I was focused on Michael Jordan. Then America was struck.

It was a big day. I was part of a news leadership team at The News & Observer in North Carolina and we had been planning coverage of an important event: Michael Jordan’s decision whether he would return to the NBA. If you live in North Carolina, you know basketball is king and you know Jordan is the most popular homegrown player.

Like most days, I showered, dressed, tuned in to local television news and WUNC, the dominant local public radio station as I read our paper and grabbed something to eat. I headed down Cary Parkway to get to work in Raleigh. There were reports about a possible hijacking of an airliner. That was sort of strange. Soon after 9 a.m., there was a report of a crash into a World Trade Center building. Quite odd. It was Flight 175 crashing between the 77th and 85th floors of the South Tower about 9:03 a.m.

That was big news, and it was going to change our plans for the next day’s front page. By the time I was inside The N&O, there was a major television news report. Then another. And another. At 9:28 a.m., Flight 93 was hijacked. At 9:37 a.m., Flight 77 crashed into The Pentagon. At 9:59 a.m., The World Trade Center’s South Tower fell. At 10:03 a.m., Flight 93 crashed into a Shanksville, Penn., field. At 10:28 a.m., the World Trade Center’s North Tower collapsed. We watched with our mouths agape.

In a short time, a bright sunny morning with great promise and anticipation turned dark. The day was bright. We felt gut punched. My heart was racing. My grip was uneasy. My eyes were teary. This was a bygone era so we didn’t have digital-first instincts. We relied on what we knew. We quickly produced a special edition and got it out to readers. At the same time, we started working on the next day’s newspaper, the one we thought was going to feature Jordan.

Nineteen men hijacked four jets full of fuel to pull off a well-organized, multi-airport airstrike focused on destruction — and significantly interrupting our financial markets. Too often we forget the financial damage they caused. Our markets closed for days, but we rebounded. Trading floor bustling had diminished some by then, but we really learned remote financial dealings work just fine.

I hate that we lost nearly 3,000 people to the dastardly deeds of mean men with hate in their hearts. I wish all families who lost loved ones had some peace knowing their family members’ fate. Alas, I’ve visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum and the new World Trade Center. I was especially touched when I learned that behind one huge wall inside, investigators continue to work with remains to determine identifies of many who have gone unrecognized.

Our nation has been attacked a number of times. A 1993 World Trade Center bombing left six dead and hundreds injured. People who hate the United States and Americans often see the White House and the U.S. Capitol as our government of leaders and laws. They see the World Trade Center as a representation of all else that is evil about us, especially money.

Among those who died 20 years ago were several born in or living in Louisiana and North Carolina. For a variety of reasons, they were among those in or near the World Trade Center. According to the museum, there were people with connections to Delco and Durham, Elizabethtown and Gastonia, Greensboro and Hickory.

In the larger scheme of things, it didn’t matter whether Jordan was returning to the NBA that day. (He announced later that month that he would join the Washington Wizards.) America came through one of our worst disasters and we were determined to do better. We created a Homeland Security network. Our airports are more secure. We have a “no fly” list, for example.

What matters is that we remember what happened and why. What matters is that we remember the people we lost. What matters is that our nation didn’t crumble.

This story was originally published September 11, 2021 at 12:00 AM with the headline "I was focused on Michael Jordan. Then America was struck.."