Remembering 9-11

Like most people, I still remember the exact moment, time and place of my being when the towers were hit. I was 21 years old, a senior in college, and my Physical Science class had just begun. We were about to take a quiz. Professor Herrman asked if there were any questions, and another student raised his hand and said yes. He asked if anyone had heard about the plane crashing in NYC. We all thought it was an actual accident, and resumed with our quizzes.

Everything had changed by the time class was over. I went to my off-campus home and found my roommates glued to the news on television. On every single channel the news was focused on the terrorist attacks. And then of course it was big news when the plane went down in Pennsylvania. Local news especially took interest in that story as our college town was not far from the PA border.

I remember sitting their, crying with my roommates. It was the first time in our lives we were truly old enough to understand a terrorist attack. And it was also the first time in our lives we entered an official war, with people our own age now old enough to go and brave the Middle East. It scared us.

I was in Ohio. My then-boyfriend (husband now) was studying abroad that semester in Austria. I hated not being able to talk to him. I knew he would be traveling every weekend via different modes of transportation. I prayed so hard that semester that my future husband would be kept safe so we could have a life together.

My parents and family were in South Carolina. Other family was in Michigan. We were all desperate to talk to each other, yet we knew no one personally involved in the attacks.

I grew such a deep sense of pride for my country that day. I gained respect for our President. And in a huge way did I gain respect for the military. I was fearfully fascinated as we drove to a friend's house, witnessing the numerous flags and signs displayed everywhere. In the strongest sense I was proud to see signs of pray for our country displayed so publicly.

Some say we have forgotten. I know I have not. I will always remember where I was, the fright I felt, the sadness, and the pride I took in our country and military. How can you forget?

God Bless America.