Never Forget

None of my usual stuff today....just Remembrance. I often watch this video to help me remember what's important in life. It always draws great emotion from me, and I ache for any child that has to live without their parent(s).

I was working, that Tuesday morning of September 11, 2001, at the Charles Schwab call center in Indianapolis. I was already on the phones, because the clients we typically served were on the East Coast. There was a television in front of me (they hung from the ceiling) just across the aisle. When the news broke on CNBC, the investment world's channel of choice, there was already a cloud of smoke billowing from the first tower hit.

They weren't sure what happened at first...was it an accident? Was it a plane, or maybe a some kind of explosion from within the building? Maria Bartiromo was normally on for the Opening Bell, but it wasn't 9:30 yet and she had gone outside to see if she could find out what was going on at the World Trade Center.

They were showing a live shot of Tower 1 and the black smoke still billowing out. That's when it happened...the second plane hit on live television. I was in shock.

I was within my team, and I just remember no one saying anything....except for me. To me, it seemed as though they were ignoring it. I just wanted someone to feel close to...to feel my pain with...yet they all sat silent. Ignoring me and/or talking on the phone.

I remember being so angry...not at the act itself...it still hadn't sank in yet. But I was angry at the clients that continued to call in. Here we were, in the middle of a national tragedy, the markets were closed, and people were still calling in wondering about their accounts or why the market never opened.

I remember one of the bosses of the entire call center came walking around, not believing it was terrorism. "Why wouldn't they attack the Statue of Liberty?" she wondered.

It was a hard day...and I was thousands of miles away. I couldn't even imagine how the people of New York were feeling. Part of me wanted to just drive there and help out. In retrospect, I wish I would have...even with the knowledge that I'd likely currently be very ill from the toxic smoke...I still wish I would. But I had a family...and I was needed here too.

One of the more unforgivable acts committed by Charles Schwab happened the following Friday...during the national moment of silence. "We encourage you to take time out and pray and remember those who lost their lives," the email said, "during a break or at your lunch. But at this time of great need, we ask that you make sure to be on the phones to be there for our clients." Way to be a typical business that day, Charles Schwab, rather than an industry leader.

I wasn't scheduled to be on the phones during the national moment of silence that Friday. But you can assure that if I was scheduled to be, I wouldn't have been. Several friends not only didn't take any calls during that time, they logged off their computer entirely. I don't know anyone that did take a call, but I am certain there were some. For shame on those people that called on during the national moment of silence...for shame.

So now, I shall say a silent prayer for those that lost their lives on September 11, 2001. I love you, I know you are in a better place, and I hope your families are doing as well as could be expected.

If you feel so inclined, feel free to post your memory of 9-11. You can include a link to your blog if you already told the story there, or feel free to write it in response here. I think I'd enjoy seeing how others remember that day.

We Will Never Forget.