• It’s been years since I’ve encountered a catastrophic event. Since the end of the Vietnam War, everything has been pretty much normal. Martha, Yasmin, and I moved to the United States just a few months ago. We’re currently living in New York City, New York. We’re planning to move to Clearwater, Florida in a few months. The last time I had ever encountered a catastrophic event was during WWII. Now it’s 2001, and America is about to undergo a terrible change. I remember the day so very vividly. I remember the rumble of the engines as the plane swept just above our apartment. I remember the loud explosion, the screaming, and suddenly all news stations were hot with a scoop. I remember the unearthly smell of the burning jet fuel. I remember the smell of the fresh blood. It was so hard to keep myself calm. People were running, people were screaming, I even witnessed people just standing and staring. I wish I could have told them to run. They had no idea as to what was about to happen. They had no idea of the massive scar this event would leave on the United States. They had no idea that their own lives would be taken away from them in a matter of just a few minutes. They, nor I or Martha, had any idea that this was one of America’s darkest days. Over three-thousand were lost, hundreds were injured, and America was changed for many years to come. I remember the day so vividly. September 11, 2001.