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Students respond to attack on U.S.
September 11, 2001
BY WENDY TILLER
Where do I begin?
Today is a day that will live on in history as being the largest
attack ever on the U.S. As teenagers, we really do not know if
we truly understand what has happened. Parents and teachers are
reminded of the day that JFK was shot.
They use this example to try to explain to us the significance
of it all, but still we cannot relate. I don't really know how
it will change things for us or what effect it will have on the
country, but I can gather that it will be a big one.
We watched in fear and amazement as our country was torn apart
today. It seemed almost like a bad dream or like it was not actually
happening. It was almost as if I would wake up tomorrow and everything
will be back to normal. I really cannot conceive what has actually
happened. I don't know where it will take us or what will happen.
I know that many people are talking about war, if we should go
to war, and who we would declare war with. So many questions
and not enough answers. Personally I hope that we do not go to
war. I have heard it said by some of our elders that our generation
needs to see and experience a war. Maybe we should so that we
can be more experienced in case we ever need it in the future,
but war should be used as the last resort. I know that in some
cases war is necessary, but lives are lost and families are torn,
and I do not think that wars have winners.
I thought today about what would happen if we went to war. I
am now at the age where most of my friends are 18 and if we go
to war, then they would be drafted. I could not imagine having
to say goodbye to so many family members and friends. As teenagers,
these are supposed to be the best years of our life, having them
ripped away and forced to grow up that fast is not something
that I want to go through.
President Bush is having to prove himself really early in his
term, and trying to put myself in his shoes. I would be terrified,
which I am sure that he is. I think that the only thing that
we can do is pray for the families, the victims, the country
and our future. Only God knows what is going to happen and I
think that as a country founded on the belief of God and prayer,
we need to go back to that!
My response to the "Attack on America"
BY KATIE PHILLIPS
When I first heard about the tragic attack committed by terrorists
on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, my immediate reaction
was one of disbelief. I've read about other countries being attacked,
and I've seen it on TV, but I never expected it to happen here.
I feel so fortunate not to have family members or friends that
were directly involved in the attack. My heart goes out to the
victims, their families, and also the firemen, policemen, and
other volunteers. I really don't think people fully understand
the danger these rescue workers put themselves in. So far, there
have been reports that over 200 rescue workers are missing.
After I got over my initial shock, fear began to set in. I am
anxious to find out what kind of impact this catastrophe will
have on us, the American people.
What will we do once we find out who committed this act? Will
we go to war? If so, will the war be fought on American soil?
What will happen to our economy? These questions that I have
may not be answered any time soon.
I am proud of the response that the people of our nation have
made. With so much devastation, there's a severe shortage of
blood. All throughout the country, people are volunteering to
give blood, some having to wait four or five hours to donate.
The only immediate solution to this problem that I can think
of is prayer. This is a time in which our nation must look to
God for direction and guidance.
So many questions
BY LEAH HARDEMAN
Questions. I have so many questions. Questions that may never
be answered. When I first heard that there had been a terrorist
attack on the United States I did not believe it. It sounded
absurd. It was one of those things that you never imagine when
you get up in the morning.
All day yesterday people were asking me, "So how does this
make you feel?" or "What do you think about all this?"
And I did not have an answer. It did not seem real to me. I tried
to understand what had happened, but I eventually came to the
conclusion that I would never completely comprehend the day's
events. They were too enormous in deed and in implication.
What they imply I am still unsure.
A constant question that has rested in the back of my mind since
I first received the news is "What does this mean to me?"
In the past I have talked to my grandmother about how World War
II affected her. She told me that everyone's lives changed. Men
were drafted off to war and women took up jobs in factories that
made the necessary machinery. I do not think things will be the
same should America go to war today. And that scares me a little.
The uncertainty of it all.
I do not believe that there will ever again be man against man
fighting. We have advanced far beyond that. A war today implies
bombing. There has never been mass bombing on the continental
U.S.
I also believe that we are so cocky. The American citizens keep
saying that we will just find the person responsible and make
them sorry, but I believe that the people behind this are more
prepared than we realize. If the people responsible are from
the Middle East then they control the oil. If they control the
oil then they indirectly control every area of our lives. Furthermore,
we may not be fighting one country alone. If the countries in
the Middle East unite, we could be in dire trouble. I hope the
government thinks long and hard about their retaliatory actions.
I am glad that I have the reassurance that my God is in control.
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America Under Attack
BY SALLIE FITZPATRICK
September 11, 2001 (911) will remain a strong memory in my mind
for the rest of my life. You always hear the stories from your
grandparents about what it was like the day the Japanese bombed
Pearl Harbor It seems unbelievable that in 20 or 30 years our
kids could be asking us about the day America was attacked.
Yesterday morning I thought that I would wake up, go to school
and cheerleading practice and then go home and do my homework,
like every other day. Unfortunately, that was not the case. In
one second my life, along with everyone else in the country,
changed drastically. Thousand of lives were stolen, resulting
in many families being broken, children with two parents suddenly
had only one, and America, as a nation, shattered into pieces.
One of the worst parts is that we have no one to which we can
retaliate. That is, we don't know who committed this terrible
act. Millions of lives were changed, forever.
Yesterday was also a day when heroes were discovered. People
on the planes, knowing that they were going to die, called people
and told them any information they could that will assist in
discovering who carried out this terrorist act. Policemen and
firemen risked their lives to save others and put out the fires.
Over 200 of them are missing in the rubble that was once the
Twin Towers, along with 266 people who died on the planes. Also,
thousands of people flocked to give blood to help save all of
the victims of this tragedy. Many heroes were born yesterday
amidst all the tragedy.
I am very worried about the outcome of this horrific tragedy.
I really am worried that this incident is going to result in
war. It's not that I think the people that commit this terrible
act should go unpunished, I don't want it to come to war. I will
be praying that God will protect us all from the disasters of
war.
Attacks on America despicable, disgusting
BY STEPHEN TIPPINS
There's nothing more despicable, more disgusting, more heartbreaking
than the loss of innocent human life, than the massive loss of
human life.
Now, I consider myself an open-minded person. I understand the
different points of view of various people. And I am liberal
in the ways of organized religion. But I cannot, in the slightest,
comprehend how someone could kill so many. And if indeed the
murderers are of some jihad terrorist organization, I am utterly
lost on how they could think that any God, any higher, divine
deity could ever condone the mass murder of so many.
The events of Sept. 11 honestly gave me the eeriest feeling I
have ever known. Seeing the NBC coverage where the skyline of
New York was without the Trade Center towers, and instead, there
was the infamous cloud of black smoke, is something I shall never
forget.
The tragedy here is tremendous. As Americans, there is nothing
in our history books parallel to the attack on the WTC and the
Pentagon. I cannot think of anything in any history book I have
ever read that can even come close to this. The battle of Antetam,
the invasions of Iwo Jima and Normandy, the attack on Pearl Harbor
- nothing holds a candle to this. This was not the loss of military
personnel. It was the loss of thousands of innocent women and
children and everyday citizens.
Reaction should be one of great mourning, as well as a quieting
anger, because to be honest, while I am in terrified awe - which
I truly and honestly am - I am also rather pissed off that someone
can be so utterly without compassion that they succeed in mass
murder.
Bush said in his Reagan-like speech to the nation in the tragedy's
aftermath that this atrocity is nothing but the worst side of
human nature. I have complete faith, especially after observing
the orderly way the tragedy was dealt with, in our government
to find and kill whoever is responsible. But, I have to disagree
with our President's terminology:
It's not just the worst side of human nature: it's the most God-awful
act in our history.
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