Remembering 9-11

For me this picture is emblematic of what I remember fro 9-11 thanks to Reuters for helping me remember

Where were you on that frightful, hideous morning? My wife and I were leaving home for work. We were both school administrators. She rushed to her school and I proceeded to my office at the corner of Sixth Street and Grand, downtown Los Angeles, on the 35th floor. At that time I was the director for a number school in the LA school district. The drive into the city was memorable I don't recall the usual mad rushing of cars in and out of traffic lanes. I recall there was an even flow of traffic, somber faces inside their autos, all intensely listening to the radio.
As I entered the elevator to take me up to the thirty third floor, I sensed that this morning was not the usual quiet ride with everyone looking up at the number indicator. It was a more somber, ailing elevator ride. As the elevator doors opened, each floor seemed to be accepting its share of the ailing load of disheartened colleagues and coworkers.
Upon entering my office I was notified of an immediate emergency meeting. Providing support and services to our schools was our number one priority. We needed to assess the our students, staffs and schools, provide counseling services and mental health to  the local schools and assess emergency school plans. We gathered a group instructional leaders to develop lesson plans for our teachers and students to deal with this tragedy. Suddenly an emergency call came through the building communication speakers to all high rise buildings in downtown Los Angeles: evacuate ASAP. We were dispersed to our local schools to assist them and assess their plans. I spent the rest of the day visiting classroom and listening to some very hard working teachers, teaching their students about  the days events, easing fears and calming hearts and minds.
Ten years have passed, ten years of fear, restrictions and loss of liberties. Ten years of wars; some of those kids that were sitting in my schools that day have died in that far away sand, others have returned with missing limbs and mental illnesses.Ten years find our economy in shambles and our young still dying. And us?  Still living in fear.
Ten years and we still don't have a state education curriculum to answer the questions of elementary, middle and high school students. Why? And you, what do you remember?