September 11, 2001, I was 1/3 the way through my career as a Park Ranger working for the Federal government. That morning was normal at work, myself and another ranger went out to the parks to collect use fees. As we pulled into one of the campgrounds, the Park Attendant asked us if we had heard the news about the planes flying into the Twin Towers in New York. At that time we had no idea what happened, so we parked our vehicle and went inside the gatehouse to catch the news.

 Complete shock is the only word I can use to describe what I saw.  All these years I thought we were securely protected from something so tragic. Fear gripped me as I wondered what else would happen. We left there and continued our work, when my boss called on the radio for us to come back to the office immediately. Since we were federal employees, they wanted to insure everyone was safe and check our facilities for security purposes.

 About 1030 am I called my grandmother to ask if she had heard the news. She hadn’t, so I informed her to turn on the TV. When she did, all I heard her say was, “Oh my God”, and she hung up the phone with not another word said. She lived in a time when Pearl Harbor was attacked and her husband had to enter into the World War II. I’m sure it brought back horrible memories of that day for her.

 The rest of the day was a blur. All I remember was how stressed, angered, and afraid I was throughout the day. Our kids were young, but they could tell something bad had happened and could read it on our faces. The next day was  Wednesday so we attended church services that night and prayed for our country and the victims of that day.

 From that day forward, everything changed at work. Security was tight, we implemented measures to protect our resources and for a long while we planned for the worst. Thankfully nothing else bad happened, but we were definitely on edge and concerned for our safety.

 On this 25^th anniversary of 9/11, I want to thank the brave men and women who protect our nation, and I pray for the victim’s families who still hurt from their loss. Most of all, I thank God for our President, who loves this country and has shown strength across the globe.

 May today’s generation (who never experienced this event) not lose sight of the enemies who attacked us and elect leaders who love this country and will do everything in their power to defend the United States of America! God bless!