I was still a traveling consultant in September of 2001 and my assignment at the time was a PeopleSoft upgrade in the Chicago suburbs. We were in our daily morning meeting when we first heard the news about the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks. Like everywhere else that morning, the atmosphere was one of shock and disbelief. At first everyone thought it was a freak accident … until the second plane hit the south tower.

I can’t recall if we we were sent home early, or if we finished the rest of the workday. I do remember going over to a colleague’s apartment (I was staying in a hotel) where we had dinner and sat watching the news coverage for hours into the night.

From my office window I could see the downtown Chicago skyline and would usually watch all the planes on approach into the two airports. Few the next few days, while all flight traffic in the US was grounded, the skies were eerily empty. Since I was didn’t even want to try and fly home to Florida that weekend, I drove to my parents’ place in Cleveland just to be with family instead of by myself in Chicago. When I did finally fly for the first time after the attacks (and for weeks afterwards), O’Hare was a crowded mess of long lines and weary passengers and security screeners. It’s hard to remember there was a time when we didn’t have to take off our shoes or walk through full body scanners.

But this 10th anniversary of the worst terrorist attack on American soil is not just about “where were you?” but about the over 3,000 people who lost their lives on 9/11 and the men and women who continue to work to keep America safe at home and abroad.

Never forget.