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A Bolt From The Blue

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Fifteen years ago, my day changed with a phone call from my wife and the question: "What the hell's going on in New York?"

I'd slept late that morning, burrowing back into my pillow after she'd left for work. I wasn't one to watch the morning news shows back then but, as soon as I saw those recorded images, I was glued to the TV for the rest of the day.

Usually when I'd work the night shift, I'd get plenty of things done around the house before leaving for work. I don't think I moved off the couch after my wife called; it was like watching the proverbial train wreck but a thousand times worse.

Working that night was surreal. The joking that usually occurs between police, fire and EMS was absent that night; everyone was hyper-focused and on edge. Working in a city whose name no one knows how to pronounce, or has ever heard of outside of our area, we didn't realistically expect anything to happen; conversely, the only thing you're ever sure of in public safety is what time you're punching in.

Fifteen years ago, the entire world changed. Time will tell if it ultimately changed for the better.

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