I was going to a Baptist school at the time in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. I was in 3rd grade, and it was a chapel day. There was a moment in the middle of the service where all the teachers were asked by the principal to come to the front of the church and they were whispering. I distinctly remember something was going on and I wanted to know what it was. Clearly, I have not changed.

The day went on as normal and I never knew that a terrorist attack on American soil had just happened until my mom picked me up. She told me that some bad people flew planes into some tall buildings in New York City and that many kids weren’t going to see their mommies and daddies again. We came home and she turned the news on and it stayed on for days. I remember her crying as she watched and knowing that something very, very sad had happened but not being able to fully grasp it.

I definitely remember how patriotic everyone was after that day. There were American flags EVERYWHERE. People seemed to act in a nicer and more gentle manner. ‘God Bless The USA’ was posted on signs and hung in store windows throughout town.

I don’t think it was until I was out of high school that I really understood HOW horrifying that day was for the people involved. I read about people stepping over limbs and torsos in the street from the jumpers. How there were dozens of cars left abandoned at train stations just outside the city from parents who commuted from the suburbs and wouldn’t get the chance to ride the train home ever again. I listened to terrifying voicemails from passengers telling their spouses and parents they loved them before the planes crashed.

On my first trip to New York City, I made sure to walk through the 9/11 museum and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I didn’t stop crying the entire time. I was there for 3 hours and STILL didn’t get to see everything.

When America is under attack, you don’t ask your neighbor who they voted for when you’re running for your life. You bond together to do everything you can to protect Her. That’s what we did as a country after the attacks. We were checking on our neighbors. We volunteered. We were selfless.

It’s been 20 years and at this exact same time in 2001, Kanye dropped a new album, a Hurricane hit Louisiana, and Afghanistan was in the news. It feels like we are back to where we started. But can we bring back the patriotism to hold us together through it?