By J1 Reporter Madeline Menard

Cruising down Interstate 80, Dr. Renee McGill finds herself listening to NPR radio when she “wonders if she heard correctly.” Many people could say they were wondering the same thing. On Sept. 11, 2001, McGill was a teaching assistant on her way to teach a writing class at UNL. When she initially heard of the first plane crashing into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, she couldn’t believe it. She figured it was a freak accident, just like everybody else.

Then, with reports of the second plane hitting, she wonders if “air traffic control was just on the fritz” in the area. Then, once she arrives at campus, realization hits her. They had TVs on carts and kids were huddled around them. The students didn’t have cell phones, so all they could do was watch the TV for updates. However, class had to continue on. She had them write to process their feelings and they talked about it after. McGill described it as “a shared moment of disbelief.” As she recalls, she dismissed class early so the students could be with their family and friends.

Within the next 48 hours, McGill remembers standing outside with her two daughters, ages 4 and 1 at the time, holding a candle on the porch. This national moment of remembrance was orchestrated to stand in solidarity with the fallen, both civilians and first responders. This event shows the unity that came to define 9/11.

When it comes to remembering life before the Sept. 11 attacks, McGill recalls the lack of security measures such as TSA. She even describes a specific time when she lived in Chicago where she simply met up with a friend in the airport. “A friend from college had a layover at O’Hare, and I was able to walk in the airport, only go through a metal detector, and meet her in the terminal.” Nowadays, these types of quick-entrances at airports are only available through pre-approved services, like TSA Pre-Check.

When it comes to the impact that would come after 9/11, McGill said it made the world more divided. She describes it as “the naïveté or innocence with which we took certain things for granted is gone.” While it didn’t necessarily change her view of America and patriotism, she stated that “I think people’s fears are here to stay.” One such fear was some people’s suspicions of Muslim Americans. “You can’t take  an entire group of people…community…or faith and make a few people representative of that.”

Lastly, McGill said that young people should care about 9/11, even if they weren’t alive for it. She described it as a national loss of national importance, changing our world permanently. One of the good things to come of 9/11 was the comradery, even among foreign nations. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11, McGill saw the musical Come From Away at the Omaha Community Playhouse. This musical shows what happened to other planes that had to immediately be landed on Sept. 11 in order to ensure no further attacks. It also specifically shows how Canada was a friendly neighbor to the United States during this time of tragedy.

Thank you, Dr. McGill, for your story!

If you have a 9/11 story, please share it in the comments!