Be still.

September 11, 2001 is a day that, for Americans, will forever be engraved into our minds. Thinking back to where I was on that morning seems to take away from the magnitude of what was actually going on.

Sitting at my desk in my 6th grade science class, not much of what the teacher was saying made sense. World Trade Center? Possibility of "terrorists"? None of this meant anything to me. On the classroom's TV (which was too small to actually see much), I could hear the reporter on CNN describing the unfolding scene. A plane had crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. At the time, at least, we all still thought it was a crash. An accident. None of us would dare believe it was a premeditated attack.

But then, the second plane hit the second tower. At that moment, I think, the gravitas of what was happening sunk into everyone. We were under attack. America. The land of the free. Under attack. Being rather simple minded middle schoolers, none of us really understood how far reaching the consequences of that notion were, but we weren't too dim to read the teacher's faces. The worried look of a parent.

Looking back on that day, I realize how thankful I am for being a sixth grader. Had the same things happened today, I can't imagine the panic, the anger, and the fear that would have swept over me. I can fully understand the patriotism that swept the nation on that day now. And looking back on it, my resolve that our government acted in accordance with what should have been done is strengthened further.