Do you remember where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001? When you look back on the event and its aftermath, what do you remember most? Has it changed anything in your life? Your family's life? Has it changed the United States?
As we look at the Bush presidency and the events surrounding 9-11 and our subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, let's take a more personal look at where we were and how we felt that terrible morning and the months that followed. We are in this way always "living" history. Tell your own story as you remember it in your first post by answering the questions above (as guides). In your second post, comment on a classmate's blog. Your commentary might be something one of your peer's sparked in you that you desire to share or you might acknowledge a similarity or difference between you. We are looking to explore this topic in a safe and respectful way and with an intention to build a supportive and academically rich community. Sharing yourself thoughtfully is the first step.
Please remember, and I hope it is obvious, you will never be graded for your opinions on this Blog -- you will simply be given "credit" or "no-credit" for your two engaged and thoughtful posts.
Please make sure you reply with your name to each post that you submit.
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I was at home when the twin towers were hit, I was watching the news while I was eating breakfast, which my mom turned on when the first tower was hit. I went to school that day, and that whole day we shared stories and talked about the event as a whole, although we were too young to fully digest the devastation. I remember watching the continual replays of the planes hitting both of the towers on the news while I was at my table. Fortunately, there was no one my family knew personally that was directly affected by 9/11. I believe that it changed the US and myself as in letting me realize that the big strong country that we live in isn't so invulnerable as it seems, and that we have enemies that provide serious and life-altering dangers.
ReplyDelete-Greg Z
I was also at home when the twin towers were hit by the 2 planes. I remember my mom waking me up frantically and telling me what happened. As we were eating breakfast, I remember watching the replays of the planes hitting the twin towers and how shocked and horrified I felt. When I went to school, the whole day my class just talked about what happened. However, because we were young (around the age of 8 or 9), it was definitely hard to take in this event. Luckily, I didn't have any relatives or close friends that were in New York or were affected by the devastation. I think that 9/11 definitely changed the US and myself because it made us more aware that things like this can happen and will happen if we aren't careful or paying attention. Also, I think it woke the US up and made us realize that even though we are a big country we can be vulnerable, so we always need to be ready for any dangers coming from any direction.
ReplyDelete-Katrina O
Well on the morning of September 11th, 2001, I was on my way to school. The bus driver listened carefully to his walkie talkie. As I look back at it now, someone was most likely telling him about what happened. He abruptly changed the radio station from a popular one to some news one. I didn't know what was going on at all. I tried to listen; all I remember was hearinng "and this has impacted deeply on the United States today. I can't believe this terrorist attack. Please everyone be safe." When we arrived at school, all my friends were acting the same as usual. I assume they didn;t know what had happened. In class, my teacher was sad. Very sad. She wouldnt tell us why; she only told us that something terrible happened in New York. We did no work; we simply played games all day . When I got home excited there was no homework, my mom and dad and younger brother were on the couch watching tv. Over and over they replayed the two airplanes crashing into the twin towers. I was sad. It didn't affect my family as much as it should have. I feel like 9/11 happened for a reason, and it brought all of America closer together. We grew stronger and a more paranoid as a country. I think going into war was necessary at the time, but now we need to get out. Soon.
ReplyDelete-Hilary K
I remember September 11th very well. My mom came into my room saying I might not have school that day because something happened. Naturally, I was really excited but then as I walked down stairs, I saw the TV, and everyone in my family watching. I think at that moment I was too young to understand how significant that day would be for country's future.
ReplyDeleteAfter that day, however, I grew really interested in hearing about the different heroes that day. The most amazing thing I heard was a song by Enya with phone calls put in from firefighters, people on the planes, etc. It really put in into perspective the significance and tradegy that occured. People lost friends, brothers, sisters, moms and dads in a matter of seconds when the towers fell.
That day changed the way I enter and airport and the anxiety I now feel entering a tall building. More importantly, it made me realize how fortunate we are to still be alive and to live in such a great country.
Here's the link to the song that was on the radio a lot during that time.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJ4yrMm6cSU
The morning of 9/11 I remember waking up and hearing my mom frantically talking to my dad on the phone. I asked her what was wrong when I set my eyes on the television. I remember watching the twin towers being hit... Although I was young and not really familiar with what had happened I knew i was scared. Scared that this can happen anywhere, closer to home, closer to any family members elsewhere in the U.S. That day I remember school exactly. Class started and our principal began talking about the tragedy on the intercom. We had a moment of silence, and honestly I still couldn't believe it. It was real. After that, school went on as usual and I returned home. I remember watching the television and seeing people jump out the towers desperate for their lives, it was one of the most frightening things I've seen. 9/11 affected me tremendously. I remember I had a vacation about 3 months later, and I refused to go on the plane. I was so scared that it would happen to me. I still am scared. Now every time I go on a plane, I pray before we lift off... 9/11 didn't really affect my family, I just remember us being so shocked. I believe the United States has been affected enormously. I totally agree with Hilary, it made the US extremely paranoid and brought us together. However, I also believe people became much more stereotypical towards people from the middle east. I remember my teacher telling us about having a student from the middle east, and another student making a stereotype about 9/11 to her. Ultimately, 9/11 has changed the US in both a good and bad way.
ReplyDelete-Skylar T
I remember it so vividly. I was in second period math class when the principle came in and told us that our parents were coming to pick us up because of a "transportation problem." She wouldn't tell us what it was. After a few chaotic minutes at my school, my sister came to get me. I remember the fear in her eyes, and the fear in the eyes of every person walking on the street. She immediately took us to the grocery store to get "supplies" because for the next three days, we hardly left the house.
ReplyDeleteI think 9/11 really helped shape the USA into a truly united nation. Despite the subsequent actions taken by our government, us, the people, developed a common bond, a common struggle, a common bond. We came together. I believe that it will continue to be such a bond for our generation.
-gaby cohen
thanks for getting us started everyone. I really appreciate the sharing. Though it might seem challenging to comment a second time -- find ways to reach out to each other. I love the song Christine shared, for example.
ReplyDeleteRockenbach
I remember the morning of September 11 very clearly. At the time, my brother and I had conjoined rooms and when my mom came to wake us up for school, she stood in the middle of our two rooms and told us that something very bad happened. We didn't understand what was going on. We got out of our beds and walked into our parents room where my dad was nervously dialing numbers trying to reach my older brother, who was living in NYC. Once my parents had assurance that my brother was safe, we felt a feeling a relief. This feeling soon faded as we watched the news and the clip of the towers crumbling to the ground played on repeat. My parents had tears in their eyes, and barely a word was said as we sat and watched. I didn't go to school. Although it is extremely difficult to say there were positive effects of such a devastating event,it did bring the American people together and brought about a new kind of patriotism.
ReplyDelete-Alice Newman
The only thing I really remember from 9/11 is my dad worrying whether or not his brother was doing ok in New York. My uncle was living near the twin towers during the time and luckily was unharmed. This has made me more afraid of flying on planes and has made me realize how special everyday is because something as unsuspecting as 9/11 could happen at anytime. I believe my family has grown the way I have by realizing how unsuspecting death is and that we should be thankful for every moment we have. One thing that has come from 9/11 is paranoia in air ports. Air ports now have a lot more security. Also, the United States went to war against Afghanistan in retaliation. In addition, a lot more propaganda has been going around in cartoons and movies of how Afghanistan and Iraq is filled with terrorist suicide bombers, and how America is usually the victim, even when we infiltrated both their countries.
ReplyDelete-sam
Katrina, I agree completely. I think that 9/11 really did change the nation. In a way, it humbled us. We really aren't invincible, our power really won't defend us from a terrorist attack. The United States is as vulnerable as any other country. Sadly, it took assault and mass attacks from another country for us to realize this.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first heard about the planes crashing into the twin towers, it was on the radio when I was on my way to school. I didn't really understand at the time, so my neighbors' mom, who I used to carpool with, had to explain to me what had happened. At school, we had an emergency assembly and were told in very little detail of what had happened. My mom came and picked me up in the morning. When we got home, my family sat around the tv and watched the news reports. I was too young to actually acknowledge the significance and urgency of what had just happened, but as I got older, I realized the astonishing effect it had on our nation. We can never walk into an airport with out extreme security measures and a feeling of slight anxiety in remembrance of 9/11. I was lucky enough to not lose anyone I know on 9/11, even though I do have friends and family there. In a way, 9/11 was a good thing for America, because it was a wake up call to our nation, and brought everyone together.
ReplyDelete-Anna S.
gaby, I agree with what you said. I do believe that 9/11 has ultimately made the citizens of the United States closer. This bond could not have been made by any other means but by a disaster such as 9/11. It is a shame that it came about this way. Hopefully the nation as a whole won't have to learn more lessons through future disasters, and that these disasters will be prevented in the future. I hope the economic struggle we face now will be the last disaster this nation faces.
ReplyDelete-sam
I completely agree with Sam. I cannot go onto an airplane without thinking of 9/11 and being a little nervous of the flight to my destination. Even though that's a natural reaction after an event of this stature to be nervous of tall buildings and to flying across the country, we can't live our lives in fear. As corny as it may sound, we have to enjoy each day and live like it's our last because we never know when or if something will happen of such great importance such as the terrorist attack. We all have such amazing lives, and are all very lucky, and we should be so grateful that our life is the way it is.
ReplyDeleteChristine i agree with you . I too feel very different about entering an airport than i did before 9/11. But i am aslo greatful for being where i was on that day and that i am still alive. Alice i also agree with you because the following weeks later many american people were closer and i felt a certain bond with everyone around me after that day.
ReplyDelete- Hilary K.
I vividly remember the shock on my mom's face when she woke me up on 9/11, and going downstairs and watching footage of the twin towers being hit by the hijacked airplanes. My parents were panicked because my uncle had an office in the World Trade Center, and we were unable to reach him or his family that morning. Fortunately my uncle wasn't in or near either of the towers, but our inability to reach him made my parents believe he was dead. I did not go to school that day, instead my mom and I watched endless replays of the towers crumbling. Since 9/11, the threat of terrorism has become much more real to me than it was prior to that day, and has taught me not to take my life for granted.
ReplyDelete--Matt Carney
I agree with many of the posts above me, in that I can no longer board a plane without thinking about 9/11. Also, I definitely agree that this tragic event brought our nation together, and allowed us to unite and take action to prevent major terrorist disasters such as 9/11 from ever occurring again on American soil.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Christine as well. I also have anxiety while in an airport due to the events of September 11. I also agree with Matt in that the threat of terrorism became a much more real and valid fear.
ReplyDelete-Alice Newman
Katrina, I totally agree. The terrorist attacks were a wake up call. It woke us up to realize that although we are a strong and big nation, we're still vulnerable. If we aren't aware of the threats around the world, we can get hit anytime. I think 9/11 was a way to wake us up to the fact that terrorism can happen to anyone even if we are one of the strongest nations.
ReplyDeleteChristine, that song gave me the goosebumps!!
Its weird to think that in one day, so many people's lives changed. Sklyar, you said it can happen to anyone. And yes, it can, but how often do we actually think that someone is going to be us?
ReplyDeleteI think about this a lot, because the movie United 93 really did affect me: There are probably tons of people alive today because those people on the plane decided to take action and stop the terrorists from doing another harmful acts. At the time, those passengers may not have understood the bravery or heroism that went into their actions, but we should all remember what those passengers did because it truly represented real heroism.
And Anna, I agree we shouldn't live our lives with fear, but at the same time we cannot forget what happened. While we have to move on, we have to remember the people who died sitting in their office chair or climbing up a burning building because they all deserve to never be forgotten.
On the morning of September 11th, I remember waking up and going downstairs to the kitchen. The TV was blaring, the video of the attacks was playing over and over, and I remember seeing my mom on the phone crying. She was actually on the phone with Alice's mom, who I later found out was the one who called and told my mom to turn on the TV. The reason Alice's mom called though, was because the two of them were supposed to be on a plane to New York to watch the US Open around the time of the attacks, so it was a terrifying situation for the two of them to think what could have been. My mom had lived in New York almost her entire life and had countless friends living there, so she was obviously in a state of shock and couldn't dial all the numbers she needed to fast enough. She sent me off to school because she thought I would be the safest there, and also so I wouldn't see her crying anymore, which was really scary to me because I was only 8 and couldn't comprehend the magnitude of what had just happened. At school all we did was talk about the attacks, and my teacher explained to us exactly what had happened. At that point I was really scared because I immediately thought more attacks were coming. The attacks obviously brought the US together as people more, but for me it made me realize that the US was as susceptible to any kind of terrorist attack as anywhere else, and that it wasn't the safe haven that I had envisioned it being when I was that age. It really brought me into reality for the first time in my life.
ReplyDeleteAlice, it really got to me when you said your dad was calling to try to reach your brother during the attacks. I just thought about what it would be like to be a father, and what it would be like to wake up and see the place where your own child is living being assaulted and burned to the ground. It's a terrible thought, but when you think about situations like that, you appreciate everyone around you so much more and I think that can be really life changing.
ReplyDeleteChristine, I couldn't agree more with you. After 9/11 I've found myself always nervous in airplanes thinking about the possibility of a terrorist hijacking my plane or being in a tall building and thinking what if a plane crashed that very moment. It's really scary to think about it and I think it makes us all feel so fortunate to be alive and to not have been in that airplane or the World Trade Center. It makes you look at life in a different light and makes you want to always cherish every moment you have because we never know when it might be our last.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Anna's and Christine's insightful posts, I believe that fear of such events is unnecessary. However that feeling should be replaced with a sense of wariness, not so much paranoia, but an awareness to the occurrence of such ominous and imminent threats. The heroes on that day who valiantly gave there lives as well as the ones, who fortunately were able to escape with theirs should be remembered for the unspoken heroic deeds that I'm sure occurred in those two buildings.
ReplyDeleteOn the morning of 9/11 in 2001 I was up earlier than normal watching the news. I went into my parents room and they were watching the Today Show on NBC and for 5 minutes the show was normal until the first plane hit the first tower. The anchors at first were stunned and they believed it was just an accident. Then after a few moments the second plane hit and everybody knew something was up. After they realized it wasn't just a plane crash and that it was a possible threat on America, they replayed the footage over and over. Ever since that day I have been more cautious when boarding a plane. When I travel to NYC once a year I get more nervous than I do when traveling somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Christine and Katrina, I agree but I also agree with people who are less scared. Although our government during the Bush regime let us down in preventing such a horrific attack, since then our homeland security has been much better because it is now a focal point of our government. An example of this is the added security at airports especially LAX And JFK. Albeit the security has improved, I've found myself at times taken by the lack of effort put into it by the employees of TSA.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your sharing everyone. I appreciate it. I was especially moved by the song Christine sent.
ReplyDeleteI remember that day like it was yesterday – the sadness, the unimaginable grief – I was sure that something had been lost forever. I’m less sure of that now. Many of us have become hardened as a result of 9-11 -- callous towards “others.” I think that’s partly true for me because out of everything that happened that day what I remember most is the softness. People were kind, quiet, gentle, forgiving – opened in a new way.
I remember driving home from school and a woman rear ended me on the road. I simply said “let’s move on – don’t worry about it – it was an accident.” I never got her insurance information and I still have that dent in my car. It is my reminder to myself of how it is possible to be in the world. That was the spirit I felt that day. I will never forget it.
I still remember the people jumping from the buildings and the intense sadness I felt – horror really – I felt like I was both an observer to and a participant in one of the most challenging days of my life. I struggled to make it real and even when I did I doubted what reality meant now after something like this.
Today I can still cry when I see images from that morning. Sadly I still look at planes suspiciously when I think they might be flying low. Overall, I miss the quality of togetherness I experienced – the quiet on the streets, the candles and the people gathering in lawns and outside buildings to share stories, comfort one another – it reminded me in a simple way how we can be in community. I like to imagine that we don’t require tragedy to feel connected.
the above was Rockenbach
ReplyDelete