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September brings a lot of good things like fall, football season, and maybe even that new CD you have been waiting for. However, it also brings a day of history and remembrance. This year September 11, 2011 marks the ten year anniversary of the attack that happened in 2001. The tragic event consisted of four coordinated suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States. The hijackers crashed two planes into New York City’s Twin Towers, the third into the Pentagon, and the fourth which failed to hit the White House. There were nearly 3,000 victims that were killed, yet millions live with the terrible effects of 9/11 still today.
This year for the ten year anniversary, a three day event called “A Call to Compassion” took place in Washington National Cathedral. It began September 9th with a special concert dedicated to the troops and victims. Following on September 10th was a free, public concert for the families to attend. Then, on September 11th, an interfaith vigil gathered in prayer for remembrance. President Obama visited the three sites of attack on the morning of September 11th. He also gave a speech later that night to conclude the event at Washington National Cathedral. The event’s main focuses were to “honor memories, heal wounds, and gain hope.”
As I think back to that day in 2001, it is hard to believe it has already been ten years. I remember that day almost like it was yesterday. I woke up, packed my lunch, and got on the school bus at 7:30 just like I would any other day. Upon my arrival at school I became very excited as I entered Mrs. Short’s second grade classroom. I remembered that today was my turn to be the class helper. I got to write the date (September 11, 2001) , Mrs. Short’s teaching agenda for the day, and the lunch menu on the chalkboard in the front of the classroom. Next, I took the class attendance, walked it to the office, and reported back to my classroom. When I returned I looked at the chalkboard noticing I had written the days date at an upward angle. As I approached the chalkboard to erase and re-write it, Mrs. Short stopped me and said, “Leave it. It means today will be uplifting.”
However, this was not the case that day. I went back to my seat to start our days’ writing lesson. There was a knock at the door and Mrs. Short opened it to reveal Mrs. Schad standing there with a terribly frantic look on her face. Both of the teachers left the classroom, so, naturally, the class started talking and goofing around. I remember seeing a lot of teachers walking quickly down the hallways, and it seemed strange. All of a sudden Mrs. Short returned to our room and wheeled in a television. After plugging it in, all of the chatting stopped, and our mouths dropped in awe. I remember seeing LIVE in the top corner and then an airplane crashing straight into one of the twin towers and then the other. The black smoke which followed was overwhelming, and as a seven year old in the second grade, I did not know how to make sense of what I had just seen.
I sit here remembering that day- ten years ago, and as a seventeen year old, I still am not sure how to make sense of it exactly. Watching the tower collapse into itself, followed by all the black smoke is a mental image that will never fade from my mind. The thought of such an event is so unreal, making it hard to believe, sometimes, that it really did happen. I find it truly heartbreaking to think about all of the damage that cannot be fixed. The lives that were taken and the families that are now broken as well as the physical devastation at Ground Zero. Ground Zero may appear as a scar on lower Manhattan that can physically be healed with time. However, I believe the still-healing scars left on our nation and our memories are those in which will never be able to fade away.
-Emily Baietto
The Cardinal
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