September 11, 2001

If I think really hard, I may be able to tell you a few details of what I did last Tuesday. However, I can tell you what I did and how I felt on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

I was in 8th grade. At 8:46 AM when an airplane flew into one of the World Trade Center towers I was sitting in Mr. Hall's social studies class. I remember our prinicipal Mr. Surles coming over the intercom telling the teacher's to turn their TV's on. When the TV came on, it was a scene like non other. Until this point I had never heard of the World Trade Center. But when those scenes that will forever be burnt into my memory were shown, I'll never forget it.

One of the towers was on fire. Soon afterwards, another plane flew into the second tower. My 13 year old self was in shock. I knew this was in New York City, far far away from Fayetteville North Carolina. However, soon people started being called over the intercom to to come to the office as they were getting checked out. I came to realize that a lot of people were nervous that Fort Bragg may be a target area. Fort Bragg was probably 10-15 miles away.

I remember the English teacher on our hall, Mrs. Mc Mahon coming in telling us that her husband's mother and father who worked at the Pentagon had decided to go in late that day and as they were sitting in traffic, they saw the plane fly into the Pentagon. We now knew that three planes had been flown into buildings that our 13 year old selves had never heard of.

By the end of the day, a fourth plane, most likely headed for the White House or somewhere else in Washington, DC had landed in an open field in Pennsylvania. This due to the fact that some brave men, overtook the plane from the terrorists.

The rest of the day was filled with being scared and sad. Scared for what was to come, and sad for those families that sent their loved ones off to work, just like any other Tuesday morning, never to have them return.

I remember sitting in line at Burger King getting dinner and hearing on the radio that one of the other towers had collapsed.

I sat up that entire night, watching the news over and over again. That is probably something I as a 13 year old shouldn't have done, but I was too scared to sleep.

Sitting here today, I can't believe it's been 10 years since this happened. All the families who lost loved ones, all the families who are without their loved ones for months at a time while they are over seas fighting to keep our freedom. All the families who have lost their loved ones that gave up their lives to fight the war on terror.

I could never express how thankful I am for our troops. Those so who so gracially give up their lives to fight for ours.

God Bless America

9/11/01 Never Forgotten.

 New York City, NY

Arlington, VA

 

Shanksville, PA