In Your Own Words: Remembering 9/11 Part III

By Michele Ripple

My husband was Active Duty Air Force and we were stationed at Edwards Air Force Base, California on that fateful day.  I was getting my 6 year old daughter ready for an expectedly usual day of first grade, when I received a phone call from a friend in New York.  She informed us of the first plane colliding with the World Trade Center -- the only incident at that point.  I dropped my daughter off at school and returned home where my husband and I remained glued to the news, trying to make sense of what seemed to have been a terrible accident.  Our hearts stopped when the second plane passed across our television screen and penetrated the second tower. It was crystal clear at that moment, that our nation was under attack.     

The military base went on "lock down," which meant that all persons were to remain in their homes or buildings with doors locked, unless in cases of emergency.  Immediately, I thought about my daughter at school, knowing that there would be no recess and assuming the confusion that she would likely feel when the day didn't go as scheduled.  I called the school and asked if parents were permitted to retrieve their children and as soon as I got the "okay," I wasted no time in doing so. When I arrived at the school, I was haunted by the vision of men in uniform surrounding the campus armed with M-16s.  This, a common occurrance at the base gates, but never like this. I have never in my life felt such fear and security at the same time.  I will never forget.