09/11/2026
It is NOT just another day today, Where were you?
I was a junior at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, WA.
I was always about an hour early for school because my sister was in jazz band and they had practice before school, and she was my ride. Every morning I’d go hang out in the activity center with my friends and we’d watch MTV or whatever was on.
That morning I walked in, looked at the TV for a second and said, “What the hell is this crap? Why are we watching this, let’s change it?”
I thought it was a movie.
My friends had gotten there before me. They told me it wasn’t a movie. It was really happening. A plane had hit the World Trade Center.
I don’t remember a whole lot from the rest of that day. I remember being confused. I remember being scared. And I remember our teachers just doing the best they could, there was no work getting done.
I remember one teacher who was familiar with New York helping students figure out where their family members were in relation to Ground Zero. After both towers had collapsed, he was showing us on maps where things were and trying to reassure us that our family members weren’t near the towers.
He helped me figure out where my cousin was and showed me that he should be safe.
I remember in the months that followed, some of my older friends joining the military and being so afraid for them. I vividly remember watching the first bombings in Afghanistan on the news—the explosions, the night-vision footage and tracer rounds lighting up the sky.
I wouldn’t join the Marine Corps myself for another 7 years.
It’s been 25 years and to this day I still can’t watch the footage without crying.
I don’t think those of us who lived through that day will ever forget what it felt like.
Never forget. 🇺🇸
Be who you were September 12th.
Check on your neighbor. Hug your family a little tighter. Be kind to each other. Remember that for a little while, we were just Americans trying to take care of each other.
