When you learn about major events in U.S. History, especially
events such as Pearl Harbor that occurred quite some time before
your own birth, it’s with a certain amount of disconnect that
you absorb all of the information delivered. There’s an
understanding of the severity of the event, the lasting effects
such an event has, and a general acceptance of how it changed
U.S. culture for years to come. Text books can’t really convey,
however, the true effect a major event has on the psyche of an
individual who has been through that specific historical event.
. September 11, 2001 changed that for many of us. I was in high
school when the planes hit, safely observing from my
northeastern Ohio classroom. I don’t know anyone who died that
day, or anyone who was directly affected. I can only express the
realization I came to that day. My grandkids would be reading
about September 11th in a text book, and would only be able to
study the event, never really fully grasping the profound impact
it had on our society. The