The attacks also rattled lots of kids. But at ages 7, 8 or 9 most recovered quickly. To some, after playing thousands of video games, it may seem like a nonevent. It left fewer emotional scars for them than it did for adults who were there and that's good, up to a point.
But for the millions who were born on or around 1994, the upcoming national election is their first chance to vote. For them it's as remote a date as Dec. 7, 1941. Or Nov. 22, 1963. A lot of them may have trouble understanding the heavy emphasis on national security, and the reason those TSA screeners slow things at the airport.
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I remember exactly where I was...
I had paddled across the bay from stinky beach to surf at "the wedge" in Assateague (Just south of the OC Inlet) at about 7:00 that morning. I remember it being a very peace peaceful morning out on the water by myself. I was out there for a couple hours when I saw several low flying fighter jets fly overhead heading north. I thought that it was strange and rather neat sight to see, but didn't think anything of it. I wrapped up my surf session around 10:00 and paddled back across the bay to where my car was parked. I turned on the radio in the car to listen to some music as I stripped my wetsuit off. The radio DJs were carrying on about the World Trade Center being hit by a plane. I was thinking to myself, it must be some idiot flying an ultralight or something that whacked the building. Then the words that I can still hear clearly today rang out over the radio: "Oh my god, the second tower has just collapsed!"
At this point I'm not thinking terrorism, I'm thinking that Pearl Harbor is being re-enacted in NYC and I was just sitting out in the ocean while our nation is being mulled! A few more fighter jets few by shortly there after. Freaked out, I got on my phone to make a call to see what the hell was going on and of course got the "all circuits are busying..." message. I sped home to discover what had happened.
I think about that day every time September 11th is mentioned, not only because I mourn for the innocent victims, lost heroes and torn families, but I think about how I felt about MY country being under attack. I think about how my heart sunk to see MY country targeted in such an unexpected attack. It is a constant reminder that I AM AN AMERICAN and I value my freedoms.
As my own tribute to that day, I spend the morning of every September 11th at the same place I was in 2001; surfing at "the wedge" on north Assateague enjoying my freedom doing what I love to do because NOBODY will take that away from me!
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