For 7 years 2 months and 10 days of my life, the United States seemed untouchable to me. I had no knowledge or grasp of war or death at the time. It all seemed impossible that that many people could die in a matter of hours.
Tuesday, September 11, 2001
Howell Elementary School, Northern Kentucky
Everything was normal for about the first hour of school. My 2nd grade class was working on memorizing the Star Spangled Banner. I remember hearing over the announcements that something had happened in New York and that teachers should turn on the news. I don’t remember how many kids went home, if any did, or how I reacted at first. It was a shock in the least.
To me New York had been this fascinating place I wanted to see one day. I knew nothing about the towers prior to the 9/11 attacks. To me they were just two business towers located in New York City.
I am now 17 years old, I haven’t learned a lot over the past 10 years nor have I joined the army. I didn’t pull some big fundraiser or talk to someone who lost someone they loved that day. I have seen millions of American’s joining together to help heal this great wound, and to me that was the greatest thing to see. All of a sudden it seemed like everyone cared about each other, and it’s sad that nearly 3,000 people had to die before I saw it.
Like many American’s, I, at first, was all for capturing and killing that man behind this. I may not have been old enough to understand what was going on but I was fully aware that 9/11 wasn’t an accident and that someone needed to be “taught a lesson”. After all of these years I finally rejoiced that Osama was dead, but in the end it was only a bitter sweet reward for those 10 years. It meant that nearly 10 years had to pass, 10 years of many of our soldiers dying, for this one man to die.
This year on September 11, 2011 I think we should remember not only those 2,997 lost souls that died 10 years ago but all of those soldiers that died trying to get the man that stole our safety. They all deserve that moment of silence.