In this episode, I recall where I was and what I was doing on 9/11, talk about my feelings on Mac Miller’s death, and wish good luck to the Aggie football team and Jimbo Fisher.
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I Love a Rainy Night
Dear J,
It’s been a pretty rough week. Work has been hectic and with hurricanes coming, we’ve been getting tons of rain. I don’t think we’ll get hit by the hurricane, though. Last weekend I got to go see some of my missionaries out in Houston and it was so great because I’ve missed them so much! One of the sisters is going to be done with her mission in December so then I’ll finally be able to give her a hug (because sister missionaries aren’t allowed to hug guys on their mission).
I’m still working on that polaroid album for my favorite missionary. Since the weather’s been too terrible to take any good pictures, I’ve decided to hold off on giving it to her until her birthday which comes up in about a month. I’m still going to go see her this weekend, though. I’m going to give her a nice letter and one of those keys that’s actually a knife. The area they have her in is pretty sketchy so I have to give her a fighting chance. The knife isn’t that big but as long as she aims for the soft spots, she should be alright. She’s pretty tough.
Never Forget
The pictures that were the hardest to get so far were the ones I took of the 9/11 memorial on campus. It was raining off and on that whole day but when I checked the radar, it said that the rain was going to stop around the time I got off of work. I thought that worked out perfectly. After work, I headed straight to the Institute because it’s right across from campus and not too far of a walk to the memorial. On the way to the memorial I saw my favorite missionary’s previous companion and told her happy birthday because her birthday’s on 9/11.
When I got to campus, I stopped by the statue of Pinky Wilson (the guy who wrote the Aggie War Hymn in a trench in France during WWI) so I could take a picture of him for the album. I think I wasted too much time on his picture because it came out too dark and it also started to rain a little bit while I was there. I had to fast walk over to the memorial to get the pictures I came for before the rain started to come down.
I finally got there and took a few pictures of the inscription on the memorial, the memorial itself, and some roses that were left on the memorial in honor of those who lost their lives. I think the rain just amplified the sadness I felt looking at those towers. But the inscription on the memorial always gives me a boost. It reads:
On the evening of his departure from Texas A&M to become the Secretary of Defense, Dr. Robert M. Gates offered a true “Aggieism” to the group of thousands of well wishers. His comment conveyed the clear purpose of his mission. He offered,
“BEAT THE HELL OUTTA TERRORISM”
And that’s exactly what we’re gonna do to em, Ags!
Even though I was soaking wet by the time I walked back to my truck, I wouldn’t have traded the rain for any amount of sunshine.
-Jeston
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9/11: I Will Never Forget
Dear J,
I can’t believe it’s already been seventeen years since 9/11. There are kids in high school right now who weren’t even born when it happened. There are also people like my brother who were way too young to remember what happened that day. I remember.
I was in first grade playing in the computer lab that morning. I think I was playing a game called Kid Pix. It was sort of like a better version of Microsoft Paint for kids. You could draw all kinds of stuff and the computer lab lady would let us print off our masterpieces and take them home. After our computer lab time was over, we went back to class but on the way there, I remembered that I had forgotten my print out in the computer lab and asked to go back and get it.
When I got back to the computer lab, the lady had the TV on. She had her hand over her mouth and looked like she was about to cry. I don’t think she even knew I was there. I looked at the TV and saw a tall building on fire. At first, I didn’t understand what was going on. I thought maybe there was just a big fire going on. I could read enough of the words flashing on screen to figure out that an airplane had flown into the tower. It wasn’t too long after that the computer lab lady and I watched the second plane fly into the South tower.
I left a sobbing woman in the computer lab and ran back to my classroom. I didn’t know why this was happening but I figured America was under attack. I didn’t know if Texas or even my little elementary school was going to be hit but I had to warn my class. I threw the door open and told my teacher that two big planes had flown into buildings in New York. I didn’t know they were called the Twin Towers and I didn’t know what else to tell her. She thought I was making it up.
Word of the attack quickly spread around the school and we were all sent home early. My parents came and got me. They were pretty much silent and in disbelief the entire car ride home. My little sister didn’t know what was happening and my little brother was just a baby. We got back to our trailer and watched the rest of the coverage on the news.
The rest of my memories from that time period are pretty scattered but I have a crystal clear memory of where I was and what was going on when those planes hit the towers. It’s seared into my mind and every year that wound is made fresh again. I was made aware that there were people out there who hated my way of life, who hated my freedom, and who hated me. I was scared but I was also determined to never let them succeed and to never forget the lives taken and the sacrifices made that September morning.
I will never forget the heroism of the first responders and the passengers of Flight 93. They showed that Americans live and die for one another and will NEVER go down without a fight.
I will never forget the way our country united in the aftermath of that tragic day. I’ve never felt as much of a sense of unity, comraderie, and patriotism as I did immediately following that day. Instead of tearing us apart, this tragic event brought us closer together than ever before.
I will never forget 9/11.
I can’t.
Each year, my throat closes up and tears fill my eyes and I remember.
It’s the least we can do.
-Jeston
Follow me: @DoHpodcast and @JestonTexeira