Xenophon Strategies

September 11 Remembrances: Centerville, OH

Katie Lane

Editors Note: As our nation commemorates the 10^th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on The World Trade Center, the Pentagon and Flight 93 in Shanksville, PA, our staff will share their memories of that fateful day.  Whether they were in New York, near the Pentagon, at an aviation conference in Seattle, conducting business in London or sitting in high school classes around the country, each of us took time to reflect on the moments of that day which changed the way we live in the United States.

It’s hard to believe it’s been ten years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. At that time, I was just starting my sophomore year of high school. Waking up on that Tuesday morning, my only concerns were what new clothes I would wear to school that day and what I would have for lunch. Looking back, I’m embarrassed to think those were the things that mattered to me that morning, when hours later the whole country would be turned upside down.

At our high school, we had TVs located in each classroom that ran a morning news show for students during homeroom. Once the show was over, the TVs were typically shut off for the day. I first realized something was wrong when I saw the TV on in every classroom as I passed through the hallway between classes. Walking into my history class I learned a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center and while I was watching, a second plane struck. The rest of the day was a blur. Teachers tried their best to hold it together while calming down students. There was an endless stream of kids in line at the pay phone trying to get a hold of parents that were on business trips to New York or Washington.

I remember being so relieved to get home from school and be back with my family. We turned the TV on and every channel was reporting from the rubble in New York or the field in Pennsylvania or from the Pentagon. We couldn’t stand to watch the devastation anymore so instead we spent the evening watching reruns of the Brady Bunch or something similar on Nick at Night. Before going to bed I remember asking my parents, when would all of this be over? They couldn’t give me answer. I’m not sure that that question can be answered even ten years later.

On September 11^th, I was one of the lucky ones. I didn’t know anyone who was onboard those planes, worked in the World Trade Center or even lived in Washington or New York, but I am forever changed because of it.

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