I think about exactly where I was standing that morning when I heard. My first reaction was denial..then turning on the TV and the rest is a blur of grief and anger...I cannot imagine how very personal and traumatic it was for you all so close.. I have not forgotten.
I thank your husband for being one of our "protectors".
It was scarey living where we live, northern NJ. That Thursday, the 13th, my husband and I left for Wildwood, NJ, for the annual fire convention. We were hesitant to go and once there, after my husband attended the required two mornings of the convention, we left. We usually stayed another day and a half. Our kids were 21 and 18, but we didn't feel comfortable being that far away from them. I sat alone glued to the tv in a motel room while he was at the convention hall, and it was sad and scarey. We saw military helicopters flying on the shoreline. When we were on our way home we saw a fighter jet over the parkway. Life had definitely changed as we knew it.
They also had a very sad time at the convention with the loss of all the NY firefighters.