Greta: Remembering 9/11, 13 years later

'Off The Record,' 9/11/14: Greta reflects on her memories of the September 11 attacks and honors the victims and their families.

By Greta Van Susteren

Let's go "Off the Record" for a minute. Thirteen years ago, who could forget? All our lives changed. I was about three blocks from the Pentagon sitting on a plane with my husband, next up for take off to New York.

Suddenly, messages about planes crashing into the World Trade Center. The pilot then announcing our flight canceled, and he returned our plane to the terminal. As we walked to our car on the roof level of the parking deck, about two blocks from the Pentagon, I will never forget what I heard. First, an American airlines plane revving up its engines and suddenly, the explosion as the plane steered into the Pentagon and immediately, a giant black cloud of smoke shooting up from the Pentagon with tiny pieces of plane shooting up in the air in the smoke cloud and those silver pieces look like glitter in the black cloud. It was so awful.

As the bright sun pierced the black smoke and reflecting the pieces, that's what made it glisten. It was terrible what I saw. As awful as what I saw and heard, nothing compares to what others endured. The deaths of so many Americans and of course, deep enduring grief for their families.

And then of course, a different September 11th attack, our four Americans at Benghazi in the grief of their families. Our hearts bleed for all these 9/11 victims, but as we begin to say good night to September 11th, 2014, I just want to remind everyone to thank all those great Americans and there are thousands of them who served in our armed forces and thank also to their spouses and family who have been very good to lend them to us because they are working so hard to keep all of us safe, to make certain we never have a day like that again.

So, thank you to our military and also to the first responders and everybody else who helped. That's my "Off the Record" comment tonight.