A Mom’s Story

Bobbie Anne, creator of the BlogWithMom  website was a young mom on the day of 9-11-2001.  She sent the Boot Campaign her reflections and what many young parents faced as they considered their children dealing with a future post 9-11.  

By Bobbie Anne

I will never forget September 11, 2001. My son was almost fifteen months old and attended a mother’s day out program at a local church in Shreveport, Louisiana. My day went as usual, running as many errands as possible before the 3 pm pick-up. When I got to school that afternoon, everyone was talking about the World Trade Center, hijackings and terrorists. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. It started as an ordinary day and I was supposed to hear about the playground, what he ate from his lunch box and about his new friends, not about terrorists!

I called my husband and went straight home to turn on the news and then I saw it. Everything I had heard the teachers speak of, but worse than I could imagine. I just stood in my living room in disbelief as I watched the tragedy unfold in front of me. I saw images on the news I never expected to see burned into my mind so I will never forget. It was like watching a tragic movie, how could this be happening? What about these people that were trapped inside this horrible dream? What about the children that were left without parents and the husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, parents, and grandparents knowing they would never see their loved ones again. The last minute phone calls made to say their goodbyes and to express their love, I can’t begin to imagine how those people must have felt.

I started taping the news and collected all the newspapers over the next few days. I wanted my child to experience this as I had, when he got older. I wanted him to see this and hear it, rather than read about it in a text book at school years down the road. So many brave people lost their lives on this tragic day. So many families were affected by this event. For the days that followed, I can remember the panic I experienced in leaving the house, the thoughts of this happening again. As time went on, I began to feel safe again until the first anniversary of 9-11 rolled around. Should I let my family leave the house? Should my husband go to work? Where would the next terrorist target be? Were we safe in Louisiana? What high traffic area could be a target in my town? Should my family ever ride on an airplane again? These thoughts continued over the next few anniversary dates, but gradually lessened as no similar instances took place.

It has been ten years since the tragedy of 9-11 and I still find myself looking at the calendar and wondering where my family will be on that day. Will we be together  or will everyone be at work and school? The fear of flying always lingers in the back of my mind. Luckily we are accustomed to taking vacations in the van.

Thank God that our military is here to keep us safe. They continue to fight for our country so that we may have freedoms that sadly, most people take for granted. Military families go without in order to make the United States a safer place to live. Many spouses and children are separated from their loved ones for long periods of time while they serve our country. Sadly, many do not make it back home, and families lose loved ones while they are protecting the U.S. from the unthinkable actions that occur on a daily basis outside of the U.S.  I hope in reading my story, people will continue to keep the memory of September 11, 2001 alive and to remember what our military does for us on a daily basis.

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