Ten years ago today I was a thirteen year old girl in the 8th grade. I was already in school when the attacks happened. I think admin must have asked our teachers to keep the unfolding events under wraps, because none of my teachers mentioned anything. Not one of them turned on a TV. Throughout the day, though, more and more parents arrived to take their kids home early. We knew that something must be going on, but we weren't sure what. Rumors came of an airplane hitting a skyscraper... but no one really seemed to understand the devastation (at least no one that I talked to). I was confused. In my mind I pictured a tiny two person plane, a Cessna or something, hitting a skyscraper and maybe destroying a room or two. Certainly such an accident would have killed a few people, but I couldn't understand why it was such a big deal. Why were people so afraid?
After school, both of my parents were waiting to walk home with me, which was unusual. They explained to me that two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center-not little planes, but huge airline jets. At that time I had no clue what the WTC was. My dad described it as a huge building with over 100 floors. He said that on any given day, somewhere between 20,000 to 100,000 people were in the twin towers. (Or at least that's what I remember). He also said that the Pentagon had been hit, and that a fourth plane had been hijacked, but the people on board had overthrown the attackers and then crashed.
When we got home, the television was on. My memory is a little fuzzy, but I don't believe the towers had fallen yet. At least one of them was still standing. I do remember watching a news reporter prepare to interview a woman on the streets of New York, a woman clutching a baby in her arms. Just as the interview started, the tower came down (or something to that effect. Again, my memory is fuzzy). A cloud of debris swept towards the camera. The interview stalled as everyone turned to look. The news reporter called for the woman to protect her baby. Everyone ran for cover.
I couldn't pull myself away from the TV. It felt traitorous somehow not to watch, to try to block out the suffering.
The next day school was canceled because one of the schools in our district was located on a military base, and the base was on total lockdown. For days after, armored planes patrolled the skies above us, protecting us. I couldn't see them, but I could hear them. It was comforting but at the same time terrifying that they had to be there at all.
As a 13 year old, I couldn't fully process what had happened. I remember asking my father if he thought this one would make the history books. "Yes! Of course!" At that time I viewed history as something that had happened long ago; this was the first time that it really hit me that history is made as we go along. History is something we are all a part of.
Looking back now, ten years later, it's amazing how many of the frightened emotions come flooding back. We didn't understand what was happening or if we should expect further attacks. All we knew is that our country was in danger. We were united in a way I hadn't ever experienced before.
Let's all take a moment today to stop and remember those who passed ten years ago. We should never forget. We can never forget.
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