Monday, March 11, 2002
LOOKING BACK
After watching "9/11" on CBS last night, the haunting images and thoughts from that day and my subsequent visit to New York last October came rushing back to me. For some reason, I have really (no, I mean really) identified with this tragedy. They had some crazy footage from inside Tower 1 last night that I just couldn't believe. It showed many firefighters going up the stairs to rescue people and maybe put out the fires. But it also showed countless fire chiefs standing in the lobby trying to set up a command post there. And while they were doing that, they got the call to evacuate the building. It was so sad for me to realize that they had gone there to save lives only to have to leave frantically to try to save their own without even getting much of a chance to do much for others. It was so courageous of them and yet so sad that they weren't able to do what they had gone there to do.
While I was there in October, I stood there at Ground Zero with Karena and Luong and we took in the sights, sounds, and that smell I will never forget. We took a few photographs, but neither one of us feel it was appropriate to snap more. You know, after I took a photography class my senior year in high school, I have always been fascinated with photos which are able to capture the emotion of the moment. But two images that I really wanted to photograph, but felt I just couldn't do it justice or pay the proper respects were: (1) a candlelight and flower vigil outside a Manhattan firehouse that nearly overflowed into the street and (2) the countless flyers of those missing posted in Grand Central Station. Yeah, we've seen those images on our TVs sets over and over, but those two images are forever etched in my brain. Somehow, I wanted to take the picture, but just couldn't bring myself to do it.
It's amazing that even after six months, my emotions still run so deep.
God Bless America.
After watching "9/11" on CBS last night, the haunting images and thoughts from that day and my subsequent visit to New York last October came rushing back to me. For some reason, I have really (no, I mean really) identified with this tragedy. They had some crazy footage from inside Tower 1 last night that I just couldn't believe. It showed many firefighters going up the stairs to rescue people and maybe put out the fires. But it also showed countless fire chiefs standing in the lobby trying to set up a command post there. And while they were doing that, they got the call to evacuate the building. It was so sad for me to realize that they had gone there to save lives only to have to leave frantically to try to save their own without even getting much of a chance to do much for others. It was so courageous of them and yet so sad that they weren't able to do what they had gone there to do.
While I was there in October, I stood there at Ground Zero with Karena and Luong and we took in the sights, sounds, and that smell I will never forget. We took a few photographs, but neither one of us feel it was appropriate to snap more. You know, after I took a photography class my senior year in high school, I have always been fascinated with photos which are able to capture the emotion of the moment. But two images that I really wanted to photograph, but felt I just couldn't do it justice or pay the proper respects were: (1) a candlelight and flower vigil outside a Manhattan firehouse that nearly overflowed into the street and (2) the countless flyers of those missing posted in Grand Central Station. Yeah, we've seen those images on our TVs sets over and over, but those two images are forever etched in my brain. Somehow, I wanted to take the picture, but just couldn't bring myself to do it.
It's amazing that even after six months, my emotions still run so deep.
God Bless America.
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