Why We Should Never Forget 9/11
It was September 10th, 2001 and I was nervous and excited. I was 16 years old and I was packing my bags and getting ready for my first airplane trip alone. Back in my younger days, I have to say that I was quite the athlete. I was one of the best basketball players in the country but my high school grades were not up to par. During this time I was playing AAU basketball and my coach suggested that I attend prep school in upstate New York. Trinity Pawling was the school and it was out in the middle of nowhere. After I finished packing my bags, I sat around just thinking about everything that I was going to experience in my new boarding school. Would I be able to make friends? What would my experience be like in this all-boys school? How would I adjust to the cold weather of the Northeast?
My flight was scheduled to leave that night at 11:59, it was a redeye flight. I would board the flight and then wake up in the morning at JFK Airport in New York City. I was to take a car ride from the airport to my new school. I remember kissing my mother goodbye that night. I sat in my plane seat and went to sleep. When we arrived in New York, I was just in awe of everything. It was about 7:00 a.m. on September 11th 2001. I went to baggage claim, got my bags, and proceeded to get in the car that was there for me. During this time, I had a cell phone that only worked during certain hours and in certain regions so I could not speak to any of my family members. The car ride was about 3 hours so I was just sitting in the back listening to music on my CD player. Finally, I arrived at the school. This place was massive, it looked like a college campus. On a college campus, you see people walking around heading to their destinations, but this day was different and I could tell.
Immediately upon exiting the car, I could see frantic people all over campus. I walked toward the main office and people were running out of the office screaming, “They just bombed the Pentagon.” I had no idea what they were talking about. I was finally able to call my mother and I could hear the terror in her voice, and that's when I found out. I was told that there were airplanes that crashed into the towers and one that hit the Pentagon and people thought it was my plane. At 16 you don't really know how to process this information and you don't even understand the real danger that you were just in. It was all over the televisions.
I met people on my campus whose parents were killed, whose spouses were killed, and whose friends were killed and it changed all of them. It changed me. This day, I will NEVER FORGET and none of us should. This day will continue to be etched in history as one of the most tragic days to ever occur and people are still living with the effects of it to this very day. A month or so after the event, I went to ground zero. The site of the ruble, destruction, and smell of death will forever be etched in my mind. I was terrified.
After this disaster, what I saw in America was the most beautiful display of patriotism that has not been seen since. Americans of all races came together to stand against terrorism. We loved on each other, prayed with each other, and we showed the most empathetic and sympathetic spirits that we could. I absolutely hate the fact that it took an act of terrorism for Americans to love each other as family members. I long for a time that we can all get back together like this but without the disastrous events of 9/11.
I know we have an entire generation of people living now who were not around when this tragedy occurred. This is no joke and no laughing matter. I know some people's experiences are different but we must do our best in keeping the families at the forefront and in our thoughts and prayers because they are still longing for loved ones who are no longer here. Tell your stories to your young children and NEVER FORGET September 11th, 2001.