story7747.xml

story7747.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-17

One year ago, an unexpected moment in history came, that nearly knocked the world off its axis. I was living the typical life of a teenager. It was the second week of school at West Springfield High School and I was in class from 7:30 AM to 2:15 PM. That Tuesday morning, I was in chemistry class, learning the basics about the physical and chemical properties of matter. Class ended around 9:08 AM and I set off for my next class, which was band. As I approached the double doors leading to the classroom, I happened to glance through the windows. All of my schoolmates, my friends, and my teacher, were huddled around the television with looks of horror across their faces. I walked into the room and saw that that the tallest structure in the world was up in flames. I had no idea no idea what was happening and I heard someone say 'what kind of an idiot would fly near the World Trade Center-it's a no fly zone'. We were all shocked. As I continued to stare at the TV in disbelief, a jetliner entered from the side of the screen, slamming into the other twin tower. Then it hit me-this was not an accident.
Tears streamed down many people's faces in fear of what was next and in terror of what had just happened moments before. Then Dan Rather, of CBS News, brought to us more breaking news. A plane that had taken off from Dulles Airport, headed for California, had left its course, and was used as a missile to ruin a portion of the Pentagon. The whole room gasped. West Springfield is located about twenty miles from Washington, D.C., and it became a reality for something like this to happen in our own backyard. Many of my friends had parents or relatives who worked at the Pentagon, and they spent countless hours on the phone lines only to get busy signals, and to not know where their loved ones were or if they were okay. Several minutes later, we heard that a fourth jetliner left its course and crashed into a field in rural Pennsylvania. All I wanted to do at that point was go home. I spent the rest of the day praying that my family was okay and wanting to go home and shut everything out. Around 1:45 PM my mom came and picked me up out of Algebra 2 class and I learned that all of my family was okay. It was the greatest feeling in the world.
In the days following the attacks, we found out that Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda networks in Afghanistan, were responsible for the acts of terror against the United States. We were also able to learn that the plane that went down in Pennsylvania not only crashed, but was brought down by a group of heroes. Those on the plane were apparently aware of the terrorist attacks going on in Washington and New York. They knew that either way, they were going to die too, and they didn't want to ruin more innocent people's lives. In an act of heroism, the pilots of the plane were able to take the plane down without killing anyone else. Pilot Beamer's last words, that ring in American's ears, were "Let's Roll".
From the September Eleventh tragedies, I learned a lesson about the important things in life. I learned to be thankful for what I have and to not take anything for granted. I learned that there is nothing more important than the love and prayer you give and get from your family and friends. And I learned to live every day to the fullest. Treat every day like it is your last and find a way to be a hero.