My Generation's Pearl Harbor

by Terri Wagner

Warning: tissues may be needed.

I used to devour personal accounts of "where were you" when Pearl Harbor was attacked. I guess we just thought it would never happen again...we were wrong. As each September 9/11 anniversary comes and goes, I remember with clarity every event of that day and the days that followed. I remember going to the Mobile Stake Center for a broadcast memorial service and feeling touched and comforted by fellow brothers and sisters. I remember nodding to any stranger on any street. We all felt connected. Crime went down; flags went up. It was time to cry.

Then there was the crying of a different nature when the stories of heroes emerged, the world that responded with kindness, the Canadians that sheltered our loved ones that could not yet get home.

I won't forget because I lived it. Much like my father's generation's Pearl Harbor.

These three songs in sequence reflect the feelings that came to me over those days, months, and years. I hope they touch you too.

Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning by Alan Jackson

Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue by Toby Keith. (BTW my dad served in the Air Force and lost his right knee.)

Have You Forgotten? by Darryl Worley (Warning: This video has some graphic images but I feel like if they lived through it, I can watch it.)

I remember when my dad came home from Vietnam. There just are no words to explain the joy and relief that your loved one comes home. Seeing My Dog the Day I got Back and The Best Surprise Military Homecomings: Part 4 (Watch Parts 1, 2, & 3.)