How We Remember

They say the 9-11 attacks of 2001 were our generation’s Pearl Harbor or Kennedy assassination. It seems that everyone over 18 has a story about where they were that day, when their world changed so abruptly.  I was in eight grade, and I remember teachers interrupting my science class to whisper to each other.  It wasn’t until third period history, at 9:45, after the planes had hit, that they told us what happened.  We watched the news all through class that morning, and we saw the towers fall. It was the first time I’d ever heard the name “Osama bin Laden.”  It’s hard to believe, now, that there was a time before bin Laden, and before the War on Terror.


I remember fear - lots of it.  My dad was stranded, on a business trip far from home.  He rented a car to drive back to us. No one knew when air travel would be back, or if we'd ever be willing to set foot on a plane again. My mom made meatloaf and broccoli for dinner - with chocolate chip cookies for dessert.  Comfort food. It's strange the things we remember. More than anything, I remember feeling like the world was over.  It was the first major crisis of my lifetime, and in many ways it remains the only major crisis, because 9-11 has become a part of us. We carry it with us.

Even those who have no memory of the event carry a piece of it with them. Now, 11 years after the event, the next generation is coming of age.  People in high school right now were too young to remember, or were not even born yet. And yet, it is a part of them, too, because it has shaped the dialogue of our nation.  Domestic policy and foreign policy alike are informed by the tragedy that occurred more than a decade ago, and whatever your opinion of those policies, it is impossible to ignore the connection.  We were shaken out of complacency, and we are still finding our way back to equilibrium.

In honor of those who lost their lives, their loved ones, and their futures on that day, I hope we can find peace as a nation soon. I pray our path will be one of harmony, of victory, and yes, of forgiveness. We are not a perfect people, but we are a great people.  We have been at a crossroads now, since September 2001, turning first one way and then another, blindly searching for the right path.  If we open our eyes, open our minds to each other, and see our mutual desire to make our country a happier, healthier, and safer place, where all Americans have a chance to build the life they desire for themselves and their families, perhaps we can see what we all knew the day the towers fell and the Pentagon burned: we are all in this together.