Today, We Remember. 9/11/2001

                

         

            14 years ago today, America faced its biggest loss. Covered in debris, and soaked in blood and tears, thousands of New Yorkers fled for their lives, while thousands more fled to save the lives of others. Despite the calls for help, and the screams of fear, America fell silent. On this day, all Americans were covered in the same debris, the debris of pain, anger and the stain of tears that will never be wiped away. Today we are stronger, wiser and braver than we have ever been, but the memories of that horrific September day will live on forever.

            On September 11^th 2001, I was much too young to understand the severity of what our great country was facing. Sitting in a second grade classroom mid morning, teachers became flustered while trying to hold back the panic that was seeping through their expressions. Little by little, my classmates were being called to the main office to be taken home. About 30 minutes later, every child in school was lined up in the hallway, waiting to be picked up by a parent. When my mother finally came to pick me up, I was confused and filled with fear ; I asked my mother what was going on, and she responded with silence.

            Being an 8 year old boy, I was naive to many of the evils that existed in this world. When I went home, there was a cloud of smoke lingering in the air in the distance, and when I turned the television on, the question I asked my mother earlier was suddenly answered. Today, 14 years after the attacks on the twin towers, I can still picture the news reports in my mind, and remember the tears in my sisters eyes when my father returned safely from the city. Today, I can finally understand my mother’s silence and the fear that everyone held in their eyes.

As I grow older, my sorrow and anger grows with me. But while my remorse grows, so does the memory of the unification this great nation experienced in the time of tragedy. The tales of those heroic men and women who lost their lives will live on forever. America will never forget the names of every fire fighter, policeman, EMT and all others who refused to be conquered by defeat on this day. And for all those who fight for our freedom and safety, may they never be forgotten either. As it was once said, “United we stand, divided we fall”, today we stand more united than ever, and America will continue to remember all those brave souls who lost their lives 14 years ago.