The visit started off with a short film in which three major world leaders, during the time of 9/11, spoke about how it affected not only the United States, but the entire world. It showed how the whole world banded together to help the United States through their time of distress. Then, we walked around the museum portion of the memorial and saw countless videos, heard many stories and voicemails left to the victims, and by the victims, and read many articles about 9/11. We saw many artifacts and objects, ranging from destroyed firetrucks to articles of clothing from the victims from the historic day. There were videos of news reports from before the attack, speaking of the weather and normal daily things and suddenly stopping everything to cover the story of the world trade centers. There were tickets for games that were supposed to occur, train tickets, and many other artifacts from that day. There was also background information on Al Qaeda: who they were and what they did. Lastly, there was an explanation of the effects that 9/11 had on the world.
We then went outside to the memorial pools that have been constructed where the two twin towers actually stood. The memorial was very impactful. The constant stream of water surrounded by all the names of the people who died had so much symbolism for me.
One thing we took away from the traumatic day was how beautiful the weather was and how people thought the day was going to be like any other normal day in the year. The attack was so unexpected, and nobody was prepared for it. Its incredible how the world can change in a matter of seconds. After experiencing the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum we feel more connected to the history of 9/11 and the effects it had on the world.
~Sophia Sued, Class of 2018
