Every American will remember precisely what we were doing on Sept. 11, 2001. I was four months pregnant and Credit Union Times senior Washington reporter at the time. That was the day Credit Union House was scheduled to open, and I was getting ready to cover the grand opening celebration.

Our editor called me and said a plane had flown into one of the World Trade Center towers. At the time the thought was that it may be an accident. I flippantly asked, "Were there any credit unions in there?" The second plane hit while we were on the phone, and there was no question that this was no accident.

Even though I had heard the news of the plane hitting the Pentagon, I started into D.C., wondering what I was doing bringing a child into a world like this. On my way, I stopped at a pay phone–cell towers were busy–to call CUNA and see if I should still try to get into the city. The answer was clear: Everyone was trying to get out. I turned around and drove back home.