On 9/11/2001, YHC was a 22 year old fresh faced wine sales rep living in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Oddly enough, the workout I did today was with only one other person, who wasn’t even born when 9/11 happened. It would be another year and a half before Gills entered the world, however, this young man gets it. He understands the sacrifices and appreciates what this day means to those of us who remember that day.
When the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center, YHC was driving to his second stop of the day, a Publix on Sunrise Blvd. He happened to be listening to Howard Stern at the time and Howard said “a plane just hit the World Trade Center!” This was several minutes after the fact.
YHC thinking this was some joke, brushed it off and went inside the store. It was a normal day with no one acting any different for the next 10 minutes or so. They were like me, they hadn’t seen or heard anything from the news that made them panic yet. This was the age before smartphones.
About 9:15 am, YHC gets back into his car and Howard was now talking about how crazy this was. “It’s most likely a terrorist attack” he would say. It was a short distance to the next stop and YHC wondered why Howard would say this. Thoughts like “It was probably a terrible accident,” “What terrorist in their right mind would imagine doing that” popped into my head. Unbeknownst to YHC, the 2nd plane had just hit the South Tower and he never heard Howard say this because of the short time in the car. YHC found this out when he entered the second Publix on Rockpile Rd around 9:20.
There was no one in the store as YHC entered it. No customers, no sales clerks, no stockers, no one. As YHC went to the back of the store, he saw about 20 people huddled around a little TV, customers included. They were watching the carnage. One of the bakery clerks that was YHC’s friend was crying. She told me I had to see this. She then told me about the 2nd tower being hit. Then more tears, from more people as the news kept replaying the footage. This was the first time YHC saw anything as it happened since he was in the car the whole time while it was happening.
What should have been a 20 minute visit to the the store turned into an hour and a half. Getting orders into the system just didn’t seem important. Over the course of that hour and a half, YHC saw the Pentagon get hit and then the plane go down in a Pennsylvania field. When the North Tower collapsed, YHC stopped watching and called his family. He was 12 hours away and would have done anything to be with them.
I don’t have even an ounce of understanding what our brave men and women deal with on a daily basis in being away from their families. The danger they face doesn’t come within a light year of my existence. YHC is more than thankful for all of their sacrifices. That goes for armed forces, veterans, first responders, and anyone that puts their life down in order to save another.
My story was probably like 90% of all Americans that day. The hopelessness we felt brought all of us together. White, black, police, firefighter, Christian, Jew, and so on. We were in this together. Funny thing is, we still are.
This workout is dedicated to all of the heroes and is designed as a memorial to the victims of that tragic day 20 years ago.
COP:
SSH x 10
TTT x 10
The Thang:
Mosey to NW corner of front parking lot:
At 8:14, American Airlines Flight 11 is high jacked over central Massachusetts. At 8:46, the plane was crashed into the North Tower.
- Start with 11 Merkins
- 11 squats
- 11 LBC
- 11 Curb Dips
Mosey to NE corner of parking lot
At 9:02, United Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower
- 25 Merkins
- 25 squats
- 25 LBC
- 25 Curb Dips
- Rinse and repeat all but Dips for 175 reps
Mosey to straightaway in front of technology center, stopping at speed bump
At 9:37, Flight 77 crashes into the western side of The Pentagon and starts a violent fire.
- 77 walking lunges toward flag pole
Mosey to Flag pole in front of technology center
At 9:57, the passengers aboard Flight 93 begin a revolt against the hijackers in an attempt to take back the plane.
At 10:03, Flight 93 is crashed by its hijackers as a result of fighting in the cockpit 80 miles (129 km) southeast of Pittsburgh in Somerset County, PA. Later reports indicate that passengers had learned about the World Trade Center and Pentagon crashes and were resisting the hijackers. The 9/11 Commission believed that Flight 93’s target was either the US Capitol building or the White House in Washington, D.C. In honor of the brave passengers, we did the following:
- 25 Merkins
- 25 squats
- 25 LBC
- 18 Curb Dips
- 93 total
Pledge of Allegiance at flag pole
Mosey around track and head toward stadium:
There were 343 firefighters who died in 9/11
- Go inside stadium and run up and down stairs for one cycle x 3, 30 second rest/moment of silence
- Rinse and repeat for 4 cycles
- Rinse and repeat for 3 cycles
Mosey to planters in the back of the school:
There were 121 fire engines at 9/11. To honor them:
- 20 incline merkins
- 20 decline merkins
- 20 step ups, one count
- Rinse and repeat
- 1 Burpee
Mosey to virtual flag:
Mary:
There were 72 first responders who were not firefighters that died at 9/11
- LBC x 72
- 6 inches for 72 seconds
- Flutter kicks x 72 one count
Recover
Announcements:
- 9/11 Challenge on 9/18
Prayers:
- Garth and family
- Navy Bean and family
- Notebook
- No Show
- Spackle
- Slim Jim
- No Help and son
- Lego and family
- Doc Lovin
- Sick and injured PAX
- Marriages
- Our country