9/11 was the day that four terrorist planes deliberately crashed into the World Trade Center. Then, another plane was deliberately crashed into the Pentagon. 3,000 people died that day in 2001.
Here are some surprising facts. One person actually survived the crash with seconds to spare. Ron DiFrancesco was trapped on the South Tower after the north had been attacked. The plane crash on the South Tower threw him against the wall. Surprisingly, he still managed to descend to the first floor all the way from the 81st.
Another fact is that 20 people are recorded as surviving the Twin Towers tragedy. British Nationals were the second to largest group of victims. There was a total of 80 nationalities that were victimized.
It wasn't just the Twin Towers and the Pentagon that collapsed. Part of the World Trade Center complex, the building called 7 World Trade Center also collapsed.
Many of the fires that broke out on 9/11 were still going on for 99 days. They weren't extinguished until Dec. 19.
Today marks the 12th anniversary of 9/11. 9/11 was a tragedy. Many of us here at Longwood were only in elementary school and watched the Twin Towers being destroyed. So much changed that day. We had never experienced an event like this; we had only read about it in books or watched it happen in other countries far away from home.
9/11 was a wake up call to us, telling us that this country is not invincible and that bad things happen to everybody.
Junior Stephanie Burt remembers what happened on the day the Twin Towers were destroyed. “They had put everybody in one big classroom, and we watched it on TV.
Then, parents started picking up their kids, and nobody would tell them why. It's always going to be a day I remember,” she said.
As I look back on that day, I remember being in the third grade and watching the event on TV. I didn't really understand what was going on, and I don't think I ever fully understood what happened until middle school, at least I didn't understand the impact it had on some people.
I remember being at the day care for a short time after school that day, and my friend's mom picked up my friend early, and I got really confused., “The daycare is closing early,” my friend had said, and they ended up having to take me home because my mom was working. I didn't know why it was happening or why everyone seemed to be acting so different.
Sophomore Jessica Gunther also shared a similar experience. “I remember being in 2nd grade. I remember freaking out because my dad worked at the Twin Towers in Richmond. I thought it was those and thought my dad had died ... "
9/11 will be a day we all remember. It will be with us forever. It was a time when we felt threatened, invaded and in a total panic. We didn't know what was going to happen or how this was going to change our future. 9/11 was a day that impacted us in ways we did not understand. 9/11 was an event that defined us all as people and as a country.
As we reflect back on that day, we need to remember those that unexpectedly lost their lives that day. Those that didn't get married, have children, those that didn't get to leave their mark on the world yet. We need to remember these people and honor our own days.
We need to live our days like they are our last for these people who never got a chance to finish living theirs.
We need to remember where we've been and what has happened, so we can grow into the people and the nation we are meant to become.
