On that Tuesday morning, 19 terrorists from the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger jets. The hijackers intentionally crashed two planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City; both towers collapsed within two hours. Hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth jet, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers attempted to take control before it could reach the hijacker's intended target in Washington, D.C. Nearly 3,000 died in the attacks.
On that Tuesday morning, I had just finished morning boot camp with my senior girls basketball team. We were in the locker room getting ready for class. As always, we had the radio jamming as we were showering and getting dressed. When the first plane hit the twin towers we all stopped and listened but I personally didn't think much of it -- except for that it was a tradegy in itself. I will never forget, Nikki Harness said 'we are under attack'....in a joking manner. Shortly afterwards, the second plane hit and we knew that it wasn't a joke, the US was under attack. I remember all of us girls just listening. We slowly got ready and headed to class where we either listened to the coverage on the radio or watched it on TV. When I got to my computer class I called my Mom and just cried. We knew in that moment that this was a day we would never forget and would forever change the history of the world as we knew it.
September 11, 2011
10 years later, as I think back, what I remember most was that within those high school walls that day (and the days following) it didn't matter who you were -- black, white, jock, nerd, etc -- we were all unified as Americans. I pray that as a person and as a country we don't forget that unity we experienced on that day. Now it is our responsibility to pay it forward and teach our children what that day was about, how we felt, and what we learned from it. I can imagine that my children and grandchildren will come interview me for history class and ask what I was doing on that day. So, even though Hunter doesn't yet understand the gravity of that day, we remembered by pulling out his USA flag shirt.
God Bless the USA!!!
I hope and pray that your children and grandchildren never have to experience such a horrible lack of respect for humankind.
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