We all have heard of 9/11, it is “never forget the day”, but at this point in time not a single student in high school was alive when it happened, so how can we forget it if we don’t remember it? The only way we can remember it is through stories, and anyone who was older than five in 2001 remembers exactly where they were, what they were doing, and how they heard about it.
47th-floor survivor Tom Canavan tells National Geographic, “All of a sudden, I felt this rush of air coming down and heat, a thumping noise. And I remember yelling or at least trying to yell.” While the experiences of those in New York are quite different from those in other parts of the country, people remember where they were when they heard.
Drama teacher Mr. Gillen was in Grand Forks, North Dakota student teaching at Grand Forks Central with an English teacher. Another English teacher came into the classroom he was in and told him what happened. They then turned on the news and the TV stayed on the rest of the day, and they watched the second plane crash. The events of 9/11 have had a lasting impact over the last 20 years.
“You still feel it; if you travel, enter a federal building, travel by airline- you feel it. People my age remember meeting people at the gate and you can’t do that anymore” said Gillen.
Things are always subject to change especially in a 20-year time frame, but 9/11 had a very large effect on how long it takes and what procedures you need to go through to board a plane today. Starting in November of 2001 President Bush put into effect the Aviation and Transportation Security Act; in short, this act enhanced airport security with the TSA.
Some of the biggest changes included but are not limited to new explosive detection systems in 2002, cockpit fortification in 2003, new ID standards, and the 3-1-1 liquid rule in 2006; in 2010 they came out with new advanced imaging technology,, and in 2015 and 2018 they added enhanced screening and facial recognition technology. The latest addition to airport security was the mask mandate put into place in February this year in an attempt to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a post 9/11 world, all we can do is be considerate to those who were affected by the situation; there were almost 3,000 people who lost their lives that day. Whether they were working in the World Trade Center, an officer, a firefighter, or any other personnel on duty they all lost their lives and it changed the world we live in. And as much as we may dread going to history class daily, learning about 9/11’s impact on life today is still important.