"It really kinda sucks." Zachary Muse told me, as I asked him about the terrorist attacks on September 11th. Zachary celebrated his first birthday on that fateful September day. Although he can't exactly remember the day itself, the aftermath has definitely made an impact. Since he's really never known anything else but our nation at war I asked him how it has affected him. He responded by saying he was surprised when they finally found Osama Bin Laden, and killed him. He was very happy his reign of terror had ended. I could tell he was intrigued by the idea that good really does prevail in the end.
"It was the morning of September 11th 2001; I entered the school bus to attend what I thought would be another day in the 8th grade at Mountain Ridge Junior High. I still remember the astonished look on my bus drivers face, as I stepped onto the bus and found a spot to sit. He knew something I didn't. He yelled behind him for silence, "This is a day in history", he shouted. "Be quiet and listen to the radio!". I listened, but didn't understand.As a young and naive 13 year old girl, I had little knowledge or comprehension of the meaning "terrorist attack". I knew something happened, but the severity hadn't quite sunk in. I was confused. I kept wondering why a plane would fly into a building? Was it an accident, I kept wondering? I didn't know that it was a deliberate attack against America, and I couldn't understand why anyone would do this. When I entered the school the news buzzed through the halls like wildfire. My first class was History, and my teacher took the entire class session explaining words like "terrorism" and "Osama bin Laden". It wasn't until after that class that I fully grasped the magnitude of the situation. The radio and television captured every bit of me that day and the next few days after that. I was consumed with sadness, and shattered expectations of a world that didn't seem as kind and wonderful as I once thought it was. I was hurting for the the families that had lost loved ones, and was noticing how much unification took place throughout not only our communities, but our entire nation. Things felt different, and I felt changed in a way. I was suddenly more concerned for our nations well being, and I upheld a stronger patriotism than I ever had before. It was a day that shaped our past, and created our future priorities.
As September 11th comes each year, I reflect back on that day at school. Every year that passes is another year of healing and betterment of our country. I am forever grateful for the sacrifices made that day, and for the blessing it is to live in America." -Jessica Van Oostendorp
"What stated out as just another day at the office turned out to be a day never to forget. Upon arriving at my office at Utah Valley University, I turned on the radio and booted up my computer, which is what I do each day. I was not paying attention to what was being broadcast on the radio. Then I heard what I thought to be a trailer for a Stephan Spielberg movie. It is then I started paying more attention to what was happening because I wanted to catch the title of the movie for future reference. It then became very clear to me that it in fact this was not a movie trailer but the real thing. A fellow worker had his TV on so I watched as the news media reported the details of what had happened. The entire office was in shock and a very subdued atmosphere was present for the entire day. No one felt like working. My wife called saying she was still watching TV. We discussed the fact this could not happening in the USA, but sadly it was." -Bernell Hofheins
