Ten years ago I was a high school student sitting in a freshman history class when the athletic director ran down the hall knocking on classroom doors and breathlessly telling us to turn on the TV because a plane had just crashed into the Twin Towers.
We were 14. Most of us had no idea what was so important about the World Trade Center and had been in first grade at the time of the 1993 bombing. None of us had heard of Osama - our teacher actually wrote his name on the board and explained who he was as we watched live coverage. We stared transfixed as the second plane came, and buildings collapsed, and the Pentagon was attacked. I still remember the school-wide moment of silence and sitting on the floor in the cafeteria praying for the victims.
My generation grew up that day. We went from being self-absorbed teenagers to young adults who were concerned with world affairs. We were suddenly conscious of a world bigger than our small town. They say each generation has a defining moment, whether it be a war, an assassination, or a social revolution. 9/11 was our moment. That single day made us proud of our country, aware of the world at large, politically conscious, and essentially adult.
Ten years later we're a generation of young adults active in our communities. We're up on world affairs. We worry about fair trade, sustainability, the economy, carbon footprints, civil rights, and free speech. We are connected to one another more than all generations before us. And as horrible as that day was, and as heartbreaking as it is to know how many people lost their lives then and in the war following, the tragedy made us better people. I don't think it's a coincidence that kids I went to high school with are now serving in the armed forces or are married to soldiers.
We will never forget. We will always have a profound respect for the FDNY. We will forever be grateful to the everyday people who gave their lives to keep the White House safe. And we will never be the same.
We were 14. Most of us had no idea what was so important about the World Trade Center and had been in first grade at the time of the 1993 bombing. None of us had heard of Osama - our teacher actually wrote his name on the board and explained who he was as we watched live coverage. We stared transfixed as the second plane came, and buildings collapsed, and the Pentagon was attacked. I still remember the school-wide moment of silence and sitting on the floor in the cafeteria praying for the victims.
My generation grew up that day. We went from being self-absorbed teenagers to young adults who were concerned with world affairs. We were suddenly conscious of a world bigger than our small town. They say each generation has a defining moment, whether it be a war, an assassination, or a social revolution. 9/11 was our moment. That single day made us proud of our country, aware of the world at large, politically conscious, and essentially adult.
Ten years later we're a generation of young adults active in our communities. We're up on world affairs. We worry about fair trade, sustainability, the economy, carbon footprints, civil rights, and free speech. We are connected to one another more than all generations before us. And as horrible as that day was, and as heartbreaking as it is to know how many people lost their lives then and in the war following, the tragedy made us better people. I don't think it's a coincidence that kids I went to high school with are now serving in the armed forces or are married to soldiers.
We will never forget. We will always have a profound respect for the FDNY. We will forever be grateful to the everyday people who gave their lives to keep the White House safe. And we will never be the same.
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