On the morning of September 11, 2001, thousands of lives were lost in America due to terrorist actions committed on the day known as “9/11.” This day forever changed how society works, from politics to individual citizens exhibiting cautiousness everywhere. More than two decades later, the grief for more than 3,000 lives that were taken that day is still present and every single day has been affected.
At 8:46 AM, American Airlines Flight 11 slammed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. Little did people across the country know, this was only the beginning. Seventeen minutes later, the second plane crashed into the side of the second tower. More hijacked planes would end up crashed into a field in Pennsylvania and initially were bound for the Capitol and the Pentagon.
Comprehensive Health teacher Ed Gosnell experienced the attacks and knows how devastating these events were to society.
“I was teaching at Converse College and heard a commotion in the hall outside my office. I went out and people were gathered around a TV watching events unfold. That is where I saw the second plane slam into the World Trade Center. I can’t say that the events affected me directly, but indirectly all kinds of things changed. The world was ‘quieter,’ and people seemed more cautious. It was like there was grief floating in the air around you,” Gosnell said.
Bennett Salley (9) has long heard about the attacks and knows how it impacted society today.
“I know that there were multiple planes hijacked and two hit the Trade Center. I always think about how devastating it really was to our country and think about the lives lost. I thankfully do not have any family ties with the attacks,” Salley said.
The nation was shaken from the instantaneous shock for a very long time and remained in fear of another attack every day. Air travel was halted, the stock market plummeted for days and cities across the globe cracked down on security. America had never experienced a mainland attack such as this, and it was the largest attack upon New York since the British’s arrival in 1775.
Seth Miller (12) had family who was present in Manhattan on the same day as the attacks.
“I know about the four different planes, the two that crashed in the World Trade Center, the one at the Pentagon, and the one in the field in Pennsylvania. My parents flew out of Boston on September 10, out of the same airport that had the two planes that hit the World Trade Center. My Uncle Rick stayed in the hotel right under the twin towers on 9/11, however that morning he was at a meeting a few blocks away, so he was safe. He was stuck in Manhattan for hours until he could get on a ferry to get away from the city,” Miller said.
This day in not only American history, but worldwide history will never be forgotten. As the years continue to go by, it is important to honor those who lost their lives on this dark and tragic day and remember how these acts reshaped the nation for eternity.
