10 Years Later

September 11, 2001. I was sitting in Mr. Nyk's Spanish 2 class. The teacher from across the hall came into our room and told Mr. Nyk to turn on the tv; there was a plane crash in NYC. I was the aide for his class, so that meant it was pretty much a free period for me to just sit there and do nothing. The class was working in their workbooks and Mr. Nyk and I were watching the news. We watched for a long time, unsure of what was happening or what was about to happen. We were also unaware of the effect it would have on our country, our world.

School let out early that day. When I got home, my Mom and I watched the news for hours. We sat in silence, as we watched replays of the planes hitting the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We heard the call from Todd Beamer on American Airlines, Flight 93. We felt so helpless.

It's been 10 years since that fateful day. Since then, I've seen friends join the military, I've seen friends go to war to protect our nation, I've seen friends say goodbye to their husbands and wives for months at a time, and I've had friends that have lost loved ones, all to protect me and you, and our freedom. For this, I say, "Thank you!" Sometimes, I wonder if I say it enough. I wonder if all the people fighting for our country, really know how much they are appreciated? I can only hope that they do.

My heart breaks for the people that died, that day, and it breaks for their families. My heart breaks for the people of this nation that are ungrateful, and those people that insist it was some sort of conspiracy. My heart breaks for the people that protest at military funerals and it breaks for the people who witness it.

I was proud to be an American before that day, but the sense of pride I feel now, is indescribable. I get goosebumps when I hear the National Anthem or see an American flag blowing in the breeze. The people of our country suffered a great loss that day, but we stood by one another and most importantly, we never lost faith. As Americans, we must never lose faith.