The morning of September 11, 2001, started out like any other. Americans woke up, ate breakfast, and went to work. Little did they know that at 8:46 a.m. the first of two hijacked planes would crash into the Twin Towers and change the United States forever.

The tragedy known as 9/11 killed 2,977 people, but it impacted the entire country; it changed our worldview, influenced our politics, but, most of all, it shocked Americans beyond belief. To this day, you can ask someone where they were when 9/11 happened, and they’ll recall the exact moment they heard the news.

For example, Mrs. Heather Gautreaux remembers sitting in her tenth-grade Biology class when she first heard about the tragedy. The teacher across the hall burst into her classroom, telling the class to turn on the TV.

“She was sobbing and just could not speak to us. She just kept pointing at the TV and told us to look at the TV and call our moms. I didn’t know what was going on,” said Gautreaux.

After class, Gautreaux remembers talking about the event with her friends at school. She and her friends were terrified that they’d be the next target because of the major chemical plants that line the Mississippi.

“We did not know what the scale of this terrorist attack was going to be,” said Gautreaux. “We didn’t know if it was orchestrated, if they were going to hit every state. And here we are in one of the biggest industrial corridors in the United States, right next to these explosive chemicals.”

Mrs. Gautreaux felt unbelievably vulnerable that day, scared for the victims in New York, scared for herself and her community here. To this day, she can still remember the overwhelming fear she felt in that moment.

“It’s something that I’ll never ever forget. Even when I’m talking about it now, a piece of me still feels the fear and terror that is so visceral even now,” said Gautreaux.

Mrs. Pamela Broussard experienced those same feelings of fear and terror on the day of the attacks. She was teaching French at Pier-Park Middle at the time, and the school librarian rushed into her classroom to tell her the news. She turned on the TV and watched the terrible events unfold throughout the day.

“We just couldn’t believe it. It was shocking, stunning, and very, very scary,” said Broussard. “I remember being glued to the 24-hour news cycle, like you couldn’t turn your TV off, like you had to get the news every second. You wanted to know every update.”

Later, Broussard found out that a parishioner at her church, Lemana, who was living in D.C. at the time, had died during the attacks. Broussard was filled with grief and fear.

“We felt vulnerable and scared and defensive,” said Broussard, “I think it changed our outlook as a nation.”

Mr. Brandon Creighton was a member of the U.S. Marines in the early 2000’s, and, at the time of the attack, he was stationed on a base in Yuma, Arizona, working in a maintenance shop. Upon hearing of the attack, the Marines were sent straight to New York. Mr. Creighton remembers feeling fired up and ready to defend the country he loved so dearly.

“We were ready,” said Creighton, “Where do we have to go and who do we have to kill?”

In the days following the attack, President George W. Bush declared war on al Qaeda, and the U.S. began air and ground attacks about a month later. During this time, Mr. Creighton’s service commitment expired, and he recalls being terrified that the military would extend his service and send him to Afghanistan to fight in the war.

“Fortunately, I didn’t get stop lossed. They let me get out, and I didn’t have to go to war,” Creighton said. “But it was a rough time. It was crazy.”

September 11, 2001, was the biggest terrorist attack the United States has ever seen. Many lives were lost, and many stories can be told. Your parents, friends, and educators all have a story to tell about this tragic event, about where they were when their worlds changed forever.