Do you remember where you were 23 years ago on September 11th?

I have a clear memory of reaching my elementary school just before 8 a.m. On a typical day, my classmates and I would enjoy watching educational programs on PBS Kids after having breakfast. However, that particular day was unlike any other. Shortly after my teacher brought in the TV cart, almost every news channel was showing the coverage of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

During the morning of September 11, United Airlines Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11 took off from Boston heading towards California. Tragically, hijackers seized control of these planes and crashed them into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Another aircraft, American Airlines Flight 77, was also hijacked and deliberately flown into the Pentagon. Despite the devastation, the passengers aboard United Airlines Flight 93 bravely fought back against the hijackers, leading to the plane crashing in a field in Pennsylvania.

The terrorist attacks on September 11 resulted in a total of 2,977 individuals losing their lives across New York, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. This figure includes 2,753 victims in New York, 184 individuals at the Pentagon, and 40 passengers on Flight 93 who perished in Pennsylvania.

I can still recall the intense fear I felt as a child. The thought of a plane crashing into my home haunted me for a long time. I was left feeling shocked, sorrowful, scared, angry, and most importantly, bewildered. Picture being deeply affected by a traumatic event without truly comprehending what was happening, with no one to offer an explanation. As the years passed, I found myself inevitably drawn to the annual news coverage of the attacks on this same day.

After two decades, it is clear to me that the events of September 11 had a profound impact on my generation. I am still trying to comprehend how exactly it has influenced us. Recently, many of my peers, who were just children at that time, have also come to realize that the attack carried out by Al Qaeda altered the course of our lives. Millennials have been coping with the aftermath of this trauma for as long as we can remember. However, there seems to be a reluctance to address it, perhaps because it is something that defies easy explanation.

While I have many queries regarding my mental ability to comprehend the tragic event, I intend to pay a visit to The National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The museum is bound to be emotionally overwhelming, displaying artifacts, remnants of the World Trade Centers, emergency vehicles, and the poignant final communications of the victims. Despite feeling some apprehension, my predominant sentiment is one of curiosity. 

How do individuals belonging to the millennial generation perceive this calamity?