Ten Years ago...

Ten years ago on this day, I was in my honors English III class, alongside my friend Kris, and I remember our teacher all of a sudden stopping her lecture and exclaiming "Oh my God!". We all turned around and could see the WTC from our classroom windows. We were across the Hudson river in a small town in New Jersey. At the time, we all believed it was a tragic accident. We tried to watch the news but the signal was very distorted. It was until we saw the second plane hit, we all felt that it was no accident.

We were sent to the gym and while there we heard that we were in effect, under attack. When my parents picked me up and were driving home, I remember listening to the radio stations informing us about the plane crashes in the Pentagon, and that was shocking up until we drove in an open area and saw the collapsed WTC, I could not believe my eyes, The World Trade Center, the place I visited as a child, and the buildings that were part of the skyline I was used to seeing was nothing more than a huge pillar of smoke. We were all uncertain of what would happen next...

It has been ten years since then, and we are still in a war without any visible end, I've lost friends to these wars and some friends have been scarred by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I've also had the opportunity to work next to what was once the WTC at one world financial center. I look back and can only thank God that day was not worse than it was and will always keep the families of those affected both directly and indirectly.  One of many things I will thank my H.S. History teacher, Mr. Arauz is the opportunity to keep a document which I will always have in my family as a reminder of this day, the front page of the N.Y. Times and even now, ten years since, it brings that day back to life. My prayers for everyone affected by this day, but more importantly, to all those brave Americans who stepped up after that day and volunteered to help. May God continue to bless our nation especially in these trying times. Below is that page that will always remain etched in my memory...Feel free to share your memory on the comment box below.