The Day That Evil Thought It Won

Life is fragile. Many of us, myself included, often don't value life enough. We forget how fragile it really is.  It can change in a New York minute, and we have to try to live for the moment. 

 One of the most prophetic statements ever appeared in a song by Don Henley.

‘In a New York minute, everything can change.’

Today marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11. That fateful day was when terrorism wreaked havoc on the United States. No one in America thought it was possible. Direct hits on U.S. soil–unheard of!

Today, we face a different kind of terrorist. He shows little concern for human life or for the harm he inflicts.  Have we learned nothing from that tragic day years ago?  I guess not.

I can remember vividly where I was on that day.  I was living in America then. I had just finished working for a terrible company. They were involved in all kinds of fraud and were facing scrutiny from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

It is a long story that I will save for another time.  Suffice it to say, they need a scapegoat.  Who better to blame than a poor, unsuspecting Aussie whom they had right where they wanted him. They knew I wanted to stay and work in the U.S.

Purely by chance, I managed to free myself from their clutches and got a job with another company.  They were based in Clinton, New Jersey, about an hour from New York, on Route 78.  Their location on Route 78 has no bearing whatsoever.  It just makes me feel good to say it.

My wife and I were still living in Medford, New Jersey.  It was a beautiful town.  Contrary to popular belief, New Jersey has some nice places.  Medford sits just under two hours from New York City and about 40 minutes from Philadelphia. That matters, as you will see.

On September 10, I made my way to Clinton in order to start work.  It was a Monday. My boss said not to come in until Tuesday. He and the management team were flying to Paris that weekend.  They were launching the company’s product in Europe.

I stayed at the Holiday Inn, Clinton.  Settled in, had some dinner and watched TV for a bit before bed.

When I woke up in the morning, everything seemed eerily quiet.  Clinton wasn't a big town, but it usually had a buzz about it, especially on workdays.  I got up and took a shower.  I was sitting down, drinking coffee in my room. 

Like most good Americans, I thought I would turn on the TV for comfort while I contemplated the day ahead.  CNN was broadcasting the news.  I wasn’t really paying much attention to it until the dramatic music music announcing a news flash. A hotel attendant walked down the corridor, telling everyone to stay in their rooms.

Then reality hit.  I didn’t believe it at first, and thought it was some sort of movie.  Flight 11 from Boston, headed for Los Angeles, California, crashed into one of the Twin Towers.

As we know, this was one of four hijacked planes. One crashed into the Twin Towers, another hit the Pentagon, and the last went down in a field in Pennsylvania.

The office called and said, “Don’t bother coming in,” as if I had a choice.  Then I called my wife.  She was obviously concerned, but there was nothing that anyone could do except sit tight. 

Martial law took over. McGuire Air Force Base, located between Clinton and Medford, was vital in the days right after 9/11. For a week, I stayed isolated in the hotel.  My wife was isolated in our house in Medford.

It brings back vivid memories, but not good ones.

If anything good came of this day, it was the effect it had on the American people.  The hostility many people normally displayed disappeared. The racial hatred dissolved.  It showed how people from all walks of life could actually get along with respect and civility.  Evil dealt a savage blow, but it did not win.

Sadly, five years later, some in the U.S. (one in particular) have quickly forgotten that day's tragedies. They seem determined to create more despair and uncertainty, driven by an inflated ego. The world already has plenty of both.

We left the U.S. in December 2021 and came back to Australia.  I will never forget that day in September, though.

Till next time,

Calvin