September 11, 2001

"None of us will ever forget this day."

-Pres. Bush (Address to the Nation, September 11, 2001)

On this the 7th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, I wanted to take a second to reflect on my experience of that day....

I was a sophomore at Centennial High School. First thing that morning I went to Coach Miller's classroom to finish an assignment. As I was finishing it up a girl on my cross country team, Megan Romeo, came in and as she was leaving said, "Did you hear that a plane crashed into the World Trade Center?" I said I hadn't and, I'll admit my ignorance, I remember thinking "which one is the WTC again?" When she said a plane crashed into the building my first thought was a little jet plane or something that would definitely cause damage, but nothing significant, so I forgot about it. 1st period I had Chemistry and class went on as usual, so again I thought nothing of it. My 2nd period French class was when I first started to realize the magnitude of what had happened. I walked into the room and noticed the TV on. There was a woman reporter standing in the middle of a road covered in white ash with people similarly covered walking or running on all sides of her. My first thought was that something had happened in some far off place, because this just doesn't happen in my country. But as I listened more to what she was saying I realized that this was the plane Megan was talking about.

For the rest of the school day we watched the news reports, no one could concentrate on schoolwork, not even the teachers. We continued watching as the second plane hit, and as the towers collapsed...


At home we watched the news all night; we couldn't stop watching.


I remember the following week hearing a lot of kids saying, "Well, if I was in the tower I would have... Or "If I was in that plane I would have..." I got so sick of it I wanted to just rip into them. You don't know what you would have done in a situation like that. My guess is you would have hunkered in the corner and peed your pants (excuse the language). Oh, it made me so mad!


For the next week, even the next month, we were glued to the TV. America had been shaken in a way that it hadn't been in my lifetime. But just as one of Japan's greatest mistakes following their attack on Pearl Harbor was their underestimation of the American spirit and response, this terrorist group could not have guessed how their evil act brought the country together, rather than push it apart. Americans experienced renewed patriotism and showed it with incredible vigor. Flags flew, service was rendered, blood given, etc. America was mobilized and united in their efforts, and it was amazing to be a part of.

Excerpts from Pres. Bush's Address to the Nation on Sept. 11, 2001:


"Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shattered steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve.


"America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining.


"Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America."

Pres. Bush's remarks on the 5th anniversary of the attack, 2006:

"On 9/11, our nation saw the face of evil. Yet on that awful day, we also witnessed something distinctly American: ordinary citizens rising to the occasion, and responding with extraordinary acts of courage. We saw courage in office workers who were trapped on the high floors of burning skyscrapers -- and called home so that their last words to their families would be of comfort and love. We saw courage in passengers aboard Flight 93, who recited the 23rd Psalm -- and then charged the cockpit. And we saw courage in the Pentagon staff who made it out of the flames and smoke -- and ran back in to answer cries for help. On this day, we remember the innocent who lost their lives -- and we pay tribute to those who gave their lives so that others might live."

Let us never forget that fateful day and the awful realization that we are not impenetrable, that we can be wounded, but also that America will always rise to the occasion. That as a strong, resourceful nation, we can continue to stand as a "beacon for freedom and opportunity" and share that light with the world.