September 11th, 2001. A day that will forever go down in history. A day that changed thousands of lives. A day that won’t even be forgotten.

I can remember it almost like it was yesterday.

Me and my parents had just moved up to Washington from Wyoming. We were living in a NASTY trailer that just happened to be the only thing they could find the short amount of time we had to find a place before we moved, but we were in the process of moving into another house. It was just like any ordinary day in our house. Me and my dad were eating breakfast, but had no TV, or a table for that matter, because of the move. We just listened to each other crunch our grape nuts flakes as our bowls sat on a piece of plywood on top of a moving box. My dad was the vice principal of the high school, and I usually just rode with him when he left for school. It gave me more time to catch up on homework before school started and play Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit on my laptop.

I remember walking into the classroom and it was silent except for the TV in the classroom blaring the news. It seemed unreal to me. A plane had just flew into the first trade center and everyone was just sitting there in awe. I don’t think I really understood the situation in it’s entirety being that I was only in 7th grade, and literally just walked into it. I remember my closest friend, Audra, trying to catch me up on what had happened, and then something unforgettable happened. The second plane.

I remember watching the news, in an almost silent classroom, amidst the humming of our laptop fans, as a tiny speck of a plane turned into a huge Boeing 767 that collided into the second tower. It seemed like a dream. This couldn’t be real.

I remember watching the people jump out of the giant skyscraper. The people who had no where else to turn, and honestly, I think I would have done the same rather than be burned alive. It’s hard to know what you would do in that situation. I remember thinking of all the lives lost, but also of their families. The loved ones that they left behind. The children left without a parent, and the parent who lost a child. The courageous firefighters who stormed into the building in hopes that they could help, only to be tragically lost themselves.

I remember the uncertainty of it all. Who would do this? Why would they do this? Was it going to keep happening?

I remember what it was like when we found out about the Pentagon was hit, and then later about the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania after the brave passengers attacked the hijackers themselves.

Then the towers fell. 56 minutes after the second hit, the second tower fell. I remember seeing the dust, the victims staggering from the rubble. About 30 minutes later, the first tower that was hit collapsed straight down.

Falling debris ignited fires around the surrounding centers, including the trade center 7. Which ended up also collapsing later that evening. Later, the Police Chief made a statement regarding all the missing police and firefighters.

Then the search for living survivors began. Only 6 people that were in the trade centers when they collapsed lived.

It was a tragic day for New York, and for the entire United States: a day of grieft and courage. Almost 3,000 were killed in New York and Washington, D.C., including more than 400 police officers and firefighters.

I remember the candlelight vigil that we had after that Friday night football game. I remember signing “Proud to be an American” with tears streaming down my face, happy that I was still around and mourning those that were lost that day.

I know I will never forget that day. But i’m grateful.

Grateful for those that fight for our lives when we can’t. I’m grateful to live in the U.S.A. where we really are free, and grateful that we live in a country that can come back from the ashes, stronger, and more united.

September 11th, 2001 will never be forgotten, and we may be thousands of miles away (2700-ish), but we have a small part of one of the towers to memorialize those that were lost that day.

What do you remember most from September 11th?

Remember more HERE with the History channels page on September 11th.