Well, I finally scrapbooked my 9/11 experience. It is something that I have wanted to do, but haven't been in the right mindset to be able to finish the journaling part of my page. I read stories on the internet of where people were when Kennedy was shot, the space shuttle explosion, and other big events of their time. 9/11 was my first real experience with the reality of terrorism. It has a lot of metal on it, so a photograph is too shiny. But, I will post my journaling here, and add the photo of the page when I get it scanned.
My Generation had never been involved in War or at least not to the point where we were acutely aware of it. We were too young to fully remember the events of the Gulf War, the liberation of Kuwait, and Operation Desert Storm. We were lucky enough to have grown up most of our socially conscious years in a time of peace. That all changed the morning of September 11, 2001.
The day started out like any normal Tuesday. I had a class that started at 10am. I was a Senior at Truman State University. I got up at 8:00am to get ready for class, and make the long walk to Barnett Hall for my Critical Care nursing class. I got up. Took a shower, and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Earlier that semester I had started a routine of watching CNN Headline News to get an idea of what was going on in the world before going to class, mostly because my professor started the class by talking about current events. I got my breakfast bar and sat down at the table to scan the internet for my latest emails. I flipped on the TV.
I didn’t immediately comprehend what I was seeing. Smoke, pouring out of the side of one of the Twin Towers at the World Trade Center. I immediately called my Fiancé at work. He had not had the radio on, and also had no idea what had happened. I couldn’t take my eyes off the TV. I could barely blink. Surely it was just an accident! Then a second plane hit the other tower. This couldn’t be accidental. I stayed on the phone with Kevin. What was happening! The news was showing people running down the street covered in ash and debris. People were trying to avoid burning to death by choosing to leap out of the Tower windows, knowing that there was little to no chance that they would survive the fall.
The images were surreal; it seemed like the events on the TV could not possibly be occurring in our county. The fire and smoke filled the Manhattan skyline. Then, the unbelievable happened again.
At 8:59am CST the south tower collapsed, followed by the North tower at 9:46am, and WTC 7 at 4:20pm, which had been heavily damaged by the debris from the towers being hit. But that was not the end. The Pentagon was also attacked, killing many government employees and causing a section of the building to collapse.
The US Capitol would have been hit as well if the passengers on the 4th plane had not chosen to take their plane down in a field in Pennsylvania rather than let the hijackers take even more lives by using their plane as a missile as well. On United Airlines Flight 93, black box recordings revealed that crew and passengers attempted to seize control of the plane from the hijackers after learning through phone calls that similarly hijacked planes had been crashed into buildings that morning. According to the transcript of Flight 93's recorder, one of the hijackers gave the order to roll the plane once it became evident that they would lose control of the plane to the passengers. Soon afterward, the aircraft crashed into a field near Shanksville in Stonycreek Township, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, at 9:03am.
Total, including the victims of the plane crashes, the Tower, the Pentagon, and United Airlines 93, 2,974 died and another 24 remain listed as missing. Fire fighters, police, and medical personnel that hurried to the scene to assist with the injured and to evacuate the towers were included in the death and missing This does not include the 19 hijackers who committed suicide in the crashing planes.
Terrorism. That is something that happens in other countries. Not in the USA. Never. That mindset would quickly change as the whole nation was shaken. Classes were cancelled for the next several days. I can’t even tell you when the classes resumed. I did nothing but sit and stare at the TV for days. I didn’t leave the apartment. I was sick. My whole being ached. How could anyone do this to other humanbeings? Up till this point in my life, I had never heard of Osama Bin Laden. I had no knowledge of Al-Qaeda. Honestly, I probably could not have even pointed to Afghanistan on a map. But my world would change that day. My generation no longer lacked the experiences of War. Following the attacks, 80,000 Arab and Muslim immigrants were fingerprinted and registered under the Alien Registration Act of 1940. 8,000 Arab and Muslim men were interviewed, and 5,000 foreign nationals were detained under Joint Congressional Resolution 107-40 authorizing the use of military force "to deter and prevent acts of international terrorism against the United States”. Soon after, our soldiers were fighting a war.
Through scrapbooking, I have met multiple soldiers and military wives that have had to adjust to this reality on a much more personal level than I have. Yes, my world changed, but every day that I talk with my internet friends who have husbands deployed I can’t even imagine what they are going through. They are putting their lives, and the plans that they made, on hold to help fight to make our country a safe place to live. For us, they are sacrificing their lives to make our lives better. Their bravery and selflessness is a testament to the bravery and honor of our military. The high death toll of soldiers that have given their lives is broadcasted daily through the media. It is a constant reminder that we are lucky to be Americans. It also keeps fresh in our minds that living in this country is a privilege. A privilege worth fighting for. Our way of life will continue thanks to these men and women. Regardless of my opinion on the policies of war, these soldiers and military families will forever have my gratitude, for it is them that pay the highest price. Our freedom isn’t free.
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