Pat Harvey Shares Her Memories

I remember driving my daughter to school that morning. We passed by the Federal Building to get to her school. I was monitoring the radio reports, when a commentator said "a potential target for Los Angeles would be the Federal Building on Wilshire Blvd. Just as we heard this, Michelle looked out the window to her right...and there it was, right off the freeway. Her eyes got as big as saucers and it pained me to see the look on her face. I told her that it was just conjecture and the National Guard was already on high alert and that we would be safe. If she only knew how I too was trembling inside, hearing about what just happened to our country and what I would be talking about all day.

It's one thing to keep a calm demeanor when informing viewers of the most horrendous event most of us had ever witnessed, but to calm the fears of your child was an even bigger task. Eventually, she would be let out of school early that day, but her teachers and fellow classmates shared in some perspective, expressed their thoughts. I would get home late.