Most students at Lipscomb remember details about where they were, what they did and how they were affected on Sept. 11, 2001. Each of us has a unique perspective about what took place that day, but we all share in the way that it changed our nation forever. On this eleventh anniversary of 9/11, a handful of Lumination staff members share their experiences from that fateful day.
Erica Aburto, senior studying journalism & new media; in Chicago on Sept. 11, 2001:
The chilly gusts of wind were making a presence early in the year. It was a murky morning that day, almost as if foreshadowing something ominous was going to happen. I was in fifth grade at Nightingale Elementary on the southside of Chicago at the time. About thirty minutes after school had started, I remember one of the teachers from another hall coming into the classroom, sobbing, and whispering something into my homeroom teacher’s ear. My teacher, Ms. Hillman, gasped and put on her glasses to turn on the TV. She lowered the volume and told us that there had been some very bad men doing bad things. She said we wouldn’t be able to understand but that some bad guys flew a plane into a building, killing people. I remember one of my classmates breaking into tears and asking the teacher if we’d get hit too, since we also have big buildings. Ms. Hillman tried to put her at ease but said she hoped not. The rest of the day, we switched classes, but in every class we saw the same thing–the planes crashing into the towers. At the time, I remember thinking that people were making it a bigger deal than it was. Now, I realize it was a big deal.
Bridgette Begle, junior studying journalism & new media; in Houston, on Sept. 11, 2001:
Sept. 11, 2001, I was in Mrs. Lendecky’s fourth grade classroom. I don’t remember what I was wearing or what food I ate for breakfast like many people do. I just remember hearing the constant beep of the intercom to summon another student to the office to be picked up by his or her parent. By 3 p.m., I was one of only four students left in the classroom. I remember thinking that a lot of students must have had dentist appointments. Teachers didn’t ever give us any information, but I remember other teachers on our hallway coming into our room and whispering. It wasn’t until I got home to my babysitter when I first saw the footage. I instantly thought it was an accident. My babysitter, being the high schooler she was, kept trying to scare me and telling me that we were going to war. I kept hearing people talk about how they would always remember where they were and what they were wearing when they got the news of that day. It’s weird to think that in a few years, college kids won’t have these memories. I guess it’s all part of the cycle of history.
Aaron Schmelzer, freshman studying communication; in Pittsburgh, on Sept. 11, 2001:
On Sept. 11, 2001, I was in second grade enjoying recess outside. Suddenly, my classmates and I were being told to go inside the school building without a reason why.
The teachers took the kids into the main auditorium. All I knew was that two planes crashed into two buildings in New York and another plane crashed in Pennsylvania–my home state.
We spent a while in the auditorium before exiting to our respective classrooms where we finished the school day. The entire rest of the day was filled with confusion and speculation. I remember going home and seeing the replay of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers but not knowing the significance of the event.
Now 11 years later, I finally realize the significance of the horrid event that forever changed the course of history for the United States of America.
Emily Snell, senior studying journalism & new media; in Great Bend, Kan., on Sept. 11, 2001:
I remember feeling confused the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, while I sat in the hallway with my friends, waiting for our teacher to let us into the classroom. My friend said her dad told her a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. I remember picturing a tiny two-seater plane crashing into the lobby of some small building. At that sixth grade age, I really had no concept of what the World Trade Center was. But when all of us who were in fifth through eighth grade abandoned our morning classes and crowded into one room with all of our teachers surrounding one TV, I knew something significant had happened.
I remember getting teary-eyed watching the second tower get hit. And I distinctly remember the shocked reaction of the reporters on TV when they learned the Pentagon had been attacked, too. They seemed horrified as they relayed the information to their stunned audience. Even as I watched, I didn’t truly understand the significance of that day, but I knew it was something major. I knew that, at that point in my life, I had never before seen or experienced anything so heart wrenching. As I look back to that day eleven years ago, I still tear up thinking about what I witnessed. But I’m also filled with thankfulness that my teachers allowed us to watch the news that day. The magnitude of Sept. 11 is seared in my brain because I was able to see and hear the terror as it unfolded, and though it’s painful to remember, I think it’s a day of loss and sacrifice that should never be forgotten.
Brianne Welch, sophomore studying journalism & new media; in Navarre, Fla., on Sept. 11, 2001:
On Sept. 11, 2001, I was a third grader at West Navarre Elementary School in Navarre, Fla. It’s hard to remember events that happen at such a young age, but I remember 9/11 pretty vividly. It was the beginning of our school day, and every day we watched our school news broadcast on the TV. My teacher was flipping channels to find our news when she passed the real news station which was broadcasting the Twin Towers. My entire class and I watched the first plane hit the World Trade Center.
At the time, I had no idea what that meant. It seemed strange, and my teacher paused on the channel to watch but quickly changed it to our school news. I knew nothing more of the incident until my mom checked my brother and me out of school. She then talked to us about the crash and what it meant.
For my family, it meant I would be seeing a lot less of my father. My dad was a special operations pilot in the Air Force and was almost immediately deployed to the Middle East. I remember being scared for him to go overseas, and I would cry when he left. I still never knew the significance of what happened that fateful day until I was older, and my dad explained what he went through that day. He told me that when the planes hit he and the guys in his unit looked around at each other and basically said, “Let’s start packing.” They knew that a long road of fighting was ahead for them. Sept. 11 changed my world on a personal level and gave me an even greater sense of patriotism.
Cory Woodroof, sophomore studying journalism & new media; in Nashville, Tenn., on Sept. 11, 2001:
On Sept. 11,2001, I was a 9-year-old looking for a television program to watch. I remember watching the hysteria on the news in my classroom, but nothing really sank in until I got home.
I remember turning on the television, trying to find a certain show to watch. Instead of cartoons, I saw news. Channel after channel after channel – everything centered itself on the atrocities that had occurred. I remember, even at 9, understanding the seriousness of everything going on. Life made itself clearer in the days ahead, but there was just something about nearly every television station being on the same thing – the news. At the age of 9, that’s enough to say something.
Photo courtesy of Central Coast News, www.kcoy.com.