9/11/01

Today marks a sad anniversary in the United States. Twelve years ago, the greatest terrorist attack stunned our nation in to grief and unity. During the morning and afternoon back in 8th grade, fellow classmates were constantly called to the office and taken home. I remember sitting in my cultures class, daydreaming about my upcoming birthday as a plane passed overhead. For those of you who don’t know, I lived in southwestern PA for eighth grade through high school. I still wonder if that plane was the doomed Flight 93.  Finally, that cultures teacher told us of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We were all confused, being a bit too young to recall the 1993 attacks.

After school, I asked my father (who worked from home at the time) why he didn’t pull Leslie and me out of class (clearly, I was pissed I didn’t get to come home early). He told me that we weren’t afraid and that the people who did such evil things wouldn’t win. I spent that evening splitting time between the TV downstairs and the computer in my parents’ room upstairs (the only one with an Internet connection, ahh the good ole days). I researched the World Trade Center and wrote pages of notes on a small legal pad, which are still in my closet at their house. As more news came in, we wondered what would happen. Where would America go from here?

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In 2002, my high school band performed at a 9/11 memorial concert in our town. A local country singer played a song he wrote especially for the occasion, “An Angel Bringing in Flight 93.” Not a dry eye was left in the theater. The next month, I visited New York City for the first time, and our itinerary included a stop at the WTC Subway station and Ground Zero. We peeked through the construction fences to see the mangled remains of the Twin Towers.

In 2003 or so, I made my first trip to that lonely field in Shanksville and to the temporary memorial. Seeing the hole made by the plane had a profound impact on me: the immeasurable courage of every day Americans to sacrifice their lives for the common good. My sorority big came home with me over Fall Break in 2008. Growing up in Long Island, she knew people who died in the Twin Towers. We again drove out to Shanksville to pay our respects (and to see the Quecreek Mine). Each subsequent anniversary passed with a quiet observance of this historic day.

The original memorial

On the tenth anniversary, I stayed home and watched the memorial services. It was humbling and touching to see the emotion in the voices of the family members honoring their loved ones. The rest of the day, I was glued to a special on the Science Channel that chronicled the development and construction of the World Trade Center memorial at Ground Zero.

The events of September 11 are emblazoned on the hearts and minds of every American: where you were, how you reacted, that whole day. In a way, it brings to mind April 16 (my freshman year of college). As I watch shows about 9/11, I see parallels between the survivors and families and Virginia Tech students. We all have carefully rehearsed stories to give the details people want to hear (who did you know, where were you, etc.) and to not stir up too strong of emotions (that doesn’t always work).

I had no idea how dramatically 9/11 would impact my entire life. From little things like three ounce bottles in a carry-on bag to the fact that my husband and I spent a year apart during his deployment. Obviously, America is a very different place that on September 10, 2001. I believe that America has risen above this tragedy to show the world just how great we are. And I will always believe that America can become even greater.

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God Bless America.