I was in South Jersey in Ms. LaCorte’s general music classroom and we were all warming up our instruments. I was just getting out my flute when my principal came over the intercom and told us to stop what we were doing and listen carefully. Ms. LaCorte’s intercom was cut on purpose so the band wasn’t interrupted, so we tried to hear his announcement from either the cafeteria or her office. I could barely hear it, so I waited to ask somebody what it was about. Obviously, none of us heard it, so Ms. LaCorte told us what he said and we were all freaking out. Some of us didn’t quite understand it cuz it was so unusual. One of my peers said “This is just like the Aaliyah thing.” I didn’t understand it very much until I got home. I went to turn on some cartoons, but almost every channel had breaking news. I thought I could count on my MTV, but they had it on, too! I was like WHOA! Then my dad stormed in the room and started watching. I thought “dude, this must be bad if dad’s home like 4 hours early. Then my mom came home mad early and was about to cry when she watched it enough. I asked both of them what happened cuz I never got the scoop. They told me everything, and as soon as I realized it wasn’t an accident I wanted to kill! All my friends called me and we were like all freaking out. I was worried about my aunt. She works in NYC. I guess all my dad’s sibs called my mom-mom asking if Aunt Julie called her to tell her she was alright, and she told all of us that she was ok. I was like *phew*. She’s the only 1 who lives up there of our family. My mom told me all of the kids were watching it so everybody from the CST (thats where she works) went to classrooms and watched. The one thing I will remember is Ms. LaCorte saying “Always remember this day guys. This is going to be set in history forever. Remember 911.” I remember asking my grandparents a week later to tell me where they were when Pearl Harbor happened. (my pop-pop was in the Navy in WWII.) He said he remembered being at his dad’s store and hearing it over the radio. My grandmom said she doesn’t remember anything but hearing the announcement over the radio. She doesn’t remember where she was. I thought that was pretty creepy.

I have never seen so many flags and red-white-blue everywhere in our neighborhoods, towns, and cities. NYC had most of it though.

UNITED WE STAND. GOD BLESS THIS AWESOME COUNTRY!