Written by Keira Ann Remington and Gianna Masseria<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks which claimed 2,996 lives when four hijacked planes targeted the twin towers in New York City and the pentagon with one aircraft crashing in Shanksville, Pa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The devastation of the attack was felt across the nation in different ways, even in small communities like Cortland, N.Y. Jackie Stapleton, an adjunct lecturer at SUNY Cortland, recounts her experience with 9\/11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the time of the attack, she was a 20-year-old commuter student at Binghamton University. She was getting ready for her day of classes, watching a morning show on her small TV set when the broadcast was interrupted by the catastrophic news. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I had never seen anything like that in my lifetime at that point,” said Stapleton. “I had never witnessed anything that scary or significant happen on American soil. So, it was very surreal.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The attacks marked a turning point in the United States with reshaping national security, foreign policy, and everyday life. The federal government did this through the establishment of DHS (Department ofHomeland Security) and the USA Patriot Act, expanding surveillance and immigration enforcement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Intelligence operations and airport security intensified to prevent this from ever happening again. The U.S. also launched the “War on Terror” where the military intervened in Afghanistan and Iraq. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I feel like it forced our society to really think about deeper issues, more critically,” said Stapleton. “Everyday safety was like a switch that turned on and certainly traveling felt extremely different after that and has never gone back.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Americans realized how vulnerable they were to threats outside and inside their own country. It brought pride for their nation and a renewed sense of interest in topics they didn’t focus on before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stapleton listened to NPR for daily updates and had many discussions with her peers about international policy. People, especially the youth, wanted to understand what happened, why, and how things could’ve been done differently. Stapleton also reevaluated her personal life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I remember thinking, am I really doing things that are significant to me and really matter? It kind of made me question my major, the person I was dating, living at home,” said Stapleton, reflecting on how heroutlook changed. “It made me realize how precious life is and to really give it as much meaning as I could and really look inside at my values and the path I was on.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even people who weren’t near the vicinity of the attacks reflected on their personal lives. For Stapleton and many others, the trauma of that day amplified the lesson that life is fragile, and anything can happen. One should focus on what truly matters. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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