If you told me that my small beach town would have to think of a terror attack I would've laughed. I would have told you that the New Jersey beaches are some of the most treasured and serene places. The area is something no one would touch, especially in the off season because such few people who are there. However, last night my parents called me that they could not reach the house from the highway. They had learned that the town they loved so much was bombed while at my little brother's baseball tournament.
Hearing the news astonished me. I could not comprehend why someone would ever want to hurt an area that is still recovering from Hurricane Sandy. The area filled with people whose families have lived here for generations was attacked. Places that have been there since the day my grandparents moved in were threatened.
The question is why would someone want to do it. Why would someone want to hurt the area during off season? Why would someone want to threaten the lives of so many civilians? So many people are still building their lives from Hurricane Sandy years prior and yet so many people have to start over again. The area was said to have been attacked due to its annual 5K for the people who fight for our freedom.
An area filled with kind hearted people, people I have known my entire life, were threatened. I cannot do anything about the situation. I cannot ask the people who threatened my families' lives, although I wish I could. I never would have thought that terrorism would directly affect my town. I never believed we would have to worry about hurricane season and terrorism. I never would have believed that my parents would have to worry about getting into our home or that my friends would be getting evacuated from their jobs nearby.
The feeling of terror hitting my hometown is an unforgettable memory. The ongoing investigation makes me uneasy to go home and even more uneasy to have my loved ones there. The thought that our area was affected for eternity by 9/11 only to be struck again with another possible tragedy is scary, alarming and instills fear.
