To all of those who risked their lives trying to save others on September 11th, we thank you.

To all of those who lost their lives on September 11th, we remember you.

To all of those troops who work everyday to protect our freedoms, we honor you.

September 11th was the day that America changed. We came together as one country, one people, and one friend to support all of those affected in this tragic event.

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We all have our own story about where we were when we heard the news. I was a sophomore in high school. While riding in my carpool to school we stopped to pick someone up. They jumped in the car and said, just in passing, that a plane had hit one of the towers of the World Trade Center. I am embarrassed to admit it, but I didn't know what the World Trade Center was, so I didn't really care.

We got to school and every teacher had their tv's on watching the news. That is when I knew something was really wrong, although I didn't know what. I was sitting in band watching the news when the second tower was hit. Later on, I saw the towers collapse and heard about Flight 93 and the Pentagon.

I felt like we were under attack and that we couldn't stop it. When and where was the next plane going to hit? I didn't understand the significance of these events. I couldn't know then how it would change our country.

I wish that we could revisit those days immediately after 9/11. The country came together and actually helped one another. American flags were sold out at the stores and strangers would stop to help each other. We were all in support of our Commander in Chief and for once did not feel like a country divided, but a country united.

Now it seems like we have forgotten the feelings we all experienced. The feelings that brought us closer to strangers and heroes. Right now I am watching the reading of names of the people who died and the commentator just added that for us as bystanders we remember 9/11 on the anniversary but the families of these names remember it every day. We should honor those men and women who sacrificed their lives on 9/11 but even more, we should remember them everyday by drawing closer as citizens of the United States. We honor them by helping our neighbor, voting, and realizing the freedoms we enjoy because people like them sacrifice everything to protect our precious freedoms.

Thank you to everyone that helps make my life better through the freedoms I enjoy.