I forgot that my Dad was supposed to have a meeting at 8:30 in one of the Trade Centers.September 11, 2001. Waking to know when something is off. 9-11 was one of those mornings. In 5th grade before school. Autumn was cold and the sky a bluish gray. Toast and tea ere on the table by my mom. She was trembling and crying. I was still too young to know. Reckless. It was cold. T.V. The news was on in every room. My dad hurried me into the car to go to school.
I remembered about an hour later in my next block class while watching the news. I was extremely scared that my Dad was dead. That’s all that I could comprehend. I couldn’t believe that anyone would do something like that to such a high magnitude. I called my Mom after lunch because I started freaking out that my Dad might have died. I asked her if Dad was okay and she said that the meeting had been rescheduled to meet at his company’s headquarters two blocks away, and that he was okay. I felt relieved. Then it hit me. I felt angry and sad for all of the innocent that died and for all of their families. I will never forget that day. (Pat O)
I heard all these voices whispering to each other about something. All I caught was “Terrorist”, “Plane”, “Trade Center”, “Another one hit”, and “War” These words filled my body with anger and curiosity at the same time. (Travis H)
She said terrorists just flew a plane into one of the Twin Towers. I thought that wasn’t so bad, the building looked very sturdy. Then the second plane hit and everything started to go wrong. (Jared B)
I was only ten. I didn’t understand the chaos. I didn’t understand the death or the sorrow. I couldn’t understand what happened. Something about a plane. Was it that bad? I just visited New York about a year ago. I went and lay in my room. Next to my bed there is a picture. It’s of me, my two aunts, my cousin, my best friend and his sister. We’re in New York. We’re standing in front of the Twin Tower…. the missing piece. I understood. (Tyler G)
Somehow I thought it didn’t affect me. I walked to school and sat through a couple of classes while everyone talked about it. I saw my friends at recess and they were making jokes about it. I ignored it because there’s nothing funny about it. It was tragic. I sat through the rest of my gloomy day in classes trying to forget about what was happening.
(Lars M)
That’s when I opened my still groggy eyes to see the Twin Towers falling in a plume of ash and fire down t the floors of New York City. Seeing the footage of the planes hit the structures was so surreal. I asked my mom if she was watching a movie or something. But she wasn’t. (Jake S)
When I got to school, everyone was talking, some kids were even crying because they had relatives and family who lived near the area where the terrorist attacks took place it was so surreal. (Angie F)
The image that stuck in my mind that day was the broadcast of people jumping from the 90th floor and above to their deaths. (Kalani V)
I was just in awe and filled with sadness. So intense that it was unreal as I watched over and over and over; watching the plane crash into the sky high towers which were of great sentimental value to the U.S. It made me flinch like a scared animal as I saw people jumping out of buildings to end their personal greatest gift of life, which was so maliciously stolen from them. (Alex A)
“What’s happening daddy?” I ask him as I look up into his all knowing eyes. He tells me that terrorists have crashed planes into the World Trade Center…. I watch unaffected as my father gravely watches the footage. I do not want to tell my father that I don’t understand. I watch as the tops of the building crumple like paper, ashen and weak. (Alex P)
There were people talking loudly all around the classroom, but I was oblivious to it. My eyes transfixed to the screen above. Then all hell broke loose s the lives of thousands extinguished before my eyes as the South Tower fell, devouring itself in the raw, uncensored carnage. (David F)
It was very strange and shocking because I’ve never seen anything happen like this in my life. It was really awkward and my teacher started to cry. (Nick R)
Maybe it was because of how many people’s lives were ended in just a matter of seconds. I was scared for their families, for my family, for my safe town in lived in. I always felt so safe. I always felt like nothing could ever happen to our country. I didn’t go to school that day. My mom said it was because she just wanted to stay home with us. (Jordan S)
I remember not knowing. Being completely oblivious to what had happened. I remember showing up to complete confusion. Utter chaos. People running, telling everyone. What was going on? The trade center. The towers. That’s all I caught from them; bits of conversation. Then I saw footage. My jaw dropped. My eyes widened. A tear fell. What was this? Why would someone do that?… I sat in my bed teary eyed at what I’d seen. Not knowing what to do. What could I do? I couldn’t help, I was eleven years old. (Mike B)
