In Remembrance: 9/11 Ten Years Later

This week I will not be writing about academics. I will be writing about the tragedy that changed America forever. This Sunday marks the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and out Pentagon. I had never before felt unsafe as a citizen of this country and this horrific event shook me to my core, as I am sure it did every single American Citizen.

I was asleep when the first two planes hit the World Trade Center, but when I woke up to get ready for work, my dad was telling me what was going on. At first, I asked him what movie he was watching. he said "No, son, this is for real." I stood there watching the Towers on fire in a numb and mute state. I could not believe what was happening. Who would do such a thing? Why did this happen? As much as I wanted to stay and watch the coverage, I had to get ready for work.

As I was showering my mind was trying to understand what was going on. Would work be safe? Should I call in? I was able to pull myself together enough to drive into work where everyone was watching the coverage on a television at the Coffee Bar. There were not many customers at all, and it was very eerie as I looked into the faces of coworkers. Some of them were crying, some of them had shocked and disbelieving looks on their faces. One thing was for sure; we all knew our country would never be the same again.

The front page of the AJC on 9/12/01

Many things have changed in our country since that day. Airport security is tighter, the government is monitoring us more, and we all realized how everything in our lives can change in an instant. As the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack approaches, I urge all Americans to remember and honor those who died but also to honor and remember all of our soldiers, both past and present, alive and dead who have sacrificed so much so that our amazing nation could continue to be the freest nation in the world. We should say a special prayer and thank you to all of the First Responders and their families who lost their lives or loved ones when the Towers came down. Those brave men and women deserve our thanks and our support not just at this time of year but every day because they help to keep us safe by putting their lives in danger.

To all of the Men and Women who serve us both in our Armed Forces and Domestically, from the bottom of my heart, I say THANK YOU for your service.