Where were you when the world stopped turning?

"The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory."

{I'm not going to VIA these, because most of them actually came from 9/11 conspiracy sites..}

I know this is what everyone is talking about.

But this is my blog. And I started this blog as a way of journaling because I truly don't like writing with a pen or a pencil. So this is a way of chronicling my life and feelings.

Osama Bin Laden was killed today.

I first heard from my best friend. My dad and I were eating dinner and watching "America's Next Great Restaraunt" when it was interrupted by a news crew talking about the death.

As I watch the news and the president's speech, memories come flooding back into me.

September 11, 2001.

I remember my dad waking me up in the morning telling me not to be scared. He carried me out onto the living room couch and I watched in horror as I saw one of the towers burning. Laying on the couch, we watched the footage as the second plane actually hit the second tower. On my way to school, we heard that the Pentagon had been hit. My school had not been canceled that day, but each classroom stayed inside all day and watched the news until class was over.

I remember learning about who Bin Laden was, and what he stood for. It was the first time I had ever heard of someone hating America. Why would anyone hate America? How could you hate millions of people who had never done anything to you; hate them enough to want to kill them? We had a boy in our class who's aunt worked at the World Trade Centers. He didn't come to school that day.

I remember crying. Someone who was nowhere near the disaster, crying. But I cried because I knew what it meant. In my 5th grade mind, I knew what it meant to be an American and know the terrible thing that Bin Laden had accomplished. I knew that the world would never be the same.

I remember there were no planes. The world was silent. Scared.

I was scared. What if it were Phoenix? What if it were LA? I have family in these places. I was so scared.

I will never forget how that day made me feel.

I will never said I'm happy that someone is dead, but I am so happy for what this means for our country. This means this wasn't all for not. It means that our war on terrorism means something. It means that the innocent people from that day didn't die in vain. This means that the heroes fought for something true.

I love our firefighters. I love our troops. I love the heroes and all those who believe in this nation.

And though those images are seared into my mind, I know that through this, peace is within our grasps.

God bless the USA.

*Quote from President Barack Obama.