The collapsing Twin Towers were almost indicative of the United States’ spirits on Sept. 11, 2001, the day terrorists struck the nation.
At least it was that Tuesday morning.
13 years later, the details are apparent; 19 men hijacked four airliners and plummeted straight for New York, striking the Twin Towers and the Pentagon; all for the work of Al Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden.
But those details were not obvious 13 years ago. It was an unforeseen attack, one that left more questions than answers; and it’s for that reason that almost everyone remembers where they were on Sept. 11.
Students on campus are no exception.
“Almost like a movie,” is what a sample of the student population had to say regarding their own individual experiences that morning.
Jordan Delcarnen, a business administration major, said, “I was young, but I remember I saw it on the news – live. I saw it live when the plane crashed into the building; it was horrible.”
He added, “I just saw a bunch of fire and explosions; and then I just see the whole building crashing down; people jumping out the buildings and they were falling. It was a horrible, horrible experience.”
Pearce Cordray, a civil engineering major, highlighted the aspect that, for some, it was the first, true historic experience; reading and hearing about history is one thing, but being a part of it proved to be both traumatic and interesting, he noted.
And then there are those who are not only a part of it, but directly involved with it as well.
Michelle Peters is a teacher, serving as the role of goodwill for the Culinary Arts Department. She remembers going to church, where she encountered someone who was directly affected by the attacks.
“We were in a circle, and we were just praying. And one lady, when it got to her, she prayed because her son and daughter were killed. And we would never have known if we were never in that prayer circle.”
Endele Wilson, an auto-tech and music major, couldn’t believe it himself when he heard the news.
He said, “I walked into the room, and my best friend, she was laying there, staring at the T.V.; and nothing ever gets her attention; she’s always on the go, always moving; and she’s just sitting there with her mouth open. I asked her what happened and she goes ‘I don’t know if this is real.’
“Well, it’s like nine in the morning and there’s news on every channel, so it’s probably real; that kind of makes no sense for it to be some big joke. ‘Well, it’s like Batman; Batman is happening in real life; these airplanes drove straight into the World Trade Center.’ I was like ‘No they didn’t.’ And she’s like ‘Look.’ And I just sat there for hours, tripping out. When I found out the details later, it was even more bothersome.”
What gets to Wilson are the conspiracy theories.
He added, “I’m not really into those theories, but I do think there is something more than what is talked about.”
Fishbone’s “Party at Ground Zero.”
What resonates with Cordary, too, are the lives lost. Not from the plane crashes, but in the wreckage and the immediate aftermath of the event. He remembers those who saved lives at a cost of their own.
He said, “They knew they were going in there to die. And they still went in there to help everyone and save as many people possible; that really defines my definition of a hero.”
Note: Michelle Peters refused to have her picture taken.
