story8459.xml

story8459.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-10-17

September 11th, 2001, is a very memorable day in the history of the United States. Terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York, killing thousands of innocent people. On that day, I was in school as usual. I recall being in math class and was having a trial bus safety evacuation. We were all in the buses, and our driver was trying to make us quiet down in order to discuss safety issues with us. He then proceeded to tell us that two planes had hit a building in New York. We were all a little confused and curious to find out more details.
We returned to class, and a few moments later, the principal came for a brief meeting with our team teachers in the hallway. He informed them about the horrible incident that had just taken place in New York. When our teacher returned to the classroom, she was very upset. We could all tell something was seriously wrong. We briefly discussed what had happened with her. She couldn't really tell us a lot because she didn't really know that much either. Also, the principal thought it was best if the students discussed the situation with their parents, rather than in school with their teachers and peers.
My mother picked me up that day after school. I asked her what had happened and she explained to me that two planes had hit the World Trade Center in New York and another plane hit a section of the Pentagon in Washington D.C. When my father came home from work, I also discussed what had happened with him too. That night, I watched the news to get as much information as possible. They kept showing the planes flying through the Twin Towers over and over again. I was very sad and shocked at these awful incidents. The thought of so many innocent people dying and trapped inside those buildings upset me the most.
The next day in school was extremely different from the others. Everyone was affected by the previous days events in some way. This was the topic of almost all of our conversations in class. We still couldn't believe this actually happened. It wasn't just a dream, it was reality. The fact that both planes left from Logan Airport in Boston, where I currently live, frightened me because I have flown out of that same airport several times. I always thought it was extremely difficult to get weapons on a plane. I always thought that flying was safe.
Soon after, it was discovered that some of the terrorists aboard the two planes were criminals wanted by the FBI; I couldn't believe it! How did they get through security if they were on the list of people wanted by the FBI? As more and more evidence was revealed, I became more and more amazed by this crime.
The number one question that's been in my mind from the day of the attacks is why would someone ever want to do something like this? Why would you perform such a terrorist act and kill many innocent people including, firefighters, police officers, rescue workers, and all of the people inside the building? Not only American citizens were killed during this act of terrorism, but also people from all over the world.
After the attacks of September 11th, I have learned to be more thankful for my family and friends. People who lost their lives - firefighters, people in the planes that crashed, along with the people inside the Twin Towers should be remembered on September 11th. I realized how precious life is and how quickly it can change. Because of the events that occurred on September 11th, we are now a stronger nation. Patriotism is being publicly displayed with American flags waving outside of homes and on cars. People have come closer together and become friendlier as well. As you can see, September 11th, 2001, is a very tragic event in history that will never be forgotten.