09/11/2026
My three young boys asked me yesterday about 9/11: "Why would anyone ever do that?"
That's the question I'm still not sure any of us can answer.
I was a senior at Centerville City Schools (CHS) when 9/11 happened. I'll never forget that day. It was bright, beautiful and sunny. I was in our radio program, and we often had the news on TV in the background. I remember watching just after the first plane hit the tower; how awful it was, wondering how something like that could happen. Then, shortly after, another plane hit the second tower.
Our teacher came out of his office quickly and said, "This is different. We're under attack. We're going to watch this, and we'll remember this for the rest of our lives."
Unfortunately, he was right. The attacks continued at the Pentagon, and then in Pennsylvania. As a young person, it wasn't only terrifying to watch those events happen; it was terrifying to see the adults around us so shocked and afraid, too.
I remember where we went to lunch that day. I remember going to work at Siebenthaler's that evening, and hearing a sonic boom overhead as fighter jets were clearing the airspace, and just wanting to go home. I remember the cries for help, the people covered in concrete dust, and the heroes — thousands of them — running toward the scene. Everything from that day is cemented in my head. I woke up that morning, like millions of others, never thinking it would be a day we'd remember forever.
The most important part, as a student and a young adult, was watching a day of unimaginable tragedy turn into incredible unity — not just here at home, but across the entire country. People wanted to help. People were patient. People proudly displayed their flags. People were united. People empathized. People hugged. People came together. People rushed to join the military, including friends of mine.
The tragedy caused by a few terrible people was, after grief and searching for understanding, eventually overshadowed by patriotism, pride in our country, unity, and the unforgettable feeling that good will never be overcome by evil. I still believe that firmly to this day. And even though I watched it all from a distance, the weight in my heart has always been with the people who lost their lives and the heroes who ran toward those horrific scenes.
I will never forget September 11, 2001, and I am eternally proud to be an American.
