9.11.01

On the morning of Tuesday, 11 September 2001, my stepdaughter and I walked, carefree, to her pre-kindergarten school, in Baltimore, Maryland. I confidently left her in the care of the Catholic sisters, and returned to our family's row-house home.

Then, everything changed.

My wife had turned on the television set to watch the morning news. Something was happening in New York, the newsman was saying.

We watched, unbelieving, as the second plane flew into the World Trade Center. We telephoned our parents to be sure that they were safe, and I hurried back to the school to bring our daughter home.

A man, running on the street, called out, warning me to take cover. "It's World War III," he shouted.

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The Dust Cries Out was a memorial to the victims and survivors of 9/11, sculpted by Virginia artist Karen Swenholt in 2008. It featured two life-size nude figures representing the dust-covered victims (and survivors) of the Twin Towers and Pentagon crashes (and the heroes of Shanksville), with arms reaching toward the sky. It was briefly displayed in the artist's hometown (and now, mine) of Falls Church, Virginia.




8:46am ET 9.11.01
World Trade Center, North Tower: New York City.

9:03am ET 9.11.01
World Trade Center, South Tower: New York City.

9:37am ET 9.11.01
Pentagon: Arlington, Virginia.

10:03am ET 9.11.01
Shanksville, Pennsylvania.