MOUNT VERNON — It has been 10 years since the events of Sept. 11, 2001, and the attacks on the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., the World Trade Center Towers in New York City and United Flight 93 that went down in Pennsylvania.
For some it is only a chapter in a history book but for many the events of that day burn in their memory. It has attained the status of questions like, “Where were you when JFK was assassinated?” or “What were you doing when World War II ended?” It was a day of infamy.
For many local residents the memories of that day are still strong and vivid.
Roger Walton of Mount Vernon remembers exactly where he was when he heard the news about the attacks.
“I was here in Mount Vernon in my recliner when it happened,” he said. “I’m disabled so I spend a lot of time there. And I thought I saw one of the towers lean a little bit and I became concerned. And then, of course, things went from bad to worse.”
But in the 10 years since it happened Walton thinks it has been a mixed bag, especially when it came to finding and killing Osama bin Laden.
“I think he was an important figure 10 years ago but I don’t think he was very important in the last couple of years,” Walton said. “He was just hiding out in a cave, so to speak, even though it had four walls and electric wiring.
“It’s hard to say whether I felt unsafe before. Americans tend to be Americans as far as the rest of the world is concerned and that’s fine with me. I don’t see any reason we have to be the policeman for the rest of the world. The rest of the world can go to hell in a hand basket if they want to. And if they want to take care of themselves we can help but it isn’t our job.”
