Twin Tragedy: September 11, 2001

United Airlines Flight 175, right, barrels towards the South Tower of the World Trade Center while the North Tower smoulders after being struck by American Airlines Flight 11. These two monoliths came tumbling down to the streets of Manhattan hours after the impacts.

It has been seven years since two hijacked jetliners streaked across the New York sky inevitably changing the Manhattan skyline and the course of history forever. It has been seven years since that day of horror, in essence, a culmination of man's iniquity, wherein we saw men, women, and children run screaming and crying for their lives as the World Trade Center towers, the hub of the free economic world, came tumbling down.

Where were you on that fateful morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001 when American Airlines Flight 11 collided with the North Tower?

I shall never forget that day nor shall I forget where I was when those planes collided with the North and South Towers: I was in my 10th grade French class. The period was just ending when the principal broadcasted the austere message to the school. At that moment, panic irrupted everywhere. I remember that I walked out of that class and into my U.S. History class just as the second tower started its descent to the streets of Manhattan. That day in History class, we weren't learning about American history...we were witnessing it.

I remember that I had scheduled an appointment the day before with my counselor to switch out of my Foods class. There was a big sticker in my school agenda that said, "9-11-01, 12:00PM, Mr. Dye, counselor." I went down there to see him that day, but as I approached the attendance office, I saw a line of hundreds of students billowing out of it. My appointment was cancelled that day and was never rescheduled, but my memory still remains---the memory of people confused, sobbing, and scared. It was truly a dark day in American history.

Of course, as time moves on, the wounds start to heal, and memories slowly start to fade. Seven years ago seems, by its sheer number, to be so recent, yet that day seems to have occurred eons ago as if it were lost somewhere in a rift in space and time. I noticed that the coverage today was far weaker than it had been during the first anniversay's and each year it seems to be less and less.

Perhaps one day the coverage about this dark day will cease to exist, just as those two towers, once the bastions of the free world, have since surceased---perhaps the day will come when the term 9/11 is as esoteric and moribund to us as the day the British burned down Washington in 1812...

Perhaps...but as long as we never forget that day...forget the lives lost that day...forget the heroes who, in turn, risked and gave their lives to protect us that day and who are still giving their lives to protect us today---as long as we never forget that, then the lives lost because of those horrific events that crisp September day will not have been in vain.