The Hutchinson Collegian

On Sept. 11, 2001, I awoke at 9:00 a.m. and began with my regular routine. Every morning before taking a shower, I turn on the television, just for some background noise. That day it happened to be on Channel 12.

As I walked away from the television I heard a distressed news anchor say that two 747 jet airplanes had bombarded the World Trade Towers. I immediately sat down and began to watch the news footage. At that time no information had been gathered about why or who had been responsible for the crash. I watched as long as I could before leaving for school.

The news broadcast soon changed dramatically. Now both towers had been leveled to the ground and the city of New York was buried in ashes. The suspected two planes had turned into four planes, hijacked with passengers by international terrorists.

Firefighters, ambulance, and police now raced against time to save unlucky victims now buried in the rubble. News anchors were calling this the first attack on United States soil since Pearl Harbor. In one day, life in America had been irreversibly altered.

Now that a year has passed, the debris is cleaned up, and our nation races headlong into it’s destiny. I wonder what’s next for our nation. We came together in top-notch fashion behind the families of the ones we lost in this terrible tragedy. We became patriotic over night. But are we all willing to stand behind this new campaign to end global terrorism even to the point that we ourselves might have to sacrifice our comfort and money?

We the people
By Aspen Chadwick

Sitting at school on Sept. 11, I never thought that it would be a memorable and tragic day, but it was that and more.

As I was sitting in my chemistry class, one of the other students asked the teacher to turn on the TV because they had heard something tragic had happened in New York City. As we all sat and watched the TV in awe of what was happening, many thoughts were flowing through our heads.

Not only was I sad for the people America lost and those who lost family members, but I was also angry. Angry toward those who committed this awful crime. I couldn’t answer the questions for myself or for anyone else, I could only sit and watch people suffering and dying on every channel of the TV.

In the midst of all the suffering in the world, I did notice that our country began to strengthen and unite as one. We ‘the people’ decided to take on these terrorists and fight back for what we believed in. The action we have taken since this horrific event wasn’t the action of terrorists, but it was an action of pride. We have begun to stand together on the issues and show the other countries that we are not down and out, we are only just beginning.

Another good that has come out of this evil is the strengthening of trust in the Lord. People all over the country, including myself, have began to realize that we are not immortal.

From this tragic event, the country has grown together as one. My greatest hope is that we can grow even more and show the other countries that we are not going to let them get us.

God Bless the U.S.A.
By Sarah Overton

Planes were flown into buildings, dramatically changing the lives of thousands of people. How any one person can be involved in the death of so many people is unfathomable. At the time, the first reactions of most viewers were disbelief and shock as the news unraveled on the screen. “Where were you on 9/11?” will now be the question for years to come.

Though hundreds of miles away, these events were so catastrophic that they could even affect a small town like Hutchinson, Kansas. Unfortunately, we have all felt the ripples of 9/11’s impact, economically, socially, and emotionally. Songs on the radio, articles in newspapers and magazines, and special TV programs have all served as reminders at how our nation took a great fall but was put back together all in the same day.

I don’t think, however, that this tragedy will be one to be forgotten so soon, if ever. The impact of what has happened within our borders is engrained in our history, unable to be erased.

Over the last few months, we have seen the country come together. Driving through any one town, you are liable to see at least one sign announcing “God bless USA,” filling you with a patriotic, proud feeling inside. But our togetherness more than likely will not last forever, as we have seen so many times throughout our nation’s history, and slowly, one by one, the signs are being taken down. Yet, the heroes are not forgotten in our hearts, for it is up to every person to not take one day for granted, lest such an awful tragedy happen again.

The World Trade Center
By Tom Barry

I, along with the rest of the nation, was shocked at the news that the World Trade Center had been hit by an airplane. Until I saw the live coverage on the television screen I could not begin to believe. And I still didn’t for quite some time.

As time passes I will get more meaning about the events on Sept. 11, but it will never make complete sense. No amount of news coverage, television special editions, or articles and books about the Middle East and terrorism will answer all of the questions that we have.

What will still be with me throughout my life regarding 9/11 are the images. We all know them and there’s no need, for now, to see them again. For my grandparents, the images of Pearl Harbor were forever imprinted in their minds and their souls. The same holds true for us as we have watched so many times the Trade Center towers on fire and ultimately collapsing. These will be images that 40 years from now, on September 11 of 2041, we will recall where we were, what we were doing, and the emotions that we wrestled with.

Of course, time will tell where we as nation go from here. Will we engage in war with Iraq and other nations that potentially threaten the US with nuclear, chemical, or biological warfare? To what extent will we increase government surveillance in our day to day lives? But whatever the question and whatever the answer, nothing will change what did happen and the effect those events had on our lives.

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