zerotomed.com

Today, I come from Microbiology lab. I come from an Organic Chemistry lecture where I learned about Alkanes and how they can be sorted. Today, I came from lunch, where my friends and I were laughing. I ate lunch at twelve forty five. But six years ago, I was not laughing. Six years ago, America was silent. Six years ago, the world was silent. A nation that had for so long had offered freedom to those that had come here had been attacked in the most ruthless of ways. It was not an attack on our military. It was not an attack on our government. It was an attack on the innocent lives of America.

Six years ago, I remember walking into my Spanish class in 8th grade. I remember walking in and one of the kids I know, his name was Arnold, running around class yelling, “we’re going to war, we’re going to war, we’re going to war!” We were thirteen years old, or I was barely thirteen (my birthday is September 22). We did not understand war really. And then we watched on the news, in Ms. Murphy’s third period Spanish class, the planes flying into the towers for a second time. And it hit us. We realized that we had been attacked. We realized that something that had not happened in close to sixty years had happened again. We had been attacked.

I remember riding my bike home as fast as I possibly could to find out if anyone I knew had been killed. I live an hour and a half north of New York City on a direct train line right into Grand Central Station, the main station in Manhattan. Manhattan was a big place for a lot of the people in my city to go to work. And I wondered if anyone I knew was there. I wondered if my Grandparents, who were going into the city to get my Grandfather’s chemotherapy for the day were alright. I don’t think I have ever ridden my bike home faster. I don’t think it is possible…

On September 11, 2001, we, as a nation, came together as one. People who hated America even put flags up because they realized, even if for only a day, that we as a PEOPLE had been attacked. It had not been a move of war nor had it been a move against our government. It had been a move, a decisive attack against the PEOPLE of this nation. And it is because of that we came together. I now give thanks to those that helped to clear the rubble, to take the bodies out, and to offer help to those in need of it. I remember wishing I was five years older and able to go down. If it had happened today on this year, I would be there already helping…

We are one nation. We are a nation brought together under one basic belief and that is freedom. We are a free nation, where anyone, from the lowest class individual to the highest class individual has the chance to become something better. And that is what makes so many people hate us. And yet we are still strong. I ask for all my fellow bloggers to give only a moment of your busy work schedules to remember those that died and for those that are still dying. We are at war. We are constantly fighting terrorists. London was attacked. Madrid was attacked. We are still at war and we will be at war forever. But so long as we are fighting them, they will not be able to get to us. Remember today. Never forget.