Ten years later.

I remember where I was on September 11, 2001. I was 15 and a sophomore in high school, enjoying another day of my first year of high school. My first hour was German, and all was still right with the world at that point. As class came to an end though, rumors began rumbling that something terrible had happened in NYC. In 2001, we didn't have readily-available smartphones like we do now - so the fact that hardly anyone knew of what was going on isn't surprising.

It wasn't until I got to 2nd hour - pre-AP English - that the enormity of the rumblings came to light. Most of the lights were off in the classroom, and my teacher was sitting at her desk, crying. I remember looking up at the TV, watching the coverage on ABC, not quite understanding what was happening. I mean, how do you prepare for something like this happening to one of the greatest country on the planet?

The entire day after my teacher turned off the TV was a blur, to be quite honest. I called my mom to see what was going on with my dad, who was active duty Army at the time. All she knew was that the post he was on was locked down and preparing for an attack, and she wasn't sure when he'd be home. I spent most of the day freaking out.

Sports practices were canceled, so I went home after school and sat in front of the TV, watching coverage. At that point in the day, the dots had been connected - and I found out that the Pentagon had been hit, and a plane meant for the White House had been crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. My dad came home late that night, and I remember meeting him outside and crying, relieved he was OK and not going anywhere.

In the months and years after, this country has changed so much that it's almost unrecognizable. Even after ten years, I still live in fear that we'll be attacked again. Our troops are still overseas, fighting a war that resulted from 9/11. While Osama bin Laden is dead, al Qaeda is still very much alive. Our country's in a recession, the price of gas has gone from not cool to ridiculous, the housing market tanked and is still recovering...it's been a rough ten years.

But, the people of this country refuse to back down and let this defeat us. I owe my life to the men and women who are or have been overseas, fighting to keep this country safe - especially those who lost their lives for the cause. We as a nation are still together, still standing, still living. After such an unspeakable tragedy, it's hard to move on - but we are. I'll never forget that day, never forget those we lost, and always remember.


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