September 11, 2001, was a horrible day for America.
I remember vividly. I was taking my youngest daughter to school, and the report about two planes ramming into the World Trade Center came over the car’s radio.
“Terrorists,” I muttered under my breath.
The word came out of its own accord. It hadn’t been determined who flew into the Towers yet, but that instinct rose up fast. Who else would do such a terrible thing?
I returned home, turned on the television, and those horrible videos of smoke and debris, people running with terror on their faces, skyscrapers falling behind him, the unutterable destruction….they rose up and planted themselves in our memories.
Another daughter called me, horrified, and we cried on the phone together. Never before had our nation been attacked like this. It was incredibly frightening. New York was so far away, but would our Mideastern city be targeted next?
In the days, months, and years that followed, patriotism soared, but Americans grieved, too. Deeply. Some prayed. Some served. Some donated money, food, time, or blood.
And some saddled horses.
While sitting in his office, Tim Myers, an Oklahoma cowboy, stared at a picture of Pawnee Bill, a Wild West showman. An unusual inspiration took hold of him and wouldn’t let go. He needed to fulfill a journey–and he needed to do it on horseback.
Tim and three cowboy friends set off on their journey on April 19, 2002, the anniversary of the Alfred P. Murrah Building bombing in Oklahoma City. They hoped to arrive at Ground Zero on the first anniversary of the attacks with a powerful mission to see the places ravaged by terrorism and to honor those who had been lost.
Ride 4 America had launched.
The 1,400 mile journey was not easy. Or fast. The cowboys wakened at 6 a.m., saddled their horses at 7 a.m., and were on the road by 8 a.m. Riding 4 mph for
seven hours, they covered 15-20 miles each day.
Grueling, to say the least.
They rode through rain–days and days of rain–long roads, unfamiliar country, all with the deep exhaustion that comes from riding so many miles in the saddle. They missed their homes, their jobs, their families.
The money they had hoped to raise didn’t come through, either. They needed $5,000 a month to be able to keep riding. The horses ate 100 lbs of feed every day. The scholarship fund they hoped to build for the children whose parents were killed in the Oklahoma City bombing and the September 11 attacks wasn’t as generous as they’d wanted.
But they were undeterred. They kept going, day after day. Each of them represented a terrorist attack: the Oklahoma City bombing, Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania, Flight 77 that hit the Pentagon, and flights 11 and 175 that destroyed the Twin Towers.
A riderless horse led the cowboys and represented our nation’s great loss of life. The saddle was decorated with a flag, a firefighter’s hard hat, police and firefighters’ badges, and a pair of firefighter boots in the stirrups.
Boy, if that wouldn’t make you weep, what would?
At last, they reached the Washington, D.C., area and held a simple ceremony near the Pentagon before they continued their way to New York City in time for the one-year anniversary at Ground Zero.
It’s been 25 years now. I’d like to think our country is stronger for its loss, and with only hours left before the 25th anniversary, may we always remember the lives taken. May we forever honor the brave. May we never take our freedoms for granted.
God bless America.
Do you remember where you were on September 11, 2001?
Is your community helping you remember that fateful day with ceremonies or other activities?
If you’re feeling patriotic and want some feel-good sweet romance that is all about love and country, check out our PETTICOATS & PATRIOTS SERIES!
She’s lived with his name for three years. He’s never known hers. Until they meet.
Jackie Sinclair is good at what she does–flying airplanes during the Korean War. But when she makes a mistake that will haunt her forever, she’s determined to build a new life of peace and freedom in Nebraska. Except she comes face-to-face with Beckett J. Archer, the soldier she had failed so terribly, and her hopes for a new future threaten to fall apart.
Beck has returned to heal at the one place that means more to him than anything else–his father’s ranch. The memories of war have left their mark, but the brave and beautiful woman who lands in his life–literally–stirs up feelings he never expects, especially when an old family legacy threatens to drive them apart.
As trouble closes in from every side, Beck and Jackie are drawn together by danger, duty, and a growing love neither of them can deny.
I watched it on live TV. Schools were dismissed early. My husband was evacuated from a state government building. With so many federal agencies and military bases here, there was concern this area could be a target.
The neighbors had a vigil that night we all attended.
The world changed forever.
Denise, your memory gave me chills.
Love that your neighbors organized a vigil. Wow.
Yeah was my first day at a new job – no tv, or radio and when I went out for lunch the whole town was in chaos! The gas station had changed the fuel prices to $9.99 a gallon and people were honking their horns and yelling and were backed up in line for a couple blocks! Crazy!!
Oh, my goodness, Teresa! Why would they kick up gas to $9.99 a gallon? Yikes!
I was getting ready to leave for a day subbing Sp Ed at our high school when my husband yelled to turn on the TV as a plane had hit one of the World Trade Towers. Being a newly retired pilot from Northwest/Delta, after 38 years, things would hit home quickly. I too had been involved in the industry as a flight attendant for 9 years. We watched things go from bad to horrendous in a short matter of time. It was determined, before I headed to work, that the plane was not a small one as originally thought but a commercial jet that had flown into the tower. Shortly after arriving at school, the TV was already on, we watched as the second tower was hit by another commercial jet. When the second plane hit the tower, it became apparent that this was not some random “pilot error” but a deliberate act of terrorism on the United States. Not much was done in classes as we watched the “unthinkable” unfold, in several locations, carried out by, at that time, an unknown faction.
Oh, Carol! What a story! Your husband as a former pilot and you as a former flight attendant would have felt the horror even more deeply. No doubt you both thought what it would have been like if either of you had been on those planes.
Gosh, thanks for sharing. That really hits home.
My brain was having a hard time comprehending what I was seeing on the tv. I had the day off of work so I woke up a little later and being 2 hours behind east coast time the sun wasn’t even up yet. Such a tough end of the year.
You wouldn’t have been the only one having difficulty comprehending, Kim. Those TV images of our country had never been seen before. It was mind-boggling and so deeply emotional.
Thanks for sharing!
Good morning Pam! Gracious, that will make you weep! I get emotional every time I think of 911. I’ll make this short. I was to fly out from Jacksonville, FL to Kentucky. I was to visit a childhood friend. My husband didn’t want me to leave. I found it odd. But, he said shorten your day by changing your flight to 9/12 instead of 9/11.
So, I did. I was in the classroom when all the flights were hitting. Once I reached my office, I was bombarded by calls and e-mails. My daughter called upset saying to cancel my flight. Before I could get off the phone with her, the pentagon was hit. My heart dropped. Gracious, we are going to be invaded. Watching it on tv that evening was heartbreaking. A day I’ll never forget!
I asked my husband later,”Did you have a feeling that I shouldn’t fly?” He said he couldn’t explain it, he just didn’t want me flying. I knew then it was one sweet blessing. I’ve had many thoughts and feelings of things or told quietly I shouldn’t do this or to do that….but, this time it came from my husband.
Thanks for your article today Pam! And I’m making my way through this series!
Tracy, if someone doesn’t believe in the Lord’s intercession, your husband was the perfect example of it. That feeling he couldn’t explain had to have been the Lord working through him to protect you.
Wow.
My thoughts exactly Pam!
I’m a bit stunned the newspapers/media didn’t pick up this terrifically American story and make their ride a financial success, not just a loving homage. Riding paved roads for hours daily would have been far harder on all of them than even the original cross-country travels by wagon and horseback (and on foot!) many of our ancestors accomplished. God bless them for their journey and sacrifice. And may God Bless America on this anniversary of “9/11.” (Interesting that the number is also our emergency rescue line!)
I know, Elissa! Why their fundraising efforts failed is a mystery to me, too! What a shame–but God love ’em for seeing their mission through in spite of the hardships!
You know, I never thought of the 9/11 – 911 – connection!!!
I don’t remember ever hearing about this ride, amazing. Unless you know anything about riding horses, this might not be impressive but my husband rode in a wagon train from our home to our state capital and it was a very grueling ride. Can’t even imagine what these riders went through. God bless them and God bless America. Oh that our country would come back together again like we did after 9/11.
I agree, Sarah! My first thought was how saddle sore they must’ve been! I didn’t include this in the blog, but one of the riders hadn’t been on a horse in 23 years!!! Yikes!! He had some adjusting to do, didn’t he?
I agree – sadly – about the patriotism, too.
I was ironing and watching the Today show when the news came through. It was absolutely terrifying to see the hosts reactions to what was happening–they were as confused and horrified as I was. I think that fact–that I could see the fear on THEIR faces made my stomach go cold…
Oh, Nan, what an interesting perspective. Yes, their confusion and horror would have been broadcast all over the country!! It would have been contagious . . . yikes!
Good morning, yes I remember very well, my husband and I had gone to stay at a cabin in New Mexico and we had gone for a walk. When we got back after our walk the owner of the cabins came by and told us about it. I felt so horrible and very anxious because both our daughter and our son were in College in Texas. We went inside the cabin and watched the news, it was very devastating so very sad.
Yes, and a very sad way to remember your vacation, too. Such a dark cloud to overshadow it. I hope you were able to get past it and finish your stay without too much more sadness and worry.
I do remember where I was. I was teaching and had to put on a show to keep the kids from panicking . Then the parents came to collect their kids. I could not collect mine as I was taking care of others. I did not mind as I felt they were safe where they were. I lived nearby in CT and knew so many stories of close calls and fear and loss. Thanks for talking about the horse riders. It is an amazing story.
Thanks for sharing, Debra. Your memory reminds me of the day John F Kennedy was killed. We, too, were in school, and another teacher knocked on the door and told my teacher. I’m sure it was very difficult for her to continue on with our school day after getting such terrible news.
Yes, our family was sitting around the breakfast table when my MIL called and told us to turn on the radio. I cried most of the day. I would finally shut the radio off only to have my hubby come back in the house and turn it back on and then, go right back outside. The day went by with no homeschooling that day.
It would have been really hard to concentrate on your homeschooling, Barbara. I don’t think I could have done it, either.
We were working lan office in Buffalo, NY, delivering phone books. I remember it so clearly as if I was still there. Our phone crew were getting some very horrific responses when we called them to see if they got their phone books. We were asked if we had no heart. Unfortunately, our company did not stop work, hence, neither could we. My father called from Iowa to see if we were alright. Being a farmer in Iowa, he wasn’t cognizant of the distance between Buffalo, NY and NYC. It is understandable. I am thankful for his concern. At one time when we were managing a hotel in Montgomery, AL he called to make sure we were okay again. Being 160 miles away from the coast of Florida, we had no problems, except for running of rooms when so many migrated North, to get away from the hurricane. Again, I recall it very vividly. In all my years of life, 81 to be exact, we have never faced anything terrorizing with the weather.
Hi, Judy. I can imagine how hard it would be to have to continue working after something so terrible had happened. I guess your customers felt the same way, but yes, we all had to continue our lives.
What a sweet father you had to worry about you, all the way from Iowa. 🙂
I was at school preparing for the start of the first week of teaching for the preschool program. I don’t think much preparation was completed by myself or the other teachers.
It’s hard to concentrate when your mind is on other matters, for sure.
I was at work, and we only got a little bit of the news from the radio. Not much at all, honestly. The bulk of what I learned came after I got home from work and saw the news coverage. Non stop. I finally got to the point that night that I had to hear, watch, see something else. Anything else. Even my reading didn’t help like it usually did. I wanted to hear what kept unfolding, I just couldn’t handle seeing the same thing over and over and over. I’d never heard about the horse riders before. What a moving tribute that was!!
We can all relate, Trudy! It does reach a point when all the news reporters are saying the same thing, showing the same things, hour after hour . . . I think it’s a real defense mechanism when you reach your limit and have to shut it all off.
I’m glad you enjoyed the story about the horse riders. Yes, truly an honorable thing they did!
I was at work in a meeting. I did not know until after the meeting what had happened. The finance director went out and purchased televisions and placed the around the building so we could continue to see what was happening. They requested that we all stay inside the building for our safety. Yes, there are ceremonies in my community. I will never forget that fateful day. God bless you.
Wow – he bought multiple televisions?? I would be totally freaked out if I was advised to stay inside for safety. How difficult it would’ve been to concentrate on working.
So nice to hear your community is presenting ceremonies. Ours, too.
It was 7am Pacific time when my phone rang. Our oldest daughter said, “Turn on the television!” She was calling from her home on the Charleston, S.C. Naval Base. I did turn on the tv and left it on most of the day. She had waited 2 hours before calling me when she knew I would be awake. I also tried calling our daughter who worked at the USDA building in D.C. Most of the day the long distance lines were jammed and when I finally reached her that night I learned that she had to drive her housemate back over to the Pentagon that evening to get her car which she had had to leave in the parking lot when they were evacuated. The housemate was okay but her desk was not.
There are several events planned in our area to commemorate September 11.
Oh, Alice!!! That day really hit close to home for you, didn’t it? I imagine DC was chaotic. Yikes!!!! And military bases all over the country would’ve been on high alert.
Offutt Air Force Base is here, and President Bush was flown there for his protection and so that he could monitor/command the situation.
That made it real for us, too.
Thank you for sharing!
I was fifteen, I think I was still in bed, and woke up to all the bad news.
What a depressing way to start your day, eh? :-/
Hi Pam, I was getting ready to go to work when the first plane hit the first tower….then, I watched in horror as a second plane next the next one!!! Then the Pentagon. Will never forget!!! So, many lives lost. Praying the Americans are wiser now & more on alert to never let this happen again!!!
Oh, so many are, Lois. Trouble is – the weapons are getting worse. The future is scary at times.
Pam, thanks for resharing this. Tim Myers is my dad. I was 6 & my brother was 13 when we were on the ride. We got to experience it all and it’s some of the most special memories we have. I was in kindergarten when this happened and seen how drastically this affected my dad. Sadly he passed away in 2005, but he would be thrilled to know that his passion for this is still being shared and still bringing awareness. I was shocked when I seen a new article about it I had never seen before. Thanks again, you made my day.
Oh, Lacy! I had such a busy day yesterday that I missed your comment, but I’m so–so honored you stopped by and read my blog! I literally got chills to hear from you.
My sympathies on the loss of your dad, and I’m sad that he passed not long after his ride. But what an achievement he accomplished with the other cowboys!! For anyone who has ever ridden a horse, we can relate to what a grueling ride they all had, but oh, what memories. Especially for you and your brother, who were both so young.
Thank you, thank you, for stopping by and commenting. You made MY day.
And if you see this, do let me know how you found my blog, won’t you?
We were on Prince Edward Island in Canada on 9/11. We were driving around and listening to a CD. The first we heard of it was about 2 in the afternoon at a cafe when two women said some sort of big bomb had gone off in NYC. We got in the car, turned on the news, and drove back to our B & B to turn on the TV. The shock when we saw the pictures was heart breaking. Many Americans headed home, but we decided to continue our trip. One reason was the line at the border to get in was miles long.
It was good to see the event from a different perspective. Talking with our children and what we could tell from the news it seemed there was a siege mentality in the US. Understandable. It was better to see the outpouring of grief and support coming from another country. There was a banner in front of the American Consulate expressing their support and condolences. People were stopping and signing it. People would stop us and say how sorry they were. I still don’t know how they knew we were Americans. The mood was all very somber. We headed to Nova Scotia, but never went to the lower part around Halifax. Planes had been diverted there and they had over 8,000 passengers they were trying to take care of. When we did come home, we crossed at a little border station away format all. We had lived in Northern Maine, so knew there were several small border stations in out of the way places. Little to no traffic or wait.
Our son had been on his way to a training on the West Coast but turned around and went home. It is too bad, it was such a great opportunity that was not offered again. At 19, he headed up to Ground Zero and worked on the pile for 10 days on the line moving buckets of debris, some with awful contents. He drove straight home afterwards and was cover with a dusting of white. He now has lung cancer and COPD. They didn’t have an organized check in system for those volunteers, so there is no way to prove he was up there.
Wow, Pat. Just wow.
Your memories are a whole different perspective from the rest of ours, and it was fascinating how you received such compassion from those who weren’t from our country. And oh, the price your son has paid, but what an honoroable young man he was to go straight to Ground Zero, giving up his great opportunity. Wow. Just wow. Yes, I’m sure he saw some unspeakable things those 10 days.
Thank you so much for sharing, and I’ll offer prayers for your son’s healing.