10 Years

It was a warm, sunny Tuesday morning. Not a cloud in the sky. School had just started the Thursday prior. It was just another day for a high school junior. I was kind of disappointed because the previous night’s Red Sox game against the Yankees in the Bronx was rained out. Sitting in my second period Honors U.S. History class with one of my all-time favorite teacher’s, Mr. Hayward, discussing the Chesapeake, Jamestown and New England colonies.

Mr. Hayward stepped out of the room for a bit and came back with the shocking news that two planes had hit the World Trade Center in New York. We go from talking about the Jamestown colony to watching history in the making on a grainy television that you could barely make out the Pentagon.

For the rest of the day that was all that was discussed. From my next period in accounting to sitting down with friends at lunch to talking about the day’s events at the end of the day with Madame Williams in French class IN French. Just as we start to talk about it we hear an F-18 fly overhead.

Fortunately for myself I did not know anyone directly involved but every year all the memories rush back like it was yesterday. Yet every year I’m constantly reminded one one thing. Today's college students barely have any recollection of it.

They were not old enough to truly understand what was going on. The seniors were just entering sixth grade while the new Class of 2015 were eight years old and what do you remember when you’re eight? I certainly would not know the true significance of four planes crashing into two tall buildings, a building in the nation’s capital or some field in central Pennsylvania as an eight year old.

We I have now moved into a new age where kids are not going to be asking “where were you when Kennedy was assassinated?” but in fact “where were you on September 11^th 2001?

I still can not believe it has been 10 years since that fateful day. And even though we have killed the ring leader it does not change what happened 10 years ago. Sure Bin Laden needed to die a horrible and tragic death but it doesn't bring the lives lost on that tragic day in 2001. Hopefully it brings some closure to those families but they still have to live every day without their mother, father, sister, brother, son, daughter, husband or wife.

Let us remember and never forget those who have lost their lives on 9/11/01.