As another anniversary passes, it is important to stop and remember that day and those that were lost. On September 11, 2001 our country was attacked by terrorist. We all know the story and I'm sure that most of us can remember where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news. It's sad to say that for me, it's one of my earliest memories. I was out in my backyard with my mom playing on the swings and suddenly she gets a call. Next thing I know, we are hurrying inside and switching the television on just in time to see the second plane fly into the towers. As a four year old, I watched my first sight of terrorism on screen while I impatiently asked my mom if we could watch cartoons instead. Little did I know that 2,996 people were hatefully murdered that day and another 6,000 were injured. Little did I know that four planes were hijacked and flown into the ground or a building because of someone's hate for my country. Little did I know that for the rest of my life people would ask me where I was when it happened. Little did I know that the attacks that day resulted in the largest casualties by a foreign attack in America. I for sure did not realize that acts of terrorism on this country that I love, would become so frequent that I would develop an almost numb feeling toward them.
Maybe some of you don't realize this but this years high school freshman were not alive for the horrific act of terrorism on 9/11. These kids will learn about the nearly three thousand dead from a history book. To them, this day in September is just a day of remembrance for an tragedy that happened before their time. Even with the time that has passed, the University of Cincinnati held their second annual stair run for 9/11 remembrance. In this run, you race up 2,071 stairs in Nippert Stadium in just 56 minutes. The same amount of stairs that were in the tower and in 56 minutes which is the amount of time it took the first tower to fall.
It is weird to think that one day, our kids or our grandkids will ask us what it was like living in the United States of America after 9/11. I remember asking my Grandfather what it was like to live in the Great Depression, WWI and WWII, and the attack on Pearl Harbor. I'm not sure what I'll even be able to say about it or what they will ask.
September 11, 2016 marks the fifteenth anniversary of the devastating attack. We must never forget the significance of this day nor the men, women and children we lost to hate on 9/11. It is our job to ensure that this day is never forgotten.
