Remembering 9/11

I can't believe it's been 10 years since 9/11/01 already.  So much has happened in the last decade: getting a driver's license, graduation from high school, girlfriends, turing 21, graduation from college, a home addition, and more.  There's no doubt that the events from a decade ago were horrible and horrific, but they will never be forgotten.  All 2,977 victims will live on through memories, memorials, and our hearts.  Osama Bin Laden was recently killed by US forces, but that is no consolation and does not change the past. Certain aspects of our lives will forever be changed. Everyone will remember where they were on that fateful day 10 years ago.

I was in 8th grade at the time, and the year had just started about a week prior.  I took Latin class at the adjacent high school in the morning, and when that was over we were bussed to the middle school in time for second period.  I first heard of a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center as I was walking in the hallway from homeroom to social studies class.
By the time I got into the classroom, the TV was on and everyone was watching.  There was one of the World Trade Center towers with smoke pouring from it.  I hadn't known too much about the WTC, but I knew it was a major business center for not only NYC but the world.  It was serious, even without fully understanding.
Word spread that a plane, hijacked by terrorists, had crashed into the tower.  Little was known at the time and before we could collect our thoughts, a second plane had crashed into the second WTC tower.  The room went silent as everyone was glued to the TV.  What had just happened? It didn't seem real.  How could America succumb to a terrorist attack (it would become the worst on our soil)?  Our nation was stronger than that, right?
But this was out of our hands, and orchestrated by an organization who wanted to harm us.  They succeeded that day, but ultimately we as a nation succeeded as we overcame the odds to come out on top.  Eventually we learned of the Pentagon attack and then the crashed plane in Shanksville.  Speculation filled the air.
Throughout the day everyone was talking about the attacks, and the TVs were always on, sometimes on mute.  No work was done that day (except for in our A-level algebra class, that teacher was a bitch) and plenty of phone calls had been made.  I don't think anyone had any immediate family members involved in the attacks, but nearly everyone knew at least one person who was injured, died, or had some relation to the attacks, NY, DC, or PA.  As the day progressed, more facts unfolded about the events, but spirits remained low.  It was a difficult time for not only my school and family, but every other school and family in the area, and every other school and family in the nation.  The heinous acts of 9/11 will never be forgiven, and the nearly 3,000 victims will never be forgotten.