CHANGES IN AMERICA

Being a sophomore at the age of 16 in high school is a big deal. Half of the school is taking the GQE (Graduation Qualification Exam). Everybody was stressing out about it. Now the people that passed it and the freshmen that are going to class know what’s going on in the outside world. School has been in session for an hour and 16 minutes. The North Tower of the World Trade Center was hit at 8:46 AM. All you see is black everywhere. Some people say that it looked like an accident and thought that it was a Jet Plane that hit.

Then at 9:03AM the South Tower of the World Trade Center was hit. During both plane attacks the President of the United States was in Florida reading a book to an Elementary School Class. The President stopped reading and told the students that there has been a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The President said that he suspected more attacks. As the Towers were burning, you could see people jumping from the Towers at the highest levels. That was the saddest thing that I had ever seen. As I watched the replay over and over again, it seemed like a movie to me.

At 9:37AM the Pentagon was hit at the heart of the Military Command Center. The President said that the plane was aiming for the White House. The President came on Television from the White House and said, “These Terrorist may have hit these buildings, but they did not hurt the pride of America.” 184 people died at the Pentagon.

As I saw the replay of the Twin Towers getting hit, I was watching the Towers burning and the air fill with black smoke. I could see the South Tower sway back and forth. At 9:59AM the South Tower collapsed. I could see the debris falling and People running for their lives. I could hear the people yelling and screaming that they were going to die.

At 10:06 AM Flight 93 crashed into an open field in Shanksville Pennsylvania. When people described the plane, they said, “It looked like the Pilot was aiming straight for the ground”. As the Police investigated, the Police said that no one had survived. 38 innocent people died. At this point, nobody knows what’s going on. Everyone thinks that this is the end of the world. I know I thought it was the end of the World.

While people were running for their lives in New York City because of the South Tower collapsing, at 10:28 AM the North Tower finally collapsed. More people are even in more shock as they are running for their lives. You can hear one reporter say that he needs to take cover for his own life. He thought that he was going to die. A little later he got up and was looking around for survivors and to see if anyone needed help. He saw a firefighter and asked him if he could have some of his oxygen.

For the next year, people will be talking about the attacks on America. As you watch commercials on what happened, you become angrier with the terrorists. People like me sometimes are afraid to go to sleep at night. As the memorial service nears, I wonder like a lot of other people, if their will be another attack.

I watch and see on the news that the Airports are safer and the security is better now. As I watch the memorial service in New York City, I see a big hole where the Twin Towers used to stand.

At the beginning I mentioned I was taking my GQE, and I had no idea what was going on. So as I walked into the Band Room, expecting to play my instrument, my Band Director said to put our instruments away and to go have find a seat and sit down. Everyone listened to him. He turned on the Television and we all watched the replay of the Twin Towers being crashed into. I looked at one of my best friends and asked her what was going on, and she told me. The PA system at school was announcing names to go home. My director heard my name and I left to go home.

I saw my parents, and my Dad looked really sad. I over heard him say to my Mom that he wished he were still in the Marines. One of my cousins is a Marine and he was put on call. My Father and I went to see my Grandma and she looked really upset. My Grandpa died when I was 12 years old and he did a lot for America. My Grandma told me that if he were still alive he would want to go to New York to help the people.

As I close this narrative, a famous phrase that is repeated over and over since the attack comes to my mind. It is a phrase that our President of the United States has said. “Tourists can shake the Foundation of the Tallest Building, but they CAN NOT TOUCH THE FOUNDATION OF AMERICA”. It has been said that 280,000 people lost their lives on that September morning. IN GOD WE TRUST, UNITED WE MUST STAND.

IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE LIVES LOST ON SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 (911)

Written by: Jamie Graham