I suspect that most college students instinctively knew what my title references. That speaks to how ingrained the memory of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks is in the minds of my generation. As I’m writing this, it’s September 11, 2013, the 12th anniversary of 9/11. My day progressed with a cognizant recognition of the date’s meaning, but it wasn’t until a relevant article on a news website caught my eye early in the afternoon that I realized I’ve lived more years post-9/11 than pre-9/11.
That has been true for some time now, actually. I was in 4th grade, just nine years old, when 9/11 happened. I recognize that nine is pretty young, but my reflections on the event as well as conversations with friends make it apparent than in our young minds, we did recognize that something awful had happened and that our country was overcome with grief. In the days and weeks and months of news coverage and overhearing adults’ conversations that followed, we started to develop a tenuous understanding of terrorism, and more generally, the evil that exists in the world. The evil that every parent wants to shield their child from for as long as they can.
Every American thinks of that day and collectively remembers the victims in their own way, and of course that’s okay. For me, 21 years old now, I choose to never forget.
I don’t want to ever forget the significance of this day; the lives that were lost and the innumerable number of lives that were deeply affected by the losses. I don’t want any 11th of September to pass without bearing witness to some sort of memorial, either in person or on TV or online. Though it will be tough to sit through, I want to watch the film about the United Flight 93 heroes – the ordinary Americans who, after learning that the nation was under attack, saved countless lives by rushing the cockpit, thereby preventing an attack on the believed target of the United States Capitol. It’s so important to never erase the tragedy from one’s memory, because to do so would be to forget the innocent victims of this nationally – and globally – transformative part of history.
A year and a half ago, I visited the Flight 93 National Memorial in southwestern Pennsylvania, where the plane crashed into a field. Though fairly new at the time and not yet completed, the Memorial was incredibly moving. Standing so close to the site of impact while learning about the lives and brave actions of the 40 passengers and crew personalizes the tragedy in an indescribable manner.
Flight 93 Memorial
While we must always hold the utmost deference to the victims’ families, I feel that a discussion about remembering 9/11 is incomplete without mention of America’s immediate response. From the courage of the first responders to the average citizen donating blood or money to aid the recovery, we showed the beauty of America. Because of those overwhelming displays of unity, resilience, and patriotism, I know we’ll Never Forget that we are America Strong.
~Ruby Harrington
