September 11, 2001, is a day that is still remembered worldwide and changed the security in the United States forever. At 8:14 a.m., an airplane flew into the Pentagon building causing it to go up into immediate flames. At 8:46 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North World Trade Center building. Soon after the first flight had crashed, a second American Airlines plane hit the South Tower, causing it to collapse in minutes. Approximately an hour later, hijacked Flight 93 had been taken back by passengers and flown into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. September 11 will forever be remembered as a day of great tragedy and also a pivotal point for the United States’ air travel security.
September 11 came as a shock to everyone. Millions of Americans’ days came to a halt.
When the tragedy happened, english teacher Mrs. Child was working in an office when a girl in the room next to her told her about the crash that had just happened. Child says she vividly remembers the panic in the office while families were scrambling to make sure loved ones in any approximate area of the crash were safe. Unfortunately, a cousin from her mom’s generation had been in the stairwell of one of the World Trade Center buildings and lost her life that day.
History teacher Mr. Schwab was substitute teaching at Norwin High School when the planes crashed. Schwab explained that one of his friends was in New York visiting her sister who worked in the Trade Center and was trapped in one of the buildings after the plane crashed.
Mr. Lee, the economics teacher, was at Trinity in room 278 when the attack happened. He says that a past teacher, Mr. Myers, had been watching the news and came to explain the situation to Lee.
“We turned on the TV set second period to see the World Trade Center buildings burning,” said Lee.
When reflecting on the attack, any gesture such as a prayer or taking a moment of silence to remember the victims and families involved can make a difference. Taking steps to educate others and talk about the day can help prevent other tragedies like this from happening again.
It took many months to create a “new normal.” Many Americans were still intimidated by air travel and avoided airports and air transportation. Schwab explained that he took a flight to Palm Beach about four months after the attack and there was security lined up throughout the airport.
Once he had made it through the strict security, he and only eight other passengers boarded the plane. The security in airports was tightened and strict new rules were implemented to keep air travel as safe as possible.
When explaining the extent at which the security of airports changed, Child said, “I feel like we have lost a lot of freedoms, specifically in regard to air travel, in the interest of safety.”
Cleaning up the debris from the buildings took months. The final cleanup and restoration cost the U.S $1.5 billion dollars. People from all over and thousands of first responders came together to clean up and rebuild where the destruction occurred. Empathy drove everyone to work together as a team, uniting the nation as a whole. Although 9/11 was a tragedy, U.S. citizens did not let the attack break them, but instead allow it to bring them together and make them stronger.
Senior Matthew Heffner commented, “We built up patriotism even though they tried to destroy it.”
September 11, 2001, was a day that everyone will forever remember. Taking time to remember and spread awareness is the best way to honor the lives taken. Although 9/11 was a great tragedy, it is also a reminder that even when in despair, the U.S. citizens will come together as one.
