Today marks ten years since September 11, 2001, a day that changed America and altered and the lives of all who live in this country forever. Our sense of security was compromised, and I know for myself personally, I learned never to take our safety for granted again.
Without question, 9-11 has become our generation’s JFK assassination. We  will ask each other, “Where were you when you heard about the Twin Towers?” just as the previous generation identifies with, “when JFK was shot.”
Sure enough, I remember clearly the day ten years ago when I heard about the Twin Towers. I was a freshman at Virginia Tech, and the day started late for me since I didn’t have classes until around 11am, so I woke up mid-morning after sleeping in, as did my best friend and roommate at the time, Debbie. We were groggily turning our computers and I still was feeling half asleep when our friend Ben IM-ed or called Debbie to tell her about what had just happened in New York. We thought he was playing a prank on us and didn’t believe him at first, and then he urged us to turn on the TV. We tuned into live footage on CNN, just as the second plane hit the Twin Towers, and I know everyone says this, but it truly felt as if we were watching a movie. Except this was real, and therefore a billion times more horrifying and shocking.
I walked to class in a daze, not quite sure what to do… only to arrive and be dismissed 20 minutes into class because classes were cancelled for the day so that students could take time aside to mourn, get in touch with loved ones, and just take everything in. It was when I got back to my room that I heard about the Pentagon. Remembering that my father’s office building was very close to the Pentagon, I tried calling his cell phone, and then my house phone back in Northern Virginia over and over in attempts to get in touch with my dad himself, or my mom, who could update me on the situation up there. I didn’t get through the whole afternoon, and finally was able to reach them at around 6pm in the evening. The phone lines had beeen locked up across the DC area, and it was so difficult to get calls in. It was such a relief to finally find out that my family and friends up in DC were okay, but I could not imagine what so many other people in America were going through that day, and of course, what they had to carry with them for the months and years to follow.
That is how I remember September 11.
As I tearfully watched parts of the televised emotional memorial this morning at Ground Zero this morning, I found myself reflecting how much life has changed in the ten years since that tragic day. We know to remove our shoes, belts, and jackets without being told while passing through security at airports, and that we have to put all our carryon liquids in ziploc bags. We don’t give a second thought to passing through a security checkpoint at concerts and sporting events. Osama bin Laden has been killed, but the U.S. “war on terrorism” continues. I admit that I miss a more “innocent” era when we didn’t have to live like that, when family members could go with you to the airport gates to see you off (instead of awkwardly saying goodbyes to each other while you line up for the slow-moving security checkpoint line while wrestling your shoes off). It’s a mild inconvenience, however, that I don’t mind living with to keep our country safe and ensure that we and our children will never have to witness another 9-11 ever again in our lifetimes.
It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years. On this day, we remember those whose lives were taken ten years ago, and those who have given their lives in the years since. America wept like it never had before on 9-11, but we have become stronger and soared so much higher since. And I love this country for it.
My heart is in New York City and Washington, DC today. We will never forget.