Where were you when it happened -- do you remember? I remember. I was in Ms. George's French class. Someone had come in at the beginning of class, and I'm guessing they told her. But they didn't tell us,
we didn't have a clue until later. Well, my classmates; my friends didn't know until later, I found out in French class. An aide from the office came into class, in the middle of a presentation by an exchange
student from France. And I was so excited about the presentation, but all of that was shattered. I was told that I had to go. We, the aide and I, began walking down the hallway behind her. "Is your dad working
in D.C", she asked me. I choked back the tears and responded. "Yes. Why?" "There has been a terrorist attack, but I should let your mom explain." I started crying, without regard to her watching me. I walked
into the school lobby and saw my mom, and together we walked out of the building. We got into the car and began driving off. My mom explained that the Trade Center had been hit by two planes, and the Pentagon had
as well. I didn't care, that hadn't set in yet. I was worried about my dad, and my brother who were working in D.C. I had no need to be worried, my mom told me, my dad and brother were fine. I calmed down a little
but I just couldn't shake the thought of losing them.
Later on, my entire family safe, at home, everything set in. It was like a scene from a movie, ya know? I couldn't quite understand how something like this could happen to the U.S, and I didn't understand the
magnitude of the tragedy that had struck. It was terrible, yes, but it all seemed like a dream. I felt this huge knot in my stomach for a few days, and I struggled to find some way I could help all the victims. I found
out I couldn't donate blood, and I couldn't volunteer just yet, and so I was really disappointed. I had always had this dream in the back of my head, I wanted to be in navy. This made it all the more important to me.
I talked to my best friend that night. I had no idea just how close I was to losing someone I knew. Her dad was supposed to be in the wing of the Pentagon that had been hit, but he wasn't. How lucky is that?
Everything is kind of blurry now, but I remember today. We had an assembly today at school, for unity day. Everything had seemed like a joke up until now, I hadn't taken it seriously the past year. But at the
assembly something just hit me. Everytime I thought of all the people who died on September 11, 2001 tears began welling up in my eyes. And when I got home my mom was watching the MTV tribute to 9/11. Do they play sad
songs to make us cry on purpose?
You know all those serious, important events that happened in history? This is one of them. Over 3,000 people died last year, all on September 11. That is more than Pearl Harbor, JFK, the Lusitania, and all the other
attacks in history combined. I still don't understand fully. I cannot grasp how huge that is, and how hard it will be when I have to explain all of this to my children when I get older. How do you explain something like this?
Where do we begin? I guess we'll all figure that out when the time comes. For now all we can do is remember.
I remember...
where I was when the Towers were hit
what I felt when the Towers were hit
remembering the past, looking ahead...
I remember.
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