It’s been five years since a sunny morning in early September changed a nation.
On the five-year anniversary America pauses to remember the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania–that left an indelible mark on people across the country. The Citizen captured some of these thoughts in our readership area.
Tim McIsaac, police sergeant
Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Tim McIsaac was working at the Brandon substation when he first heard the news of two planes hitting the World Trade Center towers.
‘I immediately called my son, who was at an age to be drafted, and told him, ‘We are being attacked. We’re at war,?? says McIsaac, a 48-year-old Lake Angelus resident. ‘I was in shock. It was a feeling I’ll never forget.?
McIsaac watched the news all day and was in Pontiac at the central garage when a plane flew into the Pentagon.
Now, he pays a lot more attention to foreign policy, especially, he says, as it deals with the Middle East.
Steve Christiansen,
business owner
Steve Christiansen, a Goodrich resident, was at a store with a customer when a salesperson came in and told them what happened.
‘We basically just watched it all on TV,? says Christiansen.
While Christiansen, 49, says his life hasn’t been directly changed, he says the war on terror is the reason his brother ended up back in the Army and shipped out to Iraq.
‘I think it has changed a lot of things,? says Christiansen.
Mark Rodak, school principal
‘I was in my office talking to a parent on the telephone,? says Mark Rodak, a 55-year-old Brandon resident and Belle Ann Elementary Principal.
‘A lot has changed, especially the way we keep safe and how we now have to teach kids to stay safe. It taught me not to take things for granted and to be thankful to live where I do.?
Bernard Mullen, priest
‘I had just started 9 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph Church in Lake Orion,? says Fr. Bernard Mullen, 71, Ortonville resident and St. Anne Catholic Church pastor. Someone came up to me while I was listening to the first reading, and they said an airplane had just hit the World Trade Center. I said, ‘We’ll say a prayer for them.?? I mentioned in my homily that a plane hit the World Trade Center. I was wondering what the weather was like in New York that day, and I was thinking it must have been a small plane. After Mass, I discovered it was anything but. It was a clear day in New York. It seems to me the second plane hit before we got to the office after Mass.?
‘I was stunned. It was a tragedy, an act of terror. I thought how our lives had changed forever in the U.S.?
‘It’s made me more conscientious of the suffering that people around the world are enduring, not just in the Third World. I have empathy and identification with other people in that we are all under the threat of terror. I am patient and don’t complain as much when I wait in line while traveling. I haven’t been inconvenienced in my travels, because I haven’t traveled that much.?
Crys Hoffman-Harned,
bartender
Hoffman-Harned, a bartender at Bottoms Up Bar and Grill, was at her home in Groveland Township watching Good Morning America when the first plane hit the tower.
‘I saw it and they showed the plane–the first one–and I called my husband at work. We watched the second plane explode into (the second tower).?
‘It has affected me,? says Hoffman-Harned, 47. ‘I don’t like to fly. It makes you stop and think.?
Dan Flood, firefighter
Brandon Fire Department Captain Dan Flood was walking with other firefighters by the television they keep on at Station #1 when they saw the news come on. He watched in disbelief as the second plane hit.
‘I immediately started thinking of rescue workers in New York and how they must be organizing,? says Flood, 49. ‘It came to me that this would change the whole country and how it would change things the rest of our lives… Now, I believe a terrorist attack of that extent could happen more readily. Not sure if it will, but I believe (terrorists) are trying.?
Josh Minshall, student
Josh Minshall, 15, was in fifth grade on Sept. 11, 2001.
‘The principal came in and told my teacher,? says Minshall of Groveland Township.
‘My teacher told the class and everyone started freaking out.?
Minshall says some parents came and got their kids from class, but he doesn’t recall leaving early. However, Minshall says his mother kept both him and his sister home from school the following day.
Minshall says his life has changed since that day five years ago.
‘You think about all those people who were affected by it–who lost family members. It’s just sad to think about.?
Kelly Harris, ultrasound tech
Brandon Township resident Kelly Harris was driving to her job as an ultrasound technician when she heard the news. She described herself as overwhelmed and nervous. At the time, daughter Zoee was just six months old.
‘After, I worried about what kind of world she would be brought up in, what things would be like for her,? says Harris, 38.
Zoee is now 5 and Harris also has a 3-year-old son, Jett.
She says she has a new awareness of the people around her, and wants her children to be more aware without being scared.
Pamela Herringshaw, psychologist
Pamela Herringshaw, the Brandon Schools psychologist, watched events unfold on a television that was on in the special education office at Harvey Swanson Elementary School.
‘We were in shock,? she says. ‘It didn’t seem real at first, like it was a TV show, but it was happening in real time. I was frozen in disbelief.?
The attacks have permanently changed the U.S., says Herringshaw, a 59-year-old Milford resident, as well as her views about the level of safety she previously believed Americans had.
Julie Pope, gas station attendant
Julie Pope, a gas station attendant at the Church and Sons Auto Repair Center in Goodrich, was in Jackpot, Nev., celebrating a wedding anniversary when she heard the news of an attack.
Though she says the news distressed her, Pope, 44, decided not to fly back right then despite wanting to be with family, and continued gambling and trying to enjoy the vacation.
Five years later, the Davison resident says the attack has affected her.
‘I’m a lot more cautious,? says Pope.
Eileen Williams, school employee
Eileen Williams was in the kitchen at Goodrich High School when she heard the news.
‘I remember someone coming down and saying a plane hit the World Trade Center,? says Williams.
School workers went around shutting off televisions after that, so as not to alarm students, says Williams, of Goodrich.
‘All I wanted to do was get my kids and go home.?
Five years later, Williams, 42, still fears another attack.
‘A lot of times I just wake up wondering, what’s going to happen this time??
David Gerber, pastor
‘I remember hearing there was a plane that ran into the World Trade Center,? said David Gerber, 46, pastor of Lake Louise Church of the Nazarene, who was volunteering at Oxford Middle School on Sept. 11.
‘I remember going down to see pictures. There were five or six kids that were crying. One girl asked me if I was going to die today. I said, ‘not today.? I wanted to be with my wife and family, but I thought, ‘I’m not going to give the terrorists the satisfaction of scaring me.? I refused to give in to it (being afraid). I guess I looked at it as a loss of innocence.?
‘It was just shock and wanting to protect the people around me.?
‘I’ve always been a person that feels like they could protect someone. I guess I’m a little more vigilant, more aware, less complacent.?
Kathie Miller, library clerk
Groveland resident Kathie Miller was at home getting her children ready for school and watching Good Morning America when the station cut to the news. She watched as the second plane hit the tower.
‘I started crying,? says Miller, 52, Brandon Township Library circulation clerk. ‘I couldn’t believe what was happening. I wanted to pull my kids out of school and bring them home. I was a mess the whole day. I’ve never been so frightened in my whole life.?
The event was a realization for Miller that it could happen to the U.S., not just other countries. She believes America was unprepared then and is unprepared now.
Gail Crane, teacher
Gail Crane, a first-grade teacher at Harvey Swanson Elementary wondered why several parents were picking up their children from school. When she was told the reason why, she was alarmed, confused and worried about her own children.
‘It was difficult to keep teaching,? she remembers.
The events of Sept. 11 have changed Crane, 51.
‘I’m more aware of world events and appreciate each day more. You never know what’s going to happen.?