This week in history: 9/11

The date September 11 is as associated with a single event as any date in the country today. Everyone associates it with September 11, 2001, the worst day in the history of New York and the United States. Four hijaked planes. Two to the World Trade Center, one in to the Pentagon, and one in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It was by far the worst act of terrorism on United States soil. It was a day that changed America, a day we lost our innocence. It was a tragedy of the worst kind.

Even nine years later, we still adhere to 9/11 rules while boarding an airplane or entering a concert or sporting event. The trust isn't there anymore, we can't afford it to be.

I remember hearing of the even in between Mod A and Mod B while a junior at Marist High School in Chicago. They announced that there was a plane crash at the World Trade Center while reading the regular announcements at that time of the day. Our principal Mr. Tucker and school president Br. Rick Carey came back on the P.A. system later during Mod B, which was Band practice for me.

They announced that there were two planes that hit the WTC and an additional one that may have hit the Pentagon. We immediately put the event on television just to immediately see the collapse of the South Tower. The North Tower followed minutes later and all of us knew we were experiencing a historical event that would change the course of the country.

Rumors were spreading that another plane was on its way to Chicago and headed for the Sears Tower. They thought another one was on the way to Washington to hit the White House.

That news story dominated the day for anyone living in the country at that time. During each class, the television was on and we did not even think about going over the lesson plan for the day. Our history teacher postponed an exam that was scheduled that day. The math teacher was the exception, as we spent 43 minutes during Mod G learning about complex algebra equations instead of focusing on what was happening.

The story dominated the news for weeks and months after the tragedy. The term Ground Zero is a part of every American's vocabulary. So many stories of heroism and tragic loss came from this. It effected more people than any other event ever could.

As bad as the tragedy was, it did a lot for humanity in the days and weeks afterwards. We were all united. We all had a common bond. Minor disagreements were nothing. We all rallied around the American Flag, it was patriotism like no other time in my lifetime. You probably have to go back to World War II to find another time that people showed love for their country as much as they did the days and weeks after 9/11.

We will NEVER forget what happened. And each September 11 should bring a little bit more unity and patriotism than any other day on the calendar.