nmah3728.xml

nmah3728.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

Although physically removed from the terror of September 11, I was more emotionally engaged by the events of that day than by anything I had previously encountered. I vividly remember sitting in my Chorale class as our principal came over the intercom and announced that a plane had crashed into the world trade center. Nearly the entire class looked up at the speaker on the wall, expressions of shock imprinted on our faces. I walked to my English class in a daze, where we proceded to stare at the television in the corner for the period. There was nothing I could do but watch the events unfold with my hands covering my mouth and tears in my eyes. I kept thinking that every generation has its story, and this horrific attack was to be remembered by mine. As a senior in high school, I had no doubt in my mind that September 11 would be with me for the rest of my life. The rest of the day continuted in a haze, with my classmates constantly reaching for their cell phones, rumors being spread throughout the halls of who heard what, and discussions in each class of our feelings about the attacks. This day quite literally changed my life, for no longer do I feel that I am invincible. Instead, I have come to realize just how fragile life is, and I thank God whenever I pray that he kept my family and friends safe and for the life with which we are all blessed.

While I was not directly impacted by the loss of a friend or family member, I have come to value life more dearly and all of the blessings that I have been granted.

This should live on as a day in which our nation united, becoming not a mass of different races and backgrounds but a community of Americans. We were united by the fact that together, we were under attack, and together, we have the strength to fight back.

Following September 11, my family flew an American flag outside of our house, and I placed a flag on the back of my car. One of the most striking things I remember about the weeks following the attacks was that nearly every car on the road had a flag. I feel that our flag came to represent pride in the United States and a newfound unity of its citizens.