Sept. 11 Memories: A Generation Removed

This is one of the first generations of college students for whom Sept. 11, 2001 is simply history and not a living memory. If you are an 18-year-old freshman, for example, you were either a newborn or not yet born when terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center buildings in New York.

A team of journalism students at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee set out to interview students about their perspectives on Sept. 11 for the 18th anniversary of the tragedy. Many of the students they interviewed had little to no memory of the attacks, and this colored their perceptions of it and of war.

“I remember distinctly that the adults in my life, like my first-grade teacher, were saying like this is a big deal that this is happening,” said UW-Milwaukee student Riana Slyter, who was 6. “It felt like a removed experience,” 

Perspectives varied, however. Some Muslim students, although young at the time, remembered the discrimination their parents faced in the wake of the attacks.

“In 2015, a lady in my neighborhood yelled at my mom to go back to her country because she was wearing the hijab. Then [she] called the police and claimed to be scared,” said student Adeel Masalkhi, who was only 3 years old when the towers fell but said her family felt the impact of the attacks for years.

Some students experienced the ramifications of Sept. 11 when relatives went to war. Others remembered the frenzied, frightened reactions of adults. They experienced Sept. 11 through older people’s emotions.

The journalism students also found that some of those who lack a living memory believe conspiracy theories on the attacks. Others were educated on the meaning of the day through plays, museums, and school curriculum.

These are their stories.

America: ‘Dreamland’

John Chabo came to the United States only a few years ago, but he still remembers the tragedy that occurred 18 years ago.

One of the worst terrorist attacks on U.S. soil happened 18 years ago, sending the entire country into mourning, and that feeling was shared around the world.

Chabo was 8-years-old and attending his second week of fourth grade in Aleppo, Syria on Sept. 11, 2001. He was home from school around four in the afternoon when the first plane hit.

“I was watching the news with my parents when the breaking news came on about the attack,” said Chabo, an UWM Lubar School of Business student.

His family wasn’t the only family in its neighborhood to hear about the news. Chabo said his whole apartment building started watching the events unfold together in silent shock.

“People started calling each other, and neighbors started talking. I remember going two floors down and most people were just watching TV. Everyone was quiet and kids were trying to figure out what’s going on,” said Chabo.

Chabo’s part of the world didn’t stop mourning the U.S. tragedy quickly either. He remembers hearing about the attacks even on Christmas eve of the same year.

Americans were heartbroken over the lives lost that day, and many became worried about threats to the security of their country.

“America is viewed as the dreamland. Everyone wants to be in America. Everyone loves America. So when you have America being attacked, it’s just like….What if tomorrow John Mayer say that all of the song he’s written are stolen? There will be a lot of people who are heartbroken,” said Chabo.

-By Adam Kelnhofer

The Towers Came Down on TV

Watching the World Trade Center towers fall to the ground through an old school 32 inch box T.V. is how some individuals would describe the leading moments of 9/11.

Something very insignificant now in the technology world was the only instant source of information besides print and broadcast.

The old 32 inch box T.V. informed the masses including Cheryl Bledsoe, a retired principal, and Blair Dunday, an ASL Interpreter major, on Sept. 11, 2001.

 Seeing the World Trade Centers on the 32 inch box T.V. or in pictures are the only Blair shares. She says: “My mom used to watch Friends all that time, and I used to always see it in the skyline; I would always say that’s New York.”

“It was very traumatic for us. We were afraid, and we had to think about how we were going to talk to the students,” says Bledsoe.

Security and national identity were some feelings provoked within the two when thinking back to the attack.

“We were afraid that someone could just come and attack us,” says Bledsoe.

Blair, who was a student at the time, was shocked and couldn’t believe something like this could be happening in the U.S.

“I got a wake up call; we aren’t untouchable that I thought we were,“ says Blair.

Bledsoe feels the country should focus on coping and always have its guard up instead of living in fear.

“I just feel it could always be something to happen to me at any time.”

-By Dashanay Scott

An Uncle Goes to Afghanistan

Hannah Skroch sat on a bench at the UWM Union, eating food with a distant look on her face. For Skroch, a post on Instagram isn’t enough to commemorate those lost on the Sept. 11 attacks.

“I feel like we need to do more than just post something on social media to remember the attacks,” said Skroch. “My family still takes it very seriously even though it happened so long ago. We donate to nonprofits supporting the families of those affected.”

Aj Berg, Skroch’s uncle, saw the attacks as a call to action to support his country and enlisted in the military shortly after he heard about the attacks.

“He was in college at the time and wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life and then he saw the images of the towers falling and those poor people jumping from the burning buildings and thought that he had to do something to support his country, so he joined the military and served two tours in Afghanistan,” said Skroch.

-By Ezra Quint

A Conspiracy Theorist Is Torn on What Really Happened on 9/11

It’s been 18 years since the tragedy of 9/11, and it seems time has helped to heal but it has also left room for conspiracy to stir in the minds of many.

Selena Bravo, 21-year-old political science major at UW-Milwaukee, is a self-proclaimed conspiracy theorist. In addition to her vast knowledge on the mandala effect, she is part of the minority that believes 9/11 wasn’t random.

“After the second plane hit, there was a large explosion that couldn’t have happened from just the jet fuel. In order to melt the metal you have to reach a higher degree than what the jet fuel burns at. So it couldn’t just be the jet fuel,” she said.

Bravo suspects that the U.S government assisted somehow.

“Do you personally believe that?” she was asked.

“I’m torn. Sometimes I could totally see that being the case. Other times I’m like, would they really want to do that?”

“And who is they?”

“I would say the Bush administration but specifically, George H. W. Bush. I definitely think it was a terrorist attack don’t get me wrong. But do I think those acts were random? No. Do I think it has something to do with the fact that Bush senior was dealing weaponry in the Middle East during the wars? Absolutely.”

-By Molly Nelson

An 18-year-old’s View on the 18th Anniversary of 9/11

For many, Sept. 11 is a day to reflect on the terror attacks that took the lives of nearly 3,000 people. For 18-year-old UWM freshman Betul Dogan, the 18th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 was just another day.

“I feel like the closer we are to a tragedy, it affects us much more than just me hearing about 9/11,” said Dogan. “I can sympathize with it at most, but otherwise it’s not going to be something I can relate to.”

Dogan was an infant when the World Trade Center fell. She became aware of 9/11 in middle school, but it was not until high school that she started to understand it.

“In my family, it’s not a very important date because it didn’t involve us,” said Dogan. “It never occurred to me until much later how big of a tragedy it was.”

Thousands of flags were placed in the ground across the UWM campus as a memorial to the victims of 9/11. Some students took photos as they passed by the colorful assortment of flags.

“I’ve never personally been through a tragedy but hearing about it can give you an emotional experience,” said Dogan.

-By Eddie Morales

A Reminder of Lives Lost

There’s now a generation of college students who don’t have any recollection about the events of 9/11 but that isn’t stopping them from voicing their opinions.

Zoe Smith Munson, 21, is a senior at UW- Milwaukee majoring in sociology and journalism and says she’s part of the generation who doesn’t have first-hand memories of the tragedy.

Munson says she was only 3 years old in preschool when the attack happened. That day, her mom picked her, and her older sister, up from school early just to be safe.

“Although she wasn’t quite scared because we were in the Midwest, so we weren’t quite positive we were in danger, she was still, as well as everyone else, confused and worried,” Munson said.

When Munson became older and could understand the impact of 9/11, she says that she was still confused about what had actually happened.

“When I could understand I was also already aware that people had conspiracy theories about what exactly had happened. So, the moment I realized that it was a thing, I realized it was a controversial thing on many levels. And so, it was hard for me to really form a solid opinion because I didn’t know what was what about it.”

But, in the midst of truth and conspiracy theories, Munson says that it was a tragedy nevertheless and is something that should be remembered.

In remembrance, this year on campus UW-Milwaukee has dedicated nearly 3,000 flags to the lives that were lost that day. The flags serve as a tribute for all the victims and their different nationalities, highlighting that it wasn’t only Americans that died that day.

“I think it’s really cool to see all the different flags from different countries on campus. I think it’s something that should happen every year so that we all can remember,” said Munson.

UW-Milwaukee’s memorial serves as a meaning reminder, for those of who can and can’t remember, that innocent lives were lost.

“I’m still confused about it, sad about it, but it never felt that close to me physically or emotionally. But even though it didn’t affect me personally, I know many other people were affected by it and that it’s important,” said Munson.

-By Patricia McKnight

Ten Is a Big Number

Yasmine Rasmussen, 20, has lived in Green Bay, Wisconsin all her life. Last year, she transferred from UW-Green Bay to UW-Milwaukee to study medical imaging.

As a current junior, Rasmussen recalls not even being in school yet when the World Trade Center was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. She was only 2 years old.

As a young child in Wisconsin, she never felt a strong personal connection to the event. She only remembered what her mom had told her and the limited education she received in school.

“Kids that age think 10 is a big number,” said Rasmussen. “They don’t know what thousands of people dying is like.”

Her perspective changed when she visited the memorial and saw Ground Zero with her own eyes.

“You’re in New York City, and it’s all big and moving, and it’s just this dead silence in the street,” said Rasmussen. “People are holding each other, and there is an instant sad feeling when you walk in there.”

Rasmussen didn’t personally know any names on the memorial, but it was still heartbreaking for her to see at 16 years old.   

-By Lillian Maxwell

How High School Drama Created Empathy

Hope Ruedin, a sophomore psychology student from Oconomowoc, does not remember Sept. 11, 2001 and admits that most of her friends do not, either. However, Ruedin was involved in a unique theater experience that helped her better understand the events that older generations have had to depict to her for years.

In 2015, the Oconomowoc High School theater department put on a play titled, “110 Stories” written by Sara Tuft. Ruedin described the production as a “non-traditional type of play” because, instead of following a scripted storyline, the audience got to hear an arrangement of stories from the people who walked Ground Zero.

“It’s not like you’re watching something that has a hidden meaning. These are real stories about something that changed everyone’s lives forever,” said Ruedin. 

Since researching and being involved with this production process, Ruedin has found that she empathizes more with this day of remembrance considering she was only 1 years old when the World Trade Center was attacked. She claimed that stories from the show still resonate with her and that by hearing these stories she’s able to enlighten the first generations that has no recollection of the largest terrorist attack on American soil.

-By Ryan Marincic

The Impact on a Syrian-American

Adeel Masalkhi, a fourth-year student at UW-Milwaukee studying Anthropology, was born in the suburbs of Milwaukee and grew up as a Syrian-American. Although she was only three at the time of 9/11, she was able to recall her earliest memories of the aftermath.

“In 2015, a lady in my neighborhood yelled at my mom to go back to her country because she was wearing the hijab. Then [she] called the police and claimed to be scared,” Masalkhi said.

Muslim Americans post 9/11 continue to face prejudice, discrimination and Islamophobia.

“Muslims are still struggling for validity in the U.S,” Masalkhi said.

As we have seen throughout history, the conflict between the United States and the Middle East has led to countless mass casualties and wars.

“Even a relaxation of the U.S. presence in the Middle East would cause a positive change,” Masalkhi said.  “Until then, there will never be peace unless the U.S economically and physically removes themselves.”

-By Cynthia Maduka

Thoughts on Communal Trauma

Riana Slyter is a Seattle-born graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who was just 6 years old on Sept. 11, 2001. 

 “I remember distinctly that the adults in my life, like my first-grade teacher, were saying like this is a big deal that this is happening,” says Riana. “It felt like a removed experience,” 

As a 23-year-old, Slyter thinks of 9/11 as being a long time ago. She mentions that as time goes on, she feels a sense of removal from the event. She explains how humans put their fears in the back of their brains, but how, on a day like 9/11, it becomes so easy to remember. 

Slyter believes that mass trauma, like 9/11, builds a community. She explains how an event like 9/11 can be isolating and horrendous, but that there are so many people who experience the same thing. 

“It’s unifying for a society. There’s this part of our world of people who remember this event, and that unifies us,” says Slyter.

-By Maggie Holdorf

Feelings About War

Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019 was  the 18th anniversary of the terrorist attacks against the United States that killed 2,996 people and injured over 6,000 others. Everyone has their own story to tell about what the anniversary means to them.

The conversations among people who know 9/11 as history tend to be about what we do now with the troops who are still in Afghanistan.

Amira Rupnick says: “We aren’t progressing with the mentality we currently have.” Rupnick is a senior at UWM. She is a JAMS major with a minor in Portuguese. “My mother is Palestinian, so it is something that I think about a lot,” she said. Rupnick and many other young people believe that it is wrong to subject people to more war. Instead, she thinks the country should direct its focus to more current threats against the U.S. and the world.

-By Erin Healy

The Effect of Sept. 11 Conspiracy Theories

Sept. 11 had long lasting repercussions following 2001 and has impacted millennials differently. One of those repercussions is conspiracy theories about the attacks.

Haley Holz a 4^th year Psychology and Criminal Justice student at UW-Milwaukee, feels that the respect for the day is trailing away and that it should be discussed.

“I feel that conspiracy theories are disrespectful to the victims, and we blame the government for everything that happens,” said Holz.

She feels that people are reading these theories off social media and are getting false information. Holz said that people already have a lot of distrust towards the government, which could fuel these theories even more.

Jessica Solozano, a 3^rd year Psychology student at UW-Milwaukee, feels that the Sept^. 11 conspiracy theories are interesting to hear.

“Can’t tell fact from fiction when I didn’t live it,” said Solorzano.

One of the bigger claims Solorzano made was that there is a big difference between learning about it over seeing the experience. She feels that not having seen the September 11^th tragedy definitely influences the opinions you have on these theories.

 She feels that people are more inclined to believe these theories because there is so much that we don’t know.

Although she finds these theories interesting, she also feels that these theories can also make a joke out of the tragedy.

-By Eduardo Garcia

Experiencing Sept. 11 as a Muslim-American 18 years later

Eighteen years ago today, this UW-Milwaukee student watched the chaos unfold on the television while her mother frantically made calls to friends and family from their residence in upstate New York.

Her father, an immigrant from Senegal— a country in West Africa with 96 percent of the population comprised of Muslims— had worked in a pizza parlor on the first floor of the World Trade Center during the first bombing in 1993. To her family’s disbelief, history was repeating itself more violently than before.

The student is a junior at UWM majoring in chemistry and is a Muslim herself, though she doesn’t dress in the modest attire that other Muslims may choose to.

“The days after the attack were much harder for those in our community, especially those who are visibly Muslim,” she said. “Everyone was more cautious walking out of the mosque or wearing their hijabs.”

For many of her father’s friends who had moved to New York from Senegal, religious displays were stifled for the next two or three years in order to keep a low profile, according to the student.

Although she was only 2 years old at the time of the attack, the images of smoke, debris, chaos and fear linger in her mind when she reflects on the day.

“Today is a deeper day of reflection within the Muslim-American community,” the student said. “I remember seeing footage of everyone running. We take today to reflect on that as well as the backlash our community faced following the day.”

The student and her family experienced the national effects as security increased with organizations like the TSA and struggled against the heightened Islamophobia that accompanied as a result of fear.

“Because it was a national tragedy, there was a sense of community and togetherness that happened for a little bit in New York,” she said describing the initial response to the attack. “However, the Muslim-American community was an exception to much of that togetherness.”

-By Allison Beebe

In Daycare When the Towers Collapsed

Eighteen years ago, Emily Duelge was only 1 year old as she and the other children at a Milwaukee daycare gathered to watch the media coverage of the Twin Towers collapsing in soot and debris. From that day on, Duelge would be raised in a new nation of increased security as a result of fear.

Duelge, now a sophomore at UWM studying early childhood education, has grown up in the reality of a country threatened by public attacks that prey on the innocent.

“I absolutely feel fearful,” Duelge said in response to the trend of attacks in the years following the Sept. 11 attack. “The first thing I do when I walk in a room is locate the nearest exit, because that could possibly save my life. It’s the sad reality!”

While she was too young to remember the day by experience, the images of people jumping out of burning buildings and the chaotic media coverage shown in schools act as reminders of the day as the nation reflects on its anniversary.

At age 16, Duelge visited the National September 11 Memorial and Museum that not only allowed her to visualize the horror of the event but also allowed her to understand the sense of unity that occurred in the days following.

“As terrible as it was, the day after 911 was a time when all of the flags in the stores were sold out and everyone was proud to be an American,” Duelge said.

Duelge wonders where that sense of community has gone in the years following as she and the rest of the nation live in a threatening reality laced with fear. Even with increased security measures like the TSA, the patterns of violence in America have only further divided the country, according to Duelge.

-By Allison Beebe

How Tragedy Can Show the Power of Unity

Joshua Heerey was sitting at his desk in his first-grade class when an adult ran frantically into the classroom and told his English teacher to turn on the news. For the next hour, Heerey sat in a completely silent classroom and watched news coverage of two planes colliding with the World Trade Center. The teacher was speechless; she alternated between staring at the news coverage and pacing between her desk and the television.

“I don’t think she knew what she was supposed to do,” Heerey said. “The rest of the class period was us sitting at our desk watching, essentially on repeat, of the towers being hit over and over.”

Now the 26-year-old is in his junior year, currently pursuing a Biochemistry degree at UWM. Heerey sat at a sunlit table and quietly reflected on what Sept. 11 attacks meant to him. He recalled how the world was filled with more suspicion, especially when traveling. Because he doesn’t share the same last name as his family, Heerey is often pulled aside and questioned by security when he travels, which serves as a constant reminder of the tragedy.

“The only time I think about 9/11 now is when I’m inconvenienced because of it. I wish it was different,” Heerey admitted.

Heerey said that he thinks we should remember the Sept. 11 attacks by focusing on the unity and solidarity shown by American communities in support of first responders and those who lost loved ones. He admires how a lot of countries came together in support of America and unified against terrorism in the wake of the attacks.  

“When we group together, we can do a lot of things,” Heerey said.

-By Ian Bergersen

Lived It, But Has No Memories

Diana Chrostowski, a UWM junior majoring in nursing, has little to no memories about Sept. 11, 2001.

Even though she was alive when the tragedy happened, Chrostowski doesn’t recall much of what was going on that day. She simply remembers her parents being shocked, but that’s about it.

“Any memories I have of it come secondhand,” Chrostowski said. “I don’t really remember anything.”

Chrostowski is at the start of a different generation: one that will have no true memories of 9/11. This fact is something Chrostowski is well aware of and sometimes feels a little guilty about.

“I feel bad I don’t have the connection older generations have to it,” Chrostowski said. “I understand the pain people felt, but I don’t feel that pain.”

-By Hayley Crandall

Future Educator Fears the Loss of Memory

Camille Dewitt is a junior who studies early elementary school education at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Dewitt says she was only 3 when the terrorist attack happened and has no memory of that day, but when she got to age 6, she came to a realization of what this day had meant for the country.

“I learned about everything to do with that day, but I never got to learn what happened after,” said Dewitt. “Out of nowhere, as a child, my family was getting sent to Afghanistan, and I have no idea why.”

Dewitt explains how her family members, who were in the military, were stationed in Germany. Her family received a notice that they were getting sent to Afghanistan. Dewitt, at a young age was unaware as to why they were going to Afghanistan; the only part of 9/11 she was aware of was the initial attack. It took for her family to explain exactly what happened after the attack for her to understand the aftermath of this tragic event.

As a future educator, she is concerned that this is a topic that is going to fall out of history. She felt as if she was unable to learn everything she needed to know about this topic, and she sees it slowly fading out of society as the years go on. 

“I’m worried about this dying off within the younger generations,” she said. “I was at least alive and had to deal with the aftermath, whereas the younger the generations get the less it affects them.”

-By Lauren Fenrick

No Living Memory

The 18^th anniversary of Sept. 11^th, 2001 brings young college students who have no living memory of the attacks. To them, it is just a part of history.

As time goes by, the Sept. 11^th attacks become more and more a part of history as many young adults have no living memory of that day. Many learned about the attacks through their parents and the news. Many years after the attacks, they can fully comprehend the seriousness and impact that day brought on the United States. University of Milwaukee Student Ricardo Heurta says he didn’t even learn about the attacks until 2004.

“I first learned about it when I was in first grade on the anniversary because we spent all day talking about the attacks in elementary school,” said Heurta.

Heurta is a 20-year-old junior from Delavan, Wisconsin and is pursuing a major in Bio-Chemistry.

-By Ian Tuck