I was visiting with some of my relatives in Chicago for a week (I had moved to Baltimore the year before), and I remember sitting in my grandmother's living room and looking with shock as I saw the first plane hit the World Trade Center in New York. I never thought that such a tragic thing would happen, but there it was, flashing on the TV screen. I was also amazed at how the hijackers got the plane low enough to fly it into the tower and smash it to pieces. An hour passed, and another plane hit the other tower in New York. I was even more shocked than before, and I have never really recovered from this horrifiying image at all. Then a third aerial assault took out part of the Pentagon near Washington, and that's when I realized America was under attack. But there were some heroes onboard a fourth plane, which was headed for either the Capitol building or the White House, but thankfully never made it. With the help of some brave passengers who were determined to keep the plane away from Washington, the plane slammed into an open field somewhere in Pennsylvania. Still, this was the most brutal attack on American soil since the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Sixty-six years later, we're helping the Japanese economy a great deal by buying their products. For example, I drive a Japanese-brand car (Toyota) and own a few Japanese-brand stereo components (Sony). The worst part of the day, though, was when the twin towers fell from the burning smoke. Every time I play those images in my mind, I have a very uneasy feeling that the Sears Tower might be taken out in a similar fashion. But miraculously, it's still standing tall in the City with Broad Shoulders. I know most of you were still working on that day, but I'd like to know where you were six years ago. If you'd like to leave a comment, you can do so on my Yahoo! 360 page. We shall never forget the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives for the good of the nation in the days since. So, for everyone out there who loves the USA, Happy Patriots' Day, and may God continue to bless America!