By J1 Reporter Annike Mahler

If you ask any adult today the question “Where were you when the second tower was hit?”, every single one will know precisely where they were. On Sept. 11, 2001, when the second plane hit the South Tower of the World Trade Center at 9:03 AM, millions realized that the previous plane crash into the North Tower at 8:46 AM was no longer a freak accident or a faulty plane. It was a terrorist attack on U.S. soil.

Very few can say they had no idea of the tragedy that transpired that morning, but one can. In the heart of the country, Tim Menard was driving to a friend of a friend’s house in Lincoln, Nebraska, to buy a dog from him. Blissfully unaware of the devastation that had befell the nation some hour or so before, Tim walked up the steps of the stranger’s house and knocked on the door. He waited. No answer. So he knocked again, and again, and eventually decided to call the man. No answer again. As he walked back down the steps, Tim saw the man through the window, watching the TV intently. He decided to approach the window and finally, the man inside the house finally answered the door, stepped out and asked him “Can you believe what’s happening?” To which he replied “What? What’s happening?” This stranger invited him inside to his place where they sat for hours, directly in front of the TV, switching broadcast to broadcast for updates and coverage on the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.

Sitting in virtual silence for three hours, two strangers witnessed the aftermath of one of the worst tragedies in American history. With every large news broadcaster trying to relay the facts as quickly and accurately as possible, Tim describes his confusion, thinking, “Who would have done this? Why would they have done it?”, and receiving mixed responses from the media.

Tim shares that Sept. 12, the next day, he returned to his workplace, the Elkhorn OPPD (Omaha Public Power District) substation, and found all his coworkers sharing newspapers and articles, standing in circles talking about the devastation the U.S had witnessed just the day before. No one was able to get any work done with this tragedy so fresh in mind, even 1000 miles away from where the attacks occurred, in the heart of the nation.

Many across the country share a similar story, frozen in between emotions, not knowing what happens next. So many go on with their lives, as is the privilege of the middle Americans, but not with certainty. No foreign terrorist attack had ever occurred on U.S soil before and thus there was no standard procedure of what to do in case of something like this. This widespread unknowing left many Americans with the lingering fear that perhaps their city would be the next target.

For young people living in the U.S today, many don’t feel as connected to the tragic events of its past, seeing it as ancient history. It is often difficult for older generations to understand this distance from the past, especially when it involves one of the darkest days in our nation’s history. The events of Sept. 11, 2001, were an extreme act of terror on civilians that was meant to strike fear in U.S civilians, but what many have found since, young and old, is that this tragedy did not dull that trademark American hope, but strengthened it, showing how the nation can come together in its darkest moments for a brighter future.

Tim reflects that often, the reality is that terrible things happen “for no good reason” and that “just like a lot of things, like a lot of other tragedies in the world…they’re just pretty senseless.”

Thank you to everyone who has promised to never forget.

If you have any thoughts about this article that you would like to share with the author, feel free to please leave them at 28.annike.mahler@omahamarian.org