We know and remember what happened on September 11, 2001. Now we're seeing the events of that day through the eyes and words of three Ohio leaders.
I spoke with former Governor Bob Taft, who was in office on that date, Ohio's current Governor Mike DeWine, who was one of Ohio's U.S. Senators, and Michael Coleman, who was in his first term as Columbus Mayor.
Bob Taft: "It was probably the most cataclysmic day of my time as governor of Ohio."
Mike DeWine: "The only instructions I gave the staff was walk away from the Capitol. Don't walk toward the Capitol."
Michael Coleman: "September 11, 2001 was life-changing for me personally and for the city, the state and the entire nation."
Stu Osborne: What are your memories of September 11th, 2001?"
Bob Taft: "I was driving from the governor's residence in Bexley into the governor office when the first plane hit the first World Trade Tower. And my staff let me know that, and at that time it wasn't clear what was going on. I got to the office, the second plane hit, it was clear it was a planned attack. And then. Not much later than that, the plane hit the Pentagon, and it was an atmosphere of immediate crisis and uncertainty."
Mike DeWine: I was a United States senator then. I was in my office, had a meeting with a congressman, and my press secretary came in and told me that the World Trade Center had been hit by a plane. And, of course, we just assumed that that was an errant plane, maybe a private plane that just, you know, for some reason hit. And it wasn't too much longer after that. We then turned the TV on and then we saw the second plane go into the World Trade Center. And of course we knew at that time that this was something much more serious."
Michael Coleman: "On that day, I had almost every CEO in the city in my office and we were working on getting their input on a downtown plan for the city of Columbus. An aide slipped me notice that something horrible is happening in New York. And it wasn't specific. And I took the note and read it. Then he came back maybe less than a minute later with another note. We are under attack. New York is under attack and he said, go to your office, which is right across the hall. He turned on the TV. I looked and indeed our nation was under attack And it was clear this was something we've never experienced in America since Pearl Harbor."
Stu Osborne: How have the events of that day impacted you over the last 25 years?
Bob Taft: "Our sense of purity, particularly our sense of security in the homeland was fundamentally altered and revised. And it just makes me more aware that this is a very dangerous world."
Mike DeWine: "Well, it's a shared moment. It's a share moment of unity in the country. We were under attack. Wasn't clear from exactly where, initially. And what I do remember is a great deal of unity and people working together and approaching this as Americans and certainly not as Democrats or Republicans."
Michael Coleman: "It brought us together as a country, as a city in an unprecedented way. It just forced appreciation and love for each other and how grateful we should be for all the freedoms and democracies and all the quality of life things that we have in our country that aren't anywhere else."
No matter where you were on that day, it's certainly a day you'll carry in your memories for the next 25 years and beyond.
