On September 11, 2001; my view of the world changed forever. I went from watching the world with the innocence of a child's eyes to seeing the world for how it really is. 9/11 will forever be the defining event of my generation's lifetime. Everyone I know remembers exactly where they were when they first heard about 9/11, and their reaction to it.
"On that morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four passenger jet airliners. Each team of hijackers included a member who had undergone some pilot training. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners (American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175) into the World Trade Center in New York City, one plane into each tower, resulting in the collapse of both buildings soon afterward and extensive damage to nearby buildings. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington County, Virginia, near Washington, D.C. Passengers and members of the flight crew on the fourth aircraft attempted to retake control of their plane from the hijackers; that plane crashed into a field near the town of Shanksville in rural Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Aside from the 19 hijackers, less than 3,000 people died as an immediate result of the attacks with another 24 missing and presumed dead; the number of immediate victims totaled roughly 3,000 the overwhelming majority of which were civilians. The dead included nationals from over 80 different countries. In addition, the death of at least one person from lung disease was ruled by a medical examiner to be a result of exposure to dust from the World Trade Center's collapse."
The first time I heard about 9/11 was when I walked into my 4th grade classroom in the morning. I was 10 when it happened. I had always felt so safe at home in my city. I felt that nothing bad could ever happen to me. But after 9/11, I realized that things could go terribly wrong and that they could happen to me. I became acutely aware that I am vulnerable all the time. The first thing I noticed was that we had a substitute teacher, which usually meant an easy day for us. But even stranger was the fact that the t.v. was on. The t.v. was never on in the classroom during school hours, so that was very strange. The news was on, and there was an image of a tower with smoke coming out of the side, and the announcer was saying something about a plane hitting a place called the World Trade Center. The whole day all the sub did was have the news on. It was a very sobering day for me, as it was the first time I realized that the world can be a very cruel place.
Today I look back on 9/11 now, I realize the impact that it had not just on America, but on the world as well. I see how much some elements in the Middle East hate us. I've become more aware of events in the world and how this affects us in America. Every action we make as a country has repercussions across the world, and I think some of these actions are what led to 9/11. Now I am concerned with the future of this country, and trying to ensure that we may always be in the right. I just look back at this horrible day and hope that future generations never have to go through something like this. 9/11 has taught me there are forces in the world that don't like our foreign policy, not our way of life. That people purposely construed the two to make a lot of money and has been very successful at it. It's taught me that for all the bravado Americans talk, a little less than half have no backbone, little common sense and very little respect for our Constitution. The real patriots are the ones saying "enough is enough, and we're not taking this issue anymore!"
In the future when I look back on this day, I will always remember how the country came together as a whole to mourn. It didn't matter if you were a Republican or a Democrat, black or white, on 9/11 we were Americans. This spirit of cooperation is what I hope to bring back to this country in the future. I don't know if it's possible, but I want to try and insure that there will never be another day like 9/11. Every generation has its defining event, but hopefully the event for the next generation will be something more positive..
9/11 profoundly affected me in the past, it affects me in the present and it will affect me in the future. Such a traumatic event can never be forgotten. I will always remember where I was when I first saw the images of this terrible day. This event will forever impact what I do and how I view the world.
