Written by Lacey Francis, Susana Landaverde, Travis Webster, and Kevin Daly
“Unfortunate… When I think back, I just think that it’s unfortunate that these individuals felt that they had to do something like that. But on the flip side of it… be proud. So proud to be an American” said John Scanlon, a Homer police officer and SRO at the Homer elementary school.
With this year marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the tragic terrorist attack that occurred on that fateful day in 2001, it serves as a reminder for everyone to take a step back and remember this event that shook the nation. Many Americans remember 9/11 as an accident not quite understanding the gravity of the situation until we were already too far in deep.
“After the first plane hit the North Tower there, it was kind of an interesting feeling because it didn’t really, I don’t think, resonate. I thought a lot of the first initial things that kind of came in were just potentially an accident” Officer Scanlon said. “After hearing the news that the second tower was hit shortly after the first, everyone knew then that this was no accident.”
Americans all over the world feared what would happen next, scrambling to find their family and friends, tuning into TV programs to watch everything unfold in real time. The confusion of what was occurring turned into pure anxiety in an instant.
“The worst part was the unknown, I guess,” said Officer Scanlon. “Not knowing what was going to come next… It’s interesting. I even noticed citizens becoming very anxiety driven” Officer Scanlon said.
As more information about the attack came out, people started to realize that the U.S. was the target and ultimately the victim of the largest and most infamous terrorist attack to this day.
Citizens began to come together with love and support for all during this widespread time of grief and despair.
“I think it drew people actually closer together once they started to understand the circumstances and the complexities, and you as a nation are really a victim,” said Officer Scanlon. “I noticed citizens become very anxietydriven. I felt like it made people more kind to each other. It was one of those things that affected people individually, but [also] on a collective [way]; it made people more like, I don’t know, wanting to help each other to do things”
Dr. Kevin Dames, a professor at SUNY Cortland within the Kinesiology Department, shares a similar viewpoint about the events of that day.
“Definitely a traumatic and confusing experience,” said Dr. Dames. “Not knowing what the Twin Towers were, like what it represented, why would it be targeted? What kind of message it [the attack] was supposed to send?”
The attack on the Twin Towers left people confused and traumatized. Children and young adults didn’t know how to process the events, not during them, and certainly not after. Major changes had to be made, especially concerning safety measures.
“I mean, everyone was affected,” Dr. Dames said. “I remember times when you could walk your family members to the gate and get them onto the airplane. The current generation has no concept of that. You are required to say goodbye to your loved ones at the beginning of the process, before they go through all of the rounds of security.”
This goes back to the remembrance of 9/11 that is so important to carry on to future generations.
“Students may come to class and understand the tragedy that happened, but chronologically, people who are of “normal” college age were born after 9/11,” said Dr. Dames. “The understanding is there but there is less of an overall impact and remembrance compared to students of the past few decades, it’s not the same level of gloom that comes over them.”
Although the events that took place may not be a primary part of how people view the world, there are effects that still linger in the background.
“I think we’re all still impacted,” said Dr. Dames. “The outcome of these experiences and how we shape our daily life is still there, whether we think about it directly or not.”
For those who grew up during the 9/11 attacks, constantly being aware of your surroundings can prove to be tiresome.
9/11 brought a new perspective, bringing to light the idea of public safety. In today’s society, people are more sensitive to possible threats, which leads to overall anxiety and worry.
“The remembrance part is important. I think it translates a lot over to other areas of our military and kind of remembering where we are as a country and how important it is to be strong as a country” Officer Scanlon said, remembering 9/11 as an important lesson because it made not only the U.S. military stronger but also the country as a whole.
“I’m very aware of safety in part due to the 9/11 experience and understanding that at any time anything can happen,” said Dr. Dames.