Ten years ago for some students was a time for childhood fantasies and innocent moments of play at a time when terrorists were planning and carried out an act of devastation and murder for many Americans.
This month as the 10th anniversary is honored throughout the country in memory of 911, many of us recall where and what we where doing on September 11, 2001. Jessica Saldivar a nursing student remembers well when the planes hit the twin towers in New York. “I was 7 months pregnant and attending South Division high school in Milwaukee. It came over the intercom at school….I felt scared. “It may be possible again but I am not worried. There are other things to worry about too…may be a bad way to see this but I can’t be paranoid.”
Juan Luna a Liberal Arts student reflects his feeling while in a registration line for classes at the downtown campus… “I was in the first grade at Roosevelt Elementary in Washington State near Seattle…the bus driver told us a war was going on as we were coming to school.” “Later in the morning at school we all watched the television and then we saw the second plane hit. I think this made us more stereotype Muslim people.” It opened a door for Muslims to be viewed as terrorists.
David Hatcher a Liberal Arts student quickly recalls the moment when the planes hit the twin towers. “I was in the third grade at Pierce Elementary in Milwaukee. Some of us were scared but we were so young…it gave us a patriotic feeling later. I remember the school immediately did a red alert….we had to stay in the classroom with the doors closed. I feel there is a deeper situation about this. There were predictions in 1993 about Bin Laden. Maybe our government has too much power. Look at what happened in Iraq and Saddam Hussein.”
The 10 year anniversary is one of many anniversaries to come in the future and for some it may be an important page in history, while for others who experienced the loss of loved ones it is etched forever in their families’ history and part of who they are. The twin towers site has become a memorial site with waterfalls and a new tower designed like a fortress to withstand any possible attack.
Some groups have sent emails to make this day a ‘fly the flag day’ and many more will be attending the services on September 11 in New York this year.
David Hatcher (Nick Patrinos)
