Quiet Skies Over Alaska

Remembering the shock and horror of September 11, 2001; I stand in my yard at home in Alaska today.

As I scan the sky for the comforting normalcy of small planes passing overhead, I clearly remember the eerie silence of that day twenty years ago when all planes were abruptly ordered out of the sky.

If you are not an Alaskan, or someone who lives near a busy airport elsewhere, you may not be able to quite comprehend the total and unnatural silence of a sky suddenly, very suddenly, empty of airplanes.

In Alaska, air travel is part of everyday life. The drone of plane engines a background noise noticed more by its absence.

My home is loosely surrounded by private airstrips, a small city airport and several lakes large enough to host any number of float-planes.

Wherever you stand in Alaska; if you can see a large portion of the sky, chances are you will locate at least one airplane in the air. Often more than one.

Every year, on September 11th, I stand in my yard, looking to the sky for airplanes. Each one I see brings comfort on this terrible anniversary, just as it brings back memories of the silence of that tragic day.

I pause, remembering and honoring in my heart the thousands lost to the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack. As the daughter of a firefighter, I send up a special prayer for the heroes of the NYFD, then and now.

WE WILL NOT FORGET.