September 11, 1997 – I was born into this beautiful world to my two amazing parents.
September 11, 2001 – The United States of America would never be the same again.
I was four years old on the day my country was forever changed by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Nineteen Al-Qaeda affiliated hijackers took over four airplanes and forever changed the lives of the families of the 2,977 victims and the rest of America. This event was the catalyst for the War on Terror, declared by President George W. Bush that same day and given its ambitious name on September 20, 2001.
As a child, I didn’t understand what had happened on my birthday, but I began to notice people forgetting about my birthday as the years went by and the same news footage flashed on the TV screen every year on September 11. I was jealous; nobody remembered my birthday. My friends always forgot until my birthday party invitations came out a few weeks before. My teachers always had it written down along with every other kid’s birthday and still seemed to remember all of their's but forget mine until my mom brought cupcakes on the day of. My grandparents would call and then the phone calls stopped being for me. I was green with envy and mad because my birthday was overshadowed by a national tragedy and the deadliest terrorist attack in world history. How ridiculously immature is that? But as I got older, I realized something very important.
My birthday is a special day for me and my family. I don’t need anyone else to remember that day as long as I have my mom, dad, and two younger brothers. In fact, I’m now completely okay with people forgetting my birthday because that means nobody has forgotten what happened on that terrible day. Nobody has forgotten about the 265 passengers on the four planes, the 2,606 people in and around the World Trade Center, the 125 people at the Pentagon, or the 71 law enforcement officers and 343 firefighters that lost their lives that day. Nobody has forgotten that America was forever changed on Tuesday, September 11, 2001.
We have now reached the time when many of our older students weren’t even alive when the attacks took place. Textbooks are now being printed with the September 11 attacks as a major event in U.S. History. People are still being exposed to the tragedy of 9/11 and that’s the way it should be.
This tragedy that shook the nation and affected thousands of families should never be forgotten. America was shaken, but not broken. To the families of the victims, we continue to pray for your loved ones. To the law enforcement officials, firefighters, and volunteers on site digging through rubbish to look for people, thank you for your perseverance. Lastly, to the men and women who put their lives on the line to enlist and fight against our enemies in the War on Terror, we will never be able to repay you for all you’ve done for us. Let us never forget and God bless America.
