On this anniversary of 9/11 do yourself a favor and watch Man in the Red Bandana

Blogged this in September 2014 and it’ll be posted every year on this day as long Bottlegate.com is still in operation

***

My advice: Block out 15 minutes of your day, turn off your iPhone, and press play.

It was nice to watch something worthwhile that didn’t mention Roger Goodell or Ray Rice for a change. I think what really hits home is that Welles Crowther could have been me. It could have been you. Just a normal guy in his early 20s who loved sports and his family and who wanted to be a firefighter and help people. You always think about how you’d act in one of those Fight or Flight situations. Hopefully if ever that situation arises, we’re able to have half of the courage that Welles Crowther showed that day.

Can’t believe it’s 13 years ago today. I can remember that Tuesday in 2001 like it was yesterday. I was dressed in an orange Nautica shirt, jeans, and a brand new pair of some white K-Swiss sneakers(fashion icon, I know). At around 10:30 or 11 AM I was walking up the stairs at Willoughby Middle School on my way to 4th period Computer class. On my route to the computer room I had to walk past the main office. I remember walking past the office and seeing all the secretaries and aides running around and answering phones and specifically thinking to myself “Damn, why does everyone look so busy?” Lo and behold after everyone takes their seat in the classroom, my teacher tells us all that 2 planes had crashed into the World Trade Center. I can remember countless kids getting called out of school and just a general feeling of uneasiness for the rest of the school day. There was no Twitter, no social media, no smartphones to keep us updated throughout the day. Later we’d find out about the plane that hit the Pentagon and the one in Pennsylvania. All after school events were cancelled along with our final practice before our first football game of the season. I remember coming home and having my 12 year old eyes glued to CNN for the rest of the night and going to bed not knowing if we’d be attacked any more while I was sleeping… That day fucking sucked.