On September 11, 2001, I walked past the burning Pentagon. Twenty-five years later, I am still reckoning with where that walk took me, and where America goes from here.
Your words (or more, the feelings behind your words and the hopefulness you express) brought me to tears. I admire your strength, courage, honesty and loving heart--charcteristics I WANT to see as "American". Thank you, Olivia.
This was beautifully written. I’m sad to say that I am a fatalist by nature. I just do not share the hope that you have. History has shown that once countries fall into fascism it’s very unlikely that democracy returns. Perhaps I just don’t see the anger in every American. No one is in the streets. The courts can’t save us. Too many people don’t bother to vote. The midterms are not the end of Trump. Even if the Democrats take control this is just the beginning of a long long long road ahead. All of our institutions are in ashes. Allies gone. A bankrupt country. I just don’t see how we come out of this.
Lisa, please do not give up hope. There are more people who want to strengthen our democracy and live up to the values that Olivia writes about than there are people who want to give power to “a few”! Our country has been through awful challenges before- the civil war, the robber barons and the Great Depression, assasinations of leaders, the fight for civil rights and the right to vote, etc. I choose to see this time as our chance to improve our system of government and treat every human with dignity (no matter what their monetary value is!).
Thank you. I can see that we can build back better than before - I just wish it weren’t the hapless Democrats that we’re expecting to do it. There must be accountability and prosecution of all these crooks and we cannot have a Merrick Garland situation again. I adore Joe Biden but putting that wuss in as AG was the worst mistake he ever made. If we can win in 2028 the AG must be Jack Smith.
Jeffries met with Kushner about “affordability.” That was a rookie mistake. Schumer wants to see that Israel gets all it needs. Tell me that those two are the fighters that we need to address the corruption and restore the rule of law. I can almost guarantee you that they will want to “move on” for “the good of the country.” No. I want all these crooks prosecuted. They’re stealing my tax dollars.
I've been around long enough (b. 1951, came of political age in 1968) that I know Trump didn't come out of nowhere. The U.S. has been headed in this direction at least since Reagan, who used white grievance to get the votes needed to turn control over to the corporations and the anti-democratic right wing. As to "History has shown . . ." whose history are you reading? Spain, Italy, and Germany, to name a few European countries, have come out of fascism or Nazism. Hungary managed to get rid of Orbán in a reasonably "free and fair" election. And if "all our institutions are in ashes," how come mail keeps being delivered?
More to the point, what are you doing about it? There's almost certainly work to be done where you live, all different kinds of work, including supporting local and state candidates. Go offline for a while and see what you can find.
I’m younger than you but I was reading in the Journal of Democracy. Democracy is on the backslide worldwide. Look at the far right winners in Germany of all places. And no, I don’t know enough about German politics to even know how bad that is but anytime Musk is involved it’s frightening. What happened in Hungary was awesome but my point is I don’t see that level of anger here. I would love nothing better than to be proven wrong. As for our institutions, the military is being corrupted, the extreme court is corrupt, congress is corrupt, the media are being silenced, and he’s trying very hard to corrupt the post office. Like I said, my nature is fatalist and I am an empath so the last ten years have been extremely difficult.
I am happy with what is happening without public demonstrations. Calls are made, to legislators and voters. Millions of postcards have been written and mailed to voters by volunteers. At our own expense. Trump may try to control media, but he can't touch cable, Youtube, Substack and other social media. Historian Heather Cox Richardson alone has nearly 3 million followers. Jornalists who have left MSM are on Substack. We have tools that did not exist for prior generations fighting fascism. We will be successful in fighting back!
I understand what it must have taken for you to write your memories so eloquently. Thank you. And huge hugs. My vivid memories of that day still hang heavy in my heart. In the days after, it was the gut wrenching final phone calls to loved ones that made me examine my life closely and immediately: who would I have dialed in such a moment?
Olivia, thank you so much for your service to the country. My daughter was born on 9/11, years before, but in my mind, and hers, it will always be intertwined.
I visited the site in Pennsylvania a few years ago. We were the only ones there. It was haunting, and almost overpowering. If I hadn't been there myself, words wouldn't have been enough to describe the feelings of the place.
I remember the day like it was yesterday. I'm not sure that ever goes away.
Olivia, expectedly, your story brought me to tears. I vividly remember that day-the unending stream of people walking, some without shoes-that they had literally run out of in their haste to escape-as they slowly trudge past my then office on First Avenue, a few blocks south of the UN building. And the kindness of strangers along the way offering water, snacks, even footwear (!) to these fellow strangers.
I also tear up seeing how we as a nation have so lost and abandoned our true purpose.
Thank you for sharing your personal 9/11 story. So sorry your father passed away two months later. 💔
I was an airline employee on 9/11. It was my day off that day. I was in a state of shock for 2 or 3 days knowing that the terrorists used airplanes as missiles. The fellow airline employees and their passengers are the victims I always think about first. They must have assumed they were embarking on routine flights that day. Then the horror unfolded.😢
I had just left ZW due to a permanent injury and returned to college. I heard about it from a classmate who got a brief text on his phone. It wasn't until a little later that we heard the whole story.
Well done, thank you. Our paths might have crossed. That morning I picked up a rental car at DCA and drove it past the Pentagon just before the attack. While I was in a USAID training classroom out in Reston, we were interrupted. I eventually drove home to Takoma Park on a virtually empty I-495. Some days later, I drove past the gaping wound at the Pentagon to return the rental car. A few years later I visited the Pentagon Memorial Chapel.
Understanding and addressing the root causes of terrorism has been a lifelong quest for me since 2001. It’s … complicated.
I share your optimism. Our country has been to dark places before. We’ll emerge once again if we all do our part. Thank you for doing your part.
Your words (or more, the feelings behind your words and the hopefulness you express) brought me to tears. I admire your strength, courage, honesty and loving heart--charcteristics I WANT to see as "American". Thank you, Olivia.
Beautifully written Olivia. Thank you for sharing.
This was an exceptional post and I thank you for sharing your feelings, your thoughts and your perceptions. Also, thank you for your service.
Amazing story, Olivia. Thank you for sharing it with us. I'm saving it.
This was beautifully written. I’m sad to say that I am a fatalist by nature. I just do not share the hope that you have. History has shown that once countries fall into fascism it’s very unlikely that democracy returns. Perhaps I just don’t see the anger in every American. No one is in the streets. The courts can’t save us. Too many people don’t bother to vote. The midterms are not the end of Trump. Even if the Democrats take control this is just the beginning of a long long long road ahead. All of our institutions are in ashes. Allies gone. A bankrupt country. I just don’t see how we come out of this.
Lisa, please do not give up hope. There are more people who want to strengthen our democracy and live up to the values that Olivia writes about than there are people who want to give power to “a few”! Our country has been through awful challenges before- the civil war, the robber barons and the Great Depression, assasinations of leaders, the fight for civil rights and the right to vote, etc. I choose to see this time as our chance to improve our system of government and treat every human with dignity (no matter what their monetary value is!).
Thank you. I can see that we can build back better than before - I just wish it weren’t the hapless Democrats that we’re expecting to do it. There must be accountability and prosecution of all these crooks and we cannot have a Merrick Garland situation again. I adore Joe Biden but putting that wuss in as AG was the worst mistake he ever made. If we can win in 2028 the AG must be Jack Smith.
"I just wish it weren’t the hapless Democrats that we’re expecting to do it. "
I've got a soapbox right here. There is much to be said about those compromised actors.
Jeffries met with Kushner about “affordability.” That was a rookie mistake. Schumer wants to see that Israel gets all it needs. Tell me that those two are the fighters that we need to address the corruption and restore the rule of law. I can almost guarantee you that they will want to “move on” for “the good of the country.” No. I want all these crooks prosecuted. They’re stealing my tax dollars.
I've been around long enough (b. 1951, came of political age in 1968) that I know Trump didn't come out of nowhere. The U.S. has been headed in this direction at least since Reagan, who used white grievance to get the votes needed to turn control over to the corporations and the anti-democratic right wing. As to "History has shown . . ." whose history are you reading? Spain, Italy, and Germany, to name a few European countries, have come out of fascism or Nazism. Hungary managed to get rid of Orbán in a reasonably "free and fair" election. And if "all our institutions are in ashes," how come mail keeps being delivered?
More to the point, what are you doing about it? There's almost certainly work to be done where you live, all different kinds of work, including supporting local and state candidates. Go offline for a while and see what you can find.
I’m younger than you but I was reading in the Journal of Democracy. Democracy is on the backslide worldwide. Look at the far right winners in Germany of all places. And no, I don’t know enough about German politics to even know how bad that is but anytime Musk is involved it’s frightening. What happened in Hungary was awesome but my point is I don’t see that level of anger here. I would love nothing better than to be proven wrong. As for our institutions, the military is being corrupted, the extreme court is corrupt, congress is corrupt, the media are being silenced, and he’s trying very hard to corrupt the post office. Like I said, my nature is fatalist and I am an empath so the last ten years have been extremely difficult.
I am happy with what is happening without public demonstrations. Calls are made, to legislators and voters. Millions of postcards have been written and mailed to voters by volunteers. At our own expense. Trump may try to control media, but he can't touch cable, Youtube, Substack and other social media. Historian Heather Cox Richardson alone has nearly 3 million followers. Jornalists who have left MSM are on Substack. We have tools that did not exist for prior generations fighting fascism. We will be successful in fighting back!
I guess November will tell us whether we start the long road to recovery or whether we lose what we took for granted.
I understand what it must have taken for you to write your memories so eloquently. Thank you. And huge hugs. My vivid memories of that day still hang heavy in my heart. In the days after, it was the gut wrenching final phone calls to loved ones that made me examine my life closely and immediately: who would I have dialed in such a moment?
So glad you’re here - intact, vibrant, and writing!
Olivia, thank you so much for your service to the country. My daughter was born on 9/11, years before, but in my mind, and hers, it will always be intertwined.
I visited the site in Pennsylvania a few years ago. We were the only ones there. It was haunting, and almost overpowering. If I hadn't been there myself, words wouldn't have been enough to describe the feelings of the place.
I remember the day like it was yesterday. I'm not sure that ever goes away.
September 11 is my birthday, too.
🤷♂️
On whichever date the U.S. is finallly rid of DJT, I will celebrate wildly & ecstatically.
Beautifully written. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on that day and who you are.
Olivia, expectedly, your story brought me to tears. I vividly remember that day-the unending stream of people walking, some without shoes-that they had literally run out of in their haste to escape-as they slowly trudge past my then office on First Avenue, a few blocks south of the UN building. And the kindness of strangers along the way offering water, snacks, even footwear (!) to these fellow strangers.
I also tear up seeing how we as a nation have so lost and abandoned our true purpose.
Thank you for this beautifully written story, Olivia. Your words are certainly the best of what we should hope for our country.
Please run for office again.
Great post!!
Thank you for sharing your personal 9/11 story. So sorry your father passed away two months later. 💔
I was an airline employee on 9/11. It was my day off that day. I was in a state of shock for 2 or 3 days knowing that the terrorists used airplanes as missiles. The fellow airline employees and their passengers are the victims I always think about first. They must have assumed they were embarking on routine flights that day. Then the horror unfolded.😢
I had just left ZW due to a permanent injury and returned to college. I heard about it from a classmate who got a brief text on his phone. It wasn't until a little later that we heard the whole story.
Thank you for writing this, Olivia. I am sharing it far & wide
Well done, thank you. Our paths might have crossed. That morning I picked up a rental car at DCA and drove it past the Pentagon just before the attack. While I was in a USAID training classroom out in Reston, we were interrupted. I eventually drove home to Takoma Park on a virtually empty I-495. Some days later, I drove past the gaping wound at the Pentagon to return the rental car. A few years later I visited the Pentagon Memorial Chapel.
Understanding and addressing the root causes of terrorism has been a lifelong quest for me since 2001. It’s … complicated.
I share your optimism. Our country has been to dark places before. We’ll emerge once again if we all do our part. Thank you for doing your part.