USAALLTHEWAY

Where I was...
by me!

I am a 16 year old Junior at a catholic high school in centeral new york. I first heard of the attacks on the twin towers in new york switching classes between morality (religion) and art. Our Principal, who is a priest, came onto the loudspeakers and said that 2 planes had crashed into the twin towers in New York city. We said a prayer for them and had a moment of silence, to help pray for peace. None of us knew it was as bad as it was, it was understated by him at first. We went through the class practically silent, like the way we had the days after columbine and Oklahoma city. We were scared, and the tone in Fathers voice showed his worry, but we still did not know. Next I went to Pre-calc. There the seniors were saying that they had hit the pentagon. Everyone was whispering and frightened. We understood now this was no little attack. And the pentagon, I thought, the pentagon had never been attaked, we were in trouble now, what else would happen???
   We watched it in Chemestry, the clouds of smoke and everything, and the footage after the towers collapsed (even that we didn't know till chem) It was scary, seeing the second plane just sweep around and go in was terrifying it made my stomach turn. And then some stupid person, trying to add to the terror for us and the rest of the county called in a bomb threat, we all had to evacuate. And we live near an airport to with planes going up ahead, it was awful.
   Then we thought their might possible be more attacks. I was thinking that they would happen on the west coast at noon (9 o clock there) to add to the distruction. But luckly that didn't happen.
    We watched it in all our classes that day except english which offered some normality. But it was scary, horrifying to know who did this. Was it someone from inside? Someone from the US as it had been with the Oklahoma city bombing. Could it have been from Russia, Cuba, China, our former enemies and still possible ones. Or could it have been from the Middle east, Iraq (or is it Iran, sorry) always hated us, The palistinians were kinda glad, like the people on west Gaza, or could it have been someone else. That day was the first day i had heard of Osama bin Ladin. And know we hear that name every 5 minutes it seams like.
    I didn't know who it was, but everyone was jumping to conclusions, wondering who could have pulled off this precise an attack. And I didn;t want anyone to jump to conclusions. I didn't want attacks or anything. That night there was bombing in Afghanistan. I prayed to god it wasn't us in what they call "retaliation" it sounds like little kids fighting each other even thought they don't know why. We have this invisible enemy that we can't harm but can still harm us. Like harry potter and his invisiblity cloak, keeping him hidden from all, yet very much there.
    The sad thing is that this is what I will have to tell my children in years to come when I have them. Looking in their text books they will see these pictures and ask where I was, and I will never forget. But it is terrible that in just the 16 years I have lived really the only things to tell my children are about distruction. I have seen the bombings of the twin towers, the pentegon and a field in Pennsylviania (with the unsong heroes that the news seams to be forgeting but no one else is, the ones who risked their lives to save the rest of the US). I've seen the deaths of princess diana and mother theresa and one of the Kennedys. I've seen the massacre at Columbine, the worst school shooting ever, I've seen the distruction of Oklahoma city, and was little but rememeber a bit of Waco. I've seen these 3 attacts, and meet someone in Washington Hospitol while my mom was there who had fallen victum to the attacks on the embassies in Kenya and Tansinea (thats the right ones right?) Practically the only good thing I've seen in my life is the change of a millenium, but I also saw the fear it could bring.
    I have to split my answer to how I feal and how this has changed my life into two categories. One is the attack itself. The second is the aftermath. First the attack. I am scared, truely scared like i was going back to school and sitting in my cafeteria after columbine, that fear, but unlike columbine in just a school this attack was on our nation. There are more terrorists out there and it's like we are waiting for them to strike, Everytime our principal comes on the loud speaker I fear he will tell of another attack. Yeasterday we had a bomb threat but for the first time it was specified to our school and 2 other catholic schools. I felt terrified, I allmost cried. All we hear about are the attacks. I have an uncle in London England that called us and told us the English reaction, how it's all in the papers there. I have a penpal in New Zealand, and he says it's all in the papers there too. This affected everyone. I saw the time.com photo essay from the shot at the US embassy in Isreal where the Isrealies put a sign up and little candles around it The sign said "TODAY, WE'RE ALL USA." It's amazing how we all pulled to gether. But I also have sorrow that this is what had to unite our great nation. I feel vulnerable, I never expected this to happen. NEVER... and thats a thought I can't get over. And when one of the prime ministers from the middle east said he felt sorry for us American Children that we have to live through this, I knew what he ment. Our grandparents had to live through world war 2 and pearl harbor. But then as they said before the numbers were less horrific and the events a little less terrifying, because then we knew who we were truely up against. I feel sorry for all the people that lost their live, but know they are now at peace with God. But I questioned God but once, when they went down and all those people were trapped. I feel bad for the firefighters and rescue workers and police that died and those that were left that lost whole departments and their brothers and sisters in essence. I wish that I could do something, but other than praying and then writing this, which maybe someone will read and feel with there is nothing I can do. It's a feeling of hopelessness. We (my family) had a friend that went down to NYC yeasterday to help out, he specializes in the rescuing of people in disasters like this, he did classes on it before I believe.
   Now for the aftermath. The first thing that pops into my mind is hearing the FAA talk about new restrictions, like no ticket baring people at the bording area. And knowing now what a full tank of gas on a plain can do. See I have been nominated to be a People to People student embassedor which means that I would be going oversees (Italy, Spain and Frace) from a NYC airport next summer if I am chosen and can raise enough money to go. But that means my mom and dad would not be able to see me to my gate to say goodbye. I would have to go there all alone, wait all alone, and everything. Also I will have a full tank of gas, and go from new York city and will be flying over the ocean. More temptation for highJackers. Scary. Also is the idea that we might go to war. The idea of war scares me and I don't want it to come to that. And I HATE everyone blaming the people of Afghanistan. The only reason I believe bin Ladin is able to stay there is because of the taliban. The taliban is evil, look what they have done to that country and to the women there. I mean come on they fit right in with him. And because they are the majority and kill off all anti-taliban leaders then the rest of the nation is powerless. But I hope that the bombing there shows of an Afghanistan Civil war. That way the Anti-Taliban leaders can come and kick bin Ladin out and Afghanistan can be good again. People like my aunt says we should "just bomb them" that is hypocritical we would kill innocent people that cant change the way their governemt is run.
Also I hate how somepeople are becoming racists and predudice against the Arabic people. Yeasterday at lunch one of my class mates had the nerve to say "All arabic people are bad." I swear I was about ready to smack her. How much more racist can you be, she is one of the people that help terrorists along, adding to the hate. What she said was like saying all "German people are bad because they killed the jews", or "all japapnese are bad because they bombed pearl harbor" Can't we learn from our mistakes, look what we did to the Japanese after Pearl Harbor, it was terrible. But to make it worse my best friend was sitting next to her, and my best friend is part Egyptian, which means she is arabic and her father worships allah and is muslim. Luckily my best friend did not hear her say that or it would have been bad. But how can you say that about a whole bunch of people, there are thousands of people in the middle east and everything, many living in the united states that had nothing to do with this bombing, and think it is a horrific act. It is only those sick sadistic few that believe this was right, and we are making all of those people out to be the few bad ones. It is not "one bad apple spoils the bunch" here people. And I feel bad for all the people of Arabic desent and middle eastern descent that are good people but have to put up with all this crap from the predudice pigheaded few. It's wrong.
    This thing will never be over, the fear might lessen, memorials might be brought up, and we might repare new york city and the pentegon and new trees will grow in that area in Pennsylvania. But we, the children lost something that day. We as america's youth lost the chance to feel totally safe, unlike the generations of the past, who's childhoods were speckled with wars and everything. We will no longer have that. We will no longer think we are indestructable. And we will watch as this happens somewhere else unless something is done to stop this. And it seams like that since not everyone did everything great in the past it is up to us to save ourselves and make sure that our kids in the future won't have a terrible act like this ruin our nation.    But our nation will stand, and we will grow up from the ashes tions of the past, who's childhoods were speckled with wars and everything. We will no longer have that. We will no longer think we are indestructable. And we will watch as this happens somewhere else unless something is done to stop this. And it seams like that since not everyone did everything great in the past it is up to us to save ourselves and make sure that our kids in the future won't have a terrible act like this ruin our nation.    But our nation will stand, and we will grow up from the ashes