Five Years Later....

[dawn_felagund]

A Quick Introductory Note:I have written this post for myself because I want most of all for my journal to be just that: a journal that I can look upon in a few--or many--years time. I am leaving it unlocked, however, because I think [hope?] that discussing and thinking about these things will help us in the end, whether in the practical sense of

Comments

[mirien]

A small Brit perspective here and short becasue of the hour, but I will try for coherence.

And Dawn, I hope it's appropriate to post this here. I wanted to say it and your post gave the the push to say it.

I can remember exactly what I was doing too. I was a police probationer, on duty in a town on the south coast of England with my tutor and my training squad. I was sitting writing something, I believe, when someone came into the briefing room and told us a plane had gone into one of the towers at the World Trade Centre.

We all trooped up to the TV in the police bar and jaws dropped one by one in sheer horror. It was an odd one, that, standing there in police uniform, watching those we considered colleagues going into those buildings, thinking of them, thinking we could have been doing that.

Then the second plane went in and there was utter silence, a reaching out to other human beings across the world, to every single member of the emergency services personnel. I know I personally felt like I was straining, trying to lend my strength.

It's an odd thing. People join the emergency services for many reasons and I had mine like anyone else, some altruistic, some personal. But I can say hand on heart and hoping this is not viewed as looking for kudos, that I wanted with everything i was to be standing next to the men and women of the NYPD and the NYFD, because that's what we did, who we were. Life or death in that moment was a subjective thing, it felt wrong to be in uniform and half a world away. It broke my heart.

So as a Brit and ex cop, this being the only comment I'll make in the tribute posts to 9-11. I salute your courage, my friends and colleagues, I would have stood beside you.

[dawn_felagund]

Of course it is appropriate! :) I am glad that my post inspired you to share your own story. Thank you for this. :)

I know that working in law enforcement now (though only as a geek), I think often of my uniformed coworkers and the chances that they take every day in keeping everyone else safe. I have no doubt that they would have stood beside their NYPD colleagues, and that brings it home for me, somehow. I hope that this makes sense. :)

It really takes a special person to go into emergency services. I admire you all. I could not do it.