This week, we commemorate the tragic terrorist attack that caused many losses.  The September 11, 2001 attack, or 9/11, consisted of four planned and targeted terrorist attacks executed by al-Qaeda against the United States.  That morning, al-Qaeda and the hijackers took over four commercial airplanes; the first two planes crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, two of the five tallest buildings in the world. Lastly, they targeted two planes in the direction of the U.S. Capital in Washington D.C.

     Even throughout all the horrific images and sounds filling their TVs and radios, many still vividly remember their actions and the abnormal aspects that led up to the results of that day. 

     “Walking into my neighbors’ apartment, a replay of the planes hitting the towers was on a loop,” Mrs. Allison Thompson-Strasser recalls. 

     Furthermore, many remember being impacted by how their work day played out, such as Mrs. Carol Bricker, “I asked the kids to pray ‘if so inclined,’” said Bricker. This shows the distress that many experienced during this destructive situation. Similarly, Mrs. Pierce, who worked at the newspaper during the time,  experienced a switch shift because of the chaos erupting in the media. 

     “I spent the day going through photos and associating with the press. There were many pictures because of how vivid the photos were. Walking into work and even after seeing those photos, all I could remember thinking is, ‘Our world will never be the same,’” Pierce said. “Our world will never be the same” is a quote heard often in response to 9/11, and it truly never was. Many are confined to their homes, scared, and even more so in the evening due to the uncertainty of your family member being alive to live another day. Students in school that day looked at the news, trying to piece together what was happening in the world they were expected to set out into. “We went to the gym, but I went to the library to watch the news, to get a bigger picture of what was happening,” said Mrs. Laura  Smith, 17 years old and a senior in high school at the time.

       This memorial of the terror experienced in America that day is an excellent example of life being unconventional and never knowing what is ahead. So, take a moment and think about all those people: all the fighter fighters sent in, all the people prepared for the work day, and all the people who lost someone in the attacks. Give that final salute. 9/11 may have passed, but the damage it did will continue to shape our country for centuries.