt the twin towers, out of lego - but not just any lego would do - it had to be entirely of red, white and blue lego...

I was between Minden and Bosser City LA on I 20.  I was listening to the Moon Griffon Show on AM 540 when they broke in with the news.  I seriously thought this was a *spoof* (like when the did the War of the Worlds news broadcast), until the second plane hit the towers.

I was at home watching it happen on the internet.  My girlfriend called and we talked abit about our fears and then I went over to her house for the day and watched the events unfold.  I was terrified.  However, this made a great inpact on my son Christopher and is one of the reasons he joined the Marine Corps.