September 11, 2001.
It is a day no American will ever forget. On this day, our beloved nation was attacked without warning by the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda. Once the first plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 8:46 a.m., nothing was ever the same again.
Photo: Daily Mail
I was only four years old when all of this happened. My elder brother was eight years old and my younger brother was merely a baby at four months. As a young child, I do not remember what exactly happened during Sept. 11, 2001. I do not even remember what I did in daycare when the plane struck the North Tower.
Maybe I was eating my breakfast. Maybe I was playing with the blocks on the floor. Maybe I was coloring a flower. I will never remember what I did during that day because I was just a little girl who was oblivious to the danger outside. And I am not alone in this either.
You see, I am part of the millennial generation. While there are many disputes as to where this generation begins, Neil Howe and William Strauss figure it "spans from about 1982 to 2004." When 9/11 happened, the eldest of the bunch were in college and the youngest were not even born yet. But for many of us who were born during the '90s, Sept. 11 was just a blur.
However, the older generations—the Greatest Generation, the Baby Boomers, and Generation X—vividly remember the horrors they witnessed during September 11. They will remember where they stood when the first plane crashed. They will remember when the first and second building collapsed. They will remember everything—from the smoke to the ghostly appearance of Lower Manhattan.
As we grew up, we learned about Sept. 11 through our history lessons in schools. We've seen pictures of it. We've seen videos of it. But some of us do not remember it because we were young. That is why it is important for us, the millennials, to reflect on Sept. 11 and not just think of it as another historical event.
Photo: CNN
We are now young adults. I am 18 and a freshman in college; my older brother is 22 and my younger brother is a freshman in high school. While the attack did not personally affect us, it did shape the world in which we live today. There are now tighter security screenings at our airports. The Department of Homeland Security, created by the Bush administration, did not exist until after the attacks. We, the millennial generation, lived our childhood in a post-9/11 society.
And as a millennial New Yorker, the repercussions from the Sept. 11 attacks are more noticeable here. The most obvious one is that the Twin Towers are gone. Secondly, the NYPD has heightened their counterterrorism units to prevent another terrorist attack in the city. Lastly, anti-Muslim hate crimes have risen after the attacks. This even threatened the potential construction of the "Ground Zero Mosque," which generated controversy back in 2010.
Today is the 14th anniversary of Sept. 11.
So pause for a moment and remember the almost 3,000 victims who died on this day. Walk down to Ground Zero and realize that people ran for their lives that day. If you can, visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum and grasp the importance of this day. I did and I even cried because I am no longer oblivious. My eyes are no longer shielded away from the pain and suffering unlike the child-me.
Photo: International Business Times
Even though I can never remember what I did on Sept. 11, 2001, I can always try and remember the importance of this day. And not just me, but for every single millennial out there in New York City and nationwide as well. As each anniversary comes and goes, just keep in mind that someone out there does remember.
And we should always remember as well.
