Never Forget

Three days ago I had a dream that I was on one of the planes destined to hit the World Trade Center. There was one thing different though, I was able to wake up from that nightmare.

I am numb as I watch the images before me on the television. How can I, in any way, be able to feel the way those people in New York felt that day? I like to believe we all have this feeling of togetherness as we see the images replaying from nine years ago. Will we ever forget? I hope not. This attack, no matter how horrific, should never be forgotten and those who lost their lives deserve to be remembered.

Put yourself in the shoes of those people stuck at the top of the buildings, possibly knowing there was no way out. Who would be your first call? Your mother, father, wife, husband, children? What would you say? I love you, I'll see you soon, don't worry? This is impossible for me. I cannot fathom being in that situation. Being forced to come face to face with your greatest fear. Death.

It will forever be seared into my brain the images of innocent people falling to their deaths whether by choice or by force. The fire was hot enough to melt the steel structure of a building and some people were only feet away gasping for fresh air through broken windows. People said they could hear the sound of the plains crashing into the towers from miles and miles away. I can only hope that something like this never happens to this nation again.

Let us not forget about the brave souls on all of the planes that crashed that day. Some gave up their lives to save hundreds. Tears helplessly flow from my eyes as I listen to loved ones calling their significant others and children telling them goodbye and I love you. Telling their children to be brave and that they'll see them again someday.

Watching this footage makes me angrier and angrier every year. When the world trade center hit nine years ago I was merely sixteen with not a care in the world. My biggest concern was volleyball practice and whether my make up looked okay. I had no notion of how all of our lives truly changed forever that day, but with each year I get older I understand more. Now that I'm growing up getting closer to having a family, I understand. I try to understand. I realize now that in twenty years or more I'll be discussing this with my children who were lucky enough to not live through this terrible tragedy. They will interview me and ask me questions like, where were you when you saw the planes hit the World Trade Center? How did it make you feel at first? What scared you the most? Did you know anyone that died that day? My answers will be simple, direct, and meaningful. Sophomore year, second period Biology Class. Unsure. The unknown. Everyone.

The people that died that day were just like us and it could have been any of us. Maybe a different turn we took in our lives, a fork in the road that led us away from that building instead of into it made the difference, we'll never know. One thing is for certain, the lives that were lost that day will always be with us. They will always be in our hearts.