The Voice

September 11, 2001– a day that will be forever etched in our memories; a day in which the course of the world as we knew it was changed before our very eyes.

Thousands of people lost their lives when two planes crashed into New York City’s World Trade Center, another into the Pentagon in Washington D.C, and a fourth one that fell short and crashed into a Pennsylvania field.

We think we can speak for everyone when we say most of us were in class glued to TV sets, watching the many broadcasts from New York City replaying the plane crashes, over and over, on Sept. 11, 2001.

We looked to our teachers for answers they did not have. We tried to make sense of the senseless. We tried to put ourselves in the shoes of those who lost loved ones, but failed. It was nearly impossible to face reality and imagine how difficult it must have been for them.

However, in the wake of this terror came new cooperation and fortitude from people across the country and, in fact, across the world. An act whose soul purpose was to destroy, instead, unified a nation. The expeditious rebuilding, moving commemorations and vigils and support from people in all nations of the world proved that we are strong and refuse to give up. When you think about how much we did in such short time, and how united we became, it’s truly amazing.

Fast-forward to four years later: post-9/11. We still remember. We still keep those innocent people that were killed in our prayers. There are many organizations and advocacy groups devoted to helping break the cycles of violence provoked by terrorism. And we are still united.

As the flag on front campus waves in the wind at half-staff for the next few days, take a moment to reflect on the tragedies of 9/11 and remember the sense of mingled sorrow and determination that swept our nation.

Although our losses were beyond measure, the terrorists did not win on 9/11. And as far as we are concerned, they never will.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Sep 9 2005. Filed under Our Voice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry