Our golden generation remembers where they were on D-Day.
The baby boomers remember where they were when JFK was assassinated.
I remember where I was when 4 planes were hijacked by jihadists and crashed into the Twin Towers, Pentagon and the quiet field in Pennsylvania.
I was 16 years old, in the 11th grade and sitting in my 1st block Spanish II class. To be honest, I usually slept straight through.
But not that day.
I vividly remember Mrs. McKee bursting in the door and telling our teacher he needed to turn on the TV.
At 16, you’re pretty ignorant to the world; yet think you know it all. I remember one girl saying she thought it wasn’t real. My peers were shocked and confused.
We all were.
When I got home, my mother and grandmother were glued to coverage on CNN. Once we found out Islamic terrorists were involved, we made sure to get in touch with our family members who at the time were working overseas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. They assured us of their safety.
Yet, two years later, al-Qaeda terrorists beheaded an engineer who worked a few doors down from my cousin in Riyadh. Then an American compound nearby was bombed.
Needless to say, my family in Saudi Arabia moved back to the states.
The tragedy of 9-11 has had a ripple effect on American society. Maybe you’re not married to or have a son or daughter who is a service member or first responder, but chances are you know one who has deployed overseas to fight the war on terror. Maybe you didn’t know someone who passed away in 9-11, but chances are you know someone who does. One of my friends back in Hawaii was a flight attendant for United Airlines. She was supposed to be on one of those planes headed for New York City.
She was re-assigned to another flight at the last minute.
We live in a community where the aftermath of 9-11 has touched us all. And that’s something we cannot forget.
Personally, I’m thankful to live in a country where I can be FREE thanks to our founding fathers and our servicemen and women.
I am also thankful for the everyday American. The small business owner, the single parent struggling to make ends meet, the “average” joe. I am thankful for the myriad of differences, whether they are cultural, religious or ethnic, that make up the American people.
I am FREE because I am an AMERICAN.
I am thankful that we live in the greatest country in the world.
Where were you on 9-11?
