9/11 11 years later...

In light of the posts on facebook and on Instagram, I decided to share my thoughts and views on the occurrances of 9/11/2001.

I was sitting in lunch in 8th grade when the first plane hit. The principal came on the loudspeaker and announced that the period would be delayed, as we were now on lockdown due to a national security issue. Later on that day, the principal came back on the loudspeaker and announced that a second plane had crashed into the second tower. At that point, several students realized their lives would never be the same, as they had family members that worked in towers, or had family members that would be part of the rescue team.

The effect of the terrorist attacks on the trade centers is immeasurable, lives were lost, families broken, and faith in the strength of our nation had been diminished. We began to question the effectiveness of our Presidency, began to wonder whether or not our government had prior knowledge, and if they did, where was the preventative action that was necessary to ensure the nation's safety. Was the casualty count worth the lack of action because we were unsure? Because we did not have proof?

11 years later, our nation has still not recovered. Countless resources have been utilized in sending our troops into the line of fire, into nations that have refused our help, in order to maintain peaceful relationships. We still face the loss of men and women who are willing to fight for our freedom, knowing that they may or may not return.

I was watching TV not even for 5 minutes at the barbershop while my brother was getting a haircut, as all the names of the lives lost were being called by groups of two at a time, and each of these pairs took a group of names to recite. It was overwhelmingly sad, and I was dumbfounded at how to this day, we still see photos of people who are being deployed on duty, soldiers coming home to their families, soldiers leaving their families behind. Sadly, the war isn't over, and while we are forced to continue to fight it, we must always be reminded that we fight to protect our freedom, to protect our loved ones, to protect our nation.

Sadly, we have lost sight of the importance of appreciating the people we have in our lives. We have lost sight of the fact that this was a freak occurrence, and though mistakes were made, lives were lost, precautionary measures weren't taken, and countermeasures were more detrimental than beneficial. Think about it, I'm not trying to be mean on this one, but how many people still talk about Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans? It's fresher in the news in comparison, 6 years ago vs 11 years ago. But because it was a natural disaster and not a terrorist attack, we place more importance on the lives lost in the latter event. But the thing is, LIVES ARE STILL LOST.

Let's not let 9/11 be the reason we continue to mourn...by doing so, we're only showing that it continues to effect us, that we've given them a greater impact than they deserve. We need to show a sense of renewal, a sense of new strength, a sense of patriotism, nationalism. Let us continue to appreciate the men and women who have risked their lives, let us continue to thank them, and most importantly, let us be kind to our veterans, because these are the people who have seen things that we can't even imagine, things that we only read in textbook, or hear or see in the media.