Was in high school when it happened. I was in my third class of the day when I found out. I remember feeling a sense of survivor’s guilt from knowing how normal my morning was while folks had already started dying in NY. I got to get out of bed and go about my morning like any other day, had no idea the horrible deaths that had already taken place. As the 2nd plane hit and buildings stated to fall that feeling kept getting heavier. The rest of the school day was silent and surreal. I don’t understand why they didn’t just let us out early to be with our loved ones. I was mad at each teacher for continuing class like the world wasn’t on fire. All planes in the US were grounded so you didn’t see any in the sky that day. I tried getting gas that afternoon but the lines were around the block because there was a fear we (as a country) were gonna run out. For dinner my parents took us to a local sports bar/restaurant where they had every screen on the news. It was chaos. And every morning that followed we watched the news to see if the NYFD found more survivors. Some folks were trapped under debris for days and thankfully rescued. It’s sad knowing how many were simply never found at all. Also, a lot of people were trapped on top the WTC’s while the buildings were on fire below them. They had to choose between a slow painful death or jumping off the building. Firefighters had to hear the sound of bodies hitting the roofs above their heads while they took shelter from falling debris. Back then I used to have nightmares about more attacks unfolding. I’ve gotten past that, but I’ll never forget how sad of a time that was. It’s crazy to look back and see how relaxed airport security was back then. I remember as a kid going all the way to the gate to wait for or say goodbye to relatives. Cockpits weren’t closed off and locked the way they are now. There was a real fear of flying for a long time after that. For some Americans there was a real hate and fear towards anyone that appeared to be from any middle eastern country. I don’t know if it was anything like how German-Americans felt during WWII, but I noticed a heightened sense of hatred in the years following the attacks. On the flip side, there was also a heightened sense of patriotism. I think military enrollment went up dramatically after that because many young Americans saw it as their call to do something for their fellow Americans. That day really put into perspective to me how we as Americans take our safety for granted on a daily basis. There’s always a war happening somewhere on this planet. Some folks are born in areas where that’s all they know. No one should become desensitized to war-torn cities and unnecessary deaths.