i can still remember where I was when I heard the news. I'd just gone to my first morning class at the state college when the professor told us the news. At first, we didn't(or perhaps couldn't) believe him. We went to the Student Center and watched the news footage as a second plane hit the second tower, then watched in numbed horror as both towers collapsed in a tangle of steel, smoke, and fire. I knew what i was seeing was real, but my mind still hadn't grasped the full impact of what had happened. It would take two days before my numbed brain caught up with my emotions.
I find it startling sometimes when I remember that there now exists an entire generation that has no idea of the significance of today, of the men and women that sacrificed themselves to save those trapped in the Towers, and the brave souls of Flight 93 who prevented further bloodshed. They will never know the horror of watching the footage while desperately hoping and praying what you are seeing isn't real, and knowing all too well that it is.
But for those of us who were there, and who remember, it is a day we are not likely to ever forget.