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Show NEWS A4 The day I became American BY ANDREA WHATCOTT Editor-in-Chief I grew up in a small town, far from any large metropolitan area. High in the mountains, I was surrounded by tall trees and even higher ideals. I truly believed the world was perfect. I remember vividly the day my view of the world was shaken to its core. It was Sept. 11, 2001. I was in high school, and like any teen, I was completely self-absorbed with only the worry of what to wear, how to do my hair, which boy I was interested in or even how to best prioritize my homework each day to maximize time with said interest. That morning I hurriedly prepared for school. I had just begun my senior year of high school, a year meant to prepare us young adults to enter the big world. I was running late, when my sister-in-law called. I answered the phone. - - PHOTO COURTESY OF STOCKICHNG Through frightened tears she told me that someone had flown a plane into the Twin Towers, in New York. Growing up in my sheltered mountain home, I have to admit, I didn't know what the Twin Towers were. But by the end of the day, I knew all too well what they were and what the attack on them represented, just as every person in America glued to their televi- r. PHOTO COURTESY OF STOCK.XCHNG sion sets that day did. By the time I arrived at school, every TV in the building was turned on. It didn't matter what station it was tuned in to, the news was everywhere. Towards the end of first period my classmates and I, along with the rest of the country, watched in horror as the second airplane flew into the other Tower. It felt unreal. Could this really be happening? In America? My vision of a perfect world was quickly crumbling. The day ended with a sort of numb feeling. Confusion. Over the next month I became near obsessive. Each day I would drive by the local paper stand, and pour through the pages, searching for answers. I read the timeline over and over again, searching for missed details. I read the stories of the passengers who fought back near Pennsylvania. The stories where of firefighters giving their lives and victims trapped in rubble for days. Each story hit like a knife And with each story the con- fusion seemed to thicken. Until, I finally started looking at things differently. Everyone speculates. Many criticize. But looking back on that day, that week, that month, what happened was America became one. For a time in history strangers held hands and sang "God Bless America." Flags flew high with overwhelming pride. Although I do see the evils in this world more clearly than I have before, and bad men have distorted my view of a perfect world, there were pieces of good that I cannot pretend weren't a part of that day. Charity, brotherly kindness, pure goodness and patriotism came gushing out of nearly every American. Maybe the world was still perfect, and maybe 10 years down the road it continues to be. And the reason I say that is because I, with the rest of America, watched on Sept. 11, out of the dust and flames heroes arise. That was the answer I was searching for. Yes, in our America we had been attacked, but by coming together as a nation we fought back fiercely. Perhaps Sept. 11 was one of the best ways to prepare my senior class to enter the big world. As we learned how to take pride in our country, we learned to lean on those we loved in times of sorrow, as well as buoy them up. At age 17 and 18, we had a lesson in patriotism. Though I can't speak for my classmates, I know 10 years later I still get teary eyed when I sing the National Anthem. Sept. 11, 2001 is the day I became an American. The Memorial Museum The National September 11 Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center will bear solemn witness to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993. The Museum will honor the nearly 3,000 victims of these attacks and all those who risked their lives to save others. It will further recognize the thousands who survived and all who demonstrated extraordinary compassion in the aftermath. Demonstrating the consequences of terrorism on individual lives and its impact on communities at the local, national, and international levels, the Museum will attest to the triumph of human dignity over human depravity and affirm an unwavering commitment to the fundamental value of human life. Designed by the global competition winners archi- M useum A5 PHOTOS COURTESY OF URRANPEEK YOU HAVE NEVER PAID FOR A HAIRCUT. YOU'RE PERFECT. BE A REALITY STAR. WIN $10,000. Introducing Cheapster - a new online video series premiering this fall that's all about crazy and creative ways to save money. We're looking for 10 contestants from Utah and Idaho to put their penny-pinching skills to the test. 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