where were you 5 years ago?

Today commemorates the 5 year anniversary of what America experienced as the annihilation of the World Trade Center. Every year on this day, I always look back on the day it happened. It was my senior year of high school and I was doing my daily routine of watching the morning news for any current events to bring up for Government class. And every channel was focused on one thing, the Twin Towers.
I didn’t want to go to class worried I would miss them falling. As I walked through the halls everyone was gathered in their cliques talking about the biggest event of our generation. No one wanted to be in class. Everyone wanted to sit with their loved ones and glue themselves to the tv.
When the first period bell rang signaling to get to class, we convinced our teacher to let us watch the news. For that one day, everything and everyone stopped and was fixated around the television. Teachers didn’t mind if students were absent or late. They didn’t mind that we didn’t have our homework done in time. It was all about what was on the television and nothing else mattered.
By fourth period, an announcement was made that teachers were to turn off the television for fear students would become scared witnessing this horrifying event. By this time, we already saw the second tower fall and all was silent during the halls. I remember teachers explaining how every generation has a life altering event and that this is our generation’s event. This is the event that would forever be permanently written in our mind. Everyone knows that I have an awful memory, but it’s amazing how this incident is able to let me remember even the smallest detail of that day. They say when people are struck with an ordeal that is life altering; they remember every detail of that day. This day is one of them, and I’ll never forget it.