My memory of September 11th, 2001 is filled with crying adults, a silent Lunchtime, an early release from school, and a feeling of confusion. I remember playing a game in the computer lab at school. It could have been a Phonics game or something with talking animals teaching you how to read. All of a sudden, my teacher turns on the television and tells the class to be quiet. I live in Northern Virginia, so a lot of the kids in my school (me included) had parents that worked for the government. The phone was ringing and kids started to cry because of the plane that crashed in the Pentagon. The girl next to me was led outside of the room, sobbing, because her dad was a Pentagon employee.

It was very odd, and I can only really recall emotions:
confusion, grief, anxiety, and finally joy when I learned that my Dad’s okay. They kept the TVs on and eventually everyone just sat and watched. My teacher was crying and trying to hide the tears, all in vain. Rows of children, uncomprehendingly, sat stunned at the burning buildings on the ceiling-mounted screen unable to really grasp the true meaning of the act committed.

Now even today, when 9/11 rolls around, I can still recall the eerie feeling and so can many of the people my age. We had to watch videos in school about how the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania all had a plane crashed into because of “Terrorists” every year. A moniker that still carries terror in my brain and fragile memory which lends itself to a capital “T.” My best friend grew up in CA and had never even heard of 9/11 until the 5th grade. It may have only been a local tragedy for children. I may have been only a child at the time and not really sure if what I can recall is actually factual or not… but, I can remember this morbid tale and that is enough for me.