story8206.xml
Title
story8206.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-30
911DA Story: Story
Another Day, a Nation Changed
By Erica Henry
The day started off the same as any other day. Nothing was different; nothing foreshadowed the coming events. It was the same morning routine. I was running late as usual and had to run to get to the bus in time. As I flew out the door I heard my mother tell me that she loved me, and my father wished me a good day at school.
School started out the same. English was no more interesting on this day than any of the others. It didn?t take long for me to begin to nod off. And I wasn?t the only one. It was first block and English was not exactly the most interesting class in the world. Glancing across the room I saw many nodding heads and droopy eyelids. As the teacher droned on, I was hoping she wouldn?t call on me, because I had no idea what she was talking about. I had stopped listening long ago. An innocent knock on the large wooden door provided a pleasant excuse for me to turn to my best friend and begin a conversation.
But the knock on the door was not innocent. Our teacher?s face was terribly white, and her hands and voice were shaking. ?Something terrible has happened,? she said, ?someone has crashed into the World Trade Center.? She proceeded to turn on the television. I remember us all watching the news with wonder and confusion; none of us tired anymore. At first, I didn?t actually understand the importance of what had happened. I didn?t even really know what the World Trade Center was. However, seeing the images of bright orange flames, billowing black smoke and airplanes smashing into buildings, I knew that something terrible had happened.
The entire school watched in silent amazement as the two proud towers came cascading down. This feeling of intense solemnity hung heavy in the air. All were scared, and more than a little astounded at what had happened. Silence dominated with only the exception of the news. Those horrible images of terror and evil will never be forgotten, though many may try. Class change was quick and the only talk going on was about what had occurred. The news stayed on in all the classrooms, and class as we knew it was non-existent.
I was quite shaken by the entire thing. I couldn?t understand that America had been the victim of something like this. Surely not America- the land of the free, the home of the brave, the light of liberty and justice! Surely not America! This type of thing just didn?t happen in America. We were invincible. We won wars. We wrote history books. We were the ones who came to the aid of countries in trouble. Such a thing surely couldn?t have happened in brave, strong America! It shouldn?t have?but it did. And America as we knew it would never be the same.
The events of September 11th 2001 changed our nation greatly. We drew together in a way we had not in a very long time. A new sense of pride in our great, though wounded, nation was born and a whole new generation pledged their support. People reached out and gave of themselves to help their fellow citizens. ?What Satan intends for evil, God uses for good.?
But September 11th changed me personally too. Now, more than a year later, I am still affected. I will never be the same. It used to be that I didn?t care what happened in politics. I just didn?t think it mattered to me personally. Honestly, I believed that nothing could ever touch America, so why care? Not so anymore. Now I follow the news closer and pray for the leaders of our country. I also have an inspired sense of pride in our nation. I used to think that patriotism was stupid and was only for old people. Again, this view has dramatically changed. I myself am proud to be an American and I am not afraid to say it. I love my country so much more since 9-11. I am way more thankful for the blessings I enjoy.
And now America faces the future, not sure of what will happen. But we will face the future with courage, unity, and faith, because we know that an additional 3,000 lives have been sacrificed that we may enjoy the liberties of this country. Freedom comes with a price, and we owe a debt of eternal gratitude to those who have paid our dues. May we never forget September 11th.
By Erica Henry
The day started off the same as any other day. Nothing was different; nothing foreshadowed the coming events. It was the same morning routine. I was running late as usual and had to run to get to the bus in time. As I flew out the door I heard my mother tell me that she loved me, and my father wished me a good day at school.
School started out the same. English was no more interesting on this day than any of the others. It didn?t take long for me to begin to nod off. And I wasn?t the only one. It was first block and English was not exactly the most interesting class in the world. Glancing across the room I saw many nodding heads and droopy eyelids. As the teacher droned on, I was hoping she wouldn?t call on me, because I had no idea what she was talking about. I had stopped listening long ago. An innocent knock on the large wooden door provided a pleasant excuse for me to turn to my best friend and begin a conversation.
But the knock on the door was not innocent. Our teacher?s face was terribly white, and her hands and voice were shaking. ?Something terrible has happened,? she said, ?someone has crashed into the World Trade Center.? She proceeded to turn on the television. I remember us all watching the news with wonder and confusion; none of us tired anymore. At first, I didn?t actually understand the importance of what had happened. I didn?t even really know what the World Trade Center was. However, seeing the images of bright orange flames, billowing black smoke and airplanes smashing into buildings, I knew that something terrible had happened.
The entire school watched in silent amazement as the two proud towers came cascading down. This feeling of intense solemnity hung heavy in the air. All were scared, and more than a little astounded at what had happened. Silence dominated with only the exception of the news. Those horrible images of terror and evil will never be forgotten, though many may try. Class change was quick and the only talk going on was about what had occurred. The news stayed on in all the classrooms, and class as we knew it was non-existent.
I was quite shaken by the entire thing. I couldn?t understand that America had been the victim of something like this. Surely not America- the land of the free, the home of the brave, the light of liberty and justice! Surely not America! This type of thing just didn?t happen in America. We were invincible. We won wars. We wrote history books. We were the ones who came to the aid of countries in trouble. Such a thing surely couldn?t have happened in brave, strong America! It shouldn?t have?but it did. And America as we knew it would never be the same.
The events of September 11th 2001 changed our nation greatly. We drew together in a way we had not in a very long time. A new sense of pride in our great, though wounded, nation was born and a whole new generation pledged their support. People reached out and gave of themselves to help their fellow citizens. ?What Satan intends for evil, God uses for good.?
But September 11th changed me personally too. Now, more than a year later, I am still affected. I will never be the same. It used to be that I didn?t care what happened in politics. I just didn?t think it mattered to me personally. Honestly, I believed that nothing could ever touch America, so why care? Not so anymore. Now I follow the news closer and pray for the leaders of our country. I also have an inspired sense of pride in our nation. I used to think that patriotism was stupid and was only for old people. Again, this view has dramatically changed. I myself am proud to be an American and I am not afraid to say it. I love my country so much more since 9-11. I am way more thankful for the blessings I enjoy.
And now America faces the future, not sure of what will happen. But we will face the future with courage, unity, and faith, because we know that an additional 3,000 lives have been sacrificed that we may enjoy the liberties of this country. Freedom comes with a price, and we owe a debt of eternal gratitude to those who have paid our dues. May we never forget September 11th.
Collection
Citation
“story8206.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 17, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/11078.