Two planes were flown into the Twin Towers. One plane was flown into the Pentagon, and a final plane crashed into a field, because the passengers decided to fight the hijackers.
There was no way around it: Two days ago, it was exactly 20 years ago that America faced the biggest terrorist attack it has ever faced. Because it was exactly 20 years ago, it was all over the news again.
Many people will tell you that they remember exactly where they were when they first heard the news of the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers. I don't, but I do remember the impact of the attacks, and the footage that I was shown.
I remember the horrible footage of people jumping from windows to escape the flames and their inevitable deaths.
I remember being shaken by the fact that this was at all possible. At that age I still wanted to believe that such evil did not exist.
Even though I wasn't religious, I had never looked at religion as something that could be used for evil. Before 9/11 I only knew it as something that people really enjoyed, and that made people feel happy. Now, for the first time, I also saw religion as something that could be used as a tool for evil.
Even though I often disagreed with people, I would never wish death upon anyone. Live and let live. I was shocked by the fact that people were apparently able to kill other people for having different opinions/world views.
I remember developing a fear of flying and a strong dislike of airports. To a certain extent, that fear is still alive.
It had a huge impact on 13-year-old me, and every time I hear about or it think about it, it still affects me.
What does 9/11 mean to you?