In the Midst of the Ruble

On September 11, 2001, four commercial airplanes were hijacked and flown into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. The fourth plane never arrived at its target but crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. The attacks were led by 19 men linked with the Islamic terrorist group, al-Qaeda. This event is often referred to as 9/11 and resulted in large-scale death and destruction, triggering major U.S. initiatives to fight terrorism, which defined the presidency of George W. Bush. According to statisticbrian.com, over 3,000 people were killed during the attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., including more than 400 police officers and firefighters. The event of 9/11 was a worldwide tragedy that shocked the world and touched the soul of every American.

Nearly every American can remember what they were doing on September 11, 2001, whether they were at work, school, or even on vacation. Although I was only six years old, I can specifically remember where I was, and what I was doing on that day. Because I was homeschooled, I was at home, working on school work when I heard some of my siblings causing a ruckus downstairs. I remember wondering what was going on, because the TV was never on, and I heard it blaring. After I ran downstairs and looked at the TV, I instantly felt scared, not for myself, but for my dad, who worked in a tall skyscraper in Atlanta, Georgia. Our home telephone was ringing like crazy. My dad kept calling, my grandma and granddad kept calling. My mom was extremely concerned for my dad, and it just seemed like everybody that I knew was freaking out. It was chaos, and we weren't even in New York City or D.C.! I felt like I was in the midst of the ruble. I could not even begin to imagine what it was like in those cities except for what I was seeing on the TV. The memories of those attacks caused me to dislike flying on airplanes. Everytime I fly, I always have a little thought in the back of my mind that the plane that I am on might be hijacked.

This heinous act of terrorism shocked, not only America, but the world. Not one single person in the United States of America was NOT terrified. What had occurred on that day was horrendous. It was like living a nightmare. It affected each and every American citizen in some fashion. For a long time, a bias against the Middle Eastern race was evident. Many people assumed that anyone from the Middle East was a would-be terrorist. Traveling became more difficult as numerous changes to provide better security for travelers were put into effect. Also, the atrocious actions of 9/11 spurred the hunt for an evil man (Osama bin Laden) and for the extermination of al-Qaeda.

America is a different place than it was pre-9/11. Everyone who is old enough to remember that day has his own story of that day. It's amazing what kind of stories that you can find or hear, many of which can be found on a website that has accounts of where and what people were doing.

Check these stories out, and let them bring you back to that day. Where were you on that horrific day of 9/11? How did it affect YOU as an American? Although September 11, 2001 was tragic, good did come from it. Want to know what happened a few weeks after 9/11? All I can say is… AMERICA.