• Ever thought it'd be cool to have your art, writing, or challenge runs featured on PokéCommunity? Click here for info - we'd love to spotlight your work!
  • Dawn, Gloria, Juliana, or Summer - which Pokémon protagonist is your favorite? Let us know by voting in our poll!
  • Welcome to PokéCommunity! Register now and join one of the best fan communities on the 'net to talk Pokémon and more! We are not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or Nintendo.

Serious 9/11: 20 Years Later

For us older members we remember what happened 20 years ago and then there are members who were just babies or not even born yet. But we know and learned what happened on this day 20 years ago. Every year America comes together as one to remember the events that took place.

For older members: Where were you and when did you find out what had happened?
For younger members: Do you remember what happened?
For members not born yet: While you may not have been born yet what are your thoughts on this event?
For non-American members: How did the news in your country tell you about this event? Do they still make a deal out of it like we do here in the US?
 
Was in Band class. Announced it over the school intercom. Shrugged it off. Lived a ways away from New York. Paid little attention to the news, also. Assumed it to be just another attack.

Remembers something from the following year. Watched a news program at the start of the school day. (Aimed it at schools.) Asked how much longer you thought the War on Terror would last. Listed options like 1 month, 3 months, and 6+ months. (Could have been 1+ years for the top end.) Probably guessed 3 months.
 
It's a tragic event that has had immeasurable consequences, both on the families of the lives lost and on the world for how we've had to adjust to prevent an atrocity of this scale from happening again. It's frightening and confusing, and most of all, it's heartbreaking.

I was 10 years old at the time, school had (obviously) just let in and several different classes had been given a painting project to paint different walls and benches of the school. School let in at 8:15 and less than an hour later, the TVs in the classrooms were turned on to watch the news of the horrible events unfolding. I remember seeing blurry footage of a dark gray building with black smoke pouring out the side. All of the adults in the room were either crying or in shock. I was extremely confused and so were my peers. I could identify and process all the individual parts - a building, smoke, fire, and people grieving - but had no concept of terrorism and what it meant. I didn't understand why this burning building was unlike any other burning building.
A kid in my class took it upon himself to paint the burning twin towers on the third floor staircase wall. If that isn't the strongest indicator of how ignorant a 10 year-old child can be, I don't know what is.

My heart goes out to anyone who was even remotely connected to this tragedy. I can only hope it's the first and last of its kind.
 
I looked up to see at what time the attacks started since I did not remember and it said it happened at 5:46 am. I was most likely sleeping at that time when the attacks happened. I also remember seeing it on the news and we were also talking about 9/11 at school.
 
I wasn't born yet. I learned about it when I was nine and was scared. My first reaction was something like that shouldn't happen to my parents.

My thoughts about it remain almost the same. I still hope no one has to go through that suffering and pain. I learned about the 9/11 Falling man and...was shocked even more. Really terrible feelings.
 
I was in middle school..yeah I'm one of the old ones here...lol. I didn't find out till much later in the day while sitting in Choir. The principal came over the PA system and let us know that everything after school had been canceled and that we were all to go straight home. I know all the classrooms had TV's but we didn't turn ours on. After that when I got home I turned the TV on and popped a video tape in and started recording the news. That was all I watched the new few days.
 
I was born very shortly before it happened, so I have no memory.

Every year on 9/11 in school we would usually have a class dedicated towards video footage of the event. It mostly makes me feel solemn.
 
I was 9 when it happened, so I don't really remember much of the day itself. Just a vague memory of the teachers bringing TVs into the classrooms with the news on and being visibly not ok. Later school was dismissed early.

It's not something I've ever been emotional about though, since I don't really remember the event well, nobody I/my family knew was affected by the attack, I've not really ever been the sort to get upset when tragedy strikes, and I've never bought into American patriotism.
 
I was 11 at the time, just started secondary/high school. My mum picked me up in the car and asked whether I had heard the news, I said no (because we're in the UK), she then told me some planes hit the twin towers. My initial reaction was "oh, ok", then when we got home we sat and watched the news and it felt like I was watching a movie. It was rather surreal.
 
Last edited:
I was only six years old and in first grade when 9/11 happened. I do not remember that day at all, nor did my parents really bother to tell me what had happened. All I can remember was in the days after, I kept seeing the numbers 9/11 on the TV screen during the local newscasts, and my uncle had sent me a post card of New York City describing how sad he was when the towers collapsed.

One thing I can remember from that time though was there was a day in class that we recited the Pledge of Allegiance one additional time aside from the usual morning recital of it.
 
I was four, I think? I definitely do not remember. I was probably at preschool that day, or something. My parents say that my dad called mom though. I live in New York, but nowhere near the city, so I guess I'm just too young to remember that day 20 years ago. Weird that I remember other things from before that, though, but not this.

I know someone who did work at the twin towers, though. They didn't work that day, though.
 
i remember being in my class about first grade or so, and we were watching the tv as the collision happened. my eyes were just... glued to the news because although i recognised even back then that what happened was awful, the gravity of the situation never really sank into my head (expected, given i was a kid...). i don't really remember much afterwards, but i know the mood was really solemn and depressing and it was like that for quite a while afterwards.
 
I'm also one of the older ones in which it happened when I was in middle school. The morning news was on as I was eating breakfast and getting ready for school and the news of the attacks happened. When I went to middle school my last class of the day was American and so my teacher for the day let us watch the news. We were all quiet and kinda paying attention to it. It was a minimum day so we were out of school early and I remember talking to some students about it while we were waiting for our parents to pick us up.
 
6th grade. 11 years old.
My heart goes out to the hundreds of thousands the US has killed and displaced on the "war on terror". Yes, terrorists are horrific, but innocent civilians suffered the most both abroad and in the west where islamophobia still remains rampant.
I also feel for the families who lost their loved ones and who's lives were forever changed, but we need to acknowledge how people have used this tragedy to spread hate and even make money.
 
I remember wanting to watch a show. But instead all channels just showed the news and smoke coming out of a big building. The day after there may have been a minute of silence at school, but not really much else.

I think what makes matters worse is how that was used to "free" the Middle East and, well, Afghanistan says it all...
 
Older member here. I was 14 years old going on 15? There were students crying in the hallway, and being the dumb special ed kid I was, I was super confused. I went up to a teacher, and he said what happened. There was a TV in the auditorium showing the events. Then I ran into the guidance counselor's office bawling my eyes out cause I was super confused and sad for the victims.

There's more to the story, but it was such a sad day that it was a blurry memory.
 
I think it's interesting to see what everyone was doing when that happened. I was born in 2003, so I never experienced it and I'll never know what the world was like before. Whenever we talked about 9/11 in classes, teachers would always say something like "That's right, none of you were alive when it happened." Still, I think it's important for those who were born after the fact to know how it changed the world.

(Also somewhat related, but I got to pet a bald eagle on Saturday, and the eagle keeper said that 9/11 is the only day you're allowed to pet it)
 
For us older members we remember what happened 20 years ago and then there are members who were just babies or not even born yet. But we know and learned what happened on this day 20 years ago. Every year America comes together as one to remember the events that took place.

For non-American members: How did the news in your country tell you about this event? Do they still make a deal out of it like we do here in the US?

I was 10 at the time.
It was big around when it happened. The news was full on it. Lots of coverage on the aftermath too.
That said in terms of yearly memorials. It's not that big here. Idk if there's any networks here even airing it anymore. Sort of just faded away after the first couple years.
 
I was in elementary school. I don't remember anything happening at the school. I think we were too young for teachers to tell us about it. When I went home I saw my mom watching it on tv and she told me about it. At the time I had no idea what the world trader center was. I knew what was happening was bad, but I didn't fully understand what was going on. I just remember it seemed like every tv station was covering it.

Anyway, every year I watch some sort of documentary on it around the anniversary. Certain things are never forgets to me and 9/11 is definitely one.
 
I was ten, in the fifth grade, and didn't have school that day, since my elementary school was still on a weird year-round schedule: on track (normal school) for six weeks , then off (no school) for two. I was on the track that had that day off, and slept late; the news was on and talking about it when I woke up. I don't think it was live, since my time zone is two hours behind the east coast, but I vaguely remember seeing the news. The full realization of what had happened didn't sink in until a couple days later; I was only ten after all.
 
Back
Top