story20507.xml

story20507.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2006-09-11

On the day of the terrorist attacks on September eleventh, I was only in the sixth grade. Thus, throughout the school day, my peers and I remained in the dark about the events which took place. We understood that something was going on, because the school principle, Mrs. Woodley made an announcement over the intercom about safety precautions. Yet, she mentioned no specifics. I remember my classmates and I questioning and talking about what might have happened. The only thing we could think of was that maybe there was a burglar or other criminal on the loose. Obviously, we were completely wrong, and we did not discover the actual truth about what took place until after school let out.
When the bell rang, ending the school day, I noticed that there were more parents coming to pick up their children then usual, and I found that quite peculiar. Then, my attention was diverted away from those thoughts when I saw my two good friends, Carey and Tad. Tad's mom was standing next to him and she explained to us that certain buildings had been attacked by plains. However, I do not believe that either of us completely understood the magnitude of what took place until we made it home and turned on the television. As soon as the television turned on, all we saw on the screen was a barrage of firey images and screaming people. The images we were witnessing were surreal to us, we could not wrap our minds around what was happening. It was as if in that instance, our childish innocence was ripped away from us forever. We no longer carried the belief that the world was a happy, joyful place. Instead, the prevalence of the evils of our world became apparent in our eyes.
Although, it is during these difficult times that the true strenght of a nation and its people shines through. When our neighborhood learned of a family that lost their loving husband and father, we all came together the help the family out in any way we could. Everybody baked meals for them, offered emotional support, and a shoulder to cry on. Incredibly, after 9/11, people all over the nation provided help for family and friends the same way. It was heart-warming to see that during a difficult time, all people, reguardless of petty differences, were there for eachother when it really mattered.