It snuck up on me. I could be glib and first write about the deadline for this column, but what I really mean is that Saturday is the 20th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Ceremonies are being planned across the country, including in Monroe.
In the relatively short time I have been writing this column, I have touched on anniversaries — including Main Street’s own 15th in 2020 — and what they excite. Anniversaries seem to dictate moments to take pause and reflect. But for myself, that’s exactly what happened on September 11th, 2001.
Sitting as a 7th grader in Mrs. McClain’s class, an announcement came on that a plan had struck a building in New York. In perhaps what can only be summarized as an “only in Wisconsin” moment, the class murmured that it must have been like the plane carrying milk that had crashed a couple weeks before and resulted in a milk shortage. The teacher responded, “that doesn’t sound good.” And our day continued. An announcement about the second plane is my last definitive memory of the day until I was safe at home watching the news with my parents and younger brother. The world seemed to pause as the chaos grew in New York and Washington, DC. and reflection started immediately.
Like nearly everything, reflections change — distorted by memory, by new facts, by talking to others, by pain, and by time. And as a 12-year-old, I was too young and too removed to really grasp how the world was changing and grieve. Because of that, I never truly felt the despair of the attack happening. But I also feel that the biggest reason I never despaired is because of the immediate aftermath of those attacks. And that immediate reflection has never changed for me. It could have seemed that chaos increased as firefighters, policemen, people all over were, in many cases, giving their lives to help. But their actions were about creating peace. About saving and rebuilding. Blood banks were overwhelmed as Americans from all walks of life donated record amounts of blood. Charities raised huge amounts of money. What I was not too young for and not too removed from, was to realize, if even temporarily, we judged only by content of character. Barriers seemed to be removed.
Never forget. It has become a go to phrase, a hashtag many post, likely without really taking the time to ask what it is we are supposed to always remember in the beginning of September. But that reflection that started that night of September 11, 2001, while not continuous, is something that I do remember even if I have to work at it sometimes. I think of middle schoolers in Green Bay, WI feeling emotionally connected to New York City, people sacrificing their lives for others, people finding ways to rebuild. That is extraordinary.
An artifact from that day is on the west side of the Monroe Fire Department, just south of the main doors of city hall downtown. It is steel that was recovered from the World Trade Center in October 2001 and later presented to the Monroe Fire Department “in recognition of the service of the emergency responders who protect the Monroe community.” It is displayed in memory of the victims of that terrorist attack. When it was recovered, we were still likely asking everyone if they were okay and prayed that they were. We needed reasons to smile.
Of course, parallels can be drawn. The 19th anniversary especially and the pandemic, for example. So, with those things in mind, what I am going to do my best at never forgetting is those immediate temporary moments of the aftermath where we had appreciation for character and commonality and the immediate reflection of them and our day-to-day life. And keep building on it.
On Saturday, during our farmers market, we will be co-hosting a 20th anniversary of remembrance with the American Legion and Auxiliary on the west side of the square. If you can, I hope you will join.
— Jordan Nordby is the executive director for Main Street Monroe. He can be reached at MonroeMainStreet@tds.net. Complete details on Main Street Monroe and its efforts can be found at mainstreetmonroe.org.
