IT seems like it was yesterday. I remember where I was when I first heard of what was then reported as a small plane crash into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York. It was early morning on September 11, 2011 and my mom was driving me to school on her way to work, just like every morning. I remember the exact spot on the freeway, at the exit, where I was puzzled by the news. I was fifteen years old – a sophomore in high school – and I had a Spanish test that day, and rather than spend my morning reading up on news, I chose to get some last minute studying in at the library before class.
Some of my classmates walked in upset, and fearful of a coming war. Not having seen or heard anything other than the brief news flash on the radio that morning, I was unaware of the terror that had been unfolding in New York and Washington D.C.. They would relay the story, but I was completely oblivious. This was a time before smartphones in every hand and the world at your fingertips at a moments notice. An iPhone was just a thought in someone else’s mind at that point. Our school had televisions in most of its classrooms, but for some reason we had a substitute teacher that morning in Spanish class. She was intent on administering that test that morning. The classroom next door was obviously watching the coverage. In the silence of that classroom, I could hear their reactions to the frightful scene playing out on the world’s broadcast airwaves. I learned more of the story from my friends in the hallway between classes and I couldn’t believe what they were telling me. In my second block that day, my English teacher had us focus on reading. But how did he honestly expect us to focus? That block of class I don’t remember much.
At lunch, our hallways would normally be filled with a music selection from our campus radio station. That day, there was confirmation of the seriousness of what had been going on. Instead of the student DJs playing a selection of music, there was a simulcast of CBS News. Though I couldn’t see the images, the audio was enough to drive the message home. I still wouldn’t be able to see the images of the day in third or fourth periods that day. Third period our teacher refused to have it on and focus on the science lab at hand. I didn’t understand why. In fourth block, our teacher let us have personal time to work on classwork while he had the radio tuned in to the news. He seemed to be disheartened as would be appropriate. It wasn’t until I was home later that evening that I finally saw how terrible and dark a day that our nation had been through. I had bought a newspaper at the convenience store on the way home and it was the first images I had seen. I was, like many, flooded with a rush of emotions. I was scared, angry, sad, and whole host of other emotions all at the same time.I was far removed from New York, in a small town along the Texas-Mexico border. I had never been to the city, or to Washington D.C. at that point in my life. As a politically leaning young person at the time, I had always wanted to visit the nation’s capital. New York was on the list too for the buildings, I was very much a fan of architecture and structure at the time. I had never seen such a grand structure reduced to rubble like what happened in New York that day though. In the days that followed the attacks, I joined in and felt some comfort in the overwhelming patriotism and unity of America. Seeing the renewed sense of pride in the nation was great. There was undoubted grief playing out on television, and I felt that as well. Then the run up to the War on Terror that would come brought some hesitation. I remembered some of the Gulf War as a first grader, but didn’t have much recent memory of my country going to war.
September 11, 2001 was a date that changed many people. Our way of life came under attack that day. Families had a loved one stolen from them in the most senseless way by a group of cowardly actors of a fanatical group. It is a date that changed my generation forever. Nothing has been the same. Enhanced security measures at airports, sporting events, etc. Everything is different. In the years that have passed, the flags some put up have faded and weren’t replaced. The fervent patriotism has waned. The unity we felt and expressed on September 12th has seemingly diminished. We are divided, discordant, and dissonant perhaps more so than we were before that day the world stopped turning on a September day.
A lot has changed in the past fifteen years. The nation has fought in wars. Some of our best and brightest continued to pay the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the nation. We’ve changed leadership. I personally have gone to college, changed careers, made new friends, lost old ones, forgotten others. For others though, every September takes them back to a day when the crisp autumn like air was darkened by a senseless act of violence. On that day we lost nearly 3,000 of our fellow countrymen and women. Fifteen years seems like it has passed in a matter of seconds – time flies. Today, we have seen moments of silence, ceremonies of remembrance, and a nation that continues to heal. We have gotten back to our new normal, but in the honor of those we’ve lost we continue to go on. Following that dark day in our nation’s history, the best of our country shown through. That continues to this day.
The attacks that day shook the foundations of our biggest buildings. But they did not touch the foundation of America. Our resolve was, and still is, strong.
WE WILL NEVER FORGET
FOR the last fifteen years or more, I have considered myself to be a conservative Republican. I have always been interested in politics for as long as I can remember. Back in first grade in 1992, I wore a button supporting George H.W. Bush for re-election. I remember my teacher asking me why I wouldn’t want someone else to be President. My response was: ‘Why would I? George Bush is pretty good.’ Look, I was six years old and I didn’t fully understand politics. But, what I did know then was that I agreed with more of what I saw about Republicans than Democrats. I found myself again being a young supporter of Bob Dole in 1996. Then in high school, I supported George W. Bush for election in 2000. The more I learned about economic issues, the subsequent concerns for national security in a post-9/11 world, and based on my feelings at the time on social issues, I felt more aligned with the Republican Party and wore that label proudly.
Today is Memorial Day in the United States. Memorial Day was established as a day of commemoration of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our nation. America’s ideals of freedom, justice, and equal rights have all been challenged in our history. Thousands of American men and women have given their lives in many places around the world to secure those ideals. They sacrificed their lives to ensure a lasting peace for America’s future generations.
EVERYDAY BRAND 