Where were you on that September day?

For most of us, we will never forget the day, the time, the place, when we first heard the news of the 9/11 attack. But for a lot of Americans, we've forgotten the will to fight, the desire to unite and put aside our differences, the push for peace and American pride. I would be remiss as an American blogger to not pay tribute to those men and women, boys and girls who lost their lives; to the ones who survived; to the rescue workers faced with the task of pulling remains from the rubble...

I will never forget that day. September 11, 2001. It began as any other school day for me as a 6th grader. I can even remember the weather. The sun was shining, the air was warm. I caught the bus as usual for the 3 minute ride to Baker Elementary. The school day started in the usual way.

Shortly after class began, there was suddenly a flurry of phone calls. The teachers all met in the hallway, closed their classroom doors, and spoke in hushed tones. One they re-entered the classrooms, the TV's were turned so only the teachers could see them, and the sound was turned off. We had no idea what was going on, and the rumors started to fly.

The rest of the day was spent in lockdown. By the time school ended, over half of the student body had been picked up early by their parents. Still no word as to what had this disturbance in the school.

As soon as I got off the bus, I ran into my house feeling panicked, hoping my parents would tell me what was going on. It was then that I learned what had happened. By this time, all 4 planes had crashed, the towers were nothing but rubble, and all the channels were 24 hour new updates. I can remember my entire family sitting around the tv the entire evening with a feeling of helplessness. I remember my mom made popcorn chicken and tator tots for supper, but most of it sat on the stove untouched. I remember coming home from school for the next few days and sitting with my family watching the evening news, the press conferences, the presidential speeches.

But I also remember watching America come together. I remember prayer vigils, and rallies. Political and religious affiliation didn't matter. What mattered was that we were Americans, and we were going to stand together in the face of National tragedy.

Now, I am not one to flaunt my politics on social media. I know exactly where I stand, and why I've chosen that view. But posting all kinds of political stuff is just not my style. But as I said to begin this post, it would be a disservice, as an American who is in the blog world, to not pay homage in some sort.


12 years have passed since I was an 11-year old sitting around the tv with her family, but I have not forgotten. Let us, today, honor the lives of the victims, of the heroes, of the survivors.

So where were you on that September day?


-A.A.