Personal Narrative: Life After 9/11 Attacks

The late 1990’s into the early 2000’s was a time of great economic success that took a turn for the worst as the war against terrorism began. In America, the economy was at its peak especially on Wall Street until September 11th 2001. The attacks that occurred on September 11th deeply affected America. The attacks caused the Dow to drop tremendously along with causing the recession to deepen. America was led into of the biggest government spending periods in a long time. The cost to fund the war along with to rebuild the economy held a toll on all Americans. America had to dig itself out of a hole. Unlike the economy, technology was on the rise. Many new inventions such as wireless internet, mobile devices, and new forms of social media were created.

"A plane just crashed right into one of the Twin Towers!" Someone yelled. People were screaming because they were on fire. Others were fleeing for their life, but all I could do was stare in awe at the smoking hole in one of the biggest towers in New York. September 11, 2001, one of the most devastating days for me, and for all of America.

September 11, 2011, started like every normal day in New York City. People rushing to work, children going to school, and people taking a morning walk or jog. But no one knew that this day would turn into a horror film. A terrorist organization call al-Qaeda hijacked airplanes and hammered them into the World Trade Centers North and South Tower along with the Pentagon in Washington D.C. The September 11, 2001, attacks changed America forever (9/11 Attacks - 102 minutes That Changed America).

It was a cold January morning. The smell of fire was strong throughout the air and smoke filled the room. There was a strong, loud beeping sound throughout the house. It wasn’t just coming from one place, it was coming from multiple. My family hurries to find our animals as we call 911. I can’t be dreaming, is this real life?

George W. Bush once said that “Our enemies have made the mistake that America’s enemies always make. They see liberty and think they saw weakness.” 9/11 was a devastating day in American history. Men, from the terrorist group Al Quada, attacked America on their own soil for the first time since Japan attack us at Pearl Harbor. But there are some things we can isolate from it. The basic overview of it. What were the terrorists doing to get ready for the day, and what was their major purpose and intention.

The book I read was called "I survived September 11th 2001." Its one of the books in the I survived series. Written by Lauren Tarshis. And based around true events.

September 11, 2001 is a date in history that changed the lives of people from all over the world and especially the lives of Americans. On this day nineteen militant men associated with al-Qaeda, an Islamic extremist group, hijacked four airplanes and carried out multiple suicide attacks on different locations in the United States. Two of the planes directly struck the World Trade Center located in New York City, one of the other two planes hit the Pentagon in Washington D.C., and the final plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania before it could reach its final destination. On this day, more than 3,000 people were killed including over 400 first responding police officers and firefighters. In recent years as people look back on that day it is remembered as a time when the country was joined together by grief and showed an overwhelming amount of comfort and support to the victims and their families; it was also a time of extreme national pride. People also remember that following the attacks the economy suffered tremendously, in addition, air traffic which makes up a portion of the economy was greatly disrupted, both of which created uncertainty about the security of the financial markets critical to the success of the United States. What most people do not remember is the immediate backlash and hostility the Muslim and Arab communities received following the attacks by both civilians and the media. This is a topic that has been largely ignored by the public and media’s

The circumstances surrounding September 11th 2001 seem to be too much for a young child to grasp. At the age of eleven, I remember this day so vividly, but at such a young age I was unable to understand everything that was taking place before me. Although this day did not affect me directly, with time I have come to understand that situations as this one affects a nation as a whole. It seemed to be my first exposure to war in which I could remember. Beforehand, I knew nothing about what terrorist were and my country fighting in war seemed to be the least of my worries. Over time, I would learn more about the two. Today, as I grow into an adult I see the effects of current wars on children. I work in an environment where I come in close contact with children whose parents serve in the military. Although many of these children have no idea about the purpose of war or the outcome it may bring, they do know it as the single thing that takes their parents away for months at a time. I am mindful of the different reactions of these children. The stability in their life is altered with the absence of one parent being gone for long periods of time. The stability is what helps to build a strong family, and Garbarino states:

As the 9/11 attacks were happening millions of people’s eyes couldn't leave the t.v. screens they all thought only that it couldn’t be real. The assistant fire chief was talking with his men after he had his coffee when what he thought was a t.v. show came on but soon found out the terrorists hijacked a plane and crashed it. Many of the first responders were busy treating smoke inhalation when the first plane struck its target, but many others waited for their broken bones and bad burns to be treated. The emergency responders do these things every day, protect other people from getting hurt by these types of things.the noises around them was the hardest things to see happen what he heard was pain and death.

"This is 911, what is your emergency?" A desperate eleven year old girl tried to answer the operator's question, but all I could manage were sobs.

Claire Alistar shifts in her seat to cross her right ankle primly over her left and readjusts her large, black sunglasses so that they sit farther down on her nose so that she looks even more unimpressed. "Beck got caught during a job in cicily? Really? Cicily?"

It all happened so quickly. One moment, a boy was waving to his friends, and the next, he was lying in the street. I heard the screech of brakes and a loud crash. The car’s windscreen was completely shattered. People were screaming and crying, and without thinking, I ran into the street, knelt down beside him, and called 911.

Firefighters and policemen struggled to get the sufferers out of the building safely. Some went up the treacherous flight of stairs to gather people still holding on by a limb, and never came back down. Soon we were informed about a plane crashing into the Pentagon. And Two other flights brought down due to lost control. None of these incidents were accidents. They were all coordinated by Al-Qaeda. The objective of the attack was to raise fear in America’s eyes and to invoke terror. And ultimately demonstrate we’re not as powerful, and untouchable as we thought. As a result of this nationwide scare, we now experience mass amounts of racial profiling. Also, airport security processing will never be the same again. Finally, the growing presence of fear and threat of terror in the United States of America. Conclusively, thousands of lives were ripped away and the lives of those still living during this time, forever

The decade after 9/11 attacks reshaped many facets of life in America. Some changed were temporary in immediate response for Americas safety and some were proved to be more lasting transformations in the American life. The American lexicon was one of the things that changed drastically in the months and years after the attack. Among the words or phrases that entered them everyday language: al-Qaida, Taliban, ground Zero, Radicalism, extremis, anthrax and the Axis of Evil. Their usage dramatically increased and soon became apart of Americans' everyday lives.

September 11, 2001, changed me, I remember it was a Tuesday morning I put my sons Frank and Brandon on the school bus. I remember looking up at the sky thinking what a perfectly gorgeous weather day it was. The large fluffy white clouds made the shade of the blue sky even more deep and brilliant.