My 9/11 Story

My grandparents had Pearl Harbor. My parents had the Kennedy assassination. We have 9/11. With tomorrow being the 10th anniversary of this tragedy, I just felt the need to revisit my story and memories of the day and those days following the attacks. I do this every year privately, because I know my children will some day ask me about this day. I always watch the tributes, read the updated stories of victims' legacies, and undoubtedly shed a lot of tears, even 10 years later.

I had no direct ties to anyone in the crashes or towers, yet I was completely devastated by what happened that day. September 11, 2001 was a gorgeous day here, just like it was in New York. I was beginning my third year of teaching at Woodlawn Elementary in Monticello, IN. It was the day before my 26th birthday. I had taken my students to a specials class, made some copies, and then returned to my classroom. One of our instructional assistants was in my classroom and had the TV on. I joked about her trying to catch up on her soaps, and that's when she said she had heard that a plane hit one of the World Trade Center towers. We saw the plane on fire and stuck right in the side of the building. Like everyone else at that moment, we had no idea what was happening. It was probably just a terrible fluke. I even naively thought that people in the building and on the plane were probably alright. Surely they had found a way to safety. I turned the TV off when it was time to get my students and happened to whisper this information to a few other teachers. I knew they would want to see the news footage while their kids were out of the room.

A few minutes after getting my class settled into the classroom, a teacher came in to tell me that another plane hit the second tower, WTC 1 had fallen, and that authorities were suspecting a terrorist plot. At that moment, I felt absolutely ill. I just couldn't fathom what was happening and couldn't turn the TV on because I had a room full of 10 year olds. All of the teachers gathered for lunch together in a classroom and just sat in silence as we watched the footage. Our principal had decided that we should not tell the students, since they were so young, and we should let their parents talk to them about it that night. So, I spent the rest of the day just feeling numb, going through the motions of teaching, and acting like everything was okay.

At the end of the day, I just wanted to get home and see my husband, who was teaching high school in Peru, IN. I think that feeling was common for everyone: We all just wanted to see and hug our loved ones, because we knew many, many people would not be able to that night. It was a scary, unsure time for America, but one thing was certain: We could not be broken. 9/11 brought our country together in unbelievable ways. Flags were flying everywhere. We were sending supplies and people out east to help with the aftermath. The outpouring of support was like nothing I had ever seen.

Three weeks later, I was scheduled to fly to Minnesota with three college friends. We were going to visit a close friend and see the Minnesota/Purdue game. We had bought the tickets long before 9/11. Commercial airlines were back in business, but with extremely heightened security measures. My parents didn't think I should go. I understood that they were worried about their only daughter, but I also knew that I just couldn't live my life worrying if if there was going to be another attack. We went on the trip, and for the first time in my life, I was afraid to get on the plane. I honestly wasn't afraid of mechanical failure; I never am when I fly. I found myself looking suspiciously at the passengers and wondering if anyone was planning something. I hated the fear the terrorists had caused me. Besides losing loved ones, 9/11 made many of use lose our sense of security. We could never again feel as safe living in the U.S.A. as we had in the past. 9/11 was a day of change for our country in so many ways.

So tomorrow, please put your politics aside. Remember that on 9/11/01, it didn't matter who was for or against public healthcare. Nobody cared if you were gay, pro-choice, or an atheist. We were one country of people all in mourning. Be thankful for the freedoms you have and for those who have paid dearly to protect you. And above all, never forget.