My Memories of 9/11

    

    It's amazing to me that when I talk to some of my younger students about 9/11, they have almost no memory of it.  They were too young to remember the fear and uncertainty of that day.  Although I wish that it had never happened, I am thankful that I can remember when it did. 

     It was the week of our school's annual school camp, and we were up in the mountains enjoying ourselves and having a great time.  Early on the morning of the eleventh, we were making our way to the chow hall when I kept overhearing talk of something terrible happening in New York.  The adults were talking in hushed tones and being the carefree, unconcerned eleventh grader that I was, I just figured that they were talking about some incident that happened decades ago.  Then that horrible loudspeaker above the chow hall enterance began to pump out media headlines of a plane crashing into the World Trade Center.  None of us could believe what we were hearing. Immediately, we all began to panic.  The first thing that came to my mind was that America was under attack.  Were they coming for us way up here in the mountains?!! As much as they could, our teachers and counselors began to try to calm us down, but there was little they could do.  Several of the men that were volunteering at the camp were in the military and had to rush to report to base. What was going to happen?  What were we going to do?  Are we safe?  We were all just a bunch of kids stuck up in the mountains of Washington with no contact with the outside world and no mom or dad to tell us that everything was going to be okay.
    
     We were somewhat successful with our attempt to enjoy the rest of the week.  Our teachers did their best to create a positive atmosphere within the camp, but I think all of us just wanted to go home.  I know I did.  I wanted to see my dad, and I wanted to be in my own house with my own things surrounded by what was familiar to me. With so much uncertainty, I longed for the things of which I WAS sure.

     The weeks end eventually came, and we all went home to find out how things had progressed.  What we found was not encouraging.  Our nation was at war.  Our loved ones who were serving in the military would have to leave us to fight.  The enemy had attacked us in our own Land.  What we never thought possible had become a realitiy. 

     Here we are, almost a decade later, and still we are fighting the same fight.  I never want to forget how I felt on that day when the Twin Towers fell.  I want to rememer the sacrifice that so many have made and the liberty that we must all fight to keep. GOD BLESS AMERICA!