EDITORIAL: I still remember 9/11. Shouldn't you?

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By Reagan Neville, Chronicle staff

So you can talk to people about 9/11, and you can interview them. And you can hear their memories about it, but no two stories will ever be the same. Why? Because each person reacted individually to this tragedy.

Some had families in the World Trade Center. Others were in New York City when it happened. Some were at work. Others had to report on this event, and struggle to keep a professional tone.

I remember when I was just 4 years old. My mom was driving me to my pre-school that was an hour away. She turned on the radio, and of course, turned off my kids music. So I groaned, and like any other five year old, threw a tantrum. Only when my mother held punishments over my head did I calm down enough for her to hear what the radio announcer was saying.

The radio was talking about how two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center.

This happened around ten in the morning, and my mom just turned the car around and drove us straight home.

I think I realized today that people don't really think about 9/11. After I got out of first block, and watching a movie about the plane crashes, I got to my second block all red-puffy eyed, and noticed how everyone was acting so normal. And I thought to myself, "Shouldn't people care more?"

I mean, come on, thousands of people died, and you can't slip that into the conversation about the West Johnston game. Maybe with something like, "Hey, do you think they'll have a memorial?" But no such luck.
It really hit me that it's only been nine years and we've just brushed off a thousand lives.

The only ones still remembering are the ones still grieving. The people that lost someone dear to them.

I think about the World Trade Center. I remember the tears. I remember the grief. The loss. The suffering.

But then I think about the heroes. The firefighters and policemen. Those brave men and women that stopped at nothing, some even giving the ultimate sacrifice, to save the people in the buildings.

That day, thousands were killed and thousands more wounded. My heart goes out to those remembering lost loved ones on September 11th.