nmah4168.xml

nmah4168.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I witnessed the history made on September 11, 2001 through the eyes of a naive child. I was fourteen years old, and still completely unaware of how cruel the world could be. I had learned about Pearl Harbor and other attacks on the United States, but it was one of those events that you never expect to witness in your lifetime. September 11 is a day that I'll never forget; I still remember what I was wearing, what I was doing and more importantly how I reacted. On September 11 I was at my high school, leisurely walking to my gym class between periods, and I took notice of how desolate the hall was. Then all of a sudden one of my friends came flying around the corner, nearly knocking me over. The next thing I knew he grabbed me by the arm with a look of despair on his face and said, "The World Trade Centers were attacked by a plane!" Of course,the reaction of an ignorant fourteen year old could be nothing but, "You're such a liar! Why would you say a thing like that? You know you're not being funny," and with that he gave me a look, one of those looks that you never forget, a look of extreme sorrow and lost hope. We both continued on our ways, but as I entered gym class and saw the teacher glued to the televistion, the nightmare became a reality. I couldn't fully grasp what was happening at that moment and I still have a hard time grasping it today. That day, I watched the towers fall and at the same time I watched America fall with them. Now, I look at the videos of September 11 and I see them through the eyes of a different person. The eyes of someone who will never forget what she was wearing, what she was doing, and most importantly how she reacted.

My life since September 11, 2001 has changed. September 11 forced me to grow up, it made me realize that America wasn't as strong as I thought it was and that I'm not always safe. That scared me then and still scares me now, the thought of not being completely safe. But besides that, it has made me believe in people. It made me believe that there was good in people, just look at the brave souls on the plane that went down in Pennsylvania, and the firemen and policemen that went to work knowing they might not make it home.

I think above everything the people should be remembered. They weren't from the army or the navy. They did sign up to die, they didn't even know they were targets. They are the reason as to why September 11 was a tradgedy. Buildings are replaceable, but people are one of a kind. So they should be remembered for their heroism and courage. Also I think we should remeber the bravery shown on that day by everyone from firefighters to the average American citizen.

Yes, my family did fly an American flag after September 11. To me after September 11 the American flag changed. It became one of the defining symbols of patriotism. Not that is wasn't before, but the heroism shown on 9/11 made me proud to be an American and therefore I flew the flag to honor those who died on that tragic day.