September 11, 2001
I was a 17-year-old high school senior walking down the hall. One of the
teachers stopped me in the hallway to ask if I had seen anything about the
attacks yet. I hadn't, primarily because I was an office aid for first period
and we didn't have a tv to watch on. The bell rang, and off to second period I
went. The tv was on and everyone's eyes were glued to it. We watched in horror
as the second plane struck the WTC. Then we found out about the Pentagon. I had
family working there at the time so I ran to my mom's office in tears. To say
the day was a wash is an understatement. Nothing productive in class happened
that day. No one could speak, we were all terrified because no one knew what was
going on. We came together as a class, a school, and a community. It was a time
where the country was united.
2005
A friend of mine told me about a website where you could sign up to remember one
of the 2,996 lives lost on September 11th. I was honored to do so, and was
awarded Lt. Charles Margiotta.
2006
I wrote my very first blog post about Chuck. It was hard to find information
about him at the time, but the internet has changed that tremendously.
2025
This will be my 19th year honoring him and to say that I'm a different person
than I was in 2006 would be an understatement. As I shared with Mike, I told him
that when I signed up I was given a name. At that time Charles was just a name,
as crazy as that sounds, but today he is an old friend. Someone I've had the
pleasure to get to know and remember year after year. I'm so thankful that I
could get to know him through the use of technology. He was a fantastic man and
I'm honored that he is a part of my life. When I was 21, and signing up for
this, I never imagined what this experience would do to me. Who knew that I
would connect with Mike, and have the honor of speaking with him? My 21-year-old
self could never comprehend what is happening today. This blog isn't just about
Charles, and keeping his memory alive, it's about reminding people of a time
when our country was under attack, and remembering those who were lost. Today,
when I think about 9/11, Chuck always comes to mind. It's no longer about being
17 and in a school building, it's about remembering him, and countless others.
I'm no longer 17, or 21, thank goodness, but I have grown in that time. As we
head into the 24th Anniversary, please keep the memory of 9/11 in your hearts
and the thousands of families that have been affected.
