Where Were You on 9/11/2001?

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was woken abruptly from a deep sleep by an old friend of mine whom I was visiting. Her voice was frantic as she tried to get me out of bed, claiming something about a terrorist attack in New York, going on about hijacked airplanes, the World Trade Center, and who knows what. I was struggling to get my mind in motion as I looked for my glasses. I finally found them, and threw on a shirt as I walked into the living room. All of my friend’s roommates were gathered around the TV, faces aghast, not a word being spoken. My eyes fell upon the image of the first Tower raging in flames, followed by the now infamous slow motion replay. That replay has stuck in my mind and in the minds of countless Americans since that terrible day. I watched in horror as the hijacked jetliner made a sweeping turn and headed straight for the building. It seemed so surreal, watching the massive hulk of steel collide and simply disappear in a ball of flames into the side of the building. I thought to myself, is this a dream? Could this be real? Would somebody really do something so horrible? The answer was made clear a short while later when the second plane struck the Trade Center. There was no doubt in my mind now. We were under attack. This was no dream. This was real. The next several hours were spent glued to the TV, watching the horrific events unfold live before me. The collapse of the towers, the attack on the Pentagon, Flight 93, it just kept going. I anxiously awaited a statement from our President, the man who would be the first American to respond publicly to this attack on our proud nation. It seemed that the entire country was in chaos, like a chicken running around with its head cut off. What do we do? Ground all the airplanes? Close all the schools? These measures all seemed to be too little, too late. One of our nations proudest cities was in wreckage, nothing but rubble and flames it seemed. That’s when it hit me. America was going to war. Not another drawn out semi-involved oil conflict, but a worldwide manhunt for the people responsible for this atrocious attack.