nmah6559.xml

nmah6559.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-07-17

I was a sophomore in high school when 9/11 happened. On the morning of the attacks, I turned on my radio to finish getting ready for school and the first thing I heard was that a plane had hit the Pentagon. Now, I thought that it was a joke...but then I figured, Why would they joke about something as serious as that? My dad had heard my radio down the hallway and went to the living room to turn on the TV. The Today Show was showing images of the first plane hitting the first tower. Then we both witnessed the second plane hitting the second tower. I stood there in shock. I tried to eat breakfast, but I was too distracted by the images on TV. Soon, I realized, I needed to leave in order to get to school on time. When I got to choir that morning, the room was buzzing with "Did you hear what happened?" I quickly went up to my friends and asked if they had heard. One of my friends didn't even know what the Trade Center was until that day. We were all in shock and couldn't really concentrate on our music so our teacher dismissed us early. All day we watched the news to keep up with what was happening. When the plane crashed in PA, that's when stories really caused me to choke up. The thought of making a phone call to your loved one and then leaving the phone connected as they heard the plane crash...that would be terribly hard. Obviously, as expected, that whole day was hard to get through.

My life has changed because my country had been threatened that day and so was our national security. Airports tightened down on security; people were really scared to fly! 6 months after the attacks, I went to NYC on a mission trip for my spring break. That was the BEST experience of my life. That really changed my life. The week were there, we did a number of things to help the victims and the city. One of the days, we served hot chocolate to people walking by. Although many were suspicious, they still took a cup after we reassured them that we weren't there to poison them. Another day, I helped the American Red Cross/Safe Horizons group take out duplicate profiles and through the doubles away. Later that afternoon, one of the leaders came by and asked our group who would like to be a runner. My friend and I volunteered for that since were tired of being in the hot office. She and I went to the building next door where victims were filing paper work and we were to take them back to the other building to get in line in the appropriate places. On one of our trips I noticed a woman who was sobbing; my heart went out to her. So my friend and I walked the next group to the building and then went back. The woman was ready for us to take her next door. Before we headed out of the building, I stopped and asked her what had happened to her. It turns out that she had a little salon near the Trade Center that was completely destroyed. She started crying again as she told us of her loss. I felt so bad for her! So after she finished telling us, I asked her if she would like us to pray with her. She eagerly said yes. That was one of MANY experiences I had on that mission trip. On our free day that week, we went to Ground Zero which was obviously a sober time. My cousin and I immediately started crying when we saw the fence that had a bunch of pictures, flags, and other messages on it. It touched us. After we were done remembering, we headed back down the ramp they had set up and back onto the street. My cousin, along with one of our friends, and I walked to this little store. They had enclosed a section of their store that had soot and ash covering their clothes. Behind us was a painting of firemen and police that were standing in Ground Zero after the towers collapsed and debris had settled. It was also very touching. That was the BEST trip of my life.

Now that I've graduated high school and it's been almost 3 years since the attacks, I feel that we should remember everything of Sept. 11th. Nothing should be forgotten. I remember Bush and Guiliani rushing to the scene and immediately offer their help. To me, that's what makes a great President and Mayor. I have a lot of respect for both men. The people who were on the planes are the heroes...as well as the firemen who searched endlessly for survivors. THEY ARE ALL HEROES. I always start crying when I think of their efforts. I will never forget watching them act on that horrendous day. The people on the flight that crashed in Somerset, PA should be remembered. They are also heroes...they stopped that plane from hitting another target - which possible could've been the White House. Everybody who died, everybody who helped search are heroes to me.

Yes, my family flew a flag after Sept. 11th. My feelings grew stronger after 9/11. I had never been more proud to be an American. The flag held more meaning for me. All patriotic songs held more meaning for me - I get goosebumps when I sing songs for 9/11. No matter what anyone may think of us and our country, I AM PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN.

God Bless the USA!