2008 Woodie Awards
Letter: Response dedicated to the major impact of the terrorist attacks and resulting tragedy
Response 2
Issue date: 9/26/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
To the editor:
If we are going to have a discussion about how "impressive" 9/11 was or wasn't, maybe we should start with a perspective of someone who witnessed the events that occurred. It was my second day of freshman year of high school. I was sitting in English class when my principal came over the PA system and announced that the World Trade Towers had been hit by two planes.
"If anyone has any parents or close relatives that they need to get in touch with, please calmly proceed down to the office," he said. No one moved or breathed for several minutes. The silence was deafening, and yet we all heard the same thing, "Oh my God."
"Look out the window," my teacher said. I turned to see a huge cylinder of black smoke ascending into the air, swallowing up the sunlight and blue sky. A mass of distressed students rushed down the stairs, each student racing to find out if their loved ones were ok. Now, in the big picture, this sole event may seem insignificant, but think of all the thousands of people who were making those same phone calls, tying up phone lines for hours upon end.
As for the media, their primary focus was on the buildings that were coming down in a fiery torrent that sent thousands of people running. What the media also covered was the way the people of New York came together. You want an example of how the US is a melting pot of all races? Then look at New York. They closed all bridges and tunnels going to and from the city, leaving people no option but to get out of Manhattan on foot. What met those brave pedestrians on the bridges and tunnels was thousands of New Yorkers from the other boroughs who brought water bottles, towels, and food to those who were drained of all mental, physical, and emotional strength.
September 11 has come and gone and is now just a statistic to many. But those stories of heroic fire fighters and police officers who were running in while everyone else was running out deserve to be told a thousand times over. I think you would be hard-pressed to find a family member or a loved one who lost someone who would say 9/11 should now be moved to the back burner of society's mind.
The United States will forever be changed by the events of September 11. It has changed our economy dramatically, and it has even changed simple things like airport security. It may not fix some of society's issues, but if anything it serves as a standing symbol of changes that we live with every day. Experiencing such a tragic event like 9/11 would cripple many people.
"New Yorkers are the most resilient people on earth," said Michael Bloomberg, current mayor of New York City. We recovered fast because that's what we do. We may be rebuilding the structures we lost, but there will be memories that are etched into our souls forever.
Danielle Bagatta '09
If we are going to have a discussion about how "impressive" 9/11 was or wasn't, maybe we should start with a perspective of someone who witnessed the events that occurred. It was my second day of freshman year of high school. I was sitting in English class when my principal came over the PA system and announced that the World Trade Towers had been hit by two planes.
"If anyone has any parents or close relatives that they need to get in touch with, please calmly proceed down to the office," he said. No one moved or breathed for several minutes. The silence was deafening, and yet we all heard the same thing, "Oh my God."
"Look out the window," my teacher said. I turned to see a huge cylinder of black smoke ascending into the air, swallowing up the sunlight and blue sky. A mass of distressed students rushed down the stairs, each student racing to find out if their loved ones were ok. Now, in the big picture, this sole event may seem insignificant, but think of all the thousands of people who were making those same phone calls, tying up phone lines for hours upon end.
As for the media, their primary focus was on the buildings that were coming down in a fiery torrent that sent thousands of people running. What the media also covered was the way the people of New York came together. You want an example of how the US is a melting pot of all races? Then look at New York. They closed all bridges and tunnels going to and from the city, leaving people no option but to get out of Manhattan on foot. What met those brave pedestrians on the bridges and tunnels was thousands of New Yorkers from the other boroughs who brought water bottles, towels, and food to those who were drained of all mental, physical, and emotional strength.
September 11 has come and gone and is now just a statistic to many. But those stories of heroic fire fighters and police officers who were running in while everyone else was running out deserve to be told a thousand times over. I think you would be hard-pressed to find a family member or a loved one who lost someone who would say 9/11 should now be moved to the back burner of society's mind.
The United States will forever be changed by the events of September 11. It has changed our economy dramatically, and it has even changed simple things like airport security. It may not fix some of society's issues, but if anything it serves as a standing symbol of changes that we live with every day. Experiencing such a tragic event like 9/11 would cripple many people.
"New Yorkers are the most resilient people on earth," said Michael Bloomberg, current mayor of New York City. We recovered fast because that's what we do. We may be rebuilding the structures we lost, but there will be memories that are etched into our souls forever.
Danielle Bagatta '09
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