9/11 Anniversary

Rhea Sodem
Staff Writer

           Everyone was touched on Sept. 11 when 2,996 people died and six thousand were wounded. At 8:46 a.m., that exact moment, a terrorist plane struck the North Tower. Fifteen years later, hundreds of people gathered at ground zero and the One World Tower to grieve together. Recently, the fifteenth anniversary of 9/11 has passed, and emotional tributes are occurring all over the world. Everyone attended the four hour ceremony at Ground Zero, including President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Donald Trump. Each of the three thousand people who lost their lives were honored as their loved ones read out their names at the footprints near the Twin Towers. Names were recalled on the border of the waterfall memorial, and people were walking along the bronze mural wall dedicated to the firemen that day. Miniature American flags were placed in between the names engraved on the memorials.  Many people voiced that it was hard for them to come back to Ground Zero and were anxious of another possible attack.

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        Nancy Nee, whose brother was killed as a firefighter, mentioned, "Some people forget this is a cemetery. I would never go to the Holocaust museum and take a selfie." Ground zero has become more of a tourist attraction than a memorial. Now that fifteen years have passed, many young adults are forgetting about this day and are treating it as a normal day. Soon only adults will remember 9/11, and it may be forgotten forever. Various people find this to be a serious problem and think that this is something that people should learn from. Some adults are encouraging parents and teachers to speak to the younger generation so that they can learn about the harsh reality and move together as a nation. Many children have parents who are affected by this day in one way or another. This is a National Day of Service and Remembrance, but people think that it should be a federal holiday so that everyone affected by that tragedy can be respected. As a nation, people learn together and grieve together.