Remembering the tragedy of 9/11

Linda Rios/Contributing Writer

It’s been 15 years since the terrible attack on the World Trade Center towers took place. This tragic event still hurts people all around the nation but it’s very important to see if the nation has made any improvements over the years and how the community remembers those who were lost every year.

I still remember the events as if it were yesterday. My family and I had come to the U.S. on vacation to celebrate my fifth birthday. On the day the terrorist attack occurred I was sitting on my bed, opening my presents, when my aunt called my dad and told him to turn on the television. All we saw was catastrophe, people jumping off the building and people crying hysterically on the streets.

When we tried to go back to Venezuela, we found out that all of the airports had been closed and had to stay in the hotel for an extra month.

T.V. stations reported the terrorist attack for weeks, expressing the suffering the whole nation was going through at the time.

After the attack took place, security measures were increased in every public site, especially at airports and other public transport locations.

Through the years. filmmakers have created movies about the attack such as “Flight 93,” “World Trade Center” and “Remember Me” but nothing can compare to the actual tragedy.  Movies that were created about this attack normally include the different viewpoints from individuals who were in one of the airplanes that crashed into the towers, the family members and individuals who were around the area, and those who were inside the building and sadly died that tragic day.

“I was four years old at the time the attack happened,” Rachel Pereira, a student majoring in French, said to FIU Student Media. “So I can barely recall the events but my mom told me that she came to pick up my sister and I from school frightened about what might happen next.”

Most people who were around the same age as Pereira when the attacks happened are in the same situation, only knowing about the tragedy from news sources or their parents and family members.

“Every time we go to ground zero and see the memorial I feel torn and upset. It’s a mix of emotions,” Pereira said.

The FIU community is holding a vigil on Saturday, September 10th in order to honor those who have fallen in the tragic events and their families.

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The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of FIU Student Media Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.

Image retrieved from Flickr.