It reads: On September 11, 2001, I was twelve years old and had just started the 7th grade. The morning began like any other with Mrs. Myers’ all girls art class. A couple of minutes in, someone came into our room and said a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. I was young, didn’t watch the news, and had never been anywhere near New York City. Honestly, at that time, I had no idea what the World Trade Center even was. We assumed it was an accident and continued to work on our projects. Mrs. Myers headed down the hall to the library to watch the news. Within minutes, she returned, telling us, “Girls, I think we are making history. You all need to come to the library.”
Within seconds of walking into the room, we watched on live television as the second airplane crashed into the South Tower. That was the moment that my entire world changed. I went from being an innocent child to a very scared young woman. Suddenly, I realized that there was actual evil in the world and people who would hate me solely for being American. I recognized that the world wasn’t an entirely safe place and that good didn’t always overpower evil. I remember watching television and realizing that I was witnessing hundreds of people dying right before my eyes and their was nothing we could do about it.
My panic and fear only grew when I realized my mother, who taught English, was crying. We soon gathered in a circle and our entire Junior High and High School began to pray and cry together. Later, we watched in horror as the news stations reported even more bad news. The Pentagon was also under attack. The White House was being evacuated. I cried when the North Tower crashed to the ground, realizing that even more people were lost.
All together, 2819 civilians died in the attack that day. Almost three thousand ordinary Americans went to work that morning and never returned home. I have never been to New York City and don’t know anyone who lost a family member, but I will never forget those who died and the feelings of despair I felt on September 11, 2011.
Credits: Cindy Schneider- Set 58 Page 2
Heather Roselli- American Made
