By Joey Wilkerson

It would stand out as a day that none of us ever saw coming and none of us would ever forget. It was just your typical day in September. Summer was slowly losing its grip as fall began to force itself upon us. Businessmen rushed down Wall Street as most of us college folk got ready for a day of classes. A day like any other. Outside, it was still kind of warm, but it was slowly cooling off. It was the type of weather that permitted either jeans or shorts. The girls were wearing shirts that exposed the shoulders while the guys wore sandals that displayed the toes. A day like any other.

What weather man on either coast could forecast that the peaceful clouds that hung over head on this typical fall day would be parted as a hail storm of terrorism and destruction would descend upon America’s favorite city, New York? At 8:48 am, a plane, American Airline flight 11, which carried 92 people, crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. The plane, which was on route from Boston to Los Angeles, had been hijacked by terrorists. Then at 9:05 am, the whole world watched in shock as a second plane, United Airlines flight 175, hit the south tower. The plane, which carried 65 passengers, was also in route from Boston to Los Angeles. Then, at 9:40, a third plane, American Airlines flight 77, struck the west side of the Pentagon. Kelly Mowery, a nursing major, describes her initial reaction to the disaster. “When I heard what happened, the third plane had already hit the Pentagon.” She continues, “I was worried because my father works for the government. I called him immediately to make sure he was okay. It was just a huge shock. I never thought anything like this could ever happen.”

Shock and disbelief were feelings that most Americans shared after the disaster. Christy Heil, a business major, stated, “I never thought I would ever see my country attacked during my lifetime. Attacks against America were something that I thought would remain in the past.” Michael Ethington, a CIS major, served six years in the Marines. He recalls his initial response. “When I first heard what happened, I was walking into work. When I came in, I saw everyone crowded around the TV set and I watched the second plane hit the south tower. I was shocked at the attack and amazed at the amount of damage that it caused.” Ethington believes that the attacked opened a lot of people’s eyes as to how vulnerable the U.S. can be. “A lot of people think that the U.S. is so powerful that we can’t be harmed. But all it takes is something little to cause a big reaction. Who would have thought two airplane crashes would wreak so much havoc and cause so much damage?” He continued, saying, “A country that wants to attack doesn’t have to invade with an army anymore. Someone could fly a plane into a nuclear reactor somewhere, and there you go. I think this event really opened up our eyes as a country.”

It is hard to believe that this tragedy happened only a year ago. Since then, debris has been removed, buildings rebuilt, and lives have slowly started to return to normal. One major part of surviving tragedy is finding something positive to take from it. One may ask what positive came from this event. “After September 11th, the country felt a new sense of patriotism,” said Ethington. And that statement couldn’t be any more true. After the disaster, many people found relief in flying Old Glory from their car windows, running it up a flag pole in their front yards, or displaying it on a variety of different t-shirts. And don’t forget about the tribute songs. Bono, Jermaine Dupri, Britney Spears, and Fred Durst teamed with a star studded cast of singers for the wildly popular song “What’s Going On,” while the King of Pop, Michael Jackson recorded the song “What More Can I Give” (which is still unreleased). As the one-year anniversary rapidly approaches, there will no doubt be many tributes planned. The University of Louisville will be having an Observance of Remembrance and Unity on the Ekstrom Library steps at noon. There will also be a memorial ceremony on Greek Row at 8:20 pm, at which Dr. Hearing will speak and the band The Constant will play a tribute song. There is an old saying that “time will heal all wounds,” and to a certain degree, that saying is true. Buildings can be rebuilt and skylines can be reconstructed. But the memories will never be erased and just like one famous t-shirt decrees, we will never forget.