A Day We Will Always Remember

September 11, 2001.

Ask anyone what they were doing that day, and they will tell you immeadiately. The whole world will remember this day and the events they were taking part in when the news was given to them.

I was at River Valley High School. Tom Herring's mod to be exact. I was in good ol' CP English 09. Mr. Gorenflo came over the PA system and said he wanted the student-body and faculty to take part in a moment of silence for the victims of the terrorist attacks in Washington, D.C. and New York City. I can't even tell you what was going through my head. So many things just raced through. First of all, even though I heard there were terrorist attacks, I had no idea what landmarks were attacked and how it took place. I figured the World Trade Center was the target in NYC, though, and I knew Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida was the source. Gorenflo came over with about 10 minutes left in class, so as soon as class got over I looked for Brett Gates. When I found Brett, he described what had happened and my biggest fears turned to reality. The first thing I thought was, "Oh my God! First Chad dies and now we are going through this." I really though it was the end of the world or something. It was a period of time that I will ever experience again, no matter what events take place. The grief was, and still is, unprecedented.

My next class was History with the infamous Randal Leach. We went to the sacred mod one to watch the television with Mr. Jones. The thing I will always remember is how Shon Tramontana and I were the only people watching and paying attention. The whole time I was just sitting there thinking to myself, "Do these kids have any idea what just happened?" When we got back to Leach's room he echoed my thoughts to the class. The rest of the day I just watched the TV, except for Keyboarding because Mrs. Bay is apparently a fucking Nazi. The other thing I always remember is that we had a golf match scheduled at New Winchester against the mighty Golden Knights of Northern Morrow County. Luckily for them, it got cancelled.

After school that night, I honestly think I watched the news coverage for about 7 straight hours. Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, and the late Peter Jennings did an unbelievable job with their coverage. The American people will always think back to that. I remember the first time the Late Show w/ David Letterman was on after the attacks. It was one of the best shows I have ever seen on TV. His monologue was heart wrenching. Dan Rather was his guest, and I will always remember Rather letting all his emotions come out and cry on the show. It was an amazing scene.

It is amazing to think now---All those events took place 4 years ago. What a short time it has been. But, at the same time, so much has happened. The country still nurses a broken heart and now the United Kingdom is pulling at the heart strings just like Spain did earlier this year. United We Stood, and united we still stand today.

God Bless America.

A Classic In Columbus

September 10 lived up to all the hype.

The entire day was an amazing scene. From GameDay to the game, the atmosphere was unprecedented. I waited for yesterday for six years and other than the final score, I was not let down at all. It all started for me in Atlanta's Hartesfield International Aiport on Friday afternoon. My whole flight to Columbus was all Ohio State and Texas fans. It was a very neat thing. I have never been on an airplane when the atmosphere was that of a championship prize fight.

When The Ohio State University Marching Band made it's traditional ramp entrance, a tear ran down my face. It was so loud that you couldn't even hear the, "Ladies and Gentlemen..." The noise was unreal from the band coming out, to the team taking the field, to Texas' first offensive possesion. The fans did their job last night. There is no doubt about that.

To the loss though, it is going to take me a long time to get over this game. I have never been so down in my life. I realize that people are reading this and saying, "Are you serious?! It is just a football game." You are right. It is just a football game. Today's date and Hurricane Katrina put more emphasis on that, but I live and die for Ohio State football. You have to understand that, too. The heartbreak I have right now is unfathomable. My heart and soul were ripped out at Ohio Stadium. It really only compares to young love going up in flames. That is exactly how I feel. Today was Port Columbus International Airport, I sat alone waiting for my plane to board when I just let all my emotions drain out. Never before had I been more emotionally and physically drained as the last couple days. I also gained tons of respect for Texas fans. I have never disliked Texas and have really always rooted for them. After the game last night and talking to them today. (My flight was full of Texas fans because the plane was going to Austin after stopping in Cincinnati.)They were very complimentary and almost sympathetic to Ohio State and their fans. The celebration that went on at Ohio Stadium after the game was a surreal scene. The Texas fans scattered all over the stadium singing "The Eyes of Texas" looked like a scene from a World War II movie. It reminded me of Nazi Germany taking over Paris and saulting Hitler and celebrating in the city's streets.

One word of advice for Ohio State fans though: Do not blame Justin Zwick for this loss. There were so many opportunities for Ohio State to win this game. I think we would have won had Justin not fumbled, but that is not why we lost. The biggest surprise to me was how poor of a job Tressel did last night. Totally caught me off guard.