Today is the anniversary of a day I will never forget. For many reasons, 9/11 is a day that will be permanently etched in my mind. I’ll never forget where I was when the first news came in of a plane hitting the World Trade Center buildings. I thought it must have been a small plane that lost control. I as well as the rest of the world, learned quickly that was not the case. As the day unfolded, I remember it was hard to comprehend what was happening and, more so, what it meant for our country and our future.
What was hard for me was, as it began to sink in, I worried about my boys. My oldest son was scheduled to report to the San Diego Marine Corps boot camp that Saturday. He obviously enlisted well before this terrible day. But it was quite apparent as the hours passed that he was most likely going to be seeing action as our country prepared to retaliate for this terrible tragedy.
My oldest son proudly served as a Marine and eventually a Special Forces soldier for twenty-plus years. He recently retired this past July (2023) after a distinguished career in Special Forces. I am grateful for his service and that he has returned safely from all the missions he did.
While I won’t go into detail, I was involved in this tragedy by the end of the day. It took many years before I could revisit the site. In 2015, I visited the site for the first time. I was misty-eyed during that visit. I saw others who were the same way and knew they shared something about that day. It was hard to stand on the grounds where, years before, this terrible tragedy took place.
As I do with a lot of things, I expressed my feelings that day by taking photographs. Today, I will share several images I made that day. If our paths cross, I would happily share my story over a coffee or beer. Today, I hope you enjoy and, more than anything else, remember that day and honor those that we lost. Our world changed that day.
This morning, I took some time and pulled the box of memories from that day off the shelf. I opened the box and, for a little while, paid my respects to my friends who never came home that day. I sent my thoughts out to all the first responders that day and all the others who defined what America was all about selfless giving. I will never forget.
Never Forget!
Kevin Raber
September 2023
Elevate Your Vision
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