On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was headed to work like always from Southern New Jersey to Philadelphia, PA on what is known locally as the High Speed Line (aka the "PATCO" - Port Authority Transit Corporation - a commuter train service). Everything seemed normal and the weather was exceptionally clear, humid free, with brilliant blue skies and bright sunshine.

Ironically, I had a meeting to go to which was not at our office but at a hotel a few blocks from the office. The company I was working for was holding a muti-day managers meeting which included other managers from other company offices throughout the country. Most were staying at that hotel and the meetings were to take place within a large conference room at that same hotel.

I recall quite clearly sitting down at a large table and, very shortly thereafter, someone sitting next to me. He introduced himself to me and said he was from the California office as we had never meet before. After our introducing ourselves to each other, he asked me if I had heard about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. I had not and he himself didn't have much details. All I could image at the time was that a small private plane with a single propeller lost power and all controls, experienced an aerodynamic stall and somehow tragically crashed into one of the WTC buildings. I was hoping that there were no injuries or at least injuries were kept at a minimum.

The meeting began before any of us could think of it any further. During our 1st break, the meeting chairperson announced that something serious was happening within our country. Most of us participants and attendees of the meeting went to the hotel lounge were the TV was on. We couldn't believe our eyes. Although the TV picture was quite unclear, we could easily see that the South Tower was missing. It had collapsed!! The individual I had just meet 2 hours previously invited myself and others to join him in his hotel room, since his TV was working with a clear picture. Although we were not complete strangers since we all were employed by the same company, none the less, I found his gesture to allow people he just meet to view his TV in his hotel room as a simple yet selfless act of kindness. As we watched and listened to the news commentators as this unrepresented, horrific history unfolded before us, the 2nd tower collapsed! The news channel we were tuned into frequently was alternating views of Lower Manhattan (now without the twin WTC Towers) and the Pentagon showing the one side that was attacked and in flames. The Television news commentators informed that both WTC Towers and the Pentagon were struck by airliners high-jacked by terrorist, likely by al-Qaeda operatives. At that point we had seen and heard enough.

As the city of Philadelphia was under evacuation orders at this point, we all departed, along with all the other Philadelphia working commuters to our respective modes of transportation to our homes in the Delaware Valley (the Delaware Valley is comprised of Southern Jersey, South Eastern Pennsylvania and Northern Delaware). As I was walking to my train station, there was a kinda of eerie, yet understandable silence among everyone walking on the city sidewalks. People were relatively calm and orderly. Some people were stopping at places of worship, some were just getting to their vehicles or getting to their modes of public transportation to go home to be with their families. As it was well known from previous terrorist attacks elsewhere across the globe, the terrorist group, al-Qaeda, had a unique skill of added vile terror by committing synchronized timed bombings at locations geographically distant from each other. As I was near boarding my train, I could not get the vision of the frequent altering views from the TV set of Lower Manhattan and the Pentagon. I thought to myself, Philadelphia, the cradle of democracy, is between New York City and Washington, DC. Then, at that moment I asked myself, what if the terrorist are just waiting for all of the commuters in Philadelphia, IN Philadelphia!! ; the place where the Declaration of Independence was signed, the place where democracy was founded and the place where the ideas of liberty and freedom for all began; were to synchronize bombings on commuter trains and buses departing Philadelphia throughout the Delaware Valley? And what about my train, which crosses the Delaware River by traveling on the Ben Franklin Bridge. What if they plan to blow up the bridge? Should I get on the train I exclaimed to myself ?! And then, almost instantaneously, I realized through the Grace of God, that I could not let the terrorist frighten me (or any of us). If I didn't get on that train due to the horrendous events of the day, then at least one of the objectives of these terrorist would have come to fruition and I, and none of us should, allow that to happen. Not for one moment!

So the lessons learned from that day, that I believe should be especially be instilled to our younger generation, those who have no direct memory of that fateful day that changed our country and the world are as follows:

1) Don't let fear interfere with your pursuit of life, liberty and happiness.

2) Be kind to one another. Even people you don't know. Even people who seem miserable. Perhaps they are having a bad day or are feeling overwhelmed.

3) Give Thanks and don't forget to say thank you.

4) Learn History and especially learn and understand the United States Declaration of Independence the United States Constitution.

The Nation's foundations are depending on the younger generation to keep our principles firm and on solid ground.

God Bless America!