10 Years Later

Here we are, ten years later, and we can still feel the pain it caused. I was in History class watching it happen as it happened. I was only fifteen but I was old enough to understand the gravity of the situation. When the second plane hit I understood immediately that these were the actions of terrorists. When the third plane hit the Pentagon I started to feel sick. I remember noticing debris falling from the towers, there was so much of it, only to have the camera zoom in and realize in horror that it was not debris that was falling, it was human beings, falling to their deaths in real time on the screen in front of me. There was nothing I could do to stop it or make it go away. Finally the South Tower crumbled to the ground. Hundreds died in the few seconds it took for the rubble to form. Even at the young age I knew I was watching a massacre. I stood, hands sweating, just waiting for the North Tower to follow suit. There was this feeling of inevitability. When the passengers of Flight 93 sacrificed themselves in order the save the lives of many others, America gained the one and only victory of the day. To all of those who perished, I wish I could have known each and every one of you. You are all extremely important. You all matter. Thank you.