When I got to work for the 1600-2400 shift on 9/11, we were on full alert. The port of Champlain, N.Y. is on the main thoroughfare between Montreal, Quebec, and New York City. We had to search every car, truck and bus coming into and leaving the country. To this day, almost ten years later, I don’t remember how many weeks or months we were on alert and most of it is still a blur.

A few days after 9/11, I was at work and answered a phone call. The caller identified himself as a manufacturer in the Montreal area who needed to make an entry of goods through our port. He stated his company was shipping body bags to New York City and asked me, “Are body bags dutiable?” I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach and I wanted to cry. I took a deep breath and replied, “Not today, Sir….Not today.” I have never forgotten that phone call. Even though our port is about 350 miles from Ground Zero, that call made it seem a lot closer.

Another Officer from our port, now retired, told me his unforgettable story from 9/11. We were still on alert at our port and were doing outbound searches of all vehicles. A tractor trailer stopped for inspection and this Officer asked what he was carrying in his trailer. The driver said his trailer was empty but that he had brought a load of coffins to Ground Zero. The Officer waved him on.

Every single work night since 09/11, when I get home at midnight, I stop and look up at the stars and give thanks. Even when it is cloudy, I look up at stars I can’t see. I give thanks that my little corner of the world is safe for one more night.