Sept. 11, 2001: Across the Generational Divide

They’re generations apart both in age and how they remember Sept. 11, 2001. This generation of college students largely was not alive when Sept. 11 happened. To them, it’s history.

This matters. “We’re supposed to pass it on, and I can’t,” Madison Bomkamp, 20, says. “It affected so many people, even outside of the people that died [that day], and I feel like I don’t know enough about it.”

Foster Petitgoue is 24 years old; he was only a few months old when the towers fell. Even with no personal memory of the day he has a deep respect for what was lost that day, but he is not as connected to the event as someone who lived to experience it.

“I feel like as the years have gone by it has become less important,” Petitgoue says when asked of his thoughts on the 23rd anniversary of 9/11. “It’s still in the back of my mind, all of the people we lost in the attack and first responders who lost their lives. Every year I get less reminded of it though.”

On the other hand, some students experience the lingering pain of people who were alive, such as Sania Syed, who wasn’t born yet when Sept. 11 occurred, but whose mom took off her hijab because she “was scared for her safety.”

To the generations who were alive, the memories are searing and the impact is enormous. From the aftermath of wars to new security concerns, they believe Sept. 11, 2001, fundamentally changed society. They came from all walks of life.

A firefighter whose job changed due to the attacks. A woman whose brother narrowly escaped. A journalist who was at the scene. A pregnant mom.

Karin Pennington was 31 years old on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, at home caring for her 2-year-old daughter.

She was listening to morning radio and started hearing about a plane hitting the World Trade Center in New York City, prompting her to turn on her television set to learn more. It was then that she saw the devastation of the 9/11 attacks with her own eyes.

Pennington, who was pregnant with her second child at the time, went to check on her daughter, who was playing with her dolls.

“I just went in there and watched her while I was very pregnant,” said Pennington. “Just feeling that innocence of childhood, seeing my daughter oblivious to what was going on and not knowing how this was going to affect her future… that just heightened all those emotions.”

Our team of student journalists set out with a goal on the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attacks: To interview someone alive on Sept. 11, 2001, and someone who was not, and to see how they differed. These are those stories. This is the story of Sept. 11, 2001 – generations apart.

A “Paradigm-shifting Event”

Nick Davis was 7 years old on Sept. 11, 2001. It was a Tuesday morning, and Davis woke up on his own for school that day.

The television mounted all the way up in the corner of his classroom was playing a live news broadcast as the South Tower was struck.

“I remember, like, I’m 7 years old, and the severity of it isn’t necessarily there, and I go, ‘woah!’,” Davis said. “To me, it was like an action movie.”

Davis remembers how strange it was to see the adults in his life be so “rocked” by the event. Now, at 30 years old, he understands how it was a “paradigm-shifting event.”

He described America post-9/11 as a country facing “catastrophic change.” A terrorist attack of this magnitude in America was almost unimaginable until it happened.

“It’s very important to recognize how lucky and how blessed as Americans we are that we have one terrorist attack that is so monumental,” Davis said. “It changes my perspective, but it makes me think of how sad it is also that there are places around the world where an attack like 9/11 is insignificant.”

Cultural changes are hard to point out in the post-9/11 world, but some shifts were significant: increased security, heightened fear, and widespread xenophobia, Davis said.

“For a while, we were united around tragedy and patriotism,” Davis said.

The fear Americans faced after the attack almost mirrors the fear and uncertainty felt in 2020 as the world shut down after the COVID-19 pandemic, but Davis luckily does not carry any baggage from living through both events.

“Thankfully, I don’t spend my days walking around in fear,” Davis said. “I have faith that whatever is going to happen, will happen, and I have no control over that.”

–By Olivia Davis

Drawing Comparisons: 9/11 and COVID-19

Madison Bomkamp’s knowledge of Sept. 11, 2001, is almost exclusively from elementary school. The Americans who lived to see the attack on the Twin Towers are only getting older, and living memories of 9/11 will only decrease as more anniversaries pass by.

“We’re supposed to pass it on, and I can’t,” Bomkamp, 20, said. “It affected so many people, even outside of the people that died [that day], and I feel like I don’t know enough about it.”

Bomkamp, a third-year architecture student at UWM, expressed a desire to know more about the attack. While she can sympathize with the high emotions associated with the anniversary, it’s hard to understand the sheer impact it had on America as someone who will never fully grasp the attack.

“I’ve never seen [something like 9/11] happen, I’ve never seen how destructive it can be,” Bomkamp said.

Bomkamp described 9/11 as a “tragedy,” seeing the attack as something almost all Americans can agree should have never happened.

America post-9/11 was unified over a shared traumatic experience, mostly impacting the Millennial generation, ranging from ages 5 to 20 years old on Sept. 11, 2001.

Generation Z, currently ranging from ages 12 to 27 years old, were, at their oldest, four years old when the attack on the Twin Towers happened. Instead, the generation faces their own traumatizing event: COVID-19.

While Americans couldn’t be physically together in 2020, Bomkamp still felt a sense of unification over social media during a much different tragedy.

“I feel like [the pandemic] could compare to how past generations have 9/11 as their tragedy,” Bomkamp said. “I feel like COVID is [Generation Z’s].”

The pandemic happened during a “really formative” time for Bomkamp, she said, mirroring how the adolescents in the 2000s were deeply impacted by 9/11.

“I think because we all lost [something], we have a similar shared experience,” Bomkamp said. “It helps bring us all together.”

–By Olivia Davis

Bonded by Loss

The number of American lives lost on 9/11 can be quantified, that number is 2,977.

They were friends, coworkers, family members, and people, but every American lost something that day. Whether it was someone they knew, someone they loved, the safety and security they felt living in the land of opportunity, or just the ability to enter a plane without taking their shoes off, everyone lost something on September 11, 2001.

343, the number of first responders who lost their lives that day, is a number that all firefighters know by heart. Aaron Cocker is one of around 700 Milwaukee men and women who selflessly serve the city in fighting its fires, and that number is one he and every member of the department know intimately.

“We value everyone like family,” Cocker said. “One death is unimaginable, and we lost 343 firefighters that day. 343 deaths in one day, the magnitude of that. We haven’t had a death since ‘96 [in the Milwaukee Fire Department]. It’s been 30 years since we’ve had a death in the department.”

The common memory of the aftermath of 9/11 was one of American unity, everyone was family on that day and the days that followed. Even as that sentiment waned with the passage of time, for a select few across the nation a family was affected forever. Every firefighter when they take the oath and are sworn into the department is reminded of that day.

“It was concerning,” Cocker said when discussing the day he was sworn into the Milwaukee Fire Department. “It was 8 years later and it was still fresh in my mind. Before you are officially sworn in it’s something you have to think about.”

Even 8 years later it was something that affected Aaron Cocker, and 23 years later not a lot has changed for him and every member of fire departments all across America.

The gravity of that day is something anyone who lived to experience will never forget, but as time marches on more and more people are born who have not had any first-hand experience of the events of 9/11.

As time has passed it has become more common to make light of the situation, with internet jokes and conspiracies visible on the internet everywhere. Cocker seems to understand this, but hopes people understand the tragedy so many went through even if they were not around to experience it firsthand.

“I hope they appreciate the pain people went through, regardless of what they think happened. It was very painful.”

Whether the levity is a coping mechanism or simple ignorance, no American will ever forget what happened that day.

-By Dallas Erickson

Never Forgotten, but Memories Differ

It is hard to care about something you’ve never had a personal connection or interaction with.

Every year that passes there are more Americans born who were not alive to witness 9/11, and with that reality, the impact of the terror attacks on these people is lessened each anniversary.

One day there will be no living person who has a first-hand memory of September 11, 2001, and that will no doubt shape how the country and its citizens remember that hallowed day.

Foster Petitgoue is 24 years old, he was only a few months old when the towers fell. Even with no personal memory of the day he has a deep respect for what was lost that day, but he is not as connected to the event as someone who lived to experience it would be.

“I feel like as the years have gone by it has become less important,” Petitgoue said when asked of his thoughts on the 23rd anniversary of 9/11. “It’s still in the back of my mind, all of the people we lost in the attack and first responders who lost their lives. Every year I get less reminded of it though.”

To those who lived through 9/11 that may sound impossible to think, but to those who only came to understand what those numbers really meant years into their lives it only makes sense. They have starkly different memories tied to 9/11. It doesn’t mean they don’t care, it’s just had a different impact on them.

The realities of what happened can seem far away, or unfamiliar, to younger generations. It has become more common each year to joke about this once untouchable topic, especially with the internet generations like Generation Z. Not everyone in Gen Z feels like it’s an acceptable thing to do, however.

“I don’t like the memes because thousands of people died that day and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth,” Petitgoue said. “It’s just people trying to get clicks or a laugh. If you think about it, it’s only been 23 years. It really hasn’t been that long.”

After 23 years, it hasn’t been that long, however, each year that passes puts more time and space between American citizens and the events of 9/11.

While each year every American is reminded of the tragedy that struck on September 11, 2001, those thoughts and feelings vary widely. It is okay to be upset at the lessened effect it seems to have, but it should come with understanding. It may just mean the country is healing.

-By Dallas Erickson

Live through the fear and keep on living

Gina Knudson, a 24-year-old, reflected on the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks, revealing how her perspective on the tragedy is shaped by her age and generation. “Honestly, not a whole lot,” she admitted when asked what the anniversary means to her, acknowledging the day’s significance in American history.

Knudson’s knowledge of 9/11 largely comes from school. “I remember we’d have a couple of minutes of silence every 9/11,” she said, describing how she learned about the attacks through classroom lessons. Despite knowing the major details of what happened, the event feels more like history to her than a personal memory.

For Knudson, 9/11 is just one of many tragic events in history. “I think it’s sad and it’s horrible… but it was also 23 years ago,” she explained, pointing out that while the attacks were devastating, she has grown up in a world already shaped by its aftermath.

Knudson reflected on how the post-9/11 security measures, such as strict airport protocols, have been a normal part of her life. “I’ve always known TSA like that… you always had to walk through all the metal detectors,” she said, contrasting her experience with older generations who remember pre-9/11 security standards.

When considering whether age affects perceptions of 9/11, Knudson believes that older generations, who lived through the attacks, are impacted differently. “I think our parents… lived through it,” she said, while her generation has always known a world marked by heightened security and fear of terrorism.

Ultimately, Knudson sees 9/11 as a tragic event but one that is distant from her everyday experience. “We’ve learned to live through the fear and keep on living,” she concluded, contrasting her generation’s resilience with the fear older generations may still carry from the attacks.

-By Summer Fisher

A Change in Perspective

In a recent interview, Matt Fisher, a former volunteer firefighter and executive chef, reflected on the impact of September 11, 2001, now 23 years later. Fisher, who was 25 years old at the time of the attacks, shared his personal experiences and the lasting effects that day had on him and the nation.

Fisher vividly recalled the moment he learned of the tragedy. “I went into the camp store, and all the old timers were watching the TV,” he said. “This guy Russ turns to me and says, ‘We’re going to war,’ and it shook me.” Soon after, he watched the second plane hit and the towers collapse, an image that has stayed with him ever since.

At the time, Fisher was a young father with a one-year-old and a seven-year-old. He was working as an executive chef at a small resort on the river. The attacks not only disrupted his day but fundamentally altered how he saw the world, leaving him and many others feeling vulnerable.

Fisher explained how the nation’s response to 9/11 marked a turning point for many Americans, including himself. “We were faced with a threat from the outside, and everything has changed ever since,” he said. The feeling of security that many Americans once took for granted was replaced with fear and uncertainty.

As a volunteer firefighter, Fisher’s life changed in significant ways after the attacks. He and his fellow firefighters were put through extensive emergency response training, including preparation for anthrax attacks, railroad disasters, and mass transit extractions. The unknown threats that loomed made these preparations feel essential.

In addition to his firefighting duties, Fisher was running for local office at the time. “Everyone that I met door-to-door wanted to talk about the political position that we were in regarding the terrorist attacks,” he shared.

Fisher believes 9/11 was a pivotal moment for the country, not only because of the immediate shock but also due to the lasting changes it triggered. From increased security measures to shifts in how Americans view the world, the effects of the attacks are still felt today.

Reflecting on the broader lessons of 9/11, Fisher said, “It helped strengthen communities and helped people establish who they are.” For him, the day represents resilience and reconstruction, as people continue to cope with the aftermath of that life-changing event.

-By Summer Fisher

Denying Emotion on an Emotional Day

Kristie Blaes Holden was one of the millions of Americans who watched United Airlines Flight 175 strike the South Tower of the World Trade Center. But instead of fleeing to the comfort of her home, she fled from it to fulfill her calling in the newsroom.

“I didn’t really have time to process everything,” said Holden, then the noon anchor at WTVA in Tupelo, Mississippi. “I knew it was going to be a long day for us… What’s happening at our airport, what’s happening in the schools, what’s happening in general, because we’ve never seen anything like it.”

Her reaction differed from most Americans, but she recognized the same emotions in the aftermath of the attacks.

“We learned that we are more united than we give ourselves credit for,” said Holden. “Something this tragic pulled everyone together, and you were proud, not because of what happened, but because of how everybody pulled themselves together to help fight for the lives of the people.”

The events of 9/11 changed the country – not only in airports but in the hearts of Americans, even if they weren’t able to feel the emotions on that fateful day.

9/11: A Fading Memory

Adam Tredeau is part of the last generation born before the attacks of 9/11 – the final week, in fact. Born Sept. 5, 2001, he understandably has no recollection of the events.

But even for Americans who did experience that day, the memory seems to be fading.

“When I was younger, it seemed like every year the anniversary was a big moment,” said Tredeau. “I barely heard it talked about at all – I guess the 23^rd anniversary… it really doesn’t hit as hard as it used to.”

Just because the memory has changed, doesn’t mean the thoughts behind the events have changed, especially for the Americans too young to bear a scar from the day.

“It was a terrible terrorist attack that happened,” said Tredeau. “There are a lot of conspiracy theories about 9/11. They can upset me at times, because a lot of people died that day, and people just disregard that… I think it takes away from what happened on that day.”

More than two decades after the event, nary an American wants to relive that day. It’s a day that will live in infamy. But like Pearl Harbor, before long it will be learned, not re-lived in the consciousness of Americans.

The Common Antagonist of 9/11

Collin Clayborn was only two years old when the World Trade Center towers collapsed on Sept. 11, 2001, bringing devastation to millions of Americans. To this day, he can still sum it up in one word: “horrible.”

It has been 23 years since the attacks of 9/11 took place and Clayborn is now 25 years old, attending UWM and pursuing a major in Information Science and Technology. Still, the thoughts and feelings that came as a result of 9/11 remain.

However, it is not all negative, as Clayborn remembers how people took pride in their country and used the Sept. 11 attacks as a great unifier.

 “When that happened, it really united America and brought a wave of patriotism,” said Clayborn.

That feeling lasted much longer than the immediate fallout of 9/11, according to Clayborn. Osama bin Laden, who has long been considered the mastermind of 9/11, became a great antagonist to much of the United States.

As a result, Clayborn remembers a feeling of joy from Americans when bin Laden was found and killed in May 2011.

“When Osama Bin Laden was killed that was a cry of positivity,” said Clayborn. “Everyone was like ‘Yeah, we’re proud to be American!’”

– By Jason McCullum

Through a Mother’s Eyes

Karin Pennington was 31 years old on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, at home caring for her two-year-old daughter.

She was listening to morning radio and started hearing about a plane hitting the World Trade Center in New York City, prompting her to turn on her television set to learn more. It was then that she saw the devastation of the 9/11 attacks with her own eyes.

Pennington, who was pregnant with her second child at the time, went to check on her daughter, who was playing with her dolls.

“I just went in there and watched her while I was very pregnant,” said Pennington. “Just feeling that innocence of childhood, seeing my daughter oblivious to what was going on and not knowing how this was going to affect her future… that just heightened all those emotions.”

Like many Americans, Pennington has since found a way to move on with her life. Now 54 years old, both her children are grown up and she is an Account Manager with A.L. Schutzman in Waukesha, Wis.

Still, to this day, she thinks about the events of 9/11, believing that America learned very little from what occurred that day.

“The escalating wars that went from it didn’t really solve anything,” said Pennington. “Getting Bin Laden was a big deal, but I don’t think that it cured terrorism anywhere in the world.”

– By Jason McCullum

UWM Lecturer Remembers 9/11, 23 Years Later

UWM JAMS Senior Lecturer, Jessica M. McBride, was working in the newsroom at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Sept. 11, 2001, when two planes struck the World Trade Center in New York, another hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the fourth crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pa. Asked for a word that describes 9/11, she says, “devastation.”

“Nothing in my lifetime has mattered more than 9/11 – other than my children, family, and friends,” says McBride.

“You get one photo of a police officer or first responder, and that’s all you have left of them,” says McBride. “You never see them again because they literally turned into dust from the extreme heat.”

She remembers how busy and stunned the newsroom was the morning of the attacks. She told her editor she wanted to go to New York to cover the story. He approved, so she drove there with two photographers.

 “There were road closure signs posted miles before entering the city,” adds McBride. “No one could drive or fly in.”

 Ultimately, they were able to find one subway train into the city. 

“Even though we got there the day after the attack, I could still see and feel the destruction in the air. The air smelled like death, burnt wires and plastic,” says McBride. “It was horrible. People were putting up posters to find their missing loved ones. The missing posters were everywhere.”

McBride says she remembers how the first responders were being honored and respected, and how we seemed to care for each other as Americans. Twenty-three years later, she says in some ways, we haven’t learned anything at all. “All that is now gone out the window,” says McBride.

Asked, “Are there any current events that stir your emotions like 9/11?” She says, “No. “COVID had a big impact on society, but nothing like 9/11.”

As a person and a journalist who can recall the events of 9/11, she speaks on the main lessons the country has learned from that day. She says, “We learned we needed to strengthen our international and national security systems. Before 9/11… many intelligence errors happened.” She also adds, “We similarly learned later that going to Iraq and Afghanistan was something we should have had more pause about because the information was rocky.”

McBride says she can still smell that hideous stench of death, burnt wires, and plastic on her old notebooks from that tragic day.

-By Chevy Miller

Gen-Zer Thinks Young People Don’t Care About 9/11 Anymore

Welder Elijah Percy, 24, was only a little over a year old when the Sept.11^th tragedy happened. He says he doesn’t remember anything. He only knows what his family, history books, and documentaries have taught him. I ask for one word that describes 9/11 to him. He says, “sickening.”

“I feel bad, and I get a little sad,” says Percy. “It makes me look at people differently… but I say, people my age and younger don’t really care. My generation and even younger, spend too much time posting memes about it and making fun of it. It’s dumb, middle-school humor. ”

Percy states he doesn’t know what lessons are to be learned from 9/11. “I wish we could have done things to prevent it in the first place,” says Percy. “I wish I would have known the world before the travel bans, government privacy and surveillance issues, and terrorist attacks.”

I ask him if he thinks 9/11 was a conspiracy. He says, “Maybe – from the documentaries I’ve watched. But I’m not really invested in it.”

I then ask him, “Do you feel Jan. 6 equals 9/11?” He says, “No. Not as bad, not as terrible. More innocent people got put in the crossfires that didn’t deserve it.” He also adds, “It is still something to be concerned about. I can see the Civil War happening.”

Percy says his big takeaways from 9/11 are these…”Don’t make fun of it. There’s no humor in it at all, and make sure you are there for the ones that were affected.”

-By Chevy Miller

Sept. 11: A Turning Point for American Security

Euddy Guerrero, a 37-year-old sales intelligence and optimization manager, lived in Puerto Rico 23 years ago. Despite being outside the continental United States, Sept. 11, 2001, was felt over the ocean and throughout the tropical island.

Guerrero was a 10th grader sitting in class when an educator interrupted and informed them that a terrorist attack was happening in New York. They turned on the TV and watched as planes hit the Twin Towers.

“It was unbelievable that a plane crashed into a building,” Guerrero said. “My mind went to, What if a pilot does that to me now?”

He expressed lingering concerns about the mental health of pilots, noting that each time he boards a plane, he can’t help but wonder what thoughts might be occupying the minds of those in the cockpit.

Guerrero also recalled his memories of standing on the rooftop of the Twin Towers during a summer trip to New York prior to the attacks.

“It was hard to believe because I was there, and then they attacked it, and now it’s not going to be there again,” he said.

He recalled how easy it had been to go through the TSA in airports before the attack. TSA regulations in airports will likely never revert to what they were before the attack; those changes will always be relevant.

The perception of the United States changed significantly after Sept. 11.

“The United States always seemed like a safe place to a lot of people,” Guerrero said. “When 9/11 happened, everything changed. The perspective shifted from the U.S. being indestructible to realizing they aren’t all-powerful, and things can happen.”

–By Leslie Paola Nicolas-Miletty

A Legacy of Heroes: Youth Perspective on Sept. 11

As we marked the 23rd anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, the impact of the largest terrorist attack on U.S. soil resonated deeply. Younger generations viewed the Sept. 11 attacks through a different lens—one shaped by education, media, and a historical context that felt both significant and, in some ways, distant.

Robert L. Neal Jr., a 22-year-old Milwaukee police officer, and U.S. Army soldier learned about the tragic event in school, from news outlets, and through social media. He recalled it as a frightening topic in school. However, his feelings evolved as he grew older.

“Sept. 11 will forever be remembered as a traumatic day,” said Neal. “But it should also be remembered for all the countless men and women—law enforcement officials and firefighters—who stepped up to be heroes that day, saving many lives before saving their own.”

Neal’s occupation affected his perspective on the tragedy. His views on terrorist attacks significantly changed when he joined the Army in 2020.

“Being in the Army, your ultimate goal is to protect and serve our nation, and the last thing you’d ever want is for another event like that to occur,” said Neal. “In my role, the ultimate goal is to stay safe, but in the back of my mind, I know that when it comes down to it, I must sacrifice myself to save many others.”

Even though Neal wasn’t alive during the attack, he expressed deep sadness over the loss of life and how the event, occurring on U.S. soil, made the country feel vulnerable.

“Many do not realize how easy life is in the U.S. and do not understand how many lives are lost protecting their freedom each and every day.”

–By Leslie Paola Nicolas-Miletty

The Impact of Seeing it in Person for the First Time

Robert George Jr., 19, is a Sophomore at Carthage College majoring in Marketing and Business who has lived in Kenosha all of his life. In 2019 he went with his family to visit the memorial in New York City which made the events of what happened more real to him.

Growing up, George had never felt a strong connection to what happened. He could see the direct effects of the tragedy around him with different changes, but until he went to the memorial at night with no one else around the tragedy didn’t really settle in.

“We were silently just looking at all of the names and at the fountain,” George said. “That was the only noise; you could hear your heartbeat.”

At 14 years old, all he could think about while looking at the memorial was how important to the culture of the city those towers were.

“I was just thinking if I would have come here 20 years ago, those giant towers would be standing there.”

-By Stephanie Rocio Perez

Experiencing the Events Through a Television Screen

Heroina Perez, 51, has lived in Kenosha for the past 20 years and works at a local factory. Perez used to live in Chicago with her husband and 5-month-old daughter at the time when the
towers were first hit.

She remembers waking up exhausted after not being able to sleep, turning on the TV, and seeing that one of the towers had been hit. She continued to watch the television she watched as the second tower was hit.

“They thought it was an accident when the first tower hit,” Perez said. “But as soon as the second tower was hit they knew it wasn’t.”

She recalls how scared the country was. People were afraid to come out of their houses from fear. Her daughter was sick and had an appointment in the city in Chicago but it was impossible to get to the clinic.

“We were driving to get to the clinic but every road we would turn on said it was closed,” Perez said. “I had never seen anything like it.”

Years later, she cannot begin to imagine how many years have passed since the tragedy, she still remembers everything like it was yesterday.

By Stephanie Rocio Perez

Remembering the Forgotten History

The events of 9/11 are described as a “grim and dark day,” according to Abeni Garner, 20, a student attending the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee majoring in Architecture. Even though she wasn’t alive during this attack, she still recognizes the impact it had on our country.

“The biggest memory I always had was every year they would play a documentary, especially in grade school, middle school, and a little bit less in high school,” said Garner. “They would have you watch the events and listen to the stories that came from that day to make sure you’re not ignorant of them.”

As time grows further and further away from the attacks, Garner believes that in today’s society, 9/11 is not as widely pushed anymore because of the youth being removed from the structure of the school system of being taught about the 9/11 attacks.

“You don’t really hear people talking about it, like the anniversary of 9/11,” said Garner. “I didn’t hear a single person talking about 9/11, and I actually went my whole day without even noticing it until I looked at the date.”

There is a lack of activeness in remembering the events that occurred on 9/11 which brings disappointment and realization to Garner about how history can not only become ancient but also become forgotten. Garner speaks on the fearful emotions that affected young people today after the attack.

 “There has been an increase in weariness when it comes to dealing with foreign countries, especially if you look at airports, security,” said Garner. “I don’t know any difference because I wasn’t even alive, but my sister, brother, and parents talk about how different their security was, and it wasn’t as tight or strict.”

In the eyes of young people, it’s just another history lesson. Although they are aware of the events that happened, there is still a lack of recognition of remembrance today. According to Garner, “The older generations live through this, they understand how devastating and traumatic it is, they have to live every single day with a memory about what happened to them, and they remember the stress of hearing that on TV,” said Garner. “However, with us, we hear testimonies, see it in a book, and see some pictures, but it’s not the same as actively living through it.”

 As generations emerge and time passes by, will the younger generations even recognize the importance of 9/11? Garner believes the incoming young people are so harshly removed from everything that the appreciation might not be the same. However, she sees 9/11 as a monumental projection of the lives lost.

-By Akira Quinn

The Power of Fear: 9/11 Attack

In 2001, Kim Linwood was working as a supervisor for the Milwaukee Fire Department, when a phone call from her sister became a devastating tragedy.

“I had gotten off from a shift at 7 a.m. and I had the TV in my bedroom, and I laid down in the bed getting ready to turn on the TV when I got a phone call,” said Linwood. “It was my sister, and she said,” Do you see what’s happening?” and as I turned on the TV, the second plane was hitting tower two.”

Linwood, 60, was a mother of two and grandmother of one at the time. She spent most of her hours working late shifts at the MFD station. She believed in her country and served the people’s needs before hers. She was just as powerful as the country she lived in. However, on the day of 9/11, a pause began in her belief.

“I remember the sinking feeling I had that the United States was under attack,” said Linwood. I just laid in bed and watched this devastation while this unnatural fear of the United States was under attack, and we were just being blindsided.”

Linwood compared the attack to Pearl Harbor of 1941, in which an aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii, by the Japanese, precipitated the entry of the U.S. into World War 2. She remembered the feeling of “sadness, fear, and depression.”

When speaking on the perspectives of 9/11 and how it is perceived based on whether a person was old enough to remember or if it’s just history. Linwood responded, “In my age group we perceived it as a personal attack because we witnessed it, but it is history for the younger people, which I understand, before this happened we could go to the airport, carry anything we wanted to, we could catch a train, bus and plane,” said Linwood. “We didn’t know the restrictions that are in place now and younger generations you all are just used to it.”

Before 9/11, there was a wave of freedom for individuals like Linwood who experienced the mindset of fearlessness because there was no thought of terrorism. Linwood shared, “The terrorists behind it took away our freedom with their actions.”

She believed there was a pivot in our country, and they had to find a way to continue the enjoyment of freedom in America while also putting restrictions on the things some Americans took for granted.

-By Akira Quinn

September 11, 2001: A Horrifying Memory

Many people who were alive during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks can remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when the attacks were happening.

Christi Branch, 59 of Downers Grove, Illinois is one of those people. She remembers cleaning her house for her church meeting that was set to be at her house that day and turning on the TV to see the World Trade Center Towers coming down. Her church meeting where they were supposed to be talking about the Bible quickly turned into watching the news to learn what had happened.

“I watched it, and it was horrifying to know people my age were jumping out of the building, 100 stories up because they were going to be burned to death,” Branch said. “Watching that, I’ll never forget it.”

She recounts that everything changed after September 11, 2001, including national security, border security, and new fears.

One of the notable differences for her post-September 11, 2001, is going through airport security. She remembers a time when her husband was able to fly without ID because she couldn’t get it to him in time for his flight, which would not be able to happen today.

“If you lived through it, it’s much more real,” Branch said. “If you lived it, you know it how horrifying it truly was.”

-By Brooke Marie Saint Louis-Hargraves

A Reminder, Not a Memory

The generation emerging into adulthood is the first to not have living memories of the September 11, 2001, attacks that took the lives of thousands of people.

Kerissa Karnopp, a student at UW-Milwaukee is one of those who learned about the attacks in school, rather than living it. She remembers learning more about the attacks in middle school but mentions that it stopped being taught once she got to high school.

Karnopp is a member of the U.S. Army and says that September 11^th serves as a reminder of all the lives lost, but also that the U.S. is not invincible and stuff like this can happen to us.

“People our age didn’t experience it,” Karnopp said. “We’re aware stuff like this can happen, but I think we’re more desensitized to it because we weren’t actually there.”

To Karnopp and this new adult generation, the date of September 11, 2001, serves as a reminder of what happened instead of a memory.

-By Brooke Marie Saint Louis-Hargraves

Elementary School Opened Their Eyes

Nora Santiago, 18, wasn’t alive when the Sept. 11 attacks happened. However, they were exposed to the history of the attacks at a young age.

In elementary school, Santiago recalls watching old news footage in class. Every year they viewed the footage of real people jumping from the flaming buildings, watching replays as the second plane struck the second tower. It brought them to tears every time.

“We learned about how terrifying it was and how it was a regular day the day before,” said Santiago. “No one ever thought something so catastrophic could happen.”

Being someone who wasn’t around during the attacks, Santiago feels that people who lived through 9/11 would have a more detailed account of what happened that day.

“Everybody was watching this happen,” said Santiago. “I feel that someone who was really alive during that time can give a more accurate depiction of what really went down that day along with the real emotions they felt during that time, that millions of other people felt.”

Although the events of 9/11 are in the past for Santiago, they remember the genuine fear they felt as they sat in class, watching the news clips and reading the phone transcripts from passengers on United Airlines Flight 93.

“Seeing those real videos, seeing the fear, hearing the fear, was some of the scariest things I’ve ever seen,” said Santiago. “I know it’ll stick with me until the day that I’m gone.”

-By Grace Santiago

A Day of Joy and Tragedy

Craig Vermeulen, 51, describes the day of the attacks as a surreal memory. He recalls waking up and eating breakfast with his then-wife and in-laws. Sept. 11, 2001, was the day that they scheduled a caesarian section for his oldest son, now 23. As he sat at the breakfast table with his family, his ex-father-in-law told them to turn on the television, right as the second tower was hit.

“My heart sank because I had friends of mine at the time that worked in the World Trade Center and regularly every morning had breakfast meetings up at the top of the towers,” said Vermeulen.

Vermeulen remembers going to the hospital and it being chaos. Everyone was trying to figure out what was going on. The caesarian was scheduled for 12:30 p.m. but their appointment was pushed back until 3:00 p.m. due to the number of emergency births coming into the hospital that day.

After hours of delay, his son was born. Despite the fear he felt watching the second plane hit the second tower, Vermeulen felt joy once he held his newborn in his arms.

“So much bad had happened but my gosh I just brought this kid into the world that can possibly make change and be the future. It was this happy, happy feeling at the moment when he was born,” said Vermeulen. “He’s a really good, compassionate, caring young man now. I truly believe that some of that stuff from all the reaction from your environment instills something in you and I think compassion and caring is one thing that got instilled in him that day.”

-By Grace Santiago

Her Brother Was in the World Trade Center

September 11th, 2001 is a day that will forever live on in the hearts of Americans, no matter if you experienced it firsthand, or if you were born post 9/11. Looking back at the event 23 years later we ask ourselves what we remember most about that day, what this day means to us.

For Jill Stahl, September 11^th was a day of fear and uncertainty. Her oldest brother Joel was in New York that day, he had just moved his office into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Joel was around the 50^th floor when the plane hit. Stahl remembers her brother telling her that when the plane hit, his chair rolled to the other side of the office and all he knew to do was run.

“He told me he didn’t know why God saved him that day,” Stahl said. “I didn’t end up hearing from him until later that evening when he reached us by payphone.”

Stahl remembers getting to leave work early and going to pick up her 10-year-old son Dylan from school. She didn’t know how to explain to him what was going on, she felt he wouldn’t have understood at the time, but she knew she wanted him in her arms.

She remembers what life was like prior to 9/11 and how the United States felt untouchable and safe, how she never imagined something like this could happen on American soil. The fear lasted, she felt it the first time she went on an airplane.

Now she lives in a world post 9/11 and she’s thankful for all the security measures being taken to keep Americans safe.

“I don’t mind having to take a few extra minutes to go through security if it means we can prevent something like this from happening again.”

When asked how often Stahl thinks of 9/11, she said she only now tends to think about it on that day. Her brother doesn’t like to talk about it, she says he would like to remove himself from the situation and it’s extremely difficult to talk about.

Memories of Tragedy

Liz Thomas was at home with a 2-year-old when she got a phone call from a friend, who told her a plane had just hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

The school bus had just picked up her two eldest children, who were 6 and 10 at the time.

“I proceeded to be kind of glued to the TV that whole morning,” she says. “When I saw on live television that a second plane hit the South Tower, I realized that our country was under attack and dropped to my knees.”

The emotions she felt then are not far from the surface as she reflects on that Tuesday in 2001. She remembers it as a day filled with fear, but also one for holding family close. That evening, her parents came over to the house to watch the news.“It was kind of one of those moments where you just wanted to be together with your ones,” Thomas says. She imagines that 9/11 wasn’t unlike Pearl Harbor or other generation-defining events that her parents experienced, although televised in more vivid detail.

“It’s kind of like how my own parents would have lived through aspects of the Great Depression and World War II, which all sounded terrible, but didn’t really hold as much meaning for me because I hadn’t lived through them,” she says.

Thomas recalls footage of the attacks being replayed again and again on TV in the months that followed. That December, the whole family took a cheap flight out to the East Coast, where they got a chance to visit the crater at ground zero. She remembers a soldier playing “Taps” while bulldozers filled dump trucks with rubble.

Thomas sees parallels between demonizing media portrayals of Japanese and German people during World War II, Russians and Communists during the Cold War, and Muslim and Middle Eastern people following 9/11.

“Muslims are just people like me that, you know, have families and children and want the same things that I want: to live a peaceful life and prosper,” she says. “I don’t think all Muslims have been radicalized and want to see me dead, but that’s kind of the view that was put forth in 2001 in the media.”

Although she supported George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004, feeling that he brought the country together during a difficult time, she looks back on that administration as far from blameless.

“When the weapons of mass destruction stories and the hearings with Colin Powell were televised, many of us believed that was justification to go to war,” she says. “It wasn’t until much later that we came to understand that that wasn’t true and, perhaps for the first time in my life, I was feeling, as an American, not particularly proud of what our military did.”

By Graham Patrick Thomas

Lessons Learned and Yet To Be Learned

Although 22-year-old political science student Sania Syed was born after Sept. 11, 2001, she acknowledges its significance in shaping the world she lives in today. As someone who comes from a Muslim family, the repercussions of that day hit close to home.

“My mom wears a hijab and, when 9/11 happened, she took it off because she was scared for her safety,” she says. “And, like, she would get harassed, and people would try to pull it off.”Syed feels that the US government and media exacerbated anti-Muslim sentiment in the wake of 9/11.

While she doesn’t give a pass to people with Islamophobic biases, she attributes such views to fear of the unknown and a lack of education.“

People that didn’t know Muslims, people that didn’t have day-to-day interactions with Muslims, were quick to pass judgments like that,” says Syed. “But at the same time, I guess a lack of education can pinned back on the American government pushing those views and encouraging stereotypes and discrimination.”

Although Syed feels that societal attitudes towards Muslims have improved in the decades since 9/11, she thinks policymakers have failed to take responsibility for civilian causalities and the destabilizing effects of US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“If you’re punishing the people who don’t deserve to be punished, you’re exacerbating the problem rather than trying to find a solution,” she says. “And I think that’s the reason why terrorist cells still exist because our record in the Middle East makes people hate America– if anything it’s times ten.”

Growing up in the suburbs, Syed remembers laughing along with classmates’ jokes that drew on Islamophobic stereotypes. She feels she didn’t know better back then. She feels much differently now.

“Growing up in America, I was ashamed of my religion and I was embarrassed when my mom came to my school wearing a hijab,” she says. “And it took me until I gained self-love, I guess, that I learned to appreciate my own culture and where I came from.”

-By Graham Patrick Thomas

Our Country Will Never Be as United

In the 23 years that preceded the September 11^th attacks at the World Trade Center, we see a whole new generation that wasn’t alive during that time entering college and the workforce.

For Oakley Fortin, September 11^th is a day that they don’t remember but has forever been etched in their memory due to the ways schools would repeatedly show videos from that day. Every anniversary Fortin was made to watch those towers fall repeatedly.

Fortin also disagrees with the ways that the government handled the aftermath of 9/11. They continue to see the hate that was etched in Islamic communities.

“There are thousands, if not millions, of testimonies from hijabi women and even Sikh men getting stopped and frisked by TSA unnecessarily,” says Fortin. “While Sikhism is certainly not the same as Islam, nor is Al-Qaeda tied to Sikhism, the proximity of the religions have exacerbated xenophobia from Middle Eastern countries.”

This is something that happened in a post-9/11 world and this rhetoric has been a part of Fortin’s whole life.

When asked if Fortin believes that we focus too much on the terrorist attacks of that day, they responded that they believe 9/11 should always be remembered but we don’t focus enough on the domestic terrorism of our country.

“As someone who has experienced my community being torn apart by an SUV running through our Christmas parade, and as someone who has experienced a school shooting, I think it may be time for America to refocus their attention on the current issues of violence.”

-By Alex Stahl