Ten Years Ago Today…

I’ve had a hard time figuring out how to start this post. I didn’t want to start it with a cliché like “I’ll never forget the day that…” or “We all remember where we were…” It just feels too light. It doesn’t carry the weight of what took place ten years ago today.

I was a senior in high school. I was walking into my broadcasting class and passed a television with the news on it. I didn’t think twice about it because it wasn’t uncommon for the news to be on when we were entering the room. I didn’t think twice about the silence in the room either because I was usually one of the first people in the room. Then I looked at what was on the screen and I became as focused as I had ever been in my life.

At this point, I wasn’t aware of the gravity of the situation. I saw that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I had naturally assumed that this was a case of a plane crash happening in what’s probably the most densely populated area in the world. This didn’t seem incredibly unique to me.

Then, as the camera was firmly on the first tower, the second plane came into the shot. As I watched it hit the second tower, I started thinking it was just a War of the Worlds broadcast and that none of this was real.

I don’t know if I thought that because I was afraid of it being real or if I just couldn’t believe it was real. Either way, I could feel myself becoming one with other Americans in a way that I never had before. It wasn’t until the end of the class that I knew what we were seeing was real. The world was different before.

This was a day that changed our perceptions significantly. This was the new world.

I’m glad to say that we haven’t forgotten. We don’t need to mention the year, just “9-11” will do and people know what we’re talking about. Every time I fly, I go through the extra security that was unthinkable prior to 9/11 and I’m reminded of what happened that day. Despite the body scanners and procedures that may appear draconian to some, I do it keeping in mind the events of 9/11. I put up with it in honor of those who lost their lives.

Every time I watch an older film and there’s a shot of New York with those towers standing tall, I’m reminded that freedom isn’t free. And while I know when those films were made it wasn’t intended, I can’t help but have certain emotions come to the front of my mind.

While I was a senior in high school when the events took place, I look at today’s high school seniors and know that they were just 7 and 8 when it happened. I can’t help but wonder if they fully understand how things changed after that day. I do my best to educate them.

I don’t ask that every American wears 9/11 on their sleeve today. I do ask that we all remember. Remember those that we have lost. Remember when Al Qaeda wasn’t part of our vocabulary. Remember when our soldiers took the call to make our country secure again so we could sleep in peace. In the midst of all we do, remember that the world was different before.