9/11 a Day I will Never Forget

Growing up in New York I always was fascinated by the skyline and how tall the buildings were. It is truly a magical view and there is a reason it is so famous and in so many films and t.v. shows. One of my favorite buildings to look at was the World Trade Center also known as the Twin Towers. They were the biggest things I had ever seen and almost too tall for my young mind to comprehend. I loved going to the city and just admiring all the architecture. Unfortunately, on a day that I will never forget.. this beautiful view and our way of living was forever changed.

The saying "Never Forget" is truly fitting for September 11th because it truly is a day I as well as so many others will truly never forget.

It started like any other day. I woke up, got ready, and went off to school at East Meadow High School on Long Island. I was in 11th grade at the time and while sitting in class at 8:45 am on a clear Tuesday morning our world was forever changed. I remember hearing chatter in the halls of fear then the news spread that the first tower was hit and we were under attack. I will never forget that feeling of fear taking over me. At that point, no one had any idea what was going on or what would happen next. I decided I did not want to remain in school any longer that day and walked out as many of my fellow schoolmates did as well.

I walked across the street to the hospital where my mom worked on the 18th floor. 18 minutes after the first plane hit we all watched in horror as the second plane hit the second building. Being in a tall building (even though we were about 30 minutes outside of the city) we were no longer able to see the beautiful skyline view that once brought us so much joy. It was now replaced with a huge cloud of black smoke.

I remember everyone frantically trying to get ahold of their loved ones. At that point, I hugged my mother and walked back to my school. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to go home and be by myself because at that point we didn't know if they were going to attack anywhere else. I was more scared than I had ever been in my life. Luckily, I ran into my friend Jackie and was able to go to her house and wait for my parents to get off of work. I remember sitting on her couch with her and her stepdad watching the news and just crying our eyes out.

I remember being glued to the tv and watching this all unfold live in front of our eyes unedited. We watched as people jumped for their lives in hopes of saving themselves. As I sit here typing this the visions are forever embedded in my mind and I can't help but just get filled up with emotion. Then the news came that they attacked the Pentagon Military Headquarters at 9:45 am. Then we watched live as the towers came down. Just when we thought it couldn't get any worse another plane was reported to be hijacked in New Jersey. All the passengers were killed.

I remember living in fear for many days following these horrific events. I remember hearing friends of mine that had lost their loved ones or not knowing if they were still alive or not. I remember watching for days our brave firefighters and others dedicating themselves to dig through the rubble in hopes of finding people. We lost close to 3,000 human lives on this horrific day and for those lives, we will Never Forget!

Over the next few days... even with all the tragedy, I saw something positive happen. We as a nation started coming together. People were kinder than I had ever witnessed before. People cared about their neighbors. People were helping each other. We were the United States of America. It didn't matter what political party you believed in... we were all simply Americans. This was one of the first times in my then young life that I actually understood the United part.

Unfortunately, years after this horrific day we are still seeing people losing their lives due to the toxic dust they inhaled during this time. Many have suffered from PTSD. So many lost their loved ones and lives will never ever be the same. If you have a moment please check out this non-profit and consider making a donation: https://www.911memorial.org/support

In one single moment, the lives of so many had changed. September 11th, 2001 is a day that forever changed our country and the world will never be the same. It is a day that we will NEVER FORGET!

This blog post is dedicated to all those who lost their lives on this tragic day and to all of our heroes who helped all of the victims. We will never forget you! 🇺🇸 ❤️🤍💙