Last week America observed the tenth anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center, our generations’ Pearl Harbor event, we remembered September 11 as a day that changed America forever.
On Tuesday, September 11, 2001 two planes, highjacked by members of Al Queda, were crashed into the World Trade Towers in New York City while two other planes, one headed for the Pentagon and one for the White House, also crashed. The plane headed to the Pentagon found its target, but the one intended to hit the White House crashed instead, into a field in Pennsylvania, killing only the passengers on board. Approximately 3000 people were killed in the targeted buildings and highjacked planes.
Although most Alliance High students were too young to remember the tragedy, AHS teachers remember the day vividly. Mrs. Vickie Joule, Alliance High science teacher, remembers sitting at home watching the news and thinking it was a joke. She continued to think so even, that after coming to school and turning news coverage on for her students to watch. Later, teachers were told to shut television off because the images were too upsetting the students.
Mrs. Michelle Schnell, an English teacher remembers Mr. Phil Sheldon, a former science teacher at Alliance Public Schools, coming into her 8th grade English class and saying a plane had hit the World Trade Center. She immediately thought it must have been a small plane and an accident. She also turned on a television in her classroom, watched the second plane hit and, at that point she realized that it was not a mistake, it was intentional. She also had to shut the coverage off because every kid in the room was crying.
The event was devastating for many Americans. Mrs. Carrie Ransom, an English teacher, stated, “I am still devastated. It still haunts me to this day.” Mrs. Angie Hiemstra, a special education teacher, stated, “It was a sad day for America. It made us feel emotions we have never felt before.”
September 11 also changed the way people think of America in the terms of national security. Mrs. Joule remembers when she lived in New York and an earlier terrorist attempt bombing was made. The attempt only killed 6 people. She said, “I never thought it would happen again. [Then 9-11 happened.] I hope we are safer now.”
Ten years later, we still remember all the tears, the brave men and women who fought to save even just one person, and the cruel act that left the United States in turmoil for many years to come.