Remembering 9/11

People all over the U.S. were traumatized by what happened to the World Trade Centers on 9/11.  Everyone was affected, whether personally or secondhand.  After that day, nobody who was old enough to understand what was happening will ever be able to forget what we all had the misfortune of experiencing.

On September 11th, Al Qaeda operatives hijacked 4 passenger jets. Two hit the twin towers; One hit the Pentagon; One crashed in a field. Approximately 3000 people died as a result of their actions.  Thinking of a loss of life at that magnitude makes me sick. It was, in my opinion, one of the most horrific and tragic days in history.

The cleanup at the site of the World Trade Centers, dubbed Ground Zero, was completed in May 2002. Memorials have been and are still being constructed, such as the One World Trade Center, which is estimated for completion sometime in 2013. However, there is much controversey as to whether or not it is right to build a new Trade Center. I, personally, believe that creating something new at the site is a good thing. It shows that we can move on from what has happened but at the same time not forget it. To me, it is a great thing to be able to show to the terrorist groups that we are not weak and that whatever they throw at us, we can handle.

After that day, many things changed in the U.S. Our economy rapidly fell. Billions of dollars had to be used to aid in the recovery of New York, stock values plummeted, and over 18,000 small businesses were destroyed or displaced. Also, the government came up with much stricter guidlines in airport passage and in terrorism policies. Even other places, such as Germany, Canada, Great Britian, and New Zealand put into effect new anti-terrorism safety acts.

Though we should never forget 9/11 and the people who lost their lives that day, I think that we should stand up, dust ourselves off, and show the world that we will not be taken advantage of.  We need to move on and just make sure that nothing like this happens again. I'm not saying we should forget those brave souls that were taken that day, I just think that we could honor them the most by preventing others from having to go through the same thing.