9-11-01: We Will Never Forget

I think asking where you were on 9-11 is our generation's equivalent of the JFK shooting. I'll never forget that somber day. The sky was a beautiful blue and for some reason I woke up early to go for a run before class. I just started my freshman year of college.

When I came back from the track I was getting my stuff together for the shower and turned on the TV for some background noise. I couldn't believe what I saw on the news and immediately phoned home to make sure everyone was okay. The lines to the house were busy and the calls to my parents cell phones weren't going through. Panic ensued on my dorm floor. My neighbor came in hysterically crying about her aunt that worked there, and everyone was running around completely shaken up. Classes were canceled that day and everyone sat by their computer or TV waiting to see what else was going to happen on that fateful day in Manhattan.

While it's so sad to think about how many people lost their lives that day, it is important to find comfort in the miracle of how many people were saved. Looking at the numbers it could have been so much worse. Those four flights held over 1,000 passengers but only 266 people were aboard. The buildings held over 50,000 workers but only 20,000 were in the towers when the first plane hit, and two-thirds of them were able to get out.

9 years ago today the lives of Americans changed forever. We will never forget.