where were you when the world stopped turning

What can I say about today, that hasn't been said countless times in the past 13 years? I woke up this morning and sort of just laid in bed and let the flurry of thoughts and emotions just resound inside my head. There are moments in my life where I can remember everything in vivid detail; today is one of those moments.

Thirteen years ago, I was a sophomore in high school. I woke up and got ready for school, just as I did on any other day. I walked out the end of the driveway to wait for my school bus, just as I did on any other day. I got on the bus and there was a girl talking about how a plane crashed in New York. Okay, not like any other day. It didn't phase me though, as I plugged in my headphones and zoned out on the way to school, just as I did on any other day.

When we got to school, and I walked through the hallways, I realized that this plane crash was an entirely different situation than I initially thought. People were full on freaking out; crying hysterically, hugging each other. I was sitting in the choir room, looking around at the somber faces of my fellow choir members, as our director began talking about the events that were transpiring across the country. Planes crashing, buildings burning and collapsing, thousands of people dying as police and fire rescue crews did everything they could to save innocent souls. Only when I was sitting in my English class and my teacher turned on the TV and I saw the burning towers did I realize that this plane crash was so much more than just a plane crash.

This was a calculated attack on our country.

As a bratty little 15 year old in high school, I didn't really know how to process that information. It didn't really throw me for a loop or anything, but as someone who absorbs the emotions and feelings of those around me, the pain that I was bearing witness to broke my heart and absolutely floored me.

I've been a lot of places and I've seen a lot of things in the past 13 years. I went from being a bratty high schooler who didn't really understand the magnitude of a situation, to a woman who has served her beloved country in the United States Marine Corps and has lost many friends in the wars that followed the September 11th terrorist attacks. I wasn't as emotionally driven back in 2001 as I am now, and I guess that is the difference between 9/11 for me as a civilian, and 9/11 for me as a Marine. Don't get me wrong- I am in no way saying that this day is harder for me as it is for anyone else; everyone has their own emotions on a day like today. I guess what I'm saying is that as a result of my time in the Marines, I've become a lot more emotionally aware (and somewhat attached) to the events of 9/11 and the emotions that surround such a profound day.

Let us never forget the souls that were lost on this day.