I remember exactly where I was when the Twin Towers were hit on Sept. 11, 2001. I remember how I found out. I still remember the crappy joke I made about it, not yet knowing the full context of what was happening. Some parts of the day are hazy. But I remember some details. I don’t have any really good way to honor the troops or the sacrifices that have been made since Sept. 11. So I thought I’d share this little tidbit with you.

I was in the basement of the Physics Building at Syracuse University waiting with several other students for our Astronomy lab to begin.

Google + 'patriotic' = this picture

It was my freshman year of college. I’d been on campus for a few weeks by then, since college starts in late August. I’d made several friends, gotten used to my class schedule had had turned 18-years-old the week before. I very much enjoyed Astronomy class, but the lab on the side was something less than fun. It started at 8:30 a.m., we were in the basement and our Teaching Assistant had already developed a reputation for being pathetic. And late.

Only later would I understand that Teaching Assistants in those types of classes are actually graduate students working to get their degree. All I knew then was that we had some Russian guy who was always late and spoke only broken English. He was a bit of a nutter, too.

So there we were, a mix of freshmen and upperclassmen, hanging out in the hallway outside the lab room waiting for our TA. I’d made a few friends in the lab, people I’d often partner with, but all of us were kind of chatting and joking around. We often tried to quote that unwritten rule (or was it written?) that if a TA is 10 minutes late then you’re free to go. I believe professors get 15 minutes before class is simply considered null and void.

Some girl got a call or a text or something on her cell phone about the Towers. That’s how I found out.

I didn’t have my own phone back then. And I think cell phones were still something of a new thing. But some girl found out that a plane had crashed into the Twin Towers and she told everybody. But we were in the basement of the Physics Building with no TV and no way to know or find out what was really going on.

I joked something like, “There are planes flying into the Twin Towers but we’re still waiting for this TA to show up?” I’m paraphrasing.

Anyway, none of us left, or few of us did, if any. The TA eventually showed up and we held our lab. I don’t remember what the lab was about, and I don’t remember what new information came in about the Towers while we were in class. I believe that’s when they fell, sometime while we were busing doing Astronomy stuff. I don’t remember much of what came next. I vaguely remember walking back to my dorm and standing in the lounge on Brew 5 watching the news. I remember visiting a few of my friends in the dorm to see if they were OK. I didn’t know anybody in the towers or anybody in New York City, so I was not personally effected.

I remember going with everybody else to the mass at the chapel on the Quad, but I don’t remember anything about that. I think I found a friend of mine sitting on a bench, and I went and sat with her. I had to ask her for a pencil.

Because weirdest of all, we still had an Astronomy test that day. I know a few of my classmates had decided to skip it, but I was torn by my scholarly honor. I borrowed the girl’s pencil and went and took my best.

I think I got a B.

Anyway, I just thought I’d share. Much love and respect to everyone who died on that day, and everyone who has died since. And especially to those who are still fighting.