I Woke Up To A World Forever Changed...

I was in high school when I woke up to the news at 6:00 am that morning. I woke to the radio, and still being half asleep I wasn't sure what they were talking about. So I got up, and walked into the living room, where my mom was sitting on the couch, staring at the TV. She had just watched live, the plane hitting the 2nd tower. We sat and watched together, as they showed people jumping from the towers. We woke up the rest of the house to tell them the news. It was too surreal. Like a terrible disaster movie. No matter what else happened, I knew this would change everything. I watched the towers fall before I left for school that morning. The first emotion I felt was anger. Who would dare do this to America? It was the only thing people were talking about at school. Most teachers didnt even bother giving a lecture. We watched TV all day, watching the reels of the planes hitting, and the towers falling over and over again. Everything and everyone changed. The most remarkable thing about our country is that we have an amazing capacity to unite after disasters. It was a day of unity. We all wept, and grieved together. You could see the change in my school. A school once divided by culture, were now mingling and mixing together like I had never seen before. I only knew a small group of people in my class year. But after 9/11, and when I graduated, we all knew each other. We were angry, and we were motivated. This is what the Jihad accomplished. They brought us together, and motivated us like never before. I don't think it was the reaction they had in mind. And that in itself is a triumph among tragedy. They expected to break us, but instead, we were strengthened. And Americans never forget. That day changed this nation forever. Changed my generation forever. Because of it, my generation are becoming servants. Military, police officers, firefighters, national guard, doctors, lawyers. There are more people going into these fields from my generation than any other. We have a capacity to serve, all because one event motivated us to be the change we want to see in the world.

9/11 united us. We can never let anything ever break us apart.