As an American citizen, there are certain dates during the year that have extreme significance in the United States but have little to no significance anywhere else. These dates include Independence Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day and many more. One of the most significant days in United States history is Sept. 11, 2001, the terrorist attack of the twin towers. As the years go by, it seems when this day comes around, it is talked about less and less.
The first of four attacks occurred at 8:46am on a sunny Tuesday morning on the north World Trade Center building, at 10:28am it collapsed. An attack on the south tower occurred at 9:03am, the building collapsed at 9:59am. The Pentagon was attacked on the west side at 9:37am, the wall on the inner ring collapsed at 10:15am. The fourth hijacked plane, Flight 93, crashed at 10:03am in Pennsylvania after being retaken over by passengers on the plane, preventing another catastrophic attack. On this tragic day in U.S. history, 2,753 people were killed. This includes 343 New York firefighters, 23 New York police officers, 184 military personel at the Pentagon and 40 passengers from Flight 93. This day is known as the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
When in school on the anniversary of 9/11, teachers would take time to teach their students about this catastrophic event. Personal stories would be told to the young students, articles would be read and many other things would be done in honor of the historic event. As the students get older, the event is talked about less and less until they are lucky if teachers say anything about the event. Amarillo High used to have an extended moment of silence in honor of the many lives lost in these attacks, this year the event was not even mentioned over the announcements. The attacks are meant to be remembered throughout generations whether or not they were alive at the time. Just because the class of 2021 is the first generation to be born post-9/11 does not mean the day has no significance to them or that it is diminished in importance. As the students get older, the event should become more significant to them and should be talked about more often as they learn new impacts or facts of the attacks and truly begin to understand the devastation of the day.
After the occurrence of 9/11 people would, supposedly, never forget the day. That was also said about Dec. 7, 1941, yet when the day comes around there is no mention of the historic significance of the day. As the years go on, eventually, Sept. 11, 2001 will become one of these forgotten days in U.S. history.
Early on in a child’s educational life, they are taught and shown videos or photos about this tragedy. At this point in time, they do not understand the horror of that day. When they see photos or videos with the topic of 9/11 it does not seem to be a real event in their mind. As a kid, it is hard to proccess such violent acts. Growing up helps for people to recognize the event happened in real life and not in a movie or a video game.
The events of 9/11 should be remembered every year and should be taught to every generation, whether or not the audience was alive when it occurred. As the years go by, it will become increasingly more important for teachers, parents and authoritative figures to teach their students or kids about the tragic day of 9/11.
