nmah5720.xml

nmah5720.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2003-09-11

I was in Concert choir at the time. It was my friend's birthday. We were all goofing off because it was the end of class, when our principal, Mr. Healey came on the intercom with the horrible news. he said that there had been a terrorist attack in Washington D.C. and in New York City. That's all he told us. we were all in both a state of shock and fear. what was happening? one of my good friend's dad was in the pentagon, and another of my friend's dad's office was in the section of the pentagon that was hit, but he went to the bathroom. and my brother lives in Arlington. he saw it happen from his office window. he saw the plane go right into the pentagon. so many of my friends and family were affected by this. it was a day i'll never forget.

I wouldn't necessarilly say that my life has changed a whole lot. it has certainly made me much more aware of the news, and the goings on in the world, but it has not affected my actions in any way. i made a national choir in NYC in february 2003. the week i was to go into the city, the terror alert was raised to code red. my parents were petrified. they didn't want to go, plus my dad's health wasn't too great at the time, so i went in with my aunt and uncle. i had tried way too hard to make this choir. i wasn't going to let any terrorists take me down. if i was meant to die, i would've. my NYC trip was one of the greatest experiences of my life.

i think the most important thing to be remembered after september 11th, was that even though our nation was nearly crippled, we all came together as 1. we put aside our differences (race, sex, etc.) and united together in the moments of despair. i think all nations should let that be an example to them. we didn't let it get us down. we moved on a stronger nation. i remember going on a bridge that was being built by my house, and the construction workers hung a flag in pride. it made everyone feel "warm and fuzzy inside." then one day the flag was gone. everyone was very upset, for that meant that someone had stolen it. we responded by buying more flags, not just one, and hanging them on the bridge, to show the culprits that we were moving on. i think unity i what should be remembered about september 11th.

my family did fly and American flag after the events of september 11th. my feelings have changed, because i have begun to understand the flag. it's not a material possession, but rather a symbol of our grievance, but also our pride for our country. september 11th has forever changed my life, and the way i look at the world.