9/11

I remember exactly what I was doing, where I was and what I was thinking/feeling on 9/11. 

I was 18 years old, and I had spent the night at a former friend's house.  I was crashing on the couch, and her dad just came in from his early morning job delivering news papers.  I used the crash at their house a lot, so I was used to hearing her dad coming in at around 6am.  Normally, I'd just ignore the noise he made and go back to sleep.   On rare occasions I'd say a quick hello, ask him how his day was and then go back to sleep.

This time, it was different.  He came in and immediately woke me up and said, "You need to turn on the TV.  Now."  I was stunned, but did as he said.  I asked him if there was any channel in particular he wanted me to go to and he told me to turn it on to MSNBC.  As I was still pushing away the cobwebs of sleep I was having a hard time really latching on to what was being talked about, but everyone was sounding very tense and worried.  Then, I saw it.  The backdrop to the coverage was a live image of the Twin Towers.  On one of them was a huge plume of smoke. 

"Is that....?" I asked.

"Yeah.  A plane crashed into one of the Twin Towers.  They think it was an accident, but they're not sure." the dad replies. 

"When did this happen?  Do they know who did it?" I'm completely glued to the TV at this point. 

"It just happened.  I heard about it on the radio as I was driving home.  I don't think they know who did it, yet."

We sat there watching the news, quietly contemplating all the repercussions of this.  How many people were hurt?  What happened to the pilot?  Was there something wrong with the plane?  A thousand thoughts, feelings, concerns, questions were racing through my head and then the second plane hit.  I couldn't believe it.  Two planes??  Right then, I knew.  Everything will be forever changed.  In less than ten minutes, the way we look at the world won't ever be the same.  There was no question any more.  This was an attack.

What was really difficult for me was watching the anchor people really struggle with what they were seeing.  I think Brian Williams was on that morning, along with another woman and they didn't have a clue of what to say.  They were seeing this at the exact time we were, so they had no time to process what they were seeing.  No time to compose themselves.  No time to come to terms with the fact that one of their city's greatest landmarks was literally going up in smoke. 

My friend woke up and came out of her room at this point.  I can't remember who got her; it may have been me.  I told her what had happened and it was around this point that we learned about the other planes going down in Pennsylvanian and the Pentagon.  Everyone was quiet in the house.  My friend's toddler son was up and being loud (as toddlers are wont to do) so she put him in their room to play with his toys as we all watched in horror.  More and more footage was coming in, and more and more people were calling in.  Experts, witnesses, politicians.  All of them were trying to keep their cool as they were seeing what was happening.  

Tunnels, bridges, borders, airports; everything was shutting down.  America was locking it's doors. 

It seemed like we were watching the news for days when, two hours after the first plane hit, the southern tower collapsed in itself.  What was odd was the that people watching the coverage were aware of it before the anchor people.  Tears came to my eyes as I watched, knowing that if someone survived that, it would be a miracle. As reports came in that the tower had indeed collapsed, the anchor people just couldn't believe what they were hearing and seeing.  They kept asking the people who were reporting this if they meant something had fallen off the building, or if just a part of the building collapsed, and the people reporting would say, "No. The whole building has collapsed.  There's nothing left.  It's gone."  You could hear them fight back tears as they were fighting to stay professional, trying not to incite fear or panic from their viewers. 

September 11th has always had special meaning to me.  My older brother's birthday was that day.  One of my oldest friends birthday was that day also.  I have always had a reason to celebrate and be thankful for September 11th.  As I was watching New York go up in a plume of smoke, my thoughts went out to these two very important people in my life and about what was possibly going through their minds.  Were they feeling guilty for celebrating their birthdays?  Would they even want to celebrate it anymore?  Would they feel like they shouldn't?  I imagine I would be thinking along those lines if this happened on my birthday.

2,996 died as a result of the 9/11 attacks.  2,977 were innocent victims.  The number of victims of the attacks perhaps cannot be counted.  So many families are grieving the loss of their loved ones who died on that day.  So many people who managed to survive the attacks will be forever haunted by what happened that day. So many people were injured that day, have suffered or perhaps are still suffering from survivor's guilt, post traumatic stress disorder.  Many of those people will forever wear a scar on their bodies that mark that day.  Dozens, if not hundreds, of firefighters, police officers, paramedics, doctors, nurses and other medical, emergency and military personnel have died or were injured as a result of trying to save as many people as they could from the attacks. 

Children lost their parents.  Parents lost their children. 

Everyone around the world watched the day the world changed, just like I did.


*****Writer's Note*****

For many in BC, while this is a day for remembering, it's also a day of joy as a little boy was returned to his parent's loving arms.  Kienan Hebert has been found!  Sparwood RCMP received a call at around 2:00am this morning and were told that Kienan was brought back to his family home.  The Heberts were staying at a friends' house down the road and they saw a large police presence in front of their house.  They went over to their house to see what was going on and they saw Kienan, in the living room, holding his blankie. 

The suspect, still believed to be Randall Hopley, is still at large so please keep your eyes out for him and let the police know if you spot him or his vehicle, a light brown 1987 Toyota Camry, BC License plate 098 RAL.

Kienan Hebert

Kienan Hebert - last seen wearing Scooby Doo boxer shorts

On September 7th, 2011 three year-old Kienan Hebert went missing from his Sparwood, BC home.  His parents put him to bed the night before and at around 8:30 the next morning, they went to check in on him to get him up and ready for the day when they realized that he is missing.  By 9:00pm that day, the local RCMP issued an Amber Alert.

RCMP suspect that a person (I won't call him a man) by the name of Randall Hopley is the one who took the child.  They believe he is driving his light brown, 1987 Toyota Camry with a BC license plate 098 RAL.  Randall Hopley is 46 year-old with a long history with the RCMP.  In 2008, Hopley attempted to kidnap a special needs child from his foster home and return the child to his biological parents, for a fee of $2800.  There wasn't enough evidence to convict him on the count of unlawful confinement and of abduction, but he did go to jail for 18 months for break and entry.  Prior to that, he had 11 other break-in convictions as well as having been found guilt of a sexual assault in 1985.  He looks like a real douche-bag and his rap sheet proves it.

A week ago, my partner wanted to surprise me with a morning/afternoon to myself by taking our child with him to the PNE.  When either one of us leaves the house before the other wakes up (and it's something that wasn't discussed ahead of time), the standard operating procedure (SOP) is to write a note on a white board to let the other know where they've gone, if they took the kid with them and usually and ETA on their return home.  For some reason, I didn't think to check the white board when I woke up.  All I knew was I was awake and my child was no where to be seen.  I called out his name, went throughout the house to look at all possible hiding spots, checked the front door (which was locked - dead bolt).  He was no where.  Irrationally, I thought maybe he was with my sister, so I called her to see if that was the case.  She was the level headed one of the two of us and told me to call my partner.  For some bizarre reason, I was holding off calling him because I didn't want to worry him on his day off.  So here I am, in this gut wrenching panic, about to call the police to say someone stole my child and I call my partner.  In tears, I ask if he has our kid and he seemed confused that I was as panicked as I was.  He said, "Well, yeah I have him.  Didn't you check the white board?"  Sure enough, there was a note from him that he took our child with him to the Fair.

That was the single most terrifying moment of my life.  I nearly died in a trucking accident 7 years ago, and the fear I felt in those few seconds from when I knew we were about to collide to when the collision occurred didn't even come close to the fear I felt when I thought (rather irrationally.  Seriously, had I checked the white board, I wouldn't have had to feel that fear) that someone had my baby.  I saw my life flash before my eyes, convinced I was going to die on that snowy highway, and I would rather go through that experience every day for the rest of my life than feel what it felt like when I thought someone had my kid for even one millisecond.

The thing is, I know - without a shadow of doubt  - that what I felt can't even come close, can't even compare to what Kienan's mother, father and family are feeling right know.  I felt as though someone had clawed my heart, my very soul, from my body with their bare hands and I know that while that feeling only lasted a few minutes, Kienan's mother is feeling it minute after minute.  Hour after hour.  Day after day.  God, I can't even begin to imagine what it feels like to not only know that your baby is gone, that some evil person STOLE your little angel, but to know that that bastard took him from your very house!  While you were there!  Your house is the one place your child should always, ALWAYS feel safe.  The person didn't just take their child; he took away their home.  Their feeling of safety, of security, of comfort.  He took away everything that that house is supposed to be to that family when he took their child.

My heart aches for Kienan and his family.  There have been some possible sightings, in Kamloops, Dawson Creek, Chetwynd and on the ferry heading from Tsawwassen to Vancouver Island.  Sadly, nothing has come from either of those sightings.  I can't imagine how it feels to think that your child may be finally coming home only to have that too, ripped away from you.

In all of my melodramatic writing, I will say that I am really impressed with how the cities around them, around us all, seem to be responding.  As soon as the Amber Alert came out, TransLink busses have been alerting riders that the alert is still in effect.  SkyTrain stations are posting information about Kienan, Hopley and Hopley's vehicle.  When the RCMP and BC Ferry found out that there was a possible sighting on one of the ferries, they immediately turned the ship around and brought it back to Tsawwassen.  Alberta RCMP, and Canadian Border Services are on full alert.  Even on Facebook and Twitter, everyone is sharing information, updates or simply wishing for the best possible outcome for the Hebert family.

If the Heberts somehow reads this post: I am so sorry that this is happening to you.  I am fighting back tears as I write this because no one should have to feel the pain you are feeling right now.  I imagine the only thing that can possibly the ache in your soul right is to have your son safely in your arms and I hope, with every fiber of my being that tonight is the last night that you will ever have to go to bed (if you are even able to sleep) wondering where your baby boy is. 

If Hopley (or whomever has Kienan right now) reads this: bring that little boy back to where he belongs.  Bring him back his family.  You have brought so much pain to the Heberts, the people of Sparwood and all the communities - big or small - that have been hurting with and for the Heberts, to your mother.  For once in your life, do something right and let that sweet little boy go home to his parents and siblings.

To everyone else reading this (especially those in BC, Alberta and Washington):  it is the RCMP's belief that if they find the car belonging to Hopley, they'll find Hopley and they'll find Kienan.  Please keep your eyes peeled for a light brown, 1987 Toyota Camry with a BC license plate 098 RAL.  If you see this vehicle, don't be a hero! Don't be a vigilante!  Get as good a look as you safely can and immediately call the police and let them know exactly where you saw the vehicle, exactly when, and exactly what it was doing (is the vehicle parked?  Driving north towards Fort St. John?  Is the driver driving erratically?) and by all means, KEEP YOURSELF SAFE!!  You won't be helping anyone if you engage Hopley, least of all that little boy.

Randall Hopley, the person suspected of abducting Kienan Hebert.

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Hopley drives a 1987 Toyota Camry, believed to look like this one.  BC license plate is 098 RAL

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 *****UPDATE 9.10.2011*****

• Please go to the Find Kienan Hebert page for important updates and information.  When there, print out a photo of Kienan and post it around your neighbourhood with a yellow ribbon.  There are vigils being held in communities all over BC and Alberta.  If there's one in your area, please consider going.   
• The Amber Alert has been officially extended to Alberta, Canada and Washington, USA. 
• For the fourth day, 500 volunteers are actively searching for Kienan in and around Sparwood, including a search party headed by Sarah Gasparetto who is searching off the beaten path. 
• Police confirm that there was an attempted abduction in Sparwood earlier on the day Kienan was taken.
• The follow quote is a message from Kienan's parents to the abductor:

  "Speaking to whoever has Kienan right now.  We are just asking please bring Kienan to a safe place right now.  Okay.  Like a gas station or a store parking lot where he is visibly seen and you can just drop him off there.  Walk away.  We just want him safe.  Kienan is only three-years-old right now, and as you know and we know, Kienan can't speak.  So he can't tell us who you are.  This is your chance now to get away. All we want is Kienan to come back with us and to be safe in our arms again.  Thank you,"