Not to be too dramatic but I debated on calling Virginia Beach Police to ask them to investigate the out of place strangers with the foreign dialect and with the very different summer strange dress attire the summer PRIOR to 9-11! Who were these people? After 9-11, I discovered these were the Terrorist that changed our World. These were the Terrorists I saw outside of Big Lots Shopping area, the Kmart shopping Center at Hilltop in Va Beach, VA. They were sitting on the bench next to the pay phone in front of the Big Lots store. They were within half a mile off the Oceana Naval Air Base runway, actually close enough where you could usually see the Pilots head in the cockpit!
After shopping at Big Lots, I walked out of the store and saw these people gathered around the front of the store. I got into my SUV and shortly after drove my SUV beside the main entrance of Big Lots directly in front of them. They were sitting in front of the outside of the store. As I drove up, one person from their group separated from the others and walked to the opposite side of the entrance. I asked if they were trying to go to the bus station. The bus station was approximately one mile down on Laskin road, and a very short distance to the Oceanfront. They did not answer me but started talking in a strange language that I had never heard before! I had heard many languages before but never this dialect even having traveled as a Navy wife and having lived near Washington D.C. I decided it was best not to pursue the talk since they ignored me. I did know, they did not belong, and were out of place! They did not fit the tourist pattern with their speech nor were their clothes seasonable. They just did not fit!
At that point, I thought I would call the Police but thought what would I say? Would I say there are a bunch of Foreigners in front of Big Lots talking in a strange language that I had never heard, wearing very strange clothes? What would the Police do besides think that I was insane? Also, I thought the VB Police might even arrest me for reporting them. Years later, I know more about the VB Police and the Police do not like to make reports especially investigate. They are a Tourist town not a Terrorist Town!
I decided to drive away but called a friend to share what I had seen. She said leave it alone! She said one day I was going to get in trouble being too trusting. She reminded me that I was not in South Alabama anymore.
IF I HAD MADE THE CALL TO THE POLICE, AND IF the VB POLICE had taken action to make a report of these people, 9-11 MAY NOT have happened! Did anyone else call the Police that saw these terrorist prior to 9-11, or if I had would the Police have reported their findings to the FBI or the CIA? Would they have taken action? 9-11 COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED?
After 9-11 it was reported, the NEWS media reported the Terrorists’ that changed out World had been down the street from where I was living! They were in VA BEACH the summer just BEFORE 9-11-01.They were at the 7-11 store, at the K-mart shopping center at Big Lots, the Oceanfront, and over in the Hampton, Newport News, VA area according to the news. The Terrorists’ were around our military bases! Still should we now be concerned that they were probably on our bases while they were here? Should we be concerned that the Terrorist may be targeting Little Creek Amphibious Base in VA BEACH since they took down Bin Laden? What about future attacks on our bases since they were around VA BEACH?
Would my one phone call made a difference? Would the one phone call have halted the Attacks on the World Trade Center, the takeover of the planes and the Pentagon attack, and the plane crashes? Could that one phone call saved thousands? WOULD THAT ONE PHONE CALL STOPPED 9-11?