Never Forget

Today is the 10th anniversary of the day terrorists attacked America in what became one of the most devestating times in my life's history...and I will never forget.

I pondered my "first line" for this entry while trying to fall asleep last night (which felt like a major impossibility, mind you. For some reason, I was not able to turn off)! I was not sure if I wanted to start with a thought-provoking, post 9/11 quote, or lead right into the "where I was when..." story, or just matter of factly state what the day is and how much of an impact it had on the life I led 10 years ago, and how I've led it since.

Tuesday, September 11, 2001

The day started as any other, I'm sure. Those details have faded as the years progress. I woke up, ready to start another day as a sophomore in high school, 15 years old and mostly concerned with typical teenage things: boys, friends, school, music, my annoying parents, etc. :) One of my parents probably drove me to school that morning, I visited my locker, gathered what I would need for my first class, and headed down the hallway. I passed familiar faces and smiled at friends and all seemed right in my world.

"Sarah. Somethin's going on. A plane just hit the World Trade Center." A friend, MP, had stopped me mid-stride and had his hands on my shoulders, eyes looking serious.

"Say what?" I asked, stumped. He nodded and we broke apart. Apparently, the news had started to leak throughout the halls and we were slowly being ushered into our respective classrooms. For me, it was Advanced Algebra II... (PS: Got my first "C" final grade in this class. Ho-hum). The teacher who taught this class was also a Coach for one of the school sports, I now forget which. Coach was sitting quietly attempting to tune an FM radio so that we could hear the news. It was crackly, but we slowly began to piece it together.

Two planes had crashed into the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. When the first plane hit, a lot of people assumed the pilot of a small personal plane had miscalculated his course. I vaguely recall that only weeks before the attacks, a guy somewhere had crashed his personal aircraft into a building, so the concept wasn't too hard to fathom. Except... Several minutes later, the second plane hit. At that moment, it became real.

New York City. Manhattan. I'd never been there. Still haven't. I wasn't entirely sure what this building was, admittedly, and had to take a moment to recall first. My classmates and I could not focus. The school's administration had come over the intercom, announcing various things that we may need to know, but most likely keeping as much peace as possible.

But it was scary. By the close of the morning, there were two more events. Another plane crashed into the Pentagon. The PENTAGON. A fourth plane, the infamous Flight 93, was hijacked and crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. The passengers of this flight had caught on to something amiss, and they were able to make phone calls to family who explained what was going on in NYC and Washington. Understanding what needed to be done, several passengers attempted to regain control of the plane from the hijackers. There were no survivors.

All of this happened in under 2 hours. Nearly 3,000 people were killed... of course, this statistic, among many others, was not confirmed until days and even weeks after that day. For example: we grow to learn that al-Qaeda, an Islamic militant group, was behind the attacks; specifically, their leader, Osama bin Laden, a name that became common knowledge for years after.

Before this becomes too much like an essay, I want to finish the rest of the day as it was for myself.

During this particular morning, several students began to be checked out from school. Because no one knew what was really possible at this point, everyone was preparing for the worst. I live just outside of Atlanta, the location of the CDC (Center for Disease Control). Some believed this building could be a target. Sure enough, my mom came to get me. She had first picked up my brother from his middle school. Though I can't recall the precise order of events, I know that we gathered some groceries and cash before heading back home. My mom was worried, but holding it together. We then re-glued to the TV set. I later learned a phony bomb threat had been called in to the high school right after I left, so everyone was forced outside to safety until it was cleared. Insanity.

The rest of that day is a blur... a mix of updating ourselves, trying to stay calm, shaking with fear and worry, and reaching out to friends and family just because. It was a surreal time. All aircraft had been grounded, so the skies were more silent than I had ever heard them. For days. Weeks. People were still missing at Ground Zero, families were torn apart, and the nation had declared a War on Terror and invaded Afghanistan, home of the terrorist group, the Taliban, who had harbored al-Qaeda members and played a role in the attacks on our country.

Life felt different. Over the next couple of years, things felt altered in some way. We all lived a life "post 9/11" and had to adjust our ways of thinking. For a good time, America didn't feel as safe. Our leaders, though, in my opinion at least, made it clear that we would not back down. We would not give in, and we would fight to bring those responsible to justice.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

So now, it's 10 years later. We have fallen the Taliban. Captured and interrogated al-Qaeda main players. And, most notably, we found and eliminated Osama bin Laden, on May 2, 2011. I feel like these events have led America into a better place. I could spin off on a related, though irrelevant topic about how I specifically feel about the state of our lovely nation, but that's neither here nor there. What is most important to me is that we have reunited today, as a nation, and will continue to do so in memory of what was lost so many years ago.

School text books are written to include 9/11 attacks. Children of soldiers, firefighters, police, etc. killed on that day are now entering middle school, and understanding for the first time what their mothers and fathers sacrificed on that day. Documentaries and movies have been produced to remind us of the events, and what the nation has accomplished since.

I will never forget. I will never take my simple world for granted... because of this moment in history. I know how unsafe the world can be, and how grateful I should be for the love and family in mine. I pray today for every person who lost someone on September 11, 2001.



[At some point, I will figure out how to hide part of this post so that it's not soooo long on one page...]